Chapter 319: Dragon-Tiger Sword Pill

Chapter 319: Dragon-Tiger Sword Pellet

Zhao Changhe took the booklet, utterly dumbfounded.

You secretly learned my technique, and not only do you not care, but you’re even pained that it was poorly learned, so much so that you’d teach me more?

Ye Wuzong resumed his calm, aloof demeanor of a senior, saying lightly, “The ancient gods and demons could take objects with a single thought—that is the true method of using a storage ring. But nowadays, our spiritual power cannot reach objects, so we resort to the Dragon-Catching and Crane-Controlling techniques as substitutes. In other words, techniques like Dragon-Catching and Crane-Controlling aren’t just for picking rings—they are combat martial arts. Don’t put the cart before the horse.”

Zhao Changhe steadied himself and bowed sincerely: “Thank you for the guidance, Senior… But is there a Dragon-Catching technique?”

Ye Wuzong: “?”

Xia Chichi tilted her head.

Ye Wuzong looked at Zhao Changhe with curiosity, then suddenly laughed: “That thick skin of yours really rivals Sisi’s.”

Xia Chichi tilted her head back, and this time her feigned ignorance finally cracked, her expression stiffening.

Zhao Changhe caught a glimpse from the corner of his eye and broke into a cold sweat: “Senior…”

I just wanted to get a technique—are you trying to get me killed?

Ye Wuzong said, “Dragon-Catching is domineering; Crane-Controlling is delicate. In your opinion, does our Thief Sect use Dragon-Catching or Crane-Controlling? Actually, it’s all just a method of remote object manipulation. Once you grasp the method and develop it according to your own understanding, what difference does it make whether it’s Dragon-Catching or Crane-Controlling…”

Zhao Changhe understood and bowed again: “Thank you, Senior.”

“No need to thank me. It’s just a common technique, nothing crucial.” Ye Wuzong said, “Thievery is my Way. Whether you steal from others or from me, you are still walking my Way—there’s nothing to be angry about. But using my Way in a half-assed manner—that I cannot tolerate.”

Zhao Changhe: “…”

Ye Wuzong glanced at him: “Alright, teaching you this isn’t entirely a gift. You’ll do something for me too?”

Zhao Changhe quickly said, “Please speak, Senior.”

“Sisi stole the core technique manual of our Thief Sect… A manual outside the sect isn’t a matter of ‘thievery is my Way’—it’s about others studying it to counter our Thief Sect martial arts, which would be greatly disadvantageous. From what you’ve shown, it’s clear she only gave you the disguise technique and didn’t recklessly leak the rest—she has some restraint. So there’s no irreconcilable enmity. If you ever see Sisi, tell her to return the manual, and I won’t blame her. If she drags it out any longer, I’ll have to come out of retirement to find her.”

Zhao Changhe thought to himself that this magnanimity was truly remarkable—few could remain so calm after having their manual stolen. Truly a grandmaster.

Speaking of which, Sisi wasn’t just from a different race—she was from a different world entirely. Her emotions and logic were unlike anyone else’s. When she first arrived in this world, she probably saw people as more NPC-like than Xia Longyuan, but after some time, who knows if her thinking had changed…

He remembered when Ji Chengkong had said those words, Sisi’s expression had clearly been distant.

Even grass and trees have feelings.

“If I ever have the chance to see her, I will definitely relay your message, Senior…” Zhao Changhe finally said. “Actually, she might already know. Brother Ji said something similar before, and she heard it. I think it moved her somewhat. But she has other important matters… Could you grant her some more time?”

Ye Wuzong said flatly, “What you’re saying… are you vouching for her?”

Zhao Changhe was taken aback.

Ye Wuzong’s eyes sharpened: “Yes or no?”

Zhao Changhe could only say, “I cannot vouch for her, nor can I even be sure I’ll see her. But since I have received your Crane-Controlling technique, I will take this matter to heart and treat it as if my own sect’s manual had been stolen.”

Ye Wuzong showed a hint of a smile but didn’t continue the topic. He picked up the venomous spider in his hand and walked toward the furnace.

As a Thief Saint renowned for “thievery,” with a treasure before him, he surprisingly didn’t treat it as his top priority, just like Zhao Changhe, wasting time on idle chatter before even glancing at it.

When “thievery” becomes the “Way,” what one pursues is no longer the treasure itself, but the act.

“A furnace just sitting there waiting for someone to take it—there’s no thievery in that, utterly boring.” Ye Wuzong examined it for a moment and said lightly, “You said taking what’s inside would trap us here—you underestimate me. At most, I’m curious about what’s inside. If it doesn’t interest me, I might not take it at all.”

Zhao Changhe said, “It’s most likely related to poison. Your Thief Sect’s techniques do involve poison, but I have even less use for it.”

“Not necessarily.” Ye Wuzong pressed a hand on the venomous spider’s shoulder, and the unconscious spider slowly woke, immediately crying out, “Thief Saint Senior, it was Tian Lingzi who betrayed you, not me, not me…”

Ye Wuzong said, “It doesn’t matter whether it was you or not. I just want you to open this furnace.”

“If I open the furnace, will Senior spare my life?”

“Bargain one more word, and you die now. Open it, and if I’m in a good mood, you might have a chance to live. Your choice.”

The venomous spider shut up immediately, reluctantly pulled out several bottles of poison from her bosom, and carefully and evenly poured them around the furnace’s outer wall. As the poison spread, the furnace’s glow became more pronounced, and the lid, which seemed fused as one, finally showed signs of loosening.

Zhao Changhe’s earlier judgment was correct—the slow, even pouring process alone would take nearly half an hour. Under the lingering poison mist, she indeed couldn’t have done this before.

