Chapter 284: Chapter 200: That’ll Be Extra

The victims were all “materials” that the Grass Thief had marked long ago.

’So, all I have to do now is wait for my prey to walk into the trap…’

「Five more days passed in the blink of an eye.」 In the rear garden of the City Lord’s Mansion, Murong Yunhai, whose injuries were gradually healing, was already able to get out of bed and walk around.

It was now evening. With the occasional support of two maids, Murong Yunhai stretched his muscles and bones for the first time in a long while.

In a pavilion nearby, a few other maids were arranging several plates of exquisite medicinal cuisine brought from the rear kitchen.

The aroma of this cuisine alone seemed to sharpen one’s senses.

Murong Yunhai had suffered such severe injuries, yet he was recovering so quickly. This was, of course, thanks to receiving the full battery of every possible treatment.

“Young Master, it’s time to eat!”

An exceptionally beautiful maid waved at Murong Yunhai from the pavilion.

Murong Yunhai happened to be hungry, so he slowly walked back to the pavilion and sat down.

The surrounding maids immediately gathered around him. Some massaged his legs, others rubbed his shoulders.

“Young Master, open your mouth…”

The exceptionally beautiful maid had picked up a large meat patty and was about to feed it to Murong Yunhai.

Murong Yunhai was used to being served, so he didn’t find the maid’s sudden attempt to feed him unusual and subconsciously started to open his mouth.

But as soon as he did, the sight of the meat patty drawing closer made him frown.

First of all, the patty was oval-shaped and as thick as a fist.

’How could I possibly fit that in my mouth?’

Murong Yunhai immediately closed his mouth and looked at the maid with displeasure.

But the maid showed no sign of thinking she’d done anything wrong. Instead, she asked in confusion, “What’s wrong, Young Master? Open up.”

This actually made Murong Yunhai laugh.

He chuckled twice, then stared at the maid with a playful tone. “Why don’t you open your mouth and eat one first? Let me see you do it!”

“Alright!”

Without a hint of hesitation, the maid opened her mouth and began to stuff the meat patty inside.

Murong Yunhai had been expecting to see her make a fool of herself, but the maid’s mouth suddenly gaped impossibly wide, and she actually swallowed the patty whole.

“You…” Murong Yunhai was stunned for a moment, then immediately realized something was wrong. “Who are you!?”

The maid let out a series of crisp laughs, wiped the grease from the corner of her mouth, and then sneered, “My little darling, has it only been a dozen or so days and you’ve already forgotten me!?”

As she spoke, her voice suddenly sounded like a completely different person’s.

Cold sweat poured down Murong Yunhai’s back. Disregarding his unhealed injuries, he frantically circulated his Gang Qi and flew back out of the pavilion.

At the same time, he shouted, “Guards! There’s an assassin!”

Although her appearance was different, Murong Yunhai recognized the maid’s voice. It was the Grass Thief who had nearly killed him on the spot before.

Against such a vicious person, Murong Yunhai had no chance of winning, even if he weren’t injured.

But this female thief had ultimately been too arrogant. This was the City Lord’s Mansion. Although his father was away on business, there were still several Fifth Grade Experts in the residence.

And also a Fourth Grade Realm expert, Murong Yunhai’s own paternal uncle, Murong Jue.

However, even though Murong Yunhai had raised the alarm in time, there was no response from the surroundings.

Instead, the other terrified maids in the rear garden all collapsed, falling into a deep coma.

The entire City Lord’s Mansion seemed to have suddenly fallen asleep.

“Go on, scream. No one will come even if you scream your lungs out!”

“Be good. Be obedient. It’ll be over soon…”

“I’ve raised you for so long. It’s time you repaid me!”

The “female thief” cackled strangely, slowly closing in on Murong Yunhai as if he were already in her grasp.

Despair filled Murong Yunhai’s face. He even considered simply ending his own life.

After all, the memory of his previous torture was still vivid in his mind, often startling him awake from nightmares.

’So rather than being tortured to death, I’d rather…’

“SPLASH—”

Suddenly, the water in the garden pond exploded outward, and a man with a bare torso and muscles like tempered steel appeared, blocking Murong Yunhai’s path.

“Zou… Brother Zou!?”

Murong Yunhai was both shocked and delighted, completely baffled as to why Zou Feng was in the pond in his family’s rear garden.

