Chapter 72: Poisoning

“Everyone’s dead, so don’t be sad about it. Ah… my soup’s gone cold…” Melody muttered, chopsticks hanging from her mouth, clearly displeased.

Meanwhile, Lingmei sat on the upholstered sofa in the private room, admiring the Space-Time Divine Mirror in her hands. The mirror was rimmed with gold and inlaid with jade; its front reflected as any ordinary mirror would, but the back was adorned with rows of floral and avian motifs, the verdant jade gleaming all the more alluringly amidst the golden radiance.

Of course, Melody’s sharp eyes didn’t miss a thing. “Senior Sister Lingmei, can I take a look?” She tossed aside her chopsticks and plopped herself down next to Lingmei, eyeing the mirror admiringly. “Wow, it’s beautiful! This must be worth a fortune, right? If we pried that jade off, we could probably buy a car!”

“Nice idea, but… keep dreaming!” Lingmei was exasperated by Melody’s nonsense, her stomach aching with anger. “Fool, with this mirror, we could win the lottery! Then we’d be rich…”

“Rich?” Baolong’s eyes went wide at the thought.

“Get lost! What’s it got to do with you? Always eavesdropping!” Lingmei clearly had no intention of including Baolong.

“Wretched witch! Don’t get too cocky…” Xiaomei finally couldn’t hold back her anger. She’d saved the person herself, and now Lingmei wanted to keep the spoils as her own. Her face flushed crimson with indignation.

“You want a fight? Bring it on! Who’s afraid of whom!” Lingmei shot back, equally agitated. “Why is it always you? Don’t you have anything better to do?”

As the two of them argued furiously, everyone suddenly turned their gaze toward Wu Ming, who found himself the center of inexplicable attention. “Why are you all looking at me?” he asked, puzzled.

“Junior Brother, why are your lips so black?” Lingmei was the first to voice the reason for their concern.

“Oh no, my stomach hurts. I need to use the bathroom, now!” Wu Ming shot into the restroom like a streak of lightning. Moments later, everyone heard a loud “plop”—followed almost instantly by a stench so foul it threatened to suffocate them.

“Oh my god, that’s unbearable! What on earth did the leader eat? I’m going to be sick…” Melody pinched her nose and hurried to turn on the exhaust fan. Lingmei, Xiaomei, and Baolong all followed suit, pinching their noses; this was their first time ever witnessing the sect leader use the toilet, and to their shock, it was like he’d unleashed a bomb.

Another explosive sound followed, and the group nearly bolted from the room.

Melody, ever outspoken, grumbled, “Chief, your fart is lethal! It’s disgusting!” She fanned the air furiously as she spoke.

The sound of flushing came from the bathroom—Wu Ming was finally done. But as soon as he emerged, everyone was stunned: dark circles ringed his eyes, making him look like a panda.

Baolong was the first to realize the problem. “This is bad—the leader’s been poisoned!”

“What?!” Lingmei, Xiaomei, Melody, and Wu Ming cried out in unison.

“I’ve been poisoned? That’s impossible!” Wu Ming protested, bewildered. All he’d eaten was the plain stir-fried potatoes.

Just then, a waitress entered carrying a dish. “What’s that smell? Here are your stir-fried potatoes!” She set the plate down and quickly left, not even bothering with an introduction. “Please pay at the front desk. The receipt is on the table,” she called over her shoulder.

“So, what did I just eat?” Wu Ming was clearly confused. He glanced at the plate of potatoes from earlier—only a pool of black liquid remained. “What’s going on?” He retched violently, bringing up mouthfuls of black water. The sight terrified everyone, who rushed to support him. Lingmei handed the Space-Time Divine Mirror to Melody and hurried to help her junior brother, while Xiaomei fetched water and milk. Baolong scooped up the collapsing Wu Ming in his arms.

“Junior Brother, don’t scare us like this… If anything happens to you, who’s paying for the meal…” Baolong wailed, feigning concern, but accidentally revealed his true thoughts.

Lingmei smacked him, furious. “You idiot, is this the time to be joking around…” But then she shook her head and admitted, “But you’re right—if something happens, I don’t have money to pay either… So let’s save him quickly.”

