130: A master of both medicine and poison

Deep within the Tianwaitian Headquarters, Jun Xiaoyao sat quietly on a cold jade bed, his fingertips lightly tapping the zitan wood table in front of him. Spread out on the table was the latest secret report from The Net: After the Netherworld Cult's Blood Fiend assassinated Prince Jing, the imperial court dispatched the General Who Guards the Nation to lead thirty thousand Imperial Guards to encircle and suppress the Western Regions. The Netherworld Old Freak led his cult members to retreat and defend Netherworld Valley, and both sides were now in a stalemate.

"Young Lord, a message has come from the General Who Guards the Nation, hoping that Beyond Heaven can assist him in breaking through Netherworld Valley. The condition is a thirty percent share of the netherworld ore vein's profits." Zhao Gao bowed and stood to the side, presenting a gilded invitation.

Jun Xiaoyao did not lift his eyelids, merely stating indifferently: "The General Who Guards the Nation? He certainly knows how to calculate. Thirty percent of the ore vein for Beyond Heaven to act? Tell The Net to send a reply: either seventy percent, or scram."

"Yes." Zhao Gao responded, then added, "Additionally, the System has notified that the Young Lord has accumulated enough summoning points for a new summon."

Only then did Jun Xiaoyao raise his eyes, a flicker of interest passing through them. Since establishing Beyond Heaven, the System had summoned three individuals: Marshal of the Unruly Yuan Tiangang (Early Earthly Immortal Realm, in charge of The Unruly's spy network), Zhao Gao (Peak Grandmaster Realm, overseeing The Net's assassin camp), and Dark Blade (Late Heaven-Man Realm, The Net's top-ranked assassin). Now that enough points had accumulated, it was time to add a new helper.

"Initiate summon."

[System Notification: Summoning points sufficient, randomly matching Wuxia world character... Match successful!]

[Character panel generating...]

A faint blue light screen unfolded before Jun Xiaoyao, densely packed with text:

[Name: Poison Hand Medicine King Cheng Lingsu]

[From World: 'Fox Volant of the Snowy Mountain']

[Realm: Peak Grandmaster Realm]

[Martial Skills & Cultivation Techniques:

1. 'Medicine King's Divine Scroll': Peerless in medicine and poison, capable of reviving the dead and regenerating flesh, as well as refining colorless and odorless exotic poisons.

2. 'seven star begonia': Unique poison art, using seven star begonia pollen as an lead. Those afflicted become stiff as wood, and it can only be resolved after seven days, during which they are at the mercy of others.

3. Lightness Martial Skill 'Treading Snow Without a Trace': Agile movements, difficult to track, suitable for stealth and reconnaissance.]

[Loyalty: 100% (System forcibly bound)]

[Additional Items: Medicine King Valley's Secretly Made Medicine Chest (containing hundreds of rare medicinal herbs and poison plant samples)]

Jun Xiaoyao looked at the panel, his fingertips pausing for a moment on the four characters "Peerless in Medicine and Poison." Although Peak Grandmaster Realm was not top-tier, Cheng Lingsu's value was never in her martial prowess. Beyond Heaven now had many experts, but what it lacked was a divine physician who could revive the dead and regenerate flesh, and even more, a master of poison arts who could concoct antidotes for the Netherworld Cult's Gu poisons.

"Not bad." Jun Xiaoyao nodded, "Have her wait in the front hall."

[System Notification: Character has been teleported to the front hall.]

In the front hall of Beyond Heaven, behind a white jade screen wreathed in mist, a slender figure stood with her back to the entrance. She wore a simple blue cloth dress and had a double bun hairstyle. Her appearance was not exceptionally beautiful, but her eyes were as clear as a stream, revealing a calmness unsuited for her age.

Hearing footsteps, Cheng Lingsu turned around and bowed gracefully to Jun Xiaoyao, her voice gentle yet undeniably respectful: "Cheng Lingsu pays respects to Young Lord."

Jun Xiaoyao sat in the main seat and gestured to the pear blossom wood chair opposite: "Sit. I know you are skilled in medicine and poison. Beyond Heaven happens to need someone to manage the Medicine Hut."

"As Young Lord commands." As Cheng Lingsu sat down, the medicine pouch at her waist swayed gently, emitting a faint, bitter yet refreshing medicinal fragrance.

"The Netherworld Cult is skilled in using Gu. Three of The Net's assassins have already fallen victim to their 'mother-child heart devouring gu'. Those afflicted experience severe chest pain, and their internal organs turn to pus within seven days." Jun Xiaoyao tapped the table with his fingertip, "Can it be cured?"

