335: Who is the knife and who is the fish?

She finished the remaining soup sip by sip, her face showing a look of immense satisfaction. This stew was indeed filled with Xuan Power; upon entering her stomach, a strong and steady stream of Xuan Power was immediately generated, filling the weakness that had just receded and leaving both of them wanting more... "This is truly wonderful! No, I must have that old fellow brew another pot for me..." Zhu Yu, General murmured.

"Alright! This soup is almost as good as the Safflower White Jade Soup that the Third Highness drinks himself. If I drink a few more bowls, perhaps my Realm can advance even further!" Zhu Lan laughed.

"Oh, so you've grown greedy for it. I won't let you have any this time..."

"Sister Yu shouldn't eat alone. How about I have Fang Tianxiong brew a separate pot for me..."

"You dare?!" Zhu Yu, General's face turned cold.

"Ah? I wouldn't dare, I wouldn't dare. Then is it okay if I pay to buy some?" Zhu Lan said with a drooling mouth.

"That's more like it! Sigh, this soup is good, but it's a bit uncomfortable when the Xuan Power recedes. No, I must return to my room to consolidate and properly absorb the Xuan Energy..." As Zhu Yu, General spoke, she didn't care if Zhu Lan agreed and went straight back to her room.

Zhu Lan also felt the Xuan Power recede significantly. This feeling was like falling from a high Peak, truly a mix of pleasure and pain. He hurriedly began to regulate his breathing on the spot... However, just a short fifteen minutes later, both of them felt bouts of dizziness and full-body weakness. The Xuan Power in their bodies poured out like a floodgate opening, and they couldn't stop it!

"What's going on?! What on earth is happening?!! Where is my Xuan Power?! Where is my Realm?!" Zhu Lan felt panicked because he discovered that not only was his Xuan Power draining, but his Realm was also slowly dropping. The speed of this drop was gradually increasing. In a short while, he fell from the Martial General Middle Stage to the Martial General Early Stage, then dropped to the Martial Ancestor Peak, Martial Ancestor Late Stage, Martial Ancestor Middle Stage... Zhu Yu, General on the other side was the same. Her face turned pale, and she began to suspect she had been poisoned. Her mind raced as she thought it over; the only possibility was that pot of stew. But hadn't she been monitoring Fang Tianxiong throughout the brewing process? Besides, with that old fellow Fang Tianxiong's courage, he wouldn't dare poison the soup. Could someone else have poisoned it beforehand?

Suddenly, Zhu Yu, General's expression jolted. She remembered when she was monitoring Fang Tianxiong from the rockery earlier; there were about three breaths of time where she felt a bit dazed, as if the surrounding Profound Qi field had experienced a slight disturbance. Such a disturbance would be normal under usual circumstances, and she hadn't cared at the time, thinking it was a natural change in the world's Profound Qi. But thinking about it now, that might not be the case. Could Fang Tianxiong have used that specific moment to poison it?!

"How is this possible? Fang Tianxiong is only a Martial Ancestor. He couldn't possibly sense the changes in the world's Profound Qi so precisely, let alone poison the stew within those three breaths. But if it wasn't him, who could it be? The timing was just too coincidental..." Zhu Yu, General's expression shifted. Suddenly, she stood up abruptly. She couldn't just sit and wait for death no matter what. She had to find him and get a possible antidote while her current cultivation Realm was still above Fang Tianxiong's; that was the only right course of action!

She immediately rushed toward the kitchen, not forgetting to communicate with Zhu Lan via voice transmission. Upon asking, she found that Zhu Lan's situation was the same as hers. This made both of them feel that something was wrong. They immediately rushed to the back kitchen while notifying their subordinates to be on guard... The two acted quickly, but when they arrived at the kitchen, they found it empty. Their Divine Sense swept out wildly, but they couldn't find any trace of Fang Tianxiong anywhere. Now the two knew things were bad because it was obvious Fang Tianxiong had a guilty conscience and was hiding; they must have been poisoned by him!

