Chapter 192: 178 True Heart, Part 2

Zhang Rongfang recognized these two children.

Before disguising his identity and joining this caravan, he had already seen the manager leading the group, Feng Keqin, bringing these two kids along.

According to him, these two are the eldest son and daughter of the caravan’s master. This is their first journey, heading to the Great Capital to escort goods.

Zhang Rongfang took another bite of garlic sprouts, sending them into his mouth.

Suddenly, he tapped his right leg, instantly stepping on a black snake slithering toward him.

After a soft sound, the head of the black snake was completely smashed underfoot, leaving only the tail twitching a few times before gradually ceasing movement.

“Hey! There’s another one here!” A guest at a neighboring table shouted.

Soon, those around noticed the black snake lying dead under Zhang Rongfang’s foot.

“Zhang Laodi, you’ve got quite the skills! You must have practiced leg techniques, right?” The guard leader, Old Chen, gave Zhang Rongfang a thumbs up.

“Oh, not at all, just practiced some basic farming techniques,” Zhang Rongfang replied humbly.

His current identity is that of an ordinary martial artist intending to venture into the Great Capital to broaden his horizons.

Due to his family’s decline, he had to leave his hometown and try to make a living outside.

Such identities are quite common.

Many martial artists wander about homeless, almost all with similar backgrounds.

After exchanging a few polite words, everyone carefully inspected the ground, ensuring there were no more poisonous snakes, and then resumed their meal.

After handling the situation, Zhang Rongfang sat back down and looked again at the two young masters and mistresses of the Feng family, but they were already gone.

After dinner, everyone retired to their rooms to rest.

Unless absolutely necessary, the caravan would never rest outside at night.

Those willing to spend money booked rooms at the inn.

The frugal ones set up shelters inside the inn’s outer fences to block the wind, then used a fire for warmth to get through the night.

Zhang Rongfang went upstairs to the second floor and entered the room he had booked.

He instructed the attendant to bring up a bucket of hot water for a bath, then began his cultivation of literature in a meditative posture.

Through Tan Yang’s connections at Mingjing Palace, he had applied directly to advance his studies at Celestial Treasure Palace.

This allowed him to completely bypass the Golden Wing Pavilion’s hierarchy.

His aim was to not draw attention and to act as discreetly as possible.

There’s been no reply yet from the Celestial Maiden’s side; though the main pavilion remains, some Spirit Levels still stand; the situation has become slightly precarious.

He planned to approach things from a different angle, slowly investigate while heading to the Great Capital.

Besides, he still needed to receive a Daoist title, so visiting Celestial Treasure Palace to formally take vows under a Master was appropriate.

Many Daoists do this in their youth, traveling to the Ancestral Court, partly for further studies and perhaps catching the eye of a prominent figure there, boosting their status exponentially.

Bear in mind, in the Great Spirit, the merger of temple and academia is not mere rhetoric.

The higher echelons of Dao and Buddhist sects also wield considerable actual power in the Great Spirit.

Even institutions previously under Confucian oversight are now governed by Dao and Buddhist sects.

The Jixian Institute, managing religious affairs of the Great Spirit, also oversees the entire empire’s academic examinations.

It establishes the rules on how to assess talent from various academies and institutes, and how to promote talent into officialdom, among other things.

All these are under the jurisdiction of the Jixian Institute.

This level of power is exceptionally rare worldwide.

Therefore, many like Zhang Rongfang, upon achieving some success, proceed to Celestial Treasure Palace for further studies.

Comfortably waiting while engaging in his cultivation.

In the inn’s kitchen.

Two small figures quietly moved toward the space where water was being heated.

Under the moonlight, their faces were revealed.

These are indeed the twins of the Feng family.

The boy named Feng Xin, the girl named Feng Lu. As they gazed at the large pot of boiling water, their eyes blazed with rage.

“That person actually dared to step on my Xiaohui! Wasn’t it just a little prank on him? Yet he went to such lengths! Have you found out which pot he wants water from?” Feng Lu said viciously.

“Yes, the one on the left. What do you plan to do?” Feng Xin pointed.

“Give him a taste of something good.” Feng Lu chuckled twice.

“You’re thinking of using the good stuff Master gave us?” Feng Xin exclaimed in surprise, “Better not, it’s expensive…”

Since childhood, the siblings were sent to learn martial arts at Cyan Leaf Sect.

Having completed their training, they easily handled various incidents encountered during their journey.

In high spirits, during dinner, they released two pets to scavenge for food, but unexpectedly, one of them, Xiaohui, was stomped to death.

“Anyway, this trip to Great Capital is with Uncle, and with his skills, nobody cares if penniless chaps like him die. People getting sick and dying on such a long journey aren’t unheard of.”

Feng Lu spoke softly, her eyes gleaming with malice.

“But…what if Uncle Feng finds out?” Feng Xin questioned.

“If he finds out, let him. Just don’t let him shout about it. If he bothers me again, I’ll deal with him too!” Feng Lu replied irritably.

“Let’s not do this…” Feng Xin said, resigned, “The medicine is very costly. Once used, we can’t refine more.”

Ignoring him, Feng Lu skipped lightly forward, scattered it into Zhang Rongfang’s bathwater bucket, and swiftly returned to her hiding place.

“Alright, the poison is colorless and odorless, combined with the large amount needed for the bath, and when heated, it’ll accelerate Qi and Blood circulation… He won’t possibly notice.

By the time he realizes something’s amiss, the poison’s already sunk deep into his bones, beyond remedy!”

Feng Lu chuckled softly.

The pair then turned and quietly left.