Cheng Lingsu replied without hesitation: "The mother-child heart devouring gu uses the mother Gu to control the child Gu, which then gnaws at the heart Meridians within the human body. To cure this Gu, one needs to mix the saliva of a 'Jade Blood Silkworm' with Tianshan Snow Lotus juice to create an antidote. Then, silver needles are used to seal the major acupoints around the Gu-afflicted person's body, forcing the child Gu to emerge on its own. However, Jade Blood Silkworms are only found in the Southern Border Ten Thousand Great Mountains and are not easily acquired."

"You don't need to worry about that." Jun Xiaoyao looked at Zhao Gao, "Have The Net's Southern Border branch find a living Jade Blood Silkworm within three days."

"Yes, I will relay the order immediately." Zhao Gao responded and withdrew.

A hint of surprise flashed in Cheng Lingsu's eyes—she had thought finding the Jade Blood Silkworm would be a difficult task, but she hadn't expected Jun Xiaoyao to be able to mobilize The Net's forces with a single sentence. This depth of power secretly startled her.

"Additionally," Jun Xiaoyao continued, "the General Who Guards the Nation is besieging Netherworld Valley, and a plague has broken out in his army. It is said that the Netherworld Old Freak poisoned the water source with 'Bone Rotting Powder', causing the afflicted to suffer from skin ulceration and persistent high fever. You are to handle this."

"Bone Rotting Powder?" Cheng Lingsu frowned, "This poison is potent. It requires 'seven star grass', 'dragon saliva incense', and an 'ice soul pearl' to concoct an antidote. The ice soul pearl, in particular, comes from the Far North Ice Plain and is difficult to obtain."

"The ice soul pearl is with Dark Blade." Jun Xiaoyao said lightly, "He went to the Far North on a mission last month and conveniently picked one up. You can go retrieve it."

Only then did Cheng Lingsu truly shed her underestimation. She had heard of Dark Blade's name even when she was in Medicine King Valley—The Net's top-ranked assassin, a peak expert in the Late Heaven-Man Realm, would he really make a special trip to the Far North just for an ice soul pearl? This Young Lord's influence was far more unfathomable than she had imagined.

"Understood." Cheng Lingsu rose and took a small porcelain bottle from her medicine chest. "This is 'Spirit Refreshing Powder'. Young Lord, you exert yourself daily managing affairs. This medicine can calm the mind and soothe the Qi, providing only benefits and no harm."

Jun Xiaoyao took the porcelain bottle, opened it, and sniffed. A cool sensation went straight to his crown, and the fatigue of the past few days dissipated by more than half. He looked up at Cheng Lingsu: "You've been thoughtful. Zhao Gao will arrange a Medicine Hut for you. Whatever personnel or medicinal ingredients you need, just tell him directly."

"Thank you, Young Lord."

Three days later, outside the General Who Guards the Nation's military camp.

Cheng Lingsu, dressed in green and carrying her medicine chest, passed through layers of military tents, escorted by The Net's assassins. Along the way, soldiers, seeing her youth and that she was a woman, looked at her with suspicion—the Great General actually invited a young girl to treat the plague?

"Is that her? I heard she's a divine physician sent by Beyond Heaven?"

"She looks like a medicine shop apprentice. Can she really cure Bone Rotting Powder?"

"She's not a fraud, is she? Even the imperial physicians who came a few days ago were helpless..."

The discussions reached her ears, but Cheng Lingsu seemed not to hear, walking directly towards the main command tent. Inside the tent, the General Who Guards the Nation was frowning over a map. Seeing Cheng Lingsu enter, although surprised by her youth, he dared not be negligent—anyone escorted by The Net was certainly no Mortal.

"Miss Cheng, over three hundred soldiers in the army have been afflicted with Bone Rotting Powder. If we delay any longer..."

Cheng Lingsu interrupted him: "Take me to see the water source."

Arriving at the stream behind the military camp, Cheng Lingsu squatted down and pricked the water with a silver needle. The needle instantly turned black, emitting a faint green glow. She picked up a drop of stream water, sniffed it at her nose, then took out some medicinal powder she carried and sprinkled it into the water. The stream water immediately began to bubble.

"Indeed, it's an improved Bone Rotting Powder, with 'soul severing grass' added. The poison is more potent, and the incubation period has shrunk from three days to one." Cheng Lingsu stood up, "Pass on my order: the entire army is to switch to well water, and all areas within a hundred paces along the stream banks are to be designated as restricted zones. Additionally, prepare ten large vats, thirty catties of quicklime, one hundred catties of strong liquor, and find twenty strong, healthy soldiers who have not been poisoned."

Although the General Who Guards the Nation did not understand, he immediately complied. Half an hour later, ten large vats were arranged in an open space in the camp. The vats were filled with well water, and quicklime and strong liquor were poured in proportionally, instantly generating a white mist.