Hearing that, Melody pocketed the Space-Time Divine Mirror and slipped out of the room, muttering to herself, “This is looking bad. I’m not sticking around to wash dishes!”

Wu Ming, half-conscious and half in a daze, could no longer hear anything. If he’d realized how his companions were acting, he’d likely have been driven to tears.

“Hurry, drink some milk—to detoxify! And I’m reporting this restaurant! Whether or not it’s their fault, they’ll have to compensate us!” Xiaomei, quick-witted as ever, sprang into action—a true secretary.

At that moment, two people entered the room—one dressed in red, one in black, both grinning at the group.

As Lingmei was about to throw them out, the man in red spoke up. “Your grand leader is in trouble. But if you ask me, I might tell you what’s wrong!”

“Out with it—if you’re here about the money, you’ll have to pay!” Xiaomei clearly mistook them for hotel enforcers, especially since she’d just threatened to report the restaurant.

“Hahaha! First, allow me to introduce myself: I’m Lord Blood, and he’s Lord Venom,” the man in red said, gesturing to the man in black. “Your leader has been poisoned by him. As for compensation—name your price!”

Xiaomei jumped up, her expression changing. “Unbelievable—evildoers are getting bolder by the day! I want to see your boss! Have him come here!” She obviously didn’t understand what was really going on.

“Heh, little miss, you’ve got such tender skin—you must taste delicious!” Lord Blood leered at Xiaomei.

This infuriated Baolong, who swung a palm at Lord Blood—but Lord Venom caught his arm. Only then did Baolong realize something was wrong. “Damn, they’re espers!” He wrenched himself free and quickly retreated to Lingmei’s side. Xiaomei also moved closer, preparing for a fight.

But Lord Venom and Lord Blood didn’t look the least bit afraid. Not that they believed they could defeat the disciples of the Daoist Sect in a fight, but they had their own tricks up their sleeves. “No need for violence—we can’t beat you anyway,” Lord Venom said.

“Then why act so arrogant? Hand over the antidote!” Baolong finally saw reason.

“The antidote? Sure, we can give it to you—if that lovely lady spends a night with me.” Lord Blood leered at Lingmei, but immediately regretted it. “My beautiful face!” he cried out.

Lingmei’s whip was already in hand, and a bloody welt bloomed on Lord Blood’s face. “Vermin! I’ll carve you up myself!”

“Red, you’re being disobedient again! You promised to listen to me—see what happens when you don’t!” Lord Venom scolded, not caring in the slightest for Lord Blood’s pain. Lord Blood pouted and covered his face, speechless.

Then Lord Venom, dressed in black, bowed politely to the Daoist brothers and sisters. He lifted his grim face and announced, “Don’t panic. The poison I used is my own Rotting Toxin. Your leader will keep vomiting and having diarrhea, all of it foul-smelling. In ten days, dehydration will kill him. But don’t worry—even if you kill me, it won’t help. Only I have the antidote.”

“Enough nonsense! State your terms!” Xiaomei’s negotiation skills were impressive—she could have been a professional diplomat.

Lord Venom grinned smugly and pointed at Xiaomei. “I like your straightforwardness! I want Miss Space-Time in exchange. One life for another—seems fair, right?” He counted on his fingers. “Seven days. Meet us at Central Plaza in seven days. Here, give this pill to your leader first.” With that, he tossed them a red pill.

“Why should we trust you?” Lingmei was furious, ready to kill.

“You don’t have to! You can kill us if you want! Hahaha!” With that, Lord Venom took Lord Blood and turned to leave. The group could only watch the two scoundrels walk away, powerless and furious.

“Chief of the Five Venoms, you’re amazing! If we’d fought them head-on, we’d have been finished in three rounds!” Lord Blood, clutching his face, gave Lord Venom a thumbs-up with his other hand.

Confidently, Lord Venom smiled at Lord Blood. “You fool, this is called winning by cunning—waiting for the prey to come to us! We’re sure to catch Miss Space-Time!” These two really were something else—just to capture Miss Space-Time, they’d poisoned Wu Ming. If Bruce found out, he’d probably kill these two idiots himself.