Chen Tang casually inserted his knife into the ground, approached the counter, took out a money pouch from his bosom, and poured out a small pile of Hidden Coins, roughly over twenty of them.

More than twenty Hidden Coins is quite a substantial income for most in Middle Concealment.

After all, Middle Concealment tasks at the ordinary level only reward two Hidden Coins.

To earn more than twenty Hidden Coins means completing more than ten tasks.

And each time without failure.

“That’s quite a haul,”

Blacksmith Feng glanced and said, “However, you’ve been poisoned.”

Chen Tang’s right-hand fingers were somewhat swollen, appearing dark and eerie under the lamp’s light.

Jade Flute Fairy frowned upon seeing Chen Tang’s poisoned fingers and said, “It’s Corpse Gu Powder.”

The Corpse Gu Powder is essentially made from ground Gu insect bodies, colorless and tasteless, and can be added to food and drink or smeared on objects and weapons.

The potency of Corpse Gu Powder lies in its ability to seep silently into the skin through pores upon even the slightest contact.

By the time one notices, the toxin has already merged into the bloodstream.

In fact, Chen Tang had engaged in a fierce battle outside, killing many, and would have found far more than twenty Hidden Coins if searched thoroughly.

However, during his search of the corpses, someone had applied Corpse Gu Powder to the Hidden Coins!

Such a tactic is truly indefensible.

Under the cover of night, Chen Tang prepared to fend off assassinations from other Hermits; how could he notice if the Hidden Coins had been tampered with?

Moreover, Chen Tang noticed that someone had already cleared most of the Hermit corpses in the alley when he was retrieving the money!

Realizing he was poisoned, Chen Tang dared not be careless and returned to the Shadow Tower with his haul of over twenty Hidden Coins.

There’s no need to rush; time is plentiful.

Once inside the Shadow Tower, even if these Hermits hate him to the core, all they can do is glare.

“This is the benefit of cultivating Inner Qi; when encountering a poison like Corpse Gu Powder, one can slowly expel it with True Qi.”

Blacksmith Feng shook his head and said, “Alas, you follow the Horizontal Cultivation Technique, so once poisoned, you have no means to handle it yourself.”

Jade Flute Fairy said in a deep voice, “Come to my room; I will help you expel the poison using Inner Qi.”

“Fairy, the True Qi you managed to gather barely protects your Heart Meridian. You can’t even take care of yourself, yet you want to save him?”

With a chuckle, Lady Yun said, “Don’t blame me for not warning you, the Five Poison Powder inside you is much more potent than his Corpse Gu Powder!”

Jade Flute Fairy fell silent.

She knew what Lady Yun said was true.

The poison of the Five Poison Powder, even with her Inner Qi, could not be expelled from her body, ultimately only staying on the defense to protect her Heart Meridian.

If she used this Inner Qi to help Chen Tang, the Five Poison Powder would invade her Heart Meridian, and she would certainly die!

Blacksmith Feng turned his head to look at Chen Tang and lightly coughed, “Give me all those Hidden Coins, and I’ll use Inner Qi to expel the poison for you.”

“Don’t blame me for asking for too much; this is to save your life, and over twenty Hidden Coins isn’t much.”

“Ten Hidden Coins,”

Lady Yun smiled charmingly and said, “I’ll help you expel the poison.”

“Lady Yun, you’re stealing my business!”

Blacksmith Feng puffed his beard and glared, gritting his teeth, “Five Hidden Coins!”

“Three,” Lady Yun said calmly.

“Lady Yun, you!”

Blacksmith Feng clenched his fist, took a deep breath, and said, “One Hidden Coin, the old man will make a move and help you expel the poison!”

Blacksmith Feng glanced sideways at Lady Yun.

This time he only asked for one Hidden Coin, giving Lady Yun no room to bargain lower!

Lady Yun leaned forward slightly, close to the counter, and looked at Chen Tang, her eyes playful, saying in a tender voice, “Little brother, beg me…”

“Damn!”

Blacksmith Feng couldn’t help but curse.

While the two bickered, Chen Tang remained calm throughout.

