517: Chapter 517 The Poisonous Plan Fails

News of the Northern Frontier announcing to the whole city that Ye Nianrui was being established as the City Lord's Dao Companion reached the Duke Protectors Residence of the Great Yue Imperial Dynasty within a few days.

Li Baixiang clutched the secret report in his hand, staring at the line "Ye Nianrui is the Dao Companion of the City Lord of the Northern Frontier, suspected of being pregnant." His face turned ashen with rage, and he slammed the teacup in his hand onto the ground, porcelain shards flying everywhere.

"Situ Jun! Ye Nianrui!"

He gnashed his teeth, his eyes churning with venomous resentment.

"A lowly woman dares to defy my will? And you, Situ Jun, making me lose face in public for her sake. I, Li Baixiang, swear that if I do not avenge this, I am not fit to be human!"

A strategist nearby stepped forward and whispered.

"Young Master, the Northern Frontier is currently strong with powerful soldiers and horses, and Situ Jun's prestige is at its peak; we must not clash head-on. However, this woman, Ye Nianrui, has caused our Great Yue Duke Protectors Residence to lose all face in Tianqi and the Northern Frontier. We must teach her a lesson."

A cold light flashed in Li Baixiang's eyes.

"Go on."

"Young Master has only met Ye Nianrui a few times. This woman was originally homeless and was brought back to the Northern Frontier by Situ Jun because he favored her; she has no deep background. Even if Situ Jun dotes on her, we only need to secretly bribe an inconspicuous servant in the City Lord's Mansion to tamper with her medicine or food. It can be done without anyone knowing..."

The strategist's voice was sinister, every word malicious.

"Even if it doesn't take her life, it can strip her of her Cultivation. In the worst case, she won't be able to care for herself and her face will be ruined. At that time, no matter how angry Situ Jun is, he will have to abandon her. However, this must be done in secret; Situ Jun must never find out it was our Duke Protectors Residence."

A sinister and twisted smile slowly curled at the corner of Li Baixiang's mouth.

"Good, a fine strategy!"

He slapped the table and stood up, his eyes full of madness.

"A woman I can't have, Situ Jun shouldn't think of possessing her peacefully either! I want him to taste the feeling of losing a loved one! I also want Ye Nianrui to know that defying me, Li Baixiang, results in a fate worse than death!"

The evil plot offered by the strategist was sinister and cruel, every word striking Li Baixiang's most hidden hatred.

His fingertips tapped the tabletop, ferocity surging in his eyes. After a moment, he made the decision—this must be done, and it must be done without a trace.

With an order, a person was quickly brought from the private soldiers of the Duke Protectors Residence.

This person had a sinister face and a withered frame like a monkey. His triangular eyes hid a fierce ruthlessness. He was a Death Soldier in the residence specifically responsible for assassinations and stealth. His Cultivation had reached the Late Foundation Establishment Stage, and he was best at striking in the dark without leaving a trace.

Li Baixiang dismissed his attendants and took a mutton-fat jade bottle from his Storage Pouch. The bottle contained half a bottle of medicinal liquid as clear as water. It looked ordinary but contained a potent poison that would make any Cultivator turn pale with fear.

"This medicine is colorless and tasteless. It dissolves upon entering the body. It doesn't take a life, but it can gradually erode the Dantian and Qi Sea, destroying a person's Foundation. No matter how high their talent, anyone struck by this poison will have their Cultivation completely ruined for life, becoming no different from a cripple."

He tossed the jade bottle to that Foundation Establishment Cultivator and casually threw a heavy bag of Spirit Stones and gold. The crisp sound of the clashing stones and metal carried a bone-chilling coldness.

"Disguise yourself and head straight for the Northern Frontier. This Young Master only wants you to target one person—Ye Nianrui."

Li Baixiang lowered his voice, every word like a poisoned ice blade.

"Within half a month, without anyone knowing, make her succumb to this poison and lose all her Cultivation."

The Cultivator bowed and accepted the order, his expression calm.

"Once the task is completed, you will receive a thousand Low-Grade Spirit Stones and a Realm-Breaking Pill from the residence's collection to help you break through directly to the Golden Core Dao."

Li Baixiang's tone suddenly sharpened, continuing with murderous intent.

"But if you fail, leak even a bit of information, or are captured and utter a single word—you don't need to come back to see me. End your own life and bring your head to me."

"Your Subordinate obeys! I will not shrink from even ten thousand deaths!"

The Cultivator stowed the poison, Spirit Stones, and gold in an ordinary Storage Pouch. Not daring to stay for a moment longer, he immediately changed his attire, suppressed his aura as a Cultivator, disguised himself as an ordinary merchant, and hurried out of the Duke Protectors Residence. He traveled day and night, entering East Lin City of Tianqi before racing toward the Northern Frontier.