This method of using poison as a seal was something he’d never seen before; previously, he’d only encountered blood or formations. There were still too many systems he hadn’t encountered…

Ye Wuzong said, “It seems what you took wasn’t anything else but that ‘Hundred Herbs Poison Classic.’ After learning the poison techniques and the special sealing methods here, you put the classic back to make it look like nothing was missing.”

The venomous spider smiled ingratiatingly: “I can’t hide anything from you, Senior… The poison techniques here are profound. I only urgently learned the relevant parts. I planned to study them further later… Oh, of course, now they belong to you, Senior…”

Ye Wuzong didn’t respond, letting her continue opening the furnace.

After smearing for what seemed like an eternity, covering every inch of the furnace without missing a spot, there was finally a faint “click.” The lid detached from the body, revealing a sliver of a gap.

The venomous spider smiled obsequiously: “Senior, it’s done…”

Ye Wuzong remained unmoved: “Open it.”

The spider rose to lift the lid. The moment it opened, a white light surged upward. Before the spider could even react, half her body was obliterated, leaving only her lower half crumpled by the furnace.

Zhao Changhe gasped. How sinister—even at this stage, there was a trap. The alchemist was no benevolent soul, perfectly suited to this evil place, carrying on the malice from the last era.

Ye Wuzong, however, seemed to expect it. He didn’t even glance at the dead spider, fixing his gaze on the furnace’s mouth.

As the white light faded, a pill, green and white intertwined, floated up and hovered at the furnace’s opening.

Despite the alchemist being a poisoner, the place reeking of poison, and the seals made of poison, the pill exuded no sense of toxicity. Its glow was soft, its fragrance pleasant, and it even vaguely carried an elusive insight, like the feeling in the Xuanwu Secret Realm—connected to the Dao.

And the green-and-white pattern could now be seen clearly: it was the form of a Green Dragon and a White Tiger entwined in an embrace!

Xia Chichi’s eyes widened.

She had thought her mission was already complete—catch Yang Qianyuan and leave Kunlun, and the rest was just accompanying her lover. But somehow, this suddenly seemed to involve her…

Ye Wuzong and Zhao Changhe both turned to look at her, their expressions strange.

Clearly, none of them had expected it to align so perfectly with her attributes.

Zhao Changhe almost wanted to piece the venomous spider back together and ask if she knew what this was…

Ye Wuzong pondered for a moment, then bent down to pick up the ink jade token and the “Hundred Herbs Poison Classic” that Tian Lingzi had dropped. He flipped through the classic for a while, then suddenly laughed: “It has nothing to do with the Four Symbols Sect, but you could say all paths lead to the same end.”

Xia Chichi quickly said, “Please enlighten me, Senior.”

“All things in the world can be categorized into the Four Symbols and Five Elements. The Green Dragon alone encompasses many things—medicine and poison are among them. This person pushed poison to its extreme, thus manifesting the Green Dragon Dharma Aspect. His poison had reached the pinnacle.”

Xia Chichi understood intuitively. The Four Symbols Sect’s Green Dragon lineage also studied medicine and poison; the Vermilion Bird was quite confident in the sect’s alchemy. Her mother’s male disguise techniques, which she had inherited, also fell under this category.

But still, the Four Symbols Sect was a relatively small sect, suppressed by the court and developing in secret. Their inheritance was incomplete—for instance, they lacked the Spring Restoration Law. So their studies couldn’t be too broad, focusing mainly on martial arts. They dabbled in other areas but only superficially. Xia Chichi herself hadn’t delved into these aspects, specializing solely in swordsmanship. The elders below had some interest and division of labor, but their expertise was limited.

The Green Dragon lineage of the Four Symbols Sect, which revered the Green Dragon, wasn’t even very good at poison research. Yet here, a poison practitioner with no connection to the Green Dragon had actually manifested the Green Dragon Dharma Aspect…

Zhao Changhe asked on Xia Chichi’s behalf: “And the White Tiger Dharma Aspect is…”

“This isn’t a pill, nor the imagined Dragon-Tiger Golden Elixir. It’s a sword pellet…” Ye Wuzong shook the poison classic and chuckled. “This person didn’t know how to refine sword pellets. He used alchemical methods, with poison as a catalyst, and took a different path. Hence the Dragon and Tiger’s convergence—the Dragon is poison, the Tiger is the sword.”

Xia Chichi was genuinely impressed: “Taking a different path and achieving both Dharma Aspects—this senior must have been quite famous in ancient times.”

“Not that impressive… It would only be impressive after he had subdued the sword pellet.”

“Subdued?”

“Exactly.” Ye Wuzong said, “If I’m not mistaken, this person’s death was caused by the sword pellet’s completion—he couldn’t control the overflowing sword energy, and it killed him.”

Xia Chichi: “…”

“But the sword pellet, in killing him, also dulled its own edge, making it usable now. The man, not yet dead at the time, sealed the sword pellet, intending to retrieve it later. But after sealing, he couldn’t hold on and died anyway… That’s the scene in this room.” Ye Wuzong’s face was full of the satisfaction of solving a puzzle: “The invisible poison in the room was released when the furnace was opened—just that amount. So after a certain amount dissipated, it gradually vanished.”

Zhao Changhe interjected, "But the sword pellet is already formed, a divine artifact of supreme value. When the epoch collapses, such a treasure naturally possesses a strange power, shielding this space independent of Kunlun—that is how it is."

Ye Wuzong clapped his hands and laughed, "Exactly, it must be so."

Xia Chichi looked at these two with a strange expression, knowing this was a divine treasure, yet their pleasure lay in solving riddles, chatting so happily.

You two might as well be together...

Just as she was thinking this, she saw Ye Wuzong turn to look at her, his smile gradually fading, a sharpness in his eyes: "Holy Maiden, do you have designs on this object?"