Looking at the Old Witch before him, dressed as a maid and clearly in Disguise, Zou Feng thought to himself, ’I knew you’d show up.’

Through his prior investigation, Zou Feng was almost certain that the victims, including the not-yet-deceased Murong Yunhai, were all “Human Gu” that this Old Witch had been cultivating for many years.

This Gu Technique was extremely sophisticated and had no adverse effects on the host, making it very difficult to detect.

Furthermore, Zou Feng speculated that to activate this special Gu Poison, the person afflicted with the Gu had to be tortured to death in all sorts of extremely cruel ways. Only then would its true effect manifest.

That explained why every victim was tortured to death, and why she had wasted time torturing Murong Yunhai last time, even though she had a clear chance to kill him directly, which allowed reinforcements to arrive.

The female thief was clearly very surprised by the appearance of this uninvited guest, Zou Feng.

A moment later, without another word, the female thief attacked Zou Feng directly.

She struck with a textbook-perfect Five Poison Heart-Pushing Palm.

’No wonder people were saying the Cultivation Skill used by the Grass Thief was a signature technique of Biyou Palace.’

Even Zou Feng couldn’t help but marvel at how beautifully executed the palm strike was.

It made his own hands itch to respond with a Five Poison Heart-Pushing Palm of his own.

In fact, he didn’t even have to think about it; his body’s instincts had already made him unleash his own Five Poison Heart-Pushing Palm.

The two Poison Palms, devoid of any flashy special effects, slammed into each other.

“BOOM—”

Amidst a muffled boom, five-colored ripples spread out continuously from the point where their palms met.

But the palm clash only lasted for a breath before the two quickly separated, each retreating five steps.

Murong Yunhai, watching nervously, immediately noticed that after the exchange, the chests of both combatants were heaving violently.

It was as if their hearts might burst out of their bodies at any moment.

With that one palm strike, the two had created a “heart-pounding” sensation.

After the “heart-pounding” subsided, the female thief finally looked at Zou Feng with a surprised expression and began to take him seriously. “Who are you?”

“I was sent by Biyou Palace specifically to deal with you!”

Zou Feng announced the name of Biyou Palace because he wanted to see how the Old Witch would react.

After all, both her Five Poison Heart-Pushing Palm and her Gu Cultivation Skill really did seem to originate from Biyou Palace.

The female thief smiled upon hearing this, her eyes clearly filled with disdain for Biyou Palace.

However, she seemed to realize she couldn’t win a quick victory and prepared to negotiate with Zou Feng.

“Name your price. Give him to me. Otherwise, you’ll have made an enemy who will hunt you to the death!” Among the Human Gu she had cultivated, Murong Yunhai was the most suitable “material.”

If she missed this chance, who knew when she would get another.

Hearing the female thief ask Zou Feng to name a price and negotiate, Murong Yunhai started to panic again.

Although he considered his friendship with Zou Feng to be good, there were no eternal enemies or friends, only eternal interests.

If this female thief offered a condition that was incredibly tempting to Zou Feng, there was no guarantee that Zou Feng wouldn’t sell him out…

At this moment, Murong Yunhai was so nervous he held his breath.

In response, Zou Feng smiled calmly. “I’m afraid you’ve misunderstood something. Brother Murong is my beloved friend, my sworn brother. No price is high enough!”

Murong Yunhai was terrified that Zou Feng would suddenly change his tune. Only after confirming there was no “but” following this declaration did he finally breathe a sigh of relief.

The female thief snorted coldly. “Don’t be so absolute. It’s not too late to hear my offer first!”

“Since you cultivate the Five Poison Skill, are you interested in knowing how to reach the Realm of Transcendence and Sanctity with this Skill?”

“I can tell you the specific method right now. With your level of mastery in the Five Poison Skill, it won’t be hard for you to tell if my method is real or fake.”

“Additionally, I’ll throw in the Poison of the Gu King that corresponds to the ’Five Poison Creatures’!” The female thief said all this in a single breath, then calmly waited for Zou Feng’s reply.

She was very confident. After all, the price she offered was one that no Poison Cultivator who had reached the Fourth Grade would be willing to pass up.

Just as she expected, Zou Feng’s expression showed he was tempted. But after a moment of internal conflict, he tilted his head, grinned, and said, “You’ll have to add a little more!”

Source: Webnovel.com, updated by NovelKeep