Nine Dragons Saint Ancestor
Chapter 238: Two hundred thirty-eight, poisoned?

Chapter 238: Two hundred thirty-eight, poisoned?

For such an accusation, Yun Xiao naturally wouldn’t explain whether it was voluntary or not; the fact was that he indeed saved many Inner Sect Disciples, so in a sense, Li Shan’s words weren’t wrong.

However, as Yun Xiao’s teacher, the Sect Leader glanced weirdly at him, evidently knowing Yun Xiao deeper than Li Shan possibly could.

Even when accepting him as a Direct Disciple, Yun Xiao would stubbornly seek thorough explanations; Yu Shu was skeptical of his self-sacrificing, merciful heart—there must be some undisclosed secrets involved.

At this time, Yu Shu naturally wouldn’t expose Yun Xiao; he was merely curious about this young man’s advancement to the Early Stage of Meridian Rushing Realm, but for a powerhouse like him, such a stage wasn’t too concerning. What interested him more was the Strange Spirit that appeared in Jade Pot Cave.

"Elder Li Shan, issue the order—all young Disciples and Elder Deacons inside Jade Pot Cave must withdraw. I will reopen it once my investigation is complete!"

Yu Shu shifted his gaze away from Yun Xiao, and with a commanding tone, the next moment saw all the disciples shuddering, not daring to say more.

"Yun Xiao, you go out too!"

Yu Shu turned around, looked deeply at Yun Xiao, then seemed to hint at something as he glanced towards the deeper part of the cave, eventually speaking those words.

"Yes!"

Yun Xiao responded without being pretentious, aware that given his current cultivation, he couldn’t be of much help. Yu Shu’s order for everyone to leave was probably due to the fear of powerful Strange Spirits lurking within other layers of the cave.

Feeling the warm sensation of the Blood Moon Mark on his palm, Yun Xiao followed Yu Shu’s gaze into the depth of the cave before finally stepping out.

"Hm?"

However, as Yun Xiao passed by Elder Li Shan, an unintentional glimpse revealed some secretive aspect on the elder’s face.

Previously, Yun Xiao and this elder had always been far apart, and so had not noticed these details until now, when he was merely a step away from Li Shan, finally allowing him to see something.

On Li Shan’s face, flushed with healthy color, there were spots faintly emitting a dark red glow that starkly contrasted with Li Shan’s rosy complexion yet was unnoticeable unless closely inspected.

"Elder Li Shan, if I may ask boldly, your complexion hasn’t always been this rosy, has it?"

As Yun Xiao passed by Li Shan, his steps halted slightly as he posed this question, not only causing the elder to be taken aback but also making Yu Shu, who wasn’t far away, turn his head around.

"How did you know?"

Li Shan’s face revealed a hint of surprise. Although he didn’t directly answer Yun Xiao’s question, his rhetorical response already confirmed Yun Xiao’s guess, which made Yu Shu even more suspecting.

"Oh!"

But, surprisingly, after asking that, Yun Xiao did not continue the inquiry. He simply nodded and proceeded towards the cave’s fourth layer, with Mo Qing hesitating for a moment before hastily following him.

Third layer, second layer, first layer!

Soon, Yun Xiao and Mo Qing left Jade Pot Cave. Honestly, having this black-dressed girl following, Yun Xiao felt quite pressured, for he wasn’t sure of the icy beauty’s intentions.

Previously in Yurong Volcano, Mo Qing was aggressive towards him, but after returning to Jade Pot Sect, she saved him at night, even nearly losing her life.

Yun Xiao was uncertain whether Mo Qing truly moved past that awkward incident, or, as she said, wanted to take his life personally. Until these matters were clear, he wouldn’t provoke this icy beauty.

"Yun Xiao, what did you mean by that question you asked Elder Li Shan just now?"

While Yun Xiao remained silent, Mo Qing, who had been following him, couldn’t hold back her curiosity after leaving the cave, seizing the opportunity to ask, which she had wanted to do for a long time.

Although she still held some grudge over that incident, through spending time around Yun Xiao, she realized he possessed many astonishing facets and always acted with a purpose.

The question Yun Xiao asked was bizarre, making the perceptive Mo Qing suspect that there was a reason behind it. Could it be that the young man noticed something but didn’t mention it?

"Mo Qing, is your relationship with Elder Li Shan good?"

Suddenly hearing Mo Qing ask such a question, he paused in his steps, turned his head, and stared into the eyes of the girl in the black dress, making her visibly flush with embarrassment and anger.

"Is that even a question? Elder Li Shan is gentle and respected by all of us in the Medical Pulse!"

It seemed that Mo Qing thought that Yun Xiao’s question was pointless and replied irritably, but under Yun Xiao’s gaze, she couldn’t help feeling somewhat flustered.

