How should one describe this newly introduced cellmate?
To call him human would certainly be incorrect.
No human would lack a fixed form like a pile of mud—you could call him a lump or a puddle with equal accuracy.
He resembled freshly dumped sewage, thick, turbid, and viscous, undulating over in wavelike motions.
Even if Wei Sheng were chopped into thousands of pieces of minced flesh, he could still barely maintain some human characteristics.
For instance, his bones would at least remain hard.
But the being before them was completely a mass of fluid!
Neither Wei Sheng nor Shen Yinshuo appeared overly horrified by this.
They had known beforehand that this cellmate could only move by wriggling his body and remained quiet most of the time, hardly moving. Since being imprisoned, he had not spoken a single word.
But they never expected this cellmate to approach and assist them at this moment.
The cellmate had wriggled to Yun Ji’s side, a viscous corner of his body gently resting on her wrist as if taking her pulse.
Under normal circumstances, Wei Sheng would have been displeased to see Yun Ji touched by such a filthy thing, but now he paid no attention to that, urgently asking, “Can you save her? The poison she’s afflicted with—I’ve never seen anything like it. Can it be cured?”
“Yes, there is no poison in this world that I cannot cure.”
The cellmate replied swiftly. Perhaps because his voice was pleasant, the rather arrogant statement didn’t come across as particularly offensive when he said it.
Fully focused on Yun Ji, the viscous edges of his body solidified inch by inch, transforming into a flat, sharp blade.
The blade moved to Yun Ji’s hands, slicing open all her fingertips. The blood that flowed from them was entirely different in color from the blood surging from her body—black, foul-smelling, and unusually viscous.
Wei Sheng stared at Yun Ji’s sliced fingertips, his brow furrowed tightly, his eyes—still red from recent tears—growing even redder. He looked as though he wanted to ask the cellmate to be gentler, but in the end, he made no sound.
He was no physician; the only way he could think of to save Yun Ji was to feed her his own flesh. But what if it still didn’t work? What would he do then?
Now that someone who seemed like a doctor had appeared, he could only tread carefully, afraid that saying the wrong thing might cause this doctor to refuse treating Yun Ji.
But Shen Yinshuo did not trust this suddenly emerging cellmate.
Weakened from excessive blood loss, his consciousness flickering in and out, he forced himself to keep his eyes open, watching the cellmate’s every move.
After a long while, he cautiously asked in a soft voice:
“Who are you? Why are you helping us?”
If this cellmate truly possessed the skill he claimed, he shouldn’t be an unknown figure.
“Lin Shu.”
Lin Shu’s gaze never left Yun Ji. After giving his name, he thought for a moment and added gently, “I’m not helping you. I’m helping her.”
He had been watching Yun Ji for a long time.
Ever since she was thrown into this Death Row Prison, he had been paying attention.
Hearing this, Wei Sheng shot Lin Shu a sharp look, his expression clearly unhappy, but he restrained himself and said nothing.
Shen Yinshuo, however, frowned. “I’ve never heard that name.”
Lin Shu keenly sensed Shen Yinshuo’s distrust. Instead of taking offense, he responded with good temper and understanding, adding gently, “You may also call me Venomous Fiend.”
…Venomous Fiend?!
That name was like a thunderclap to the ears.
At the border between the Immortal Realm and the Mortal Realm lay several interconnected mountain ranges, known as the Five Venom Mountain.
The mountain was teeming with miasma, with poisonous creatures crawling everywhere. One might inadvertently touch the floating down in the air and, in the next moment, have an unknown toxin invade their internal organs.
Not to mention ordinary mortals, even cultivators dared not enter Five Venom Mountain lightly.
Yet, in stark contrast to the deadly poisons, Five Venom Mountain was home to countless rare medicinal herbs.
These precious herbs could only grow within Five Venom Mountain. Once removed, no matter how meticulously cared for, they could not be cultivated outside, making them extremely valuable.
And Five Venom Mountain was not entirely uninhabited.
There was a peculiar valley within the mountain—deep and secluded, surrounded by venomous insects and snakes. A natural depression provided warmth in winter and coolness in summer, making it habitable for those unafraid of poisons.
A group of Poison Cultivators, led by the Venomous Fiend, resided here.
These Poison Cultivators mastered various deadly toxins and would poison anyone without regard for their cultivation level.
Especially the Venomous Fiend, who was eccentric in temperament, brutal in methods, and acted entirely on whim.
It was said his skills in medicine and poison were unparalleled, with no one matching his ability to refine toxins. Yet, those who crossed him never lived to see the next sunrise, leaving not even a trace of their bones behind. Thus, no one knew what he even looked like.
In short, such a legendary, domineering figure was now reduced to a puddle of mud, utterly shattering Shen Yinshuo and Wei Sheng’s illusions.
But shattered illusions mattered little—saving a life was what counted.
Wei Sheng, seeing Yun Ji still unconscious, anxiously asked, “What poison has afflicted Yun Ji? When will she wake up?”
“It will be a long time before she wakes. The toxin has already invaded her internal organs. I must first extract the poison,” Lin Shu replied patiently. “The poison on her isn’t a common toxin; it seems more like a variant of Corpse Poison. I’ve never encountered it before, but I have many methods to detoxify it.”
Corpse Poison referred to toxins that some cultivators would contract after death.
When this poison infected the living, it caused purple toxic sores to erupt on their bodies, making them ill, and in severe cases, leading to death.
But the poison on Yun Ji was far more virulent than Corpse Poison.
Wei Sheng knew nothing about poisons or medicines; he only cared about the outcome. “Then how will you detoxify her?”
Lin Shu’s voice grew even gentler, oddly juxtaposed with the sloshing sounds of the mud: “There are extreme methods and conventional ones. Which would you like to hear?”
“What’s the difference?”
Lin Shu: “The conventional method involves cutting open Yun Ji’s body, removing her organs, and cleansing the toxins with medicine I’ve refined.”
“?”
Wei Sheng’s pupils trembled in shock. “That’s the conventional method? Then what’s the extreme one?”
Just as Lin Shu was about to speak, Wei Sheng cut him off: “Never mind, don’t say it. I don’t want to hear it.”
Lin Shu: “…”
Shen Yinshuo had never heard of such a detoxification method either: “Yun Ji is just a mortal. If you cut her open, can she even survive?”
Lin Shu: “Probably?”
Why was that a questioning tone?!
Was this really the Venomous Fiend, and not some quack doctor?
Or was the Venomous Fiend truly as the legends said—a murderous maniac?
Lin Shu, observing their strange expressions, seemed to ponder something but said nothing more.
His muddy, puddle-like form made it impossible to read his expression.
For a moment, the Death Row Prison fell into utter silence.
Wei Sheng wavered between strangling Lin Shu the quack and continuing to trust him. Ultimately, his desire to save Yun Ji prevailed.
Choosing his words carefully, he gritted his teeth and asked, “Is there… is there a less bloody method?”
Lin Shu might have glanced at him before saying, “There is another way. Cut a piece of your flesh for me and bring me the cauldron containing the ghost, and I can also find a way to save her.”
Wei Sheng nearly cursed aloud.
If only he had said earlier that cutting a piece of his flesh could save Yun Ji!
Why go to the extreme of removing Yun Ji’s internal organs when such a less bloody method existed—was he even human!