"Hateful! To think this old fellow would dare to betray Prince Lu. If I catch him, I will certainly cut him into a thousand pieces and execute him by lingchi!" Zhu Yu, General said fiercely.

By this time, Zhu Lan's Realm was about to drop to the Martial Ancestor Early Stage. His mind raced, and he said urgently, "Go to Fang Tianxiong's residence and look again. I'll go to the side hall to seize his family and threaten him. I don't believe he won't obediently hand over the antidote!"

"Fine! Let's split up!" Zhu Yu, General sped toward Fang Tianxiong's quarters.

With a "bang," she shattered the main door with a palm strike and rushed directly into the quarters, only to find it empty as well. Just as she was about to search more carefully, she heard a loud laugh: "General Yu, I hope you have been well?"

"Who?!!!" Zhu Yu, General turned back in shock, her eyes suddenly widening. "It's you?!!! Zhu Shuangquan, Military General of Fu Wang Manor?!!!"

The newcomer was indeed one of the two Martial Generals of the Prince Fus Mansion, Zhu Shuangquan, Military General of Fu Wang Manor. He threw his head back and laughed loudly several times, then casually threw out a Xuan-Capturing Net. Zhu Yu, General desperately struck out against this Profound Weapon that would normally pose no threat to her, but she was unable to withstand its power. She was quickly covered by the Xuan-Capturing Net, and the Xuan Power throughout her body was rapidly drained by it. Suddenly, her body went limp, and she collapsed into the net!

"Hahahahaha! General Yu, you didn't expect to end up like this, did you?" While laughing loudly, Zhu Shuangquan, Military General of Fu Wang Manor quickly moved to Seal Zhu Yu, General's Xuan Meridians, making it impossible for her to harm herself.

"You bastard, what do you want to do?! Let me go this instant! Be careful, or I'll inform Prince Lu to punish you for your grave crime!" Zhu Yu, General shrieked.

"Let you go?! Have you lost your mind? Daring to come to South Yue City to dig tunnels, colluding with the Evil Cult and Strange Beasts, intending to break into South Yue City to plunder the citizens and the Prince Fus Mansion—this outcome is exactly what you deserve!" Zhu Shuangquan, Military General of Fu Wang Manor said harshly.

Zhu Yu, General was stunned. Because she was under a Seal, her face was somewhat paralyzed, but a look of shock still faintly showed as she cried out, "You?! You dare to slander me!!! How could I possibly collude with an Evil Cult or Strange Beasts? Let me go quickly!"

"Truly beyond saving!" Zhu Shuangquan, Military General of Fu Wang Manor didn't bother with her. He picked her up with one hand and walked out the door, taking to the air. He soon arrived at the rockery in the back garden. By this time, Zhu Zhiyong had also captured Zhu Lan and arrived there. Seeing that Zhu Yu, General had also been caught, Zhu Lan's expression darkened, knowing that all was lost!

Zhu Zhiyong had Zhu Shuangquan, Military General of Fu Wang Manor keep an eye on them while he himself ducked into the tunnel. After a moment, he returned and smiled, "Done!"

At this time, another combat team rushed in from outside. Leading them were Yu Feiyu, Chief Captain of the Southern Division and the Prince Fus Mansion steward, Zhu Nan. Seeing the captured Zhu Lan and Zhu Yu, General, Zhu Nan couldn't help but laugh shrilly, saying excitedly, "Good, good, good! The Young Lord is truly brilliant in his calculations, incomparable to anyone!"

"Young Lord?!" Both Zhu Lan and Zhu Yu, General were shocked!

When did the Prince Fus Mansion get a Young Lord? Could it be that everything behind the scenes was being directed by this so-called Young Lord?

Both felt a wave of bitterness in their hearts. They had originally thought that coming to South Yue City to plunder the Prince Fus Mansion was a lucrative job. Who would have known that the people of the Prince Fus Mansion had long since set their sights on them? What kind of situation was this? Who exactly was the butcher, and who was the fish?

...