The spirit crane landed in the colorful courtyard of Ziyang Hall. Yuan Shu looked up and glanced around, only to realize that the plants grown here were all poisonous.
There were poisonous vines climbing the walls, toxic lotuses planted in the pond, and bruised-purple poisonous weeds right by her feet.
Their unusual colors all but screamed to anyone approaching that they were highly toxic!
Occasionally, among these toxic plants, one could see poisonous bees buzzing about collecting nectar, and multicolored venomous spiders.
Even the fish swimming beneath the toxic lotuses sported colors that warned they were not to be touched.
"Tsk," Yuan Shu clicked her tongue.
Did Ji Yun really treat Ziyang Hall as a breeding ground for poisons?
If anyone without pharmacological expertise touched anything in this courtyard, they would have to be carried out horizontally!
No wonder the sect leader of Luoxian Sect had his face turned entirely purple from Ji Yun's poison after just one visit to Ziyang Hall.
And whenever the other disciples of Luoxian Sect mentioned Ziyang Hall, their faces would become tightly guarded.
For Ji Yun to live here, he definitely had real skills in the field of poison medicine!
"Hmph, scared? If you spout any more nonsense, I'll throw you into that poison pond for a bath!"
Seeing Yuan Shu's gaze sweeping the courtyard, a smug smile immediately surfaced on Ji Yun's face as he snorted and openly threatened her.
"In just a short while, your skin will swell in the toxic water, turn bruised and purple all over, and you'll rot to death!"
"Let me ask you, are you scared?"
Yuan Shu glanced at the pond he mentioned, the one growing the toxic lotuses.
The lotuses were poisonous, and so were the fish, but the water itself was non-toxic.
She chuckled lightly. "Why don't you scoop up a ladle of water? I'll drink it right in front of you, and then you'll know if I'm scared or not."
Ji Yun's eyes widened. "Do you think I'm lying to you?"
"What else?" Yuan Shu gave him a flat look.
Ji Yun choked on her confident tone.
He didn't dare scoop it; he really had just been trying to scare her.
But wait, how did this woman know?
How on earth could she possibly know?
Flying into a rage from humiliation, he said, "If you aren't afraid of the water, aren't you afraid of these venomous spiders and insects? I'll have them bite you!"
Hearing this, Yuan Shu chuckled again. "The Ink-Veined Poison Spider. Completely black with dark purple patterns. Its webs are toxic, causing paralysis and spiritual energy stagnation upon touch."
"Can be cured by mashing and ingesting Jade Saliva Grass."
"The Blue-Spotted Centipede. About a foot long, with blue-green toxic spots on its back. Crawls extremely fast and lives in swarms. Its bite causes endless bleeding, flesh rot, and spiritual energy disorder."
"Can be cured by Purple Corydalis."
"The Profound Poison Golden-Bladed Bee. Dark gold all over with ink patterns. Its tail stinger is as long and thin as a needle. Its vibrating wings produce a faint toxic mist. Several times larger than a normal bee, and fiercely venomous."
"Can be cured with Ice Soul Condensing Fragrance Flower."
"..."
Yuan Shu spoke with great assurance. Almost with a single glance at the poisonous creatures in sight, she could accurately report their origins and antidotes.
What she knew was even more detailed than the pharmacopeia!
The more Ji Yun listened, the more surprised he became, and the more absurd he found it.
"Weren't you a direct disciple of Qingyun Peak before? How do you know so much about venomous insects and poisons?"
"And aren't you a disciple of Yaoyun Peak? Why don't you study pills that can heal the sick and save lives, but instead mess around with these poisons?" Yuan Shu asked in return.
"I'm the one asking you right now!" Ji Yun's expression changed as he said angrily.
Yuan Shu smiled faintly. "And I am asking you right now as well."
"You!" Ji Yun was infuriated again.
It was completely pointless to talk to Yuan Shu!
This woman could casually tease him about matters between men and women—what else couldn't she do?
Ji Yun glared at her furiously, grabbed her arm, and prepared to walk toward the room.
