"Hahaha, how ironic! You just saved them, and now they're trying to make a move on you. But then again, people in this world are all so hypocritical and selfish. So listen up, you guys. As long as you kill her, I'll remove the蛊虫 (gu worms) for you!"
Hearing this, everyone's breathing grew heavier. No one spoke. Some hesitated, while others' steps towards Nan Shiying became firmer.
"Alliance Leader, how about this? You remove the蛊虫 for us, and we'll let you take him away?"
Someone in the crowd suggested.
This compromise gained the approval of most.
Nan Shiying yanked his hair hard, forcing him to look up. "Unless he dies, the蛊虫 cannot be removed."
"That's not true, it can be removed!"
The old楼主 (louzhu) hid his inner panic and retorted.
"Oh, really?"
Nan Shiying smiled. "A蛊虫 that drills into the marrow of the brain. Let me see you remove one."
"You know, your method of controlling people with蛊虫 isn't very clever. Look, not a single member of your Wan Ku Lou has come to save you?"
"You all look, see, and think about why they are all watching coldly."
The old楼主's face turned extremely grim. He yelled at Xuan Xiao, "Xuan Xiao, Feng Ying wants to take me away, not kill me. If I leave, no one in this world will be able to cure the蛊 (gu) in your body. Every full moon, without my pills to suppress it, you will wish you were dead, as if gnawed by ten thousand insects!"
Xuan Xiao pursed his lips and said to Nan Shiying, "Please, Alliance Leader, kill him!"
"If you don't kill him, then you can't take him away!"
"Xuan Xiao!"
Nan Shiying didn't turn to look at Xuan Xiao, her voice not heavy, but each word weighed like a mountain, pressing down on Xuan Xiao's heart. "I said I want him, didn't I?"
"You!"
A storm raged in Xuan Xiao's heart. Someone had said this to him before, but that person was... So, the world-renowned physician Feng Luan and the current Feng Ying are the same person?
No wonder, no wonder the Poison Elder and Feng Luan's guards were following her. They were the same person, truly the same person.
Divine Physician Feng Luan, Alliance Leader Feng Ying.
"But you didn't say that if he dies, the root can be cured!"
Xuan Xiao said, walking step by step towards Nan Shiying.
"Try it? See if the offspring worms in your body and the toxins accumulated over the years can dissolve on their own after he dies?"
Xuan Xiao's footsteps paused. He finally walked to Nan Shiying's left, facing the crowd, exuding murderous intent. "Those who obstruct will die!"
"Xuan Xiao!"
The old楼主 of Wan Ku Lou's eyes were about to split, his voice hoarse and desperate.
"Noisy!"
Nan Shiying grabbed his jaw and forcefully twisted it, dislocating his chin, cutting off the noise at its source.
"Alliance Leader, Vice Leader Xuan, it's not that we are determined to engage in conflict with you, but in this world, people's hearts change in an instant. The word 'trust' is easy to say, but how difficult is it to put into practice? One's own life is only truly safe when it's in their own hands. So... Alliance Leader Feng, you can either take a dead man away, or you can all stay here!"
Kou Zhenhai strode forward, internal energy circulating throughout his body. With each breath, gusts of wind swirled around him. As Kou Zhenhai finished speaking, He Cangling stood up and walked to his side.
Cheng Shifei, Old Man Tianchi, Ling Dongji, and other martial arts heroes who had previously vied for the position of Alliance Leader now stood on the same side.
Ye Huanzhen pursed his lips. He disliked Xuan Xiao, but he trusted his choice.
He raised his long spear, pointing it at Old Man Tianchi.
"We didn't fight to our heart's content that day. How about another fight today?"
Old Man Tianchi brushed his sleeve, his expression grave. The people of Wan Ku Lou actually siding with Feng Ying? Could it be that after the one who administered the蛊 poison to Feng Ying died, someone would still need to help them clear the residual toxins in their bodies?
Old Man Tianchi did not respond to Ye Huanzhen's challenge. He was silent, like an ancient tree standing in the wind, enduring all storms, unyielding.
The two sides confronted each other, the atmosphere tense.
One person slowly drew the long sword in his hand.
His drawing of the sword was not fast, but as the sword left its sheath, the blade flashed like lightning. The moment the sword pierced his chest and hot blood splashed onto his face, Kou Zhenhai's eyes widened in terror. The opponent's sword had so easily broken through the surrounding罡风 (gang feng), piercing directly into his chest.
As Ying Yi drew his sword, the blade turned and was placed at Kou Zhenhai's throat. The blade kissed his skin; with just a slight exertion, Ying Yi could sever Kou Zhenhai's carotid artery.
"Jian Wuming!"
Kou Zhenhai's eyes were bloodshot, his blood surging, and he spat out a mouthful of blood.
As Ying Yi drew his sword, nearly a quarter of the people present suddenly attacked the person closest to them.
In an instant, more than half of those confronting Nan Shiying were lost.
He Cangling and the others looked on in horror. They gazed at the new Alliance Leader who had been smiling all along, and a chill instantly crept over their bodies.
When had she gained control over so much of the martial world?
And these people... were they truly controlled by蛊虫 and suffering as they claimed, or were they faking it?
"Those who disobey will die!"
Ying Yi did not give the crowd any more time to think. His cold, sharp voice echoed in the air, and then those who had attacked with him shouted in unison, their aura soaring. Even if He Cangling and the others had the will to struggle, it was already too late.
Huang Yuyao was dumbfounded, for the first time not daring to look directly even at her back.
"Sect Leader Kou, Sect Leader He, and everyone present, I am not taking him away to hold you hostage. I merely have some personal matters to settle with him. How about this: in two months, when you come to the capital, I will send you his head, and I will also have Feng Luan treat you. What do you say?"
"Feng Luan?"
"Feng Luan of Medicine King Valley?"
"If we can get the divine physician to act, we will agree. But how can the Alliance Leader prove she has the ability to summon the divine physician?"
Nan Shiying looked at the person speaking. Cheng Shifei's mind was clearly not quick enough to ask such a question.
Nan Shiying sneered, "Proof? Believe and live, disbelieve and die. Cheng Shifei, do you still want me to produce credentials now?"
"You..."
Cheng Shifei's eyes widened, wanting to turn hostile, but Old Man Tianchi grabbed his wrist.
Given the Alliance Leader's understanding of蛊虫, she might still have ways to control them at this moment. She didn't use them, not because she couldn't, but because she didn't want to and was unwilling to. She discarded the simple method that could make them compromise instantly and chose a complex, wordy, and clumsy approach, all to protect their self-esteem and dignity. Under these circumstances and premises, they had no other choice.
"Alliance Leader, August 17th, we shall meet without fail!"
He Cangling cupped his fist to Nan Shiying, setting the date.
"Good!"
"It's a deal!"