174: Chapter 54 Nine Yin as Bait

"They have all left safely. Please release the Prince, Your Excellency."

Hearing Xie Bin's words, Meng Li said nonchalantly, "Don't be in such a hurry. It's only been a short while; they probably haven't even run two li yet."

"We should wait for at least a couple of hours."

Xie Bin flared up in anger, but looking at Meng Li's hand gripping Wanyan Honglie's throat, he only fumed for a moment before saying, "We will set a limit of one hour. Once the time is up, if Your Excellency breaks your word, don't blame us for being impolite."

"Two hours," Meng Li raised the stakes.

Xie Bin's eye twitched as he gritted his teeth and said, "Fine, two hours it is."

No more words were spoken; time passed in a stalemate.

Two hours later, Xie Bin spoke up, "Your Excellency, the time is up."

"Catch him well," Meng Li prompted, tossing Wanyan Honglie toward Xie Bin like an object.

Xie Bin immediately cried out, "Prince, be careful!"

Ouyang Ke and Master Lingzhi leaped up at the same time, joining forces to catch Wanyan Honglie steadily and place him on the ground.

Just then, several spheres were thrown into the crowd, emitting large clouds of white smoke with a sizzling sound.

As soon as Ouyang Ke caught a whiff of the white smoke, he sensed something was wrong and quickly shouted a warning, "Hold your breath, this smoke is poisonous!"

With that, he covered his nose and mouth with his sleeve while circulating his power to stir up a blast of air to disperse the white smoke.

The people around him were startled and hurriedly followed suit, but it was a step too late.

On the spot, many soldiers felt lightheaded and collapsed one after another, their eyes rolling back and foaming at the mouth.

Master Lingzhi, Sha Tongtian, and the others felt the abnormality and began to circulate their power to suppress the poison.

By the time the white smoke cleared, Meng Li was nowhere to be found.

Xie Bin quickly dismounted and walked over to Wanyan Honglie, finding him with his eyes rolling back and foaming at the mouth.

"Prince!" he cried out in alarm, turning to look at Ouyang Ke. "Young Master Ouyang, quickly see what has happened to the Prince."

Ouyang Ke checked Wanyan Honglie's condition as requested. After an examination, he sighed in relief and said to Xie Bin, "This poison isn't fatal. However, to fully recover, I need to find a place to prepare an antidote, and those poisoned will need time to rest."

Hearing this, Xie Bin said without hesitation, "Back to the Jin Dynasty. Let the Prince return to the Prince's Mansion to recover."

Having said that, he stood up, looked around, and summoned two men who hadn't been poisoned. "You two, take some men to find wood nearby to make stretchers. Carry the Prince and the poisoned brothers back."

Old Man Liang spotted the Dream Travel Residence left not far away. His eyes darted around as he suggested, "General Xie, I see that carriage that looks like a house is quite nice. Why not hitch a few horses to it and let the Prince ride back in that?"

Xie Bin looked at the Dream Travel Residence, thought for a moment, and readily agreed. "Fine."

"Then I'll go take a look first to see if there's anything amiss inside," Old Man Liang said before heading toward the Dream Travel Residence.

Ouyang Ke narrowed his eyes, quickly understanding Old Man Liang's intentions.

See if anything was amiss? He clearly wanted to scavenge for leftovers.

After all, the Dream Travel Residence looked extraordinary, and Meng Li and the others had left it in a hurry.

It was hard to say if there were any treasures, but there might be relevant clues.

Understanding this, Ouyang Ke did not follow.

Because others had already followed: Peng Lianhu, Sha Tongtian, and Hou Tonghai.

If these few gathered together, any discovery would surely not remain hidden.

Master Lingzhi didn't go either, clearly intending to let others do the work and reap the benefits later.

Sure enough, Sha Tongtian's voice was soon heard. "Old Freak Liang, what are you hiding? Bring it out and let us see."

Old Man Liang hurriedly denied it. "I'm not hiding anything, you saw wrong!"

Hou Tonghai said, "I saw it too. It's a book."

