What kind of look was that?
Lian Qiao: "What, I haven't even criticized you, and you're already looking down on me?"
Lu Wujiu calmly swept his gaze over her from head to toe, then turned away expressionlessly.
Though he said nothing, the silence was more mocking than any words.
Hah, as if she wanted to stay with him!
Furious, Lian Qiao slammed her hand on the medicine cultivator's table. "Where's the antidote? How do we undo this?"
The medicine cultivator replied lazily, "The antidote costs extra."
Lian Qiao: Her fists clenched.
But compared to spending money, breaking free from this annoying person was clearly more important.
She took a deep breath. "How much?"
The medicine cultivator leisurely extended a hand, revealing five fingers.
Lian Qiao was shocked. "Another fifty thousand? Are you that greedy?"
The medicine cultivator smiled faintly. "Not fifty thousand. Five million."
Lian Qiao: "…Did I hear that right?"
Was this supposed to save people or take advantage of their desperation?
The medicine cultivator said matter-of-factly, "No mistake, it's five million. This Love Gu was raised on seventy-seven types of poisonous insects and seventy-seven types of poisonous herbs. Just identifying these one hundred and fifty-four ingredients takes considerable effort, not to mention adjusting the right dosage. Taking on your order will delay many other business deals. Even if you're willing to buy, I'm not necessarily willing to sell!"
Lian Qiao: "…"
She looked at Lu Wujiu, who remained as detached as ever.
In the end, she had to bear it all. Heart aching, she touched her already meager money pouch, steeled herself, and reluctantly took it off after a long hesitation. "It's all here. Consider this a deposit. When can I get it?"
The medicine cultivator weighed the pouch. "Only a hundred? Wait, then. It'll take at least a year."
"A year?" Lian Qiao couldn't take it. "I'll either be dead or die of anger by then!"
The medicine cultivator wore an expression that said, "If you die of anger, there's nothing I can do—I'll just have to sadly pocket the million for free."
Lian Qiao: Even angrier now.
Just as the medicine cultivator was ignoring her, another cold voice spoke up.
"How soon is the fastest?"
"Didn't I just say, a year…" The medicine cultivator was growing impatient when suddenly, a longsword was pressed against his neck.
The speed of the draw was so fast that the whistling sound of the blade cutting through the air still lingered in his ears. He couldn't even think of resisting—he hadn't even seen how the sword was unsheathed.
Repeating the question, Lu Wujiu leaned forward slightly, his tone calm. "I'll ask again. How soon is the fastest?"
The medicine cultivator instantly became compliant. "…Three months."
"Can't it be any faster?" Lu Wujiu's tone remained indifferent.
The medicine cultivator complained bitterly, "There's really no way! But… there is a folk remedy…"
"Speak," Lu Wujiu said tersely.
The medicine cultivator hesitated for a moment, then leaned in to whisper in his ear.
Lian Qiao stared in disbelief. This was truly the black market—bargaining wasn't done with words but with actual force!
But what was this folk remedy? Why couldn't she hear it?
Lu Wujiu, with his naturally icy expression, showed no emotion on his face.
Lian Qiao watched helplessly as he listened expressionlessly, then his thin lips moved slightly. "Is this the only way?"
The medicine cultivator hesitated. "This is the fastest method. Otherwise, we'd have to find the antidote, which would take at least three months."
Lu Wujiu let out a complicated "Hmm" and finally sheathed his sword.
The medicine cultivator immediately backed away. "Really not considering it? Then there's nothing I can do."
With that, he glanced at Lian Qiao.
But Lu Wujiu said coldly, "It's useless for her to hear it."
Ah, what right did he have to decide for her again?
Before Lian Qiao could ask, Lu Wujiu activated a Formation and whisked her away. By the time they landed again, they had already returned to Wuxiang Sect.
Lian Qiao broke free with a jerk: "What exactly is this secret method? Can't I hear it?"
Lu Wujiu remained expressionless: "You don't need to hear it."
Lian Qiao grew even angrier: "Why can you hear it but I can't?"
Lu Wujiu seemed to have a headache: "This method… is not feasible."
Lian Qiao understood—it seemed it wasn't a good method after all.
Otherwise, given the extent to which Lu Wujiu and she despised each other, even if it meant climbing mountains of blades or diving into seas of fire, he would have gone to do it.
"What do we do then? Do we really have to wait three months? What if it still doesn't work after three months? Could this Gu poison worsen, like that demoness and the Cultivator?"
Before Lu Wujiu could answer, she shuddered with disgust and decisively shook her head: "That won't do. If that day really comes, I'd rather die. When the time comes, I'll kill you first, then end my own life."
