After all, Ah Du was exceptionally intelligent and eager to learn. Whatever the old man taught him, he grasped instantly. Over time, the old man genuinely wanted to pass down his lifetime of skills.
He truly had this in mind—at his age, if he couldn’t find a suitable disciple, all the years he had spent mastering his craft would be wasted.
“Boy! I’ll be honest with you. I quite like you. But I can’t figure out what your sister is. Is there something strangely sinister about her? You’ve been with her all this time—haven’t you sensed anything?”
That day, Ah Du was carefully studying the elixirs. They could be called elixirs, but they were really just poisons, dependent on the user’s intent.
Hearing the old man prattle beside him, Ah Du grew slightly impatient. And the topic—his sister Yun Shang—made him even less inclined to care.
He didn’t want to know her true identity or origin. All he knew was that Yun Shang was the most important person in his life—and that was enough.
“That’s not for you to know. If it weren’t for your sister’s kindness in saving you, you would have died long ago. She’s your savior—if she knew you were speaking behind her back, she would be angry.”
Ah Du only glanced at the old man and then returned to studying the elixirs.
Yun Shang had gathered many herbs from the mountains. Combined with the old man’s teachings, she could now refine medicines—capable of saving or harming, depending on intent.
Still, the old man squinted his narrow eyes, clearly dissatisfied with her response.
He wasn’t a fool; he could sense that the two of them were not biological siblings. The girl was indeed unusually cunning and strange.
Many times, he had tried to outsmart Yun Shang—but each time, he lost, beaten by such a young girl. He could not accept it.
As time went on, Ah Du learned all of the old man’s skills. One or two years passed. At first, the old man had been reluctant—but gradually, he taught Ah Du willingly.
Yet old habits die hard. He thought the siblings might be letting their guard down, and a wicked idea began to rise.
“Surprising. You have so many skills. With so many talents, how did you end up here in the first place?”
Yun Shang casually rifled through the herbs and asked curiously.
“I was serving a noble. But that noble turned on me in an instant, attempting to kill me to cover his tracks. That’s how I ended up in these mountains. Luckily, the girl was kind-hearted—out of gratitude for saving her life, she was willing to pass down her lifetime of skills to you two!”
The old man stroked his blackened hands along his long beard, grinning slyly.
Having spent so long with these two siblings, he had slowly relaxed his guard. That night, he quietly slipped away.
Even if it was partly out of gratitude, he had now given them his lifetime of skills. In theory, he owed them nothing—but thinking of the past year or two, he could not help feeling resentful.
That night, he secretly poisoned their meal. The poison wouldn’t kill—it would only weaken them, leaving them helpless for him to toy with.
He rather liked this sibling pair, so he didn’t want to truly kill them. If he could manipulate them like powerless dolls, it would be perfect.
The old man pressed against the door, carefully listening. When he heard a chopstick drop, his heart leapt—things were working. He pushed open the door and saw Yun Shang and Ah Du collapsed over the table.
Knowing the girl was unusually cunning, he had endured for so long, hoping to catch her off guard. Now, his plan had succeeded.
Though he had genuinely taught Ah Du the art of elixirs and poisons, that didn’t mean he hadn’t kept some tricks hidden.
Every herb he touched could be refined into potent medicine. Now, the moment of revenge had finally arrived.
He pulled a dagger from his sleeve—one that had been kept close to Yun Shang’s side—and crept toward her, intending to sever the tendons in her hand.
Unexpectedly, Yun Shang opened her eyes suddenly, grabbed his hand, and twisted it with such force that the old man lost all strength and collapsed heavily to the floor.
“After all this time, you still aren’t honest. Looks like you really can’t be trusted!”
Yun Shang pushed him away with mild disgust and wiped the poison smell from him with a handkerchief. The old man reeked from all the toxins he carried.
Ah Du opened his eyes as well, staring coldly at the old man. This time, there was no need to tolerate this monster.
In truth, he had often been disgusted by the old man’s poisonous stench. Were it not for Yun Shang’s insistence, he would have ignored him entirely.
“No… impossible! I meticulously refined this dosage—it shouldn’t have had no effect!”
The old man glared, clutching his broken arm, watching the two of them unharmed. For the first time, he doubted his own skills.
Once ingested, his poison should have acted immediately. He had seen them take the food himself.
“The medicine you crafted is indeed effective—but I can also refine an antidote. Don’t forget, you personally taught me everything I know. The student has surpassed the master.”
Ah Du smiled faintly, explaining with calm confidence.
Now that Yun Shang had shed her old hesitation and gained so many skills, she possessed even greater assurance.
To outsiders, she was cold and aloof—but to Yun Shang, Ah Du remained obedient and gentle.
Whenever he faced Yun Shang, he felt like the helpless child he once was, longing for her gentle reassurance.
The old man realized the truth and laughed bitterly. She wasn’t resentful—she simply believed fate had played out as it should. A teacher trains a disciple, and eventually the disciple surpasses the teacher.
Indeed, at his age, how could he compete with these youths?
“You do have many skills, but think of how many people your medicines have harmed! Surely you know that in your heart!”
Yun Shang’s face showed disgust. That old man had been driven to ruin by a noble. Were it not for kind-hearted Ah Du saving her, she would have been dead long ago.
And yet he repaid kindness with cruelty, tormenting Ah Du until life was worse than death. Now, it was time to repay him.
Ah Du took a vial from his pocket and handed it to Yun Shang. She poured out a single black pill—obviously a deadly poison.