Chapter Ninety: The Sect of a Hundred Poisons

When Liu Feng and Zhao Xu returned to the Zhao household, night had already fallen. They headed straight for the council hall.

By now, the hall had been thoroughly renewed. Zhao Heng and Zhao Linfei had also just come back from the Song household; one glance at their faces told Zhao Xu that the alliance had succeeded.

Zhao Heng was the first to speak. "Father, how did your discussion with the city lord go? Will he send men to aid us?"

"Rest assured," Zhao Xu replied, stroking his beard. "City Lord Wang Rui has agreed. He will dispatch his men tonight. They will hide in the teahouses, taverns, farms, and shops near the Zhao estate. The moment we give the signal, they will rush in, catching the Hundred Venoms Sect completely off guard."

"We also reached an agreement with the head of the Song family," Zhao Linfei added. "They will send dozens of men to hide in their own businesses and shops."

The group then discussed every detail and potential complication at length, not dispersing to rest until deep into the night.

The next morning, after breakfast, they gathered again in the council hall to refine their plan for trapping the Hundred Venoms Sect.

At that moment, a house guard came rushing in, panic-stricken, and reported to Zhao Tu, "Master, something terrible has happened! Since last night, more than a dozen of our men have suddenly been struck by weakness throughout their bodies, then fever, followed by relentless vomiting and diarrhea. They are fading fast."

Zhao Tu's body tensed. "Why haven’t you summoned a physician to treat them?"

The guard looked helpless. "We’ve already brought in every renowned doctor in Nanzhou City, but none could cure them."

Zhao Tu's brow furrowed in deep concern, his mind troubled. Liu Yuming suddenly spoke up, "It seems the Hundred Venoms Sect has begun their attack on us."

Zhao Tu's spirits were jolted. "You mean the guards have been poisoned? But their skills are not formidable; they pose no real threat to the Hundred Venoms Sect."

Zhao Xu's eyes gleamed. "Perhaps they simply wish to sow chaos in our ranks, picking us off bit by bit, then, when our morale is broken, they will launch a fierce assault."

"Let’s not speculate further. We should examine the guards’ symptoms before drawing conclusions," suggested Zhao Linfei.

The group nodded and hurried to the quarters where the stricken guards lay.

Upon arrival, Liu Feng quickly noticed that the afflicted guards were all deathly pale, breathing shallowly, unable even to open their eyes. Zhao Tu’s frown deepened. He lifted one man and channeled his energy into him, but after a quarter of an hour, there was no response. Zhao Tu could only sigh.

A thought suddenly struck Liu Feng. He had cured everyone’s poisoning last time—might his method not work again now? Without hesitation, he approached one of the guards, pressed his right palm to the man’s back, and sent a radiant current of golden energy into his meridians.

As Liu Feng’s golden true energy entered, the man’s aura slowly grew stronger. After a moment, the man shuddered, then opened his mouth and spat out a glob of black, foul-smelling sludge. Gradually, he opened his eyes.

"Excellent! I never imagined your golden true energy would have such marvelous effects, Xiao Feng. Now we can save them all," Zhao Tu exclaimed, clapping his thigh in delight as he saw the man's symptoms improve.

Zhao Xu said, "It’s clear now—the Hundred Venoms Sect is behind this. We’ll use their scheme against them and lure them into our snare."

"And how exactly will we do that?" Zhao Heng asked.

"Come closer," Zhao Xu beckoned the key members over, lowering his voice. "Once Xiao Feng has cured these men, let’s keep it quiet. Then, here’s what we’ll do…"

Everyone nodded in agreement at his plan, and they began to set it in motion.

That afternoon, rumors spread across Nanzhou City: the Zhao family’s guards and martial artists had contracted a strange illness, and dozens of physicians had failed to help them; in the end, they had all died.

For three days, people watched as the Zhao family sent out more than ten carts covered in black cloth, headed toward the mountains. It was widely speculated that the carts held the corpses of their guards and martial artists.

The Zhao household, once bustling, grew eerily quiet during those days, as people feared the mysterious contagion.

On the third night, in the council hall, Zhao Xu, Zhao Tu, and the others looked ashen and feeble, as if drained of all strength.

"Ha! Didn’t I say the 'Vein Destroyer' poison is incurable? Just look at them—half-dead already! Tonight, taking the Zhao family will be as easy as turning a hand," a brash voice rang out from outside.

Laughing, a man strode into the room, followed by two others, each about fifty years old, dressed in black robes embroidered with poisonous creatures—the insignia of the Hundred Venoms Sect.

Trailing behind the three elders were around fifty men, all in black, their presence under the moonlight exuding an eerie and sinister air.

"Be cautious, Fourth Brother—don’t fall into their trap," said the eldest of the three.

The boisterous one, Fourth Elder, wore an expression of utter unconcern. "Big Brother, you’re too paranoid. Their auras are so weak, a gust of wind could blow them over."

"It’s best to be careful. Third Brother was caught by them because of a moment’s carelessness."

"Second Brother, not you too! Why are you both so timid?" Fourth Elder grumbled.

He stepped directly up to Zhao Xu. "Where are you hiding our Third Elder? Speak now, or I’ll end your lives on the spot." As he spoke, he drew a long sword and waved it menacingly, the blade gleaming with a chilling light.

Zhao Xu asked weakly, "Who exactly are you people?"

"No harm in telling you. I am the Fourth Elder of the Hundred Venoms Sect. These are the First and Second Elders," the Fourth Elder replied indifferently.

"How many of you have come? Do you really think you can take the Zhao family so easily?"

"What a joke! Tonight, our elite have come in force. What’s a little Zhao family compared to us?"

"Fourth Brother, enough talk. Tie them up and find out where they’re holding Third Brother," the First Elder said impatiently.

"Alright," Fourth Elder replied, reaching toward Zhao Xu.

Suddenly, Zhao Xu sprang up like a prowling tiger, his hands forming claws. Before the Fourth Elder could react, Zhao Xu raked five bloody gashes down his arm, and blood began to flow freely.