He was unwilling to give Blacksmith Feng any Hidden Coins, nor did he want to beg anyone.

Blacksmith Feng and Lady Yun gradually sensed that something was amiss.

At that moment, Chen Tang raised his poisoned right hand, and a roaring sound erupted from within, like ocean waves crashing through his body!

In the next moment, under everyone’s gazes, blood began to slowly drip from the tips of those swollen fingers.

At first, it was the dark, poisonous blood.

Before long, it turned into fresh, red blood.

The swelling in Chen Tang’s fingers also receded, returning to normal.

“What a technique!”

Lady Yun’s eyes shone with mirth, unable to help but praise inwardly.

Blacksmith Feng squinted slightly, murmuring, “To cultivate the blood vessels to such an extent, impressive!”

Chen Tang cultivated the Inner Strength of the Viscera through the Horizontal Training Method, possessing no Inner Qi within.

But after three months of cultivation in the East Sea, under the impact of the tides, not only did his internal organs improve, but his entire physical body, limbs, bones, and blood vessels gained strength.

His control over his blood vessels had reached another level.

With a single thought, Chen Tang could maneuver his blood vessels at will, unleashing tremendous force!

Thus, instead of using Inner Qi to expel the poison, Chen Tang manipulated the blood vessels to squeeze the poisoned blood out of his fingertips.

The method differed, but the result was the same.

“Mistress, serve two bowls of wine,”

Chen Tang handed over two Hidden Coins.

“Sure,”

Lady Yun accepted the Hidden Coins and turned to fetch two bowls of wine.

The fragrance of the wine was enticing.

Chen Tang had just downed a bowl, clearly unsatisfied.

Blacksmith Feng’s throat moved at the sight of the two bowls of wine in front of Chen Tang, unconsciously swallowing.

Smiling, Chen Tang asked, “You won’t take the money of the dead, but can you drink the wine of the dead?”

“Hehe,”

Blacksmith Feng knew Chen Tang was teasing him but didn’t mind and laughed, “Handling the dead’s money is ominous, but drinking their wine just washes away the bad luck!”

“Then let me treat you to a bowl of wine,”

Chen Tang pushed the other bowl over to Blacksmith Feng.

“Gladly,”

Blacksmith Feng did not refuse and joyfully picked up the bowl, savoring it sip by sip rather than drinking it in one go.

Chen Tang, on the other hand, gulped it down in one go, feeling the fiery sting of the spirit burning as it passed down his throat, and the subdued tumult within his blood vessels dispelled his earlier fatigue.

Chen Tang took out another two Hidden Coins and handed them to Lady Yun, saying, “Shadow Tower should have a doctor. Help her deal with her wounds and cure her poison.”

He had just witnessed a heavily injured Hermit escape into this place.

Therefore, he guessed there must be an expert dealing with injuries in the Shadow Tower.

Lady Yun took one Hidden Coin, but pushed the other back with a smile, “Treating wounds is no problem, but the poison in this Fairy, I can’t cure it here.”

“How many Hidden Coins for the cure?” Chen Tang asked.

Lady Yun smiled and said, “No matter how many Hidden Coins, I can’t cure it here. To cure the Five Poison Powder, you must go to the drug shop near the Qianzhu City docks. There’s a doctor there by the name of Li, only he can cure the Five Poison Powder.”

Chen Tang pondered thoughtfully.

On his way here, he did indeed notice a drug shop near the docks.

At the time, he paid it little attention, but thinking about it now, it indeed resembled the air of the Shadow Tower.

However, from here to the drug shop, the way would probably not be peaceful!

Lady Yun smiled, “By the way, I must remind you this Fairy won’t last much longer.”

With that, Lady Yun suddenly reached out and lifted Jade Flute Fairy’s sleeve.

On her fair wrist, five vividly colored lines like fierce snakes crawled up her arm, extraordinarily glaring!

Jade Flute Fairy quickly withdrew her arm.

But with that simple movement, she could hardly bear it as it stirred the injuries and poison within her.

Jade Flute Fairy’s face changed, her lips parted slightly, and she spat out a pool of black blood, her face turning even paler.

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep