The ghost elder fell silent. When he refined puppets, several people assisted him; those people were arranged by his master.
Sheng Lengshuang understood and looked at him as if he were an idiot. "I must say, you truly trust your master. It's a pity for Sima Min, who believes she is still the master, unaware that she has long been replaced by her subordinates."
The ghost elder's eyes shifted. "You know quite a lot."
Sheng Lengshuang smiled. "I also know that you are about to become a discarded pawn. Although you are skilled in poison, you have been completely exposed. Crucially, your master already knows the method for refining puppets, and keeping you poses a greater threat."
"Otherwise, why hasn't anyone come to save you by now?"
The ghost elder suddenly understood. "You were using me to fish just now! You wanted to see if anyone would show up."
Sheng Lengshuang did not deny it. She had sprinkled various medicinal powders on the ghost elder.
"These medicinal powders, these medicinal powders..." The ghost elder's face changed drastically. He tried to stand up but lacked the strength to even move. "You want to cripple my poison skills. What a vicious heart you have!"
Sheng Lengshuang sprinkled more medicinal powders. "You say that as if I were the villain. Clearly, you are the villain, and I am the good person."
"You need to understand one thing: I am not a fool to keep such a significant hidden danger like you."
From this alone, it was evident that the ghost elder was already a discarded pawn.
Suddenly, hidden guards appeared around Sheng Lengshuang.
"Miss, Tao Li and the others have escaped!"
Sheng Lengshuang looked abruptly and happened to see the figures of Tao Li and the others escaping. She narrowed her eyes. The poison she had specifically prepared to deal with puppets like Tao Li should have made their escape impossible, yet these individuals had fled.
"Ghost elder, were Tao Li and these puppets handled by anyone else?" she asked.
The ghost elder understood her meaning but said, "Release me, and I will tell you."
How could Sheng Lengshuang not see his calculation? She proposed a condition: "I want to know..."
Suddenly, she grabbed a hidden guard and rushed rapidly towards a safe place. "Quick, get far away from here! Also, have the nearby students all run far away and not stay here!"
She saw the ghost elder's body swelling, like an inflating balloon. She had already understood the mastermind's scheme. The ghost elder's usefulness was minimal; it was better to use his death to calculate against her and, incidentally, destroy the entire academy.
What a malicious mastermind!
Two hidden guards took Sheng Lengshuang and ran at the fastest speed, while other hidden guards went to evacuate nearby people.
"Save, save me!" The ghost elder, his eyes wide and bloodshot, reached out to Sheng Lengshuang. "Save me, and I will do anything for you."
He did not want to die; he could not die!
He had not yet completed his research, had not created truly conscious puppets, and had not become the most powerful poison master. He absolutely could not die.
Sheng Lengshuang was not foolish. No matter how much she wanted to know about the mastermind, she would not risk her life to save the ghost elder. "Retreat, retreat as far as possible."
As she spoke, she scattered several differently colored medicinal powders, her expression quite solemn. She had never expected the mastermind to do something so malicious to scheme against her.
Just as Sheng Lengshuang was about to retreat to a safe place, there was a loud "boom."
The ghost elder, who had expanded limitlessly, exploded.
The scene was incredibly tragic and disgusting.
Sheng Lengshuang felt nauseous. She turned her head to avoid the extremely bloody sight. "Do not let anyone approach. The ghost elder's flesh and blood are all highly poisonous. Anyone who gets close will be poisoned to death."
Originally, she had intended to resolve the poison the ghost elder was afflicted with step by step, so she could interrogate him properly. But then this happened.
Crucially, the academy could no longer be used. Moreover, the area had to be dealt with properly, otherwise, the highly toxic substance would gradually spread throughout the entire Eastern Capital.
If that were to happen, the soil of the entire Eastern Capital would become highly toxic. Simply standing on it would kill people, let alone living there.
This move was truly vicious.
A hidden guard went to handle the matter.
Sheng Lengshuang's pretty face turned slightly pale. She frowned and turned around, beginning to prepare the necessary medicinal powders. "Go invite Prince Ming Rui over and tell him I have something very important to discuss with him."
...
By the time Mo Lingxi arrived, he had already understood the entire incident.
The first thing he did was pull Sheng Lengshuang and examine her closely, as if she might lose a single strand of hair.
"Are you really alright?" he asked with concern.
Sheng Lengshuang indicated that she was indeed fine and even spun around a few times. "If I were not alright, would I wait for you to come? Look at the color of the ground, and you will know how potent this poison is."
Mo Lingxi followed her gaze and saw the deep purple ground and various bloody remains. "This ground..."
He paused and then asked, "Can this ground be detoxified?"
Sheng Lengshuang nodded. "It can be detoxified, but this place cannot be used for a long time. It is best not to let anyone approach."
"Furthermore, to prevent people nearby from being poisoned by residual toxins, it is best to relocate everyone in the vicinity. Also, the ghost elder's entire body is highly toxic, and it will take more than a day or two to detoxify this place."
Mo Lingxi understood this and was very worried about Sheng Lengshuang. "Why don't we hand this matter over to someone else? It's too dangerous."
Sheng Lengshuang felt a warmth and sweetness in her heart. "I cannot handle this matter alone; I will need many doctors to help me. You handle this."
"But I must state that detoxification carries a certain degree of danger."
Mo Lingxi was still unwilling for Sheng Lengshuang to handle the detoxification. "You are not the only doctor. This matter is too dangerous; I will arrange for others."
Sheng Lengshuang sighed. "Ultimately, it happened because of me. Moreover, I should be able to offer many suggestions. Do not try to persuade me further on this matter, or I will get angry."
Mo Lingxi understood her temperament. Reluctantly, he agreed, even though he did not want her to take risks. "You must promise me not to take risks and to always think of me and Xiao Feng."
"I will think of Xiao Feng. Why should I think of you?" Sheng Lengshuang asked coolly.
Mo Lingxi felt as if a knife had pierced his heart. "...You are absolutely right. I misspoke."
Sheng Lengshuang snorted and did not have time to dwell on their conversation. "I will first sprinkle some medicinal powders here to prevent these toxins from spreading further. Also, this soil, after detoxification, will need to be processed."
"This soil, damaged by so much poison, cannot be used again, nor can it be used for planting. It must be handled with care."
Mo Lingxi said, "Do as you say. Give me the medicinal powders, and I will sprinkle them. You stand here."
Sheng Lengshuang shook her head. "You do not know how to sprinkle them. It is not a matter of just sprinkling them randomly; there is a specific method. Most importantly, if it is not handled properly, it will only worsen the situation."