Chapter 47: Why Not Give It a Try?

Chen Huaian sneered as he watched Xiao Yifeng select the Great Recovery Pill.

He actually had the option to instantly replace the pill for 6 yuan. If Xiao Yifeng had miraculously chosen the pill without poison, he could have spent the money to swap it for a poisonous one.

But now, it seemed there was no need for him to spend a dime.

Xiao Yifeng wasn't some lucky prodigy—the first pill he chose was indeed poisonous.

Chen pressed the communication talisman and said, "Since you've chosen it, why aren't you eating it? What are you waiting for?"

["Since the choice has been made, go ahead and consume it."]

"Xiao Yifeng, what are you hesitating for?" Qingxuan Daoist shot a glance at his second disciple. He couldn't wait to see Xiao Yifeng prove the mysterious cultivator wrong. As for the constipated look on Xiao Yifeng's face, he simply attributed it to nerves from being too close to the mysterious figure.

"Yes, Master."

Xiao Yifeng silently prayed to every god and immortal he could think of, then closed his eyes and swallowed the Great Recovery Pill in one gulp.

The medicinal effects erupted almost instantly. Xiao Yifeng groaned, clutching his chest as his face turned a deep shade of purple.

His eyes turned bloodshot, and he panted like a bull—clear signs of the pill's poison taking effect.

And it was undoubtedly a potent dose.

To avoid damaging his meridians, he immediately sat down cross-legged and began circulating his spiritual energy, using his Yi Wood Spirit Root to gradually neutralize the poison. Any other cultivator without his innate abilities would have had to rely on external antidotes or the help of a senior to expel the toxins.

"This…" Wu Duantian glanced at Qingxuan Daoist beside him and noticed the elder's face had turned ashen, almost matching the color of his hat. His hands, hidden in his sleeves, trembled visibly—clearly, he was furious.

["You still have two chances left!"]

The voice from the void behind Li Qingran remained calm and indifferent.

The surrounding Qingyun Sect disciples and elders knew that Xiao Yifeng had failed his first attempt.

After temporarily suppressing the poison, Xiao Yifeng opened his eyes, his expression grim. He hesitated for a moment, then cupped his hands toward the void behind Li Qingran and said, "This junior dares to ask—is there truly one normal pill among these ten?"

["What? Do you think I'm deceiving you?!"]

A cold snort rang out, accompanied by a surge of oppressive aura. A gust of wind swept through, reducing the steps around Xiao Yifeng to dust.

A voice filled with killing intent echoed from the void:

["Just for that remark alone, I could kill you without needing a reason!"]

"This junior apologizes! Please calm your anger, Senior!" Xiao Yifeng immediately lowered his head, his heart pounding with fear.

His peripheral vision darted toward Qingxuan Daoist.

To his dismay, his master stood with his eyes coldly closed, as if refusing to acknowledge the situation.

Sect Master Wu Duantian, on the other hand, was smiling warmly at Li Qingran, his gaze as if he were looking at his own daughter.

No one could help him. Neither his master nor the sect master was willing to offend the mysterious cultivator.

Now, he could only rely on himself.

Xiao Yifeng took a deep breath and, steeling himself, selected the second pill.

He swallowed it, and the fire poison erupted once again.

["You have one chance left."]

After suppressing the poison, Xiao Yifeng stretched out a trembling hand, veins bulging, toward the remaining eight pills.

Never before had he imagined that the pain of fire poison ravaging his body could be so excruciating.

His meridians and bones felt as if they were being scraped by a brush studded with steel needles.

The pain didn't persist continuously but came in waves, like a snake slithering through his body, leaving no room for adaptation—only relentless torment… And this was only bearable because of his Yi Wood Spirit Root, which naturally granted him the ability to detoxify and suppress poisons.

But Li Qingran didn't have that.

So, this was the agony Li Qingran had endured day and night after being expelled from Chixiao Peak…

The mysterious cultivator's alchemy skills were truly formidable.

Even with his cheating method of cutting off a piece to taste, he couldn't determine which pill was free of poison.

In that case, he might as well choose one at random.

Xiao Yifeng closed his eyes, giving up the struggle, and randomly picked one.