Lu Wujiu glanced back slightly.
Lian Qiao: "What, you don't want to die first? Then I'll die first, is that okay?"
Lu Wujiu didn't speak, turning his head back again.
Lian Qiao also turned her head away: "So petty! Even when we're about to die, you still have to argue about who goes first."
Lu Wujiu finally stopped, his tone cold: "…Must we die? What else is in your head besides death?"
Lian Qiao was bewildered: "What else can we think about when things have come to this? Of course, I'm thinking about the worst outcome. If we don't die, what else can we do? It's not like we can really… Wait, why are you looking at me like that? Could there be another way?"
Lu Wujiu: "You really can't think of anything?"
Lian Qiao grew even more confused. After thinking for a long while, she suddenly understood: "I know."
Lu Wujiu looked at her calmly.
Lian Qiao sneakily glanced around and lowered her voice: "It's the Kongtong Seal, right? It's said the Kongtong Seal can break through all obstacles, so a mere Love Gu would naturally be no match. You must have thought of its miraculous use. Why didn't you say so earlier? You almost made me seriously prepare to die!"
Lu Wujiu fell abruptly silent. After a long while, he finally spoke: "Is that all you can think of?"
"What else could there be?"
Lian Qiao felt Lu Wujiu was acting very strange today.
Lu Wujiu didn't answer but instead asked: "The Kongtong Seal is in the Scripture Pavilion. Are you planning to steal it?"
Lian Qiao pondered: "It would be a bit difficult for me to steal it alone, but with you, it should be no problem. You definitely want to break it more than I do, right? In that case, there's no time to waste. Let's go tonight. It'd be best if we can break it by tomorrow morning. Then we can each go our separate ways, never bothering each other again!"
The plan was perfect. Lian Qiao seemed to already see the dawn of freedom.
But Lu Wujiu refused: "Impossible."
Lian Qiao: "…Have you taken the wrong medicine?"
Lu Wujiu said calmly: "The Kongtong Seal… has long been gone."
Lian Qiao: "What kind of joke are you making?"
Lu Wujiu glanced at her: "Didn't your father tell you? Three days ago, the Kongtong Seal was already stolen."
Lian Qiao truly didn't know. But she found it even stranger: "Such a big matter, and my father didn't even tell me. Why would he tell you?"
Lu Wujiu: "Isn't that a question you should reflect on?"
"…"
Lian Qiao understood—he was indirectly saying her father didn't trust her. Impossible! He must have used some means to find out from elsewhere.
"What do we do then? Why do you seem not the least bit anxious? The sky is already bright."
Lu Wujiu looked completely composed: "I am anxious. Aren't I thinking about the cause and effect? Haven't you ever wondered how exactly this Gu was taken by mistake?"
Lian Qiao retorted indignantly, "Of course I've thought about it. When I took the Gu, the box fell to the ground. I suspect the Gu was swapped—the Itching Gu was replaced with the Love Gu."
Lu Wujiu: "Oh?"
Lian Qiao pondered, "It must have been done by someone who despises me deeply, someone who knows about our relationship and that I intended to drug you. They replaced it with such a malicious Gu, forcing us to be bound together. Not only would it disgust me, but it might even push me to end my own life. How utterly vicious!"
Lu Wujiu's face turned slightly pale.
Lian Qiao grew even more certain: "Think about who it could be. This person must despise you just as much. Otherwise, why would they come up with such a cruel scheme, even thinking of binding the two of us together?"
Lu Wujiu's expression darkened further as he sneered, "I can't think of anyone."
Lian Qiao thought for a moment: "True, given how many people you've offended, it wouldn't be easy to narrow it down from your side alone."
Lu Wujiu: "…Could you please shut up?"
Lian Qiao ignored him: "This Gu is truly too malicious. For now, the person who cast it has surpassed you and taken the top spot on my list of most hated people! Hmm…"
Lian Qiao was chattering away when suddenly her lips sealed shut, stuck together.
The Silence Spell!
Damn Lu Wujiu, taking her by surprise with such a low-level Curse Technique.
Which of her words had struck a nerve?
Lian Qiao widened her eyes, glaring fiercely as she gestured a throat-slitting motion, demanding he undo it.
Lu Wujiu pretended not to see.
Frustrated, Lian Qiao stomped her foot and had to force her lips apart herself, nearly tearing off a piece of skin in the process.
She gasped in pain and was about to confront Lu Wujiu when she heard him ask instead, "You just said that when you went to steal the Itching Gu from the Scripture Pavilion, the box containing the Gu fell to the ground?"