The attendant boiling water knew nothing and soon finished, delivering the tub to Zhang Rongfang’s room door.

Knock, knock, knock.

With a creak, the door opened.

Zhang Rongfang glanced at the steaming water bucket, widened the door to let it in.

“Guest, your bath water is ready. Would you like the master to scrub you tied up?” the attendant asked attentively.

“No need.” Zhang Rongfang casually handed over a few large coins.

After the attendant thanked him profusely and closed the door to leave, Zhang Rongfang reached out to test the water temperature.

Slightly hot.

He immediately began to undress.

Soon, after stripping down to just his undergarments, Zhang Rongfang walked to the bedside, bent down to grab a large rooster from under the bed, and threw it into the bucket.

The rooster’s mouth was bound, its legs and wings tied; it couldn’t move.

Soaked in the bucket, it could only keep tumbling.

Zhang Rongfang held the chicken by the head, suspending it above the water, quietly waiting.

Every time he bathed, he would catch some small animals nearby to test the water.

This was a residual effect of the special training he received at the Golden Wing Pavilion.

Since becoming a Spirit Messenger, he often couldn’t sleep at night, frequently worried about the possibility of being poisoned in his daily life.

So Zhang Rongfang had absorbed extensive experience from the various poisoning and assassination methods taught at the Golden Wing Pavilion.

This chicken was just bought from under the inn and had multiple uses.

Feeding it some of his rice while eating would test the food.

Throwing it in the bathwater would test for safety.

“Hmm??”

Suddenly, Zhang Rongfang’s expression changed.

The rooster in the bucket was initially full of spirit, but after soaking for just a moment, its eyelids drooped significantly, its pupils scattered, and its struggles slowed considerably.

“There’s something wrong with the water!” He quickly stood up, tossed the poor rooster onto the floor, and put on clothes to go out.

Shortly after, the innkeeper and two attendants responsible for boiling the water hurried over as well.

They entered the room, looking at the still-steaming bath bucket.

“Who boiled the water just now??” Zhang Rongfang asked in a deep voice.

“It… it was one of us…” one of the two attendants stammered, trembling.

“Why did you poison the water?” Zhang Rongfang examined the two carefully.

He couldn’t find any flaws in them.

Moreover, this trap was indeed too crude and clumsy for him.

If a Spirit Messenger from the Golden Wing Pavilion could fall for such an easy trap, the Golden Wing Pavilion would have been wiped out countless times already.

“We’re innocent, sir! We really don’t know what happened! The bucket was clearly boiled under our watch, how… how was it poisoned in the blink of an eye?? We’re clueless!”

The two attendants panicked instantly, hurriedly kneeling and repeatedly kowtowing.

They were still baffled, unaware of what had occurred.

Watching the two attendants kowtowing and pleading continuously, Zhang Rongfang considered that it might have been his imposing physique that scared them.

He gestured dismissively.

They didn’t seem to be the culprits, but who was it that did such a wicked thing during his disguised outing?

Was it targeting the Spirit Messenger of the Golden Wing Pavilion, or Zhang Rongfang himself? Or was it his current identity as an ordinary guest?

Possibilities flashed through his mind, including Feng Xin and Feng Lu, those two small figures.

The innkeeper was also quite frightened, repeatedly apologizing, guaranteeing free room and board from then on, and pleading with him not to report to the authorities.

Zhang Rongfang didn’t trouble them further, checked the courtyard where water was boiled, and found no issues.

Then he had them replace the bucket with fresh water for a bath and went to sleep.

As for the culprit, careful observation along the way would eventually lead to their capture.

The next morning.

The inn started early, preparing meals for everyone’s departure.

“That guy wasn’t caught last night?? My Gathering Dew Fragrance was wasted!”

Outside the inn, in the open space, Feng Lu wore a face of dissatisfaction, unhappy with last night’s events.

“That guy is very alert, maybe we shouldn’t mess with him? It wouldn’t be good if we got caught.” Feng Xin said, frowning.

“No worries, you always do things by halves in the sect, but I’m different, watch me.” Feng Lu’s eyes flickered, quickly coming up with another idea.

“I don’t believe I can’t kill you; I’ll disgust you to death!”

“What are you planning to do?” Feng Xin asked, puzzled.

“That person killed my Xiaohui; I’m going to make him pay!” Feng Lu said fiercely, “The Red Apricot Powder isn’t toxic on its own, but once combined with the scent of camellia, it turns into an extremely potent poison!

I want you to secretly sprinkle the Red Apricot Powder into that guy’s food! Don’t worry, the powder by itself is non-toxic and extremely hard to detect! Even silver needles or living creatures testing won’t work!

Only when combined with the scent of camellia does it turn into a deadly poison!”

“Will this… really work??” Feng Xin hesitated.

“Trust me, even top-grade masters have been brought down by this combination in my hands!

This time, he will certainly die!”

“But what if Uncle Feng finds out…” Feng Xin was still worried.

“Who does he think he is, just a servant, daring to meddle with the matters of the Feng family?” Feng Lu said impatiently.

“If he angers me, I’ll kill him too!”

The two looked around, ensuring no one was nearby, then quickly entered the kitchen while the attendant turned to grab something.

One of them made an excuse to get food from the kitchen, distracting the attendant.

The other swiftly went in, spit into a large pot of soup with a snap.

Then quickly stirred it evenly with a ladle, making it indiscernible, before hastily leaving.

Before leaving, Feng Xin casually sprinkled some transparent powder into Zhang Rongfang’s bag of dry food.

The two acted swiftly, planting the poison and running away, all within a few seconds.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep