Chapter Sixty-Two: The Old Fox and the Young Fox

“No need. Scar Six’s head has already been cut off by the caravan guards to claim the reward. As for his men, they scattered like frightened birds, leaving behind dozens of corpses. What kind of explanation do you want from me, future Guerrilla General of the Northwest, Lord Hua?” Lu Jiu looked at Hua Lin with contempt.

“It seems, then, that you already know the brothers have been seeking a new path, a different way of life. Since it’s come to this, there’s nothing more to say. We can’t afford to provoke you, Young Master Jiu, but that lecherous brat and your bodyguard will have to stay behind.” Hua Lin slowly sat back in his chair, appearing utterly calm.

“Hawk, you and Vulture, go and take off those two brats’ heads. The rest of you, keep Brother Luo Xiaotian here.” Hua Lin spoke as if he were discussing a trivial matter, never once glancing at Hua Erniang lying on the ground.

“Haha, ha! Even poisoned by the Yang family’s secret drug, do you think your dogs can still wield their blades and slaughter at will?” Hua Erniang burst out laughing.

“Wretched woman! Did you think I wouldn’t know your family’s little secrets after all these years? You secretly made your lover Luo Xiaotian and his two brothers take the antidote in advance, but did you think I wouldn’t give my men the antidote too? What are you waiting for!” Hua Lin barked in a low voice to his men.

Second-in-command Hawk managed a bitter smile. “Boss Hua, the antidote you gave us was faulty. I’ve been unable to muster any strength for quite a while now.”

Hua Lin was shocked and looked to the other brothers. Their faces were grim as they shook their heads, powerless.

Hua Erniang was overjoyed. “Xiaotian! What are you waiting for? Deal with these lackeys, and then we’ll settle accounts with that old fox.”

Luo Xiaotian shook his head. “Erniang, my brothers and I have suspected something was wrong for a while. We were just bluffing. It seems your antidote was faulty as well.”

“Honestly, what’s wrong with you bandits? Isn’t your way supposed to be cold steel in, red steel out? When did you all start learning the art of poison from my Five Venoms Sect? In fact, there’s nothing wrong with your antidotes. But the poison came not only from you two sides—there’s also me, a member of the Five Venoms Sect.” Lu Liao, who had held her tongue for long enough, finally seized her moment to shine, shaking her head with self-satisfaction.

The bandits’ faces changed at the mere mention of the Five Venoms Sect. The saying “Better face the King of Hell than cross the Five Venoms” was no joke.

“So, you let Zhou Liuzi sneak into the kitchen to poison us?” Lu Jiu finally understood.

“Isn’t it obvious? I don’t really need to explain.” Lu Liao, swaying as she walked, sauntered among the powerless bandit chiefs, looking left and right.

“Hmph!” Lu Jiu snorted, but there was nothing she could do about this character.

Lu Liao walked up to Luo Xiaotian and smiled faintly. “You pretty boy, you’re not only Hua Erniang’s lover, but also an undercover agent placed by the Four Seas Chamber of Commerce, aren’t you? When I teased Hua Erniang, you wanted to get angry, but a single glance from Lu Jiu held you back. So don’t bother denying it.”

Luo Xiaotian glared at Lu Liao but said nothing.

Lu Liao turned to the grim-faced Lu Jiu. “Someone as cautious as you wouldn’t dare charge into this den of tigers and wolves just because those three pretty boys are undercover agents. Out with it—which others are with the Four Seas Chamber? If the antidote comes too late, don’t blame me for any lingering side effects.”

Lu Jiu glared at Lu Liao as if she would devour her, but Lu Liao remained unfazed. “You thought your arrangements were perfect, but there are always surprises. If I hadn’t sent Zhou Liuzi to discover this gathering, and had him slip poison into the kitchen, do you think we’d have gotten out alive?”

With a furious flick of her sleeve, Lu Jiu pointed to three more people. Only now did everyone realize Hawk, the strategist Vulture, and a taciturn brute were also agents for the Four Seas Chamber.

Lu Liao cheerfully produced six pitch-black pills and set them on the table, looking at the remaining five bandit chiefs. “So, the five of you must be diehard followers of that sick tiger, Hua Lin, dead set on opposing the Four Seas Chamber. Within the time it takes an incense stick to burn, you’ll all die bleeding from your orifices. Do you believe me?”

The middle-aged bandit known as Soaring Eagle still had some backbone, raising his head to glare at Lu Liao. “Venomous, shameless brat of the Five Venoms Sect! Even if it means dying, I’ll bite you to death, even as a ghost!”

Lu Liao said nothing, drawing her longsword Autumn Water. As if giving a demonstration to Ning, the sword flashed, and Soaring Eagle’s head flew off, still cursing as it fell.

“See? Drawing a sword isn’t just about speed—it’s about momentum, the will to cleave through heaven and earth.” Lu Liao’s face was calm as she spoke to young Ning.

Bandits were ruthless killers, used to slaughtering commoners and merchants as easily as chickens or dogs, but that didn’t mean they weren’t afraid of death. Lu Liao’s cold-blooded decisiveness left the remaining four weak-kneed with terror.

“We are willing to honor our agreement and never attack the Four Seas Chamber caravans. This incident was all Scar Six’s doing and has nothing to do with us. Spare us, young hero, and we shall reward you handsomely!” The four dropped to one knee before Lu Liao, pleading.

Lu Liao glanced at Lu Jiu, who turned away in anger.

“Handsome rewards, you say?” Lu Liao looked tempted.

The four nodded eagerly.

“Very well! I’ll trust you this once.” Lu Liao tossed four black pills to them.

The four scrambled to swallow the “antidote,” only to see Lu Liao wave her hand before their eyes.

“We do have some valuable contraband, but we don’t have it on us. Once we return, we’ll be sure to offer it to you, young hero,” the four bandit chiefs said awkwardly, watching her hand.

Lu Liao withdrew her hand, stroking her chin thoughtfully. “I wonder if I look too kind or too honest, to make you think I’m so easy to fool. To tell the truth, what you were poisoned with at first was just a harmless muscle relaxant. In a few days, you’ll be fine. But the antidote you just swallowed is the real deadly poison.”

Everyone, including Lu Jiu, turned pale.

“Lu Liao, you knew they’d yielded, and yet you still didn’t spare them!” Lu Jiu shouted, pointing furiously at Lu Liao.

“In this den of thieves, I trust no one but the four of us. I’ll give you the antidote later—do with it as you will,” Lu Liao replied calmly.

“In that case, give me one of those deadly poisons,” Lu Jiu demanded, holding out her hand.

Reluctantly, Lu Liao placed a pill in her palm.

“This is a secret venom of the Five Venoms Sect. Without the antidote within six months, the parasite will bore into the body, devouring the organs. It’s precious—what are you planning?”

Lu Jiu said nothing, striding over to Hua Erniang, pinching her nose, and forcing the pill into her mouth.

“What are you doing, Young Master Jiu?” Luo Xiaotian asked, seeing Hua Erniang’s face turn deathly pale.

“Pretty women are always trouble, and the most vicious at heart. I don’t want you to become another Hua Lin.” Lu Jiu pulled out a silk handkerchief and wiped her hands with distaste.

Apart from Lu Liao, almost everyone stared at Lu Jiu, speechless.

Lu Liao walked up to her, gazing intently at her exquisitely beautiful face, and said solemnly, “Wang Liuli, you know, you’re even prettier than Hua Erniang.”

“Get lost!” Lu Jiu snarled, that single word erupting from her more and more often in Lu Liao’s presence.

Lu Liao slunk away from the furious Lu Jiu, then looked meaningfully at Hua Lin, who had silently observed the entire scene.

Clap... clap. Hua Lin slowly began to applaud, gazing at Lu Liao with admiration. “Truly, heroes are born young. The ancients did not deceive me. At your age, to possess such cunning—Five Venoms Sect has produced a remarkable talent. But remember this: before overwhelming power, no amount of cunning will save you.”

“So you weren’t poisoned?” Lu Liao looked at Hua Lin with a strange expression.

“You were cautious, but let me teach you one last lesson before you die: trust no one but yourself. That’s why, from the start, I never drank a single drop of water. Naturally, I couldn’t be poisoned.” Hua Lin smiled like an old fox.

“They say the old grow cunning. I never believed it, but now I see it’s true. Still, I doubt an old, sickly man like you has any real power left.” Lu Liao grinned slyly.

“It’s true, I’ve struggled to keep these thirteen wild men in line. I was worried that if the court recruited us together, they’d bring me trouble. But you’ve helped solve that problem. A dozen bandit chiefs’ heads should earn me another promotion.” Hua Lin grinned with satisfaction.

“Old fox, you’re truly ruthless—sacrificing old friends for your own advancement.” Lu Liao glanced sympathetically at the doomed Thirteen Hawks.

“Little fox, you have sharp eyes. This cross-dressing Young Master Jiu is indeed more beautiful than that wilted flower, Hua Erniang. I wonder what delight she would bring in bed.” Hua Lin leered at Lu Jiu.

“So, you fancy that, old fox? But aside from her face, what else is womanly about her?” Lu Liao feigned astonishment.

Hua Lin’s eyes roved greedily over Lu Jiu. “Youngster, your experience with women is nothing compared to mine.”

Lu Jiu trembled with rage, wishing she could cut them both to pieces.