"Yes," Lian Qiao nodded, then quickly frowned. "Pah, who stole it? The Scripture Pavilion was donated by our Lian family. I was merely borrowing something that belongs to my family."
Lu Wujiu automatically ignored the latter half of her meaningless explanation and sneered, "Just as I thought."
Lian Qiao: Wait, what do you understand now? She hadn't said anything significant, had she?
"What do you mean?"
"The person who stole the Kongtong Seal and the one who swapped the Gu are likely the same person," Lu Wujiu stated.
Lian Qiao protested, "But wasn't the Kongtong Seal stolen three days ago, while I only stole the Itching Gu yesterday? How could it be the same person?"
Lu Wujiu didn't answer but instead asked, "How did you know the Itching Gu was in the Scripture Pavilion?"
"The Scripture Pavilion was donated by our Lian family. Of course I knew!"
"Is this Itching Gu common?"
"Of course not."
"Then there you have it."
Lian Qiao: Huh?
Lu Wujiu explained, "Aside from you, who else would pay attention to such a useless thing in the Scripture Pavilion? Even if someone knew the Itching Gu was stored there, who would risk breaking the rules to steal something that only makes people itch and serves no other purpose, let alone replace it with another Forbidden Gu to cover it up? The only explanation is that this person stole the wrong item. What they originally intended to steal was the Love Gu. They accidentally dropped it on their way out and mixed it up with the Itching Gu placed on a shelf in the hallway. After all, the outer boxes for storing Gu in your Scripture Pavilion are all identical."
Lian Qiao finally understood. He meant that aside from her, no one would go to such lengths to steal a useless Itching Gu, so it must have been a case of mistaken identity.
What did that mean? Was she that bored?
Although the shelf holding the Itching Gu was indeed dusty…
Lian Qiao was still fuming, but soon she thought of an even more serious issue: "Wait, the Scripture Repository is a forbidden area. How did you know the outer boxes containing the Gu are all the same? And how did you know the Itching Gu was exactly on the shelf in the passageway leading out?"
Lu Wujiu: "…That's not important."
"If that's not important, then what is?" Lian Qiao pressed on relentlessly. "Well, look who's talking! Didn't you sneak in too? Besides, the Kongtong Seal has been missing for almost three days. How can you be sure the one who stole the Love Gu and the one who stole the Kongtong Seal are the same person?"
"Because the Scripture Repository was sealed three days ago. No one could have entered after that."
"How can you be so sure it was properly sealed? I managed to get in, didn't I? What if someone else slipped in too?"
Lu Wujiu stated decisively: "Impossible."
"Why?" Lian Qiao continued to pester him.
Lu Wujiu finally grew annoyed: "Because I was the one who sealed it."
???
No wonder! She had wondered why it was so easy to slip in.
"You did it on purpose, didn't you? You deliberately let me in to see what I was up to, and even when you found out I was stealing the Itching Gu, you didn't stop me?"
No wonder! That Gu actually turned around and burrowed into her arm as soon as she opened it!
"Did you tamper with it too?" Lian Qiao frowned, her delicate brows knitted together.
Lu Wujiu showed no trace of guilt at being exposed, merely replying calmly, "Who told you to have ill intentions?"
Lian Qiao gritted her teeth in frustration. "You think you're clever? Isn't it often said that cleverness can backfire? Look at where we are now—I don't think either of us should point fingers. You brought this on yourself too!"
At this point, she suddenly remembered the medicine cultivator's secret remedy and leaned in suspiciously. "Wait, you're so calm about this. You must have a way to detoxify, right? Are you secretly planning to quietly cure your own poison and then laugh at me behind my back?"
Lu Wujiu: "…"
Sometimes he really wanted to crack open her head and see just how much water was inside.
"This method isn't feasible. You wouldn't be willing," he said coldly.
Lian Qiao refused to let it go. "How do you know I wouldn't be willing if you don't tell me? I think you're just being selfish. Fine, if you won't say, I'll go back and ask myself!"
With that, she turned to rush back.
Lu Wujiu suddenly called out to her, "Do you really want to know?"
"Of course," Lian Qiao said with a triumphant look, as if she had caught him red-handed. "I'd like to hear what this secret remedy is. If you can't say it, I'll—"
"Intercourse," Lu Wujiu uttered two words.
Lian Qiao froze. "Wh-what?"
Lu Wujiu curled his lips slightly. "The medicine cultivator's secret remedy is intercourse. Daily intercourse for seven consecutive days will detoxify it. Aren't you in a hurry? If you're in a hurry, take off your clothes. We can start detoxifying right away."
With that, he leisurely began to undo his clothes.
Lian Qiao instantly fell silent as a mouse.
Damn!
What kind of vicious method is this?