"A book?" Peng Lianhu let out a soft exclamation of surprise. "Could it be a Martial Arts Secret Manual?"

Hearing this, Ouyang Ke and Master Lingzhi immediately became interested and intended to go over and take a look.

However, before they could get close, Sha Tongtian and Hou Tonghai had already started fighting with Old Man Liang.

Seeing this, Xie Bin frowned and wanted to call for a stop, but considering their identities, he held back and chose to wait and see how things developed.

Old Man Liang's strength was only comparable to either Sha Tongtian or Hou Tonghai. Fighting two against one, he was naturally no match. Before long, he failed to parry in time and exposed a flaw, revealing a corner of a book in his robes. The two words "Nine Yin" were faintly visible.

Watching from the side, Peng Lianhu's pupils immediately constricted, and a flash of inspiration crossed his mind.

Nine Yin... the Nine Yin Manual?!

As soon as the thought occurred, he instantly cast aside his slight friendship with Old Man Liang, seized the opportunity to strike, and snatched the book from the other's robes.

Old Man Liang immediately cried out, "Give the Manual back to me!"

"The Manual?!"

Ouyang Ke and Master Lingzhi's expressions changed simultaneously. Without a word, they blocked Peng Lianhu, who was trying to leave.

Ouyang Ke caught a glimpse and saw the four words "Nine Yin Manual" written on the cover. He was both shocked and delighted, intending to seize it.

As for whether the Manual was real or fake, he would only know after getting his hands on it and checking.

What if it was real?

Master Lingzhi's thoughts were much the same.

Peng Lianhu looked at the two of them, knowing he was no match. But he was unwilling to give up the Manual he had just obtained.

So, his eyes darted around as he raised the Manual in his hand and said, "The Manual is right here. Everyone present gets a share. Why don't we study it together?"

Ouyang Ke wanted to refuse without even thinking.

This Manual was something Ouyang Feng dreamed of obtaining. If he brought it back, the other would surely be overjoyed.

Furthermore, among those present, his Martial Arts were the highest. Why should everyone get a share?

Master Lingzhi and even Sha Tongtian and the others also had no intention of sharing.

A peerless Secret Manual was naturally best kept for oneself!

If everyone had it, how would it be any different from common goods?

Sensing this, Peng Lianhu immediately threatened, "If you all try to snatch it, I certainly won't be able to keep it. In that case, I'd rather destroy it."

With that, he made a move as if to tear the Manual in his hands.

Ouyang Ke and the others quickly called for him to stop.

Then, Ouyang Ke said, "It's still unclear whether this Manual is real or fake. Why don't you look at the contents first and read a few sentences aloud for us to judge?"

Master Lingzhi also said, "That's right. It's fine if the Manual is real, but if it's fake and we come to blows, we'll become a laughingstock."

Peng Lianhu thought about it and agreed, but to be safe, he still warned, "Then you are not allowed to take the opportunity to snatch it, otherwise don't blame me for dragging everyone down with me."

Ouyang Ke said, "Rest assured, we will monitor each other. Before confirming its authenticity, we will definitely not snatch it."

Master Lingzhi, Sha Tongtian, and the others also gave their guarantees.

Only then did Peng Lianhu divert his attention to open the Manual in his hand. Seeing that there was indeed content inside, he was immediately delighted and then read aloud, "The Dao of Heaven is to diminish the surplus and replenish the deficient; thus, the void overcomes the solid, and the deficient overcomes the surplus."

"The Dao of Earth encompasses the Six Directions and merges the Eight Desolations; thus, the gathered overcomes the scattered, and the whole overcomes the solitary."

"The Dao of Man is not the eternal Dao. Those who attain the Dao can, on a large scale, bring peace and stability to the state and benefit the people, and on a small scale, practice Martial Arts to strengthen the body."

As soon as these few sentences were spoken, Ouyang Ke and the others silently savored them, finding them quite profound. Just as they were about to continue, it suddenly stopped.

Ouyang Ke subconsciously asked, "Where's the rest?"

...