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"You don't know about the Ghost Fire Lotus?" I was astonished. "Then what is your Snowfall Villa doing here?"
Luo Dachun replied, "Recently, some strange phenomena have appeared in Luoyang, and we are concerned that something bad might happen here, possibly attracting the Disaster Gate. So our team has spread out in Luoyang to investigate. After some time, we felt that there was nothing unusual in the Baiyun Mountain area, so we set up camp there."
"Are you saying that the Disaster Gate might appear in Luoyang City?"
Luo Dachun nodded. "However, our current feeling is one of foreboding, yet we still cannot determine the exact cause."
I felt dizzy. Currently, besides us, there were at least three other forces converging on Luoyang: the Medicine King Pavilion was here for the Ghost Fire Lotus, Snowfall Villa was here because of the Disaster Gate, and Mirror Gate's intentions were unclear. Their goals were different, yet they all coincidentally gathered in Luoyang at the same time? Luoyang truly was a blessed land!
"Since you haven't settled anywhere in Luoyang yet, why not come back to Snowfall Villa's camp with me?" Luo Dachun proposed an excellent suggestion.
We naturally agreed without hesitation. We had just arrived in Luoyang and had been staying at an inn. If there were many spies from Mirror Gate in Luoyang, it would be hard to avoid leaks. Since the source of the strangeness was concentrated in Baiyun Mountain, what could be a better choice than teaming up with Snowfall Villa?
True to its reputation, I had initially thought their camp would be like ours—set up with tents in a concealed location for military training—but their methods were far more sophisticated.
The Snowfall Villa camp was located behind a dense forest, nestled against the mountains. They utilized the natural conditions of trees and rocks to set up a Five Elements Formation Diagram around the camp. Anyone or anything entering would get lost and would never reach the camp's location. Thus, Snowfall Villa had established an "invisible" camp through the Five Elements Formation.
If this technique could be applied in modern warfare, it would be incredible. It seemed that in many aspects, ancient methods still held significant advantages over modern ones.
Exiting the maze, I saw dozens of white tents arranged orderly. Everyone in the camp wore white clothing, appearing ethereal as if they were not of this world; the scene evoked an involuntary sense of awe.
As we entered the camp, Luo Dachun hesitated for a moment before saying to us, "There is something I need to tell you first. After you hear it, do not become anxious or blame yourselves; it has nothing to do with you."
What did he mean by "blame ourselves"? Had we done something wrong to Snowfall Villa? I exchanged glances with Nie Qiuyuan; neither of us understood what he was referring to.
"My elder brother... was severely injured recently due to Mirror Gate's White Tiger incident. However, you surely do not know about this; it seems Mirror Gate originally intended to set a trap for you but did not expect that you would be unable to handle it and would have to entrust it to us."
Nie Qiuyuan's expression changed sharply as he asked urgently, "Sikong, what do you mean? What happened to the White Tiger?"
"When the corpse of the White Tiger was brought here, it was my elder brother who led the team to dissect it and test for poison. Unexpectedly, the people from Mirror Gate had hidden a mechanism inside the body of the White Tiger. When they opened the corpse, the mechanism exploded, and my brother along with everyone present was poisoned with a deadly toxin. My elder brother's health has always been fragile, and now... the situation is quite critical."
Nie Qiuyuan turned his head and looked at me in surprise.
This time, my heart felt as if it had been struck by a heavy hammer. Could it be that there was a problem with my request to Snowfall Villa to examine Ruo Chanjuan's body?
"Zhenzhen..." Nie Qiuyuan fell silent for a moment. I thought that with his intelligence, he must have already figured out what I had done behind his back.
"What? You didn't know?" Luo Dachun initially seemed surprised, but being as clever as he was, he quickly understood what had happened and immediately grasped Nie Qiuyuan's feelings.
"No wonder. I thought that with your abilities, there was no need to have someone travel such a long distance to deliver the corpse to us. Moreover, I never considered that with your temperament, even if the White Tiger offered goodwill, you probably wouldn't accept it." Luo Dachun sighed and spoke to us.
Luo Dachun's elder brother, Sikong Han, had helped us greatly during the incident at Qingliang Temple. He was a reserved and taciturn person, steady and reliable; I held him in high regard. Now hearing that he had been severely injured due to my reckless decision and was in danger of losing his life made me feel an overwhelming sense of anxiety.
Luo Dachun and his brother shared a close bond, yet now he bore his sorrow silently and showed me such understanding without any blame; it truly made me feel guilty.
Nie Qiuyuan did not blame me either. Perhaps seeing how self-reproachful I was, he reached out to embrace me and gently squeezed my shoulder.
However, I couldn't easily overcome this hurdle. At that time, my mind was filled only with autumn; I hadn't considered how much trouble my message would cause for Snowfall Villa, nor could I have imagined such a serious accident occurring.
"Brother Luo, can you take me to see him..." I pleaded with tears in my eyes.