"Tsk, this kid's luck isn't bad. He actually managed to pick the right one with an eighth of the odds," Chen Huaian muttered, reluctantly spending 6 yuan. The moment the payment was deducted, the pill in Xiao Yifeng's hand was instantly swapped.

The black cat beside Chen looked at him with an odd expression.

[What is this kid muttering to himself while staring at that black box? Is he out of his mind…?]

[Could that black box be some kind of mind-controlling demonic artifact? Interesting, interesting! I wonder who's more evil—the demon behind that box or this beast, hehehe!]

The black cat's tail rose high, as if it had thought of something amusing.

Xiao Yifeng swallowed his final chance, and the fire poison erupted once more.

The poison from the first two attempts had already accumulated to its limit. This third dose was like a spark igniting a fuse—the combined poison from all three pills exploded in full force.

"Ugh…"

Xiao Yifeng's face turned as pale as gold, then flushed crimson. He staggered backward, step by step, before finally collapsing to his knees and vomiting a mouthful of black blood. Strangely, the blood vaporized upon contact with the air, filling the surroundings with a foul stench of medicinal residue and decay. The nearby disciples immediately covered their noses and mouths.

The figure at the center of the square clutched his chest, struggling to hold on for a moment,

before finally collapsing to the ground, twitching a few times before falling still.

["Qingxuan Daoist, it seems your disciple isn't as much of a genius as he thought he was…"]

A mocking chuckle echoed from the void.

["There are still seven pills left. Will you feed them to him, or shall I do it myself?"]

Chen Huaian felt no sympathy for Xiao Yifeng.

Li Qingran had endured the fire poison for three months.

Her meridians had been scorched black and rotted by the poison. Compared to that, the pain Xiao Yifeng was experiencing now was nothing.

"Esteemed Senior, this disciple has already been punished. His condition is critical due to the fire poison ravaging his body. Perhaps it's best not to force him to consume the remaining seven pills…" Wu Duantian, sensing that Qingxuan Daoist was on the verge of losing control, quickly stepped in to mediate.

["Did I give you permission to speak? Sit down!"]

"You're going too far!" Qingxuan Daoist finally snapped, standing up.

His sword, however, was pointed at Li Qingran.

"Don't think I don't know that all ten of those pills are poisonous! My second disciple never stood a chance! Even if you want to avenge Li Qingran, isn't this a bit excessive? And did my disciple really feed her a poisonous pill?"

"Elder Qingxuan." Li Qingran, under the pressure of a Nascent Soul cultivator's aura, stepped forward with a pale face, as if trying to shield the void behind her.

Her cold eyes met those of her former master, filled with a bone-chilling sorrow. "After the grand competition, I received no help. The only pill I took was the Great Recovery Pill given to me by Xiao Yifeng."

"You're lying!" Qingxuan Daoist roared, his eyes blazing with anger.

"If I've spoken a single falsehood, may the heavens strike me down with five thunderbolts."

Li Qingran raised three fingers to the sky. The pressure of the heavenly dao turned her face ghostly white. She could clearly feel her life force dwindling. The lengths she had once gone to maintain these relationships paled in comparison to the ferocity of her retaliation today.

The sky above Qingyun Sect, once clear, was instantly covered in dark clouds. Bolts of lightning flickered within the clouds, as if probing, before dissipating along with the clouds.

Qingxuan Daoist met Li Qingran's resolute gaze, his sword trembling in his hand. He was speechless. Twice now, she had entangled herself with the heavenly dao, inevitably depleting her life force. Li Qingran was staking her life on this.

If that was the case, then the poisonous pill had indeed been intentionally given by Xiao Yifeng. Even the healing pill he had instructed to be delivered to Li Qingran had never reached her.

Among the remaining seven pills,

one floated toward Qingxuan Daoist.

The oppressive aura on Li Qingran also dissipated.

The ethereal voice from the void spoke again:

["Why not give it a try and see if it's poisonous?"]

Qingxuan Daoist stared at the brocade box containing the pill, a flicker of hesitation in his eyes.

"How do I know this pill…"

Before he could finish,

the box suddenly opened.

A Great Recovery Pill shot into Qingxuan Daoist's mouth.

The voice from the void sneered:

["Eat it!"]

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