He didn't expect that the moment his hand touched Yuan Shu, she would grab it and yank him violently toward her!
Caught off guard, Ji Yun reacted just in time, hurriedly spinning around and stumbling to a steady stance.
Before he could make a move, Yuan Shu's attack arrived right in front of his eyes!
Ji Yun's expression shifted. "You, didn't you ingest my Muscle-Softening Powder? How could you..."
"How could I recover my strength? Naturally, I cured your Muscle-Softening Powder!" Yuan Shu's lips curled up. As she attacked, she threw a handful of medicinal powder at Ji Yun!
Ji Yun had already been poisoned by Yuan Shu once, so he naturally didn't dare take it head-on now. He reflexively dodged to the side.
Seizing the opportunity, Yuan Shu forcefully threw him toward a nearby Azure Nether Poison Flower.
The moment Yuan Shu landed in the courtyard, her first glance had fallen on this Azure Nether Poison Flower.
This flower was not easy to cultivate. Ji Yun had clearly spent a lot of energy to grow and keep it alive, treating it as an extreme treasure.
At this moment, the plant was growing robustly in a large flower pot, having bloomed its very first flower.
Sure enough, seeing the Azure Nether Poison Flower, Ji Yun jumped in fright and reflexively dodged to the side.
As a result, his leg was pricked by a poisonous cactus, causing him to leap into the air.
"Hiss!"
Ji Yun drew in a sharp breath of cold air. Seeing that he was about to fall into a pile of poisonous cacti, he quickly twisted his waist.
At an incredibly bizarre angle, he barely brushed past the top of the cacti, managing to steady his footing by a hairsbreadth.
Yuan Shu watched with great disappointment. She had thought she was about to see a human-shaped cactus!
"Yuan Shu, are you tired of living? Plotting against me on my own turf!"
Furious from the humiliation, Ji Yun forced the cactus spines out of his leg and flew toward Yuan Shu to attack!
But he had clearly forgotten that the cactus was poisonous. Just as he rushed in front of Yuan Shu, a sharp pain shot through his thigh.
The attack he launched went askew before it could even hit her.
"Bang!"
A venomous spider on the wall was sent flying, scaring the other poisonous creatures into hiding among the toxic plants.
Before Ji Yun could react, Yuan Shu locked onto his wrist and delivered a beautiful over-the-shoulder throw, slamming him directly onto the bluestone ground.
"Ugh."
Ji Yun let out a muffled groan. A severe pain radiated through his chest and back, hurting so much that tears almost welled up in his eyes.
This Yuan Shu had such immense strength!
"Do you yield?" Pinning his hands down, Yuan Shu effortlessly pressed Ji Yun beneath her and asked with a curled lip.
Ji Yun gritted his teeth fiercely, glaring at her without saying a word. A moment later, he abruptly turned his head away, refusing to look at her.
Clearly, he didn't yield.
Yuan Shu chuckled softly. Just as she was preparing to use this punching bag for a couple more strikes, a violent, dull ache suddenly spread from her chest again.
It transmitted through her meridians and flesh, reaching all four limbs and every bone in her body.
Yuan Shu's expression drastically changed, and the hands gripping Ji Yun uncontrollably lost their strength.
Taking advantage of this opportunity, Ji Yun grabbed Yuan Shu's hands and executed a neat spin to swap their positions.
In the blink of an eye, he pinned Yuan Shu down, pressing her beneath him.
"Hahahaha, now it's my turn to ask you, do you yield!"
He thought he would hear Yuan Shu's defiant mockery, but instead, he saw the person beneath him turn visibly pale, her whole body curling up into a ball.
She seemed to be enduring immense agony!
"Hey, what's wrong with you? You're not tricking me, are you?"
Ji Yun frowned and called out in disbelief.
Yuan Shu didn't speak. The pain felt as if it had drained all the strength from her body; how could she have the energy to look at him?
She didn't know what was wrong either. It seemed that starting from this afternoon, this dull pain would appear.
At first, it was brief, lasting only for about a dozen breaths.
But now, it had been nearly the time it takes to drink a cup of tea, and it still hurt just as much!