He looked at me and nodded. "Don't blame yourself. This matter is due to Qiu Yuan's lack of rationality, while your decision was correct. When facing a strong enemy, knowing both ourselves and our adversaries allows us to emerge unscathed from countless battles. To defeat an enemy always comes at a price; whoever bears this cost does so willingly."
His words were extremely rational, calm yet sorrowful, like a wise man who has seen through the world. His expression, demeanor, and speech all made me feel sad because the charming young gentleman I first met on Wanzi Mountain—the one who joked around and carried himself elegantly—might truly be gone forever.
In a quiet large tent on one side of the camp, we found my elder brother Sikong Han lying unconscious on his bedding, his face pale as gold paper.
The elder brother already bore an incurable old injury, and his condition worsened day by day. Now, having been poisoned so severely, it was evident to me, as an outsider, that the situation was quite serious.
Nie Qiuyuan stepped forward to check his pulse, his expression turning grave. He stood up and pulled Luo Dachun aside, walking to the entrance of the tent. He said, "Sikong, you are using methods to suppress the spread of the poison, right? This delay cannot continue."
Luo Dachun nodded. "Indeed, it cannot. However, when the corpse of the White Tiger exploded, it released a peculiar toxin. The elder brother was closest to it and thus suffered the most severe poisoning. Fortunately, his internal strength is profound, and I have been helping him circulate his energy daily to counteract the poison, which has barely protected his heart and prolonged his life. Of the seven or eight disciples present at that time, three have already perished, while those who remain have shallower poisoning but are still in a coma."
Nie Qiuyuan asked, "Have you examined the remnants of the White Tiger's corpse? Ren Pingsheng had used her for testing; she bore traces of many kinds of poison. If we clarify this matter, we might find a way to counter it."
Luo Dachun replied, "I understand your reasoning. That's why I personally brought someone knowledgeable in pharmacology from the manor to examine the remnants of the White Tiger. Indeed, many types of poison were detected on her body, and we have nearly figured out their principles; some antidotes have even been formulated. However, the poison affecting my elder brother does not belong to any of these types."
Upon hearing this, I couldn't help but grit my teeth and say, "Ren Pingsheng is truly malicious; not only did she use her for testing without her knowledge, but she also implanted mechanisms in her body. I can't fathom how she managed that."
I believed that Ruo Chanjuan was unaware of the mechanisms within her body; otherwise, why would she come to harm Nie Qiuyuan? Although I didn't like her, I could still be certain of this.
Qiu shook his head. "This wasn't done by Ren Pingsheng. Since this poison is entirely different from what she uses, it's likely that it wasn't administered by the same person."
"Why are you defending Ren Pingsheng?" I shot him a glance, puzzled.
"Zhenzhen," he said thoughtfully, "consider this: The White Tiger escaped and died before our eyes. The ones who should have examined her corpse were you and me." Nie Qiuyuan looked at me meaningfully. "The one wielding the knife could be me, but you would certainly stand behind me. Thus, if a mechanism was triggered, you wouldn't escape unscathed either. Ren Pingsheng... wouldn't do something like this."
I found myself at a loss for words; I didn't understand why he was so adamant that Ren Pingsheng would not harm me.
"Then... who could it be?"
"The Sect Leader," Nie Qiuyuan answered simply. "This poison might not kill me directly; however, it could place you in mortal danger right before my eyes—perhaps that's exactly what he desires."
As I absorbed these words, I sensed his barely contained anger; it seemed he could hardly accept imagining such a scenario.
"But the White Tiger is under the control of Ren Pingsheng. If Rong Fu has tampered with the White Tiger, Ren Pingsheng would definitely know about it. Since it poses a threat to Zhenzhen's life, how could Ren Pingsheng let her go?" Luo Dachun's question was exactly what I couldn't understand.
Nie Qiuyuan fell silent for a moment, a hint of reluctance showing in his eyes.
"Perhaps it's because he knows I won't disturb the corpse of the White Tiger..."
Everything seemed a bit perplexing. Two sworn enemies could read each other's thoughts better than anyone else in the world. I truly couldn't comprehend the world of men.
However, one thing was certain: since Ruo Chanjuan had been implanted with a mechanism to harm us, her escape must also be part of a conspiracy. Therefore, any information about eliminating the Jade Balance Bureau was surely just a ruse.
Behind this, they were undoubtedly plotting something even more sinister.
"What do you plan to do now?" Nie Qiuyuan turned to look at the unconscious Sikong Han. "I can help you transfer True Qi to your brother and protect his heart pulse, but from my earlier pulse examination, this poison is extremely peculiar. First, it's difficult to resolve; second, the medicinal herbs needed to detoxify it are likely very hard to find. Prolonging this situation is not a long-term solution."
Luo Dachun sighed helplessly. "That is indeed true, but there are no better options at present. We can only wait for the healer from the manor to carefully search for an antidote."
At that moment, an idea suddenly popped into my mind, so I grabbed Nie Qiuyuan's arm and shook it.
"Qiu, isn't the head of Chang'an Apothecary Pavilion in Luoyang? They are highly skilled in medicine and have extensive knowledge; perhaps they could easily find a way to resolve the poison afflicting my brother!"
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