He traveled through wind and rain, sleeping in the open, not daring to delay for a moment for fear of missing the deadline.

In just six days, he stepped into the territory of Northern Frontier City.

The city was majestic and heavily guarded. Passersby were all vigilant, clearly showing it was a land that had experienced the flames of war.

The Cultivator suppressed the agitation in his heart, blended into the crowd, and inconspicuously approached the direction of the City Lord's Mansion.

The Northern Frontier City Lords Mansion was magnificent, with high walls and upturned eaves exuding an air of solemnity.

He held his breath and slowly drew closer, but as soon as he stepped within a hundred zhang of the City Lord's Mansion, he suddenly froze, his face turning as pale as paper.

A faint yet mountain-heavy Divine Sense swept out from the mansion without warning, landing lightly on him.

That was the Divine Sense pressure of a Golden Core Cultivator!

The Cultivator's heart suddenly tightened, and his blood almost froze. Thinking his movements were exposed and his assassination plot seen through, he was so terrified his breath stopped for a beat.

Fortunately, that Divine Sense only swept over him casually without lingering, withdrawing in an instant.

His back was already drenched in cold sweat, and his legs trembled slightly. Forcing down his racing heart, he didn't dare to rush forward recklessly. He pretended to be an ordinary passerby, slowly pacing around the City Lord's Mansion while secretly circulating his spiritual power to carefully probe the movements inside.

It would have been better if he hadn't probed; upon doing so, his Soul nearly Flew Away and Spirit Scattered.

Outside the City Lord's Mansion, the Guards patrolling openly were all Qi Refining Cultivators. Each was upright with sharp eyes, clearly well-trained elites.

And deep within the mansion, there were actually no fewer than three Golden Core auras entrenched!

Three Golden Cores!

Those auras were steady and profound, like three majestic mountains standing before him. The pressure permeated the air, firmly locking down the core area of the entire City Lord's Mansion.

He was merely a Foundation Establishment Cultivator. Under the Divine Sense coverage of Golden Core Cultivators, he was terrified even to linger, let alone sneak into the inner courtyard and get close to Ye Nianrui. Even taking a heavy breath could result in being instantly targeted and killed on the spot.

The Cultivator's heart turned cold. The original plan of secret poisoning was practically a joke in the face of such an absolute gap in strength.

He was unwilling, clutching the Storage Pouch in his bosom, not wanting to return empty-handed like this.

Since he couldn't sneak in, he would start from the periphery—bribing a handyman or a cleaning servant to do the poisoning for him. Wouldn't that be untraceable?

He found an opportunity to stop a seemingly ordinary cleaning servant, inconspicuously stuffing a heavy ingot of silver over. His tone was intentionally casual, but his eyes carried coercion and bribery.

But the servant only gave a faint glance. Not only did he not accept the silver, but he also took a step back. His eyes instantly became vigilant and cold as he sized up the Cultivator's suspicious appearance, already becoming wary.

"Who are you? Why are you giving silver for no reason? What are your intentions? The City Lord's Mansion has strict rules; idle people should not approach!"

The servant's tone was firm. Not only was he unmoved by the heavy sum of money, but he also raised his voice to call for the Guards.

The Cultivator was scared out of his wits. He hurriedly withdrew his hand, made an excuse about mistaking the person, and retreated in embarrassment.

He thought, since this servant wouldn't work, he'd try another one.

This time he stopped a Maid from the mansion. In her basket were freshly bought pastries; she looked like a servant girl responsible for serving tea and water.

The Cultivator had just made an excuse about admiring the City Lord's Mansion to get closer and then entice the Maid to work for him. But after only a few words, the Maid called out to others without warning, wanting to hand him over to the city defense army.

The Cultivator hurriedly apologized, stating he had no ill intent, before leaving under the Maid's suspicious gaze.

After all this trouble, he finally understood that everyone in the Northern Frontier City Lords Mansion, from Guards to servants, was either a family member of the Northern Frontier's old Subordinates and loyal for generations, or a trusted aide personally promoted by Lady Yun and Liu Xuaner. Every one of them was loyal and followed the rules; they simply couldn't be bribed with money.

Large sums of money were useless, his Cultivation was inferior, and his schemes were ineffective.

Forget about getting close to Ye Nianrui to poison her; he couldn't even step a foot inside the main gate of the City Lord's Mansion. If he dared to stay a moment longer, he feared his identity would be exposed and he would die a violent death in the Northern Frontier.

The Cultivator no longer held any hope. Terrified like a stray dog, he didn't dare to linger at all. He fled the vicinity of the City Lord's Mansion in a panic, left the city overnight, and spent the entire return journey in constant fear.

He was on edge the whole way, fearing he was being pursued. It was with great difficulty that he managed to escape back to the Great Moon Kingdom and enter the Duke Protectors Residence.