Yun Xiao didn’t have that many thoughts and seeing his hesitancy, he finally spoke up, "I’m not entirely sure about this and need more time to verify, but if I’m not mistaken, Elder Li Shan has been afflicted with a slow-acting, yet extremely potent and deadly poison!"

"What?!"

Even though Yun Xiao’s words were filled with uncertainty, once he spoke them out loud, Mo Qing gasped in shock, covering her lips with her right hand, her face full of disbelief.

"Yun Xiao, don’t speak nonsense, Elder Li Shan is a genuine low-level Spiritual Rank Meridian Refining Master and he’s been guarding Jade Pot Cave for years. Who could poison him and who would dare to poison him?"

After her initial shock, Mo Qing quickly recuperated, seemingly searching for a plausible explanation for herself. Indeed, as she mentioned, Li Shan’s status in the Jade Pot Sect was not ordinary; if someone dared to poison him, it was truly audacious.

Even the Old Monsters from the Poison Vein wouldn’t likely dare to poison an elder within the Jade Pot Sect. After all, despite the sect being divided into two branches focusing on medicine and poison, it is still one sect, and weakening one branch would weaken the entire sect.

However, for some reason, seeing the hesitation in Yun Xiao’s eyes, Mo Qing felt an inexplicable panic because over this period, she had witnessed too many extraordinary things about Yun Xiao.

Even Mo Qing’s teacher, who is a Great Elder, had been given advice by Yun Xiao twice during the Outer Sect’s competition. After returning to the Inner Sect, Lu Zhan, before Mo Qing, expressed significant gratitude to Yun Xiao. The two Meridian Arrays had indeed been incredibly beneficial to him.

From this, Mo Qing could guess that although Yun Xiao’s technique in Meridian Refining was far less than her teacher’s, and even much inferior to her own, his insights and perspective might far surpass hers.

"I am also not very certain, this poison, I’ve heard about it in..."

Yun Xiao hesitated slightly and almost blurted out "Nine-layered Dragon Cloud," fortunately, at that moment, the cave entrance of Jade Pot Cave was bustling with noise as many Inner Sect Disciples emerged, interrupting what he was about to reveal.

Yun Xiao, timely stopping himself, knew this matter was of great importance. If many disciples became aware, things could escalate. Besides, he was still not entirely sure of his suspicions, so he quickly reached out and grasped Mo Qing’s wrist, pulling her to a corner of the platform.

Yun Xiao’s movement was automatic, but little did he know, to the many Outer Sect Disciples’ eyes, it was shocking and unprecedented. All eyes curiously shifted towards them immediately.

For these Inner Sect Disciples, Mo Qing was always unreachable, barely speaking a word to them, and would at most grunt.

But now, the newcomer to the Inner Sect, who had joined only a few days ago, dared to grab Mo Qing’s wrist. This was unimaginable to everyone present.

Specifically, Yin Huan, who had just come out from the cave, saw Yun Xiao’s bold act, a hint of schadenfreude flitted through his eyes, thinking whether this audacious kid might get kicked off the platform by Mo Qing and shatter into pieces.

However, the reality was starkly different from what Yin Huan had imagined; the girl in the black dress pulled by Yun Xiao showed a trace of annoyance on her face, yet did not attack Yun Xiao.

"What are you doing?"

Coming back to her senses, Mo Qing, feeling the odd gazes of the people around, forcibly retreated her wrist from Yun Xiao’s grasp, reprimanding him in a low voice, yet a faint blush passed over her face.

Caught in a moment of urgency, now being scolded, Yun Xiao also felt a bit awkward. Touching his nose, he replied, "You wouldn’t want Elder Li Shan’s situation to become widely known, right? This matter must be kept a secret for now!"

Hearing Yun Xiao mention Li Shan, Mo Qing’s ire subsided a bit. After glancing at the distant crowd, she spoke in a low voice, "Then tell me, what kind of severe poison has afflicted Elder Li Shan? Is there a way to resolve it?"

Somehow, Mo Qing, who had initially refused to believe that Li Shan could be poisoned, now started asking for advice, seemingly convinced by Yun Xiao’s serious demeanor.

Yun Xiao, however, shook his head slightly, pondering for a moment before responding, "I’m just speculating for now; it needs more time for verification. But if you truly believe me, please tell Elder Li Shan to not touch anything with a Fire Attribute, even his Ancestral Vein Fire should not be invoked for the time being!"

"Not even invoke Meridian Fire, then wouldn’t that mean he can’t conduct alchemy?"

Mo Qing frowned, yet at this juncture, she did not argue back. Although Yun Xiao wasn’t completely certain, being cautious was without harm. She had quietly decided to pass this message to Elder Li Shan.

"Do you have a way to resolve it?"