Cheng Lingsu took out the ice soul pearl from her medicine chest and, using her Internal Energy, suspended it over the mouth of a vat. Cold Qi seeped into the water from the ice soul pearl, and the white mist gradually condensed into water droplets, dripping back into the vat. She then successively added medicinal ingredients like seven star grass and dragon saliva incense, finally taking a small jade bottle from her medicine pouch and pouring out three drops of dark red liquid—the saliva of the Jade Blood Silkworm.

"Have the poisoned soldiers come in batches. Each person will drink a bowl of the sacred water from the vat, then soak in the remaining medicinal water for half an hour." Cheng Lingsu wiped the sweat from her forehead, "Remember, when soaking, they must remove their upper garments so the medicinal water can reach their chest."

The first soldier brought in was already ulcerated to his chest, delirious with high fever. After drinking the sacred water, he instantly became much clearer, exclaiming, "It doesn't hurt! My chest doesn't hurt anymore!"

When he was placed in the medicinal vat, a layer of black foam quickly floated to the surface, and his ulcerated skin visibly scabbed and peeled off, revealing tender new flesh.

"Amazing! Truly amazing!" The surrounding soldiers erupted in thunderous cheers, their gazes towards Cheng Lingsu shifting from suspicion to reverence.

Cheng Lingsu, however, paid no attention to this, merely saying to The Net's assassin beside her: "Tell Zhao Gao to send fifty Luowang Assassinss to disguise themselves as soldiers and infiltrate the main command tent, keeping a close eye on the General Who Guards the Nation's movements. I have a feeling that his request for Beyond Heaven's help is not just for Netherworld Valley."

"Yes."

Night fell, at the Tianwaitian Headquarters.

Cheng Lingsu rushed back, dusty and tired, and handed a silver needle stained with black blood to Jun Xiaoyao: "Young Lord, this is a sample brought back from the direction of Netherworld Valley. In the Netherworld Old Freak's Bone Rotting Powder, besides soul severing grass, there were also 'heart-eroding gu' eggs mixed in. Once the afflicted person's skin is exposed to sunlight, the eggs will hatch and gnaw at the Meridians from within."

Jun Xiaoyao picked up the silver needle, looking at the almost invisible Gu eggs on the tip, his eyes deepening: "The Netherworld Old Freak is certainly willing to spend. It seems that if we don't completely cripple him, future troubles will be hard to resolve."

"I have a plan," Cheng Lingsu said softly, "seven star begonia pollen can counteract the heart-eroding gu. If the pollen can be mixed into arrowheads and shot into Netherworld Valley, within three days, all cult members in the valley afflicted with the heart-eroding gu will become stiff, at the mercy of others. However... seven star begonia only blooms once every ten years, and I only have a small amount of pollen in my medicine chest, not enough for large-scale use."

Jun Xiaoyao tapped his fingertips on the table, then suddenly said: "Where is Dark Blade?"

Zhao Gao immediately replied: "Lord Dark Blade is currently in the Northern Border tracking the Blood Fiend. The Blood Fiend was severely injured by a 'Mountain Breaking Fist' from the General Who Guards the Nation and fled, possibly hiding in Black Wind Stockade."

"Send a message to Dark Blade, tell him to make a detour to Medicine King Valley and dig up the seven star begonia that Cheng Lingsu mentioned, pot and all. If he can't dig it up? Then raze Medicine King Valley to the ground." Jun Xiaoyao's tone was calm, yet it carried an undeniable cold severity.

Cheng Lingsu's heart trembled—this Young Lord, to achieve his goals, disregarded even her former sect's home.

"Additionally," Jun Xiaoyao looked at Cheng Lingsu, "you are to concoct a medicine that is colorless and odorless, capable of temporarily depriving Martial Artists below the Grandmaster Realm of their Internal Energy. The Net will need it to infiltrate Netherworld Valley."

"Yes." Cheng Lingsu responded, but in her heart, she already understood—the Young Lord was getting serious.

Outside the window, the moonlight was like water. Jun Xiaoyao gazed at the cold stars in the sky, his fingertips gently caressing the silver needle stained with Gu eggs. The Netherworld Cult, the General Who Guards the Nation, and even the restless forces behind the imperial court... they were all just pieces on his chessboard.

Cheng Lingsu's arrival was like adding a crucial 'medicine stone' to this game, capable of both healing wounds and delivering deadly poison to enemies. Next, it was time to see how much turmoil this piece could stir up.

[System Notification: Cheng Lingsu has completed her first mission, loyalty is stable, unlocked hidden skill—'poison scripture supplement' (can refine exotic poisons targeting the Heavenly Human Realm)]

Jun Xiaoyao looked at the newly unlocked skill, a faint smile playing on his lips. It seemed this summon was not chosen wrongly.