The Sect Master's face flushed with satisfaction, a sense of vindication flashing through his eyes as he glanced smugly at Song Wanníng.
This time, she had dug her own grave.
"Master, how do you feel?" Ye Chuxue looked up, her eyes gleaming with anticipation as she waited for Gu Qingyuan's reply.
But just as Gu Qingyuan smiled gently and opened his mouth to respond, the spiritual energy in his body suddenly turned chaotic.
A surge of black toxin erupted through his meridians, flooding every acupoint in his body.
"Urgh—!" He coughed out a mouthful of black blood.
It splattered across Ye Chuxue's face, warm and thick. Her vision darkened with the sudden rush of crimson, and her mind went blank. She watched in horror as Gu Qingyuan collapsed in front of her.
He had already been injured. Now poisoned, his body could no longer hold on.
"Senior Brother Gu!" The Sect Master shouted, panic breaking through his usual calm.
The elders scrambled to his side, crowding around him in a flurry of motion.
"Master!" Only then did Ye Chuxue react. She dropped to her knees and clutched Gu Qingyuan tightly.
"Master! Master, wake up! Don't scare me like this, please, Master!" Tears streamed down her cheeks as she cried out again and again, but there was no reply.
The entire crowd erupted into chaos.
"No way! The pill was actually poisoned?"
"Does that mean Wu Dan was also harmed by Ye Chuxue?"
"What about the pills she gave out before? Damn it, I took one too!"
"She dares call herself a master? And the pills she refined are toxic?!"
"If someone dies from this, can she take responsibility?!"
"This is terrifying… Thank heavens I didn't get one, or I'd be the one lying there now!"
"Poor Wu Dan. She was completely innocent!"
The tide shifted in an instant. Those who had once praised her now turned their panic and blame on Ye Chuxue.
She had boasted about her skills, but even a Nascent Soul cultivator like Gu Qingyuan had been brought down by her medicine. How dangerous was that poison?
And if any of them had taken it…
Their anger flared.
"She knows nothing about alchemy, yet dares hand out pills?!"
"She was asking for trouble!"
"Lan Le, come take a look!"
The Sect Master nearly exploded with frustration when he saw Lan Le still sitting idly to the side, arms crossed like it had nothing to do with him.
Gu Qingyuan was the backbone of their sect. If anything happened to him, the damage to their reputation and standing would be immeasurable.
"…Fine."
Lan Le stood up slowly, pushing through the crowd with a scowl on his face as he knelt down to examine Gu Qingyuan's condition.
"I told you the pill was poisonous, but no, he just had to take it. Now look.
This poison isn't something I can cure. Figure it out yourselves."
Alchemists were known for their bad tempers. After the way Ye Chuxue had subtly insulted him earlier, Lan Le was in no mood to help. He wasn't about to get involved in this mess again. Not his problem.
"You—! You truly have no way?" The Sect Master nearly coughed up blood himself. These so-called alchemy masters… arrogant to the point of madness!
"None," Lan Le said simply, shaking his head and walking away.
The Sect Master stood frozen. Speechless.
"Master, please don't scare me…"
Ye Chuxue was finally panicking.
She had only just begun learning alchemy. Detoxification was far beyond her current skills. She hadn't even gathered the ingredients for the Ten-Thousand Venom Pill. How was she supposed to save him?
"It's all my fault… it should've been me who tested the pill. My life is nothing. I never should've dragged you into this!" Sobbing uncontrollably, she turned toward the one hope left.
"Ancestor! Ancestor, please! Please save my master!"
Finally, she thought to beg Liu Lanyi.
But Liu Lanyi only frowned and responded coldly, "I know nothing of alchemy."
If someone needed saving, she was not the one to ask. Besides, she had watched the entire situation unfold. Her patience for Ye Chuxue was long gone.
"Uncle Lan, please! Save him!" Ye Chuxue turned back to Lan Le again. "This is all my fault. I shouldn't have ignored your warning. Please help him!"
Even now, she refused to bow her head to Song Wanníng.
Lan Le's expression remained stony.
"This poison is too complex and strange. I don't have a solution—at least not yet."
He added meaningfully, "Perhaps you could ask Junior Sister Song."
He had figured it out too. From the start, Song Wanníng had seen through the flaws in Ye Chuxue's technique. Everything was within her grasp.
Offending someone like that… it had been a stupid move. From now on, he was staying far away.
Ye Chuxue knew full well who she needed to ask. But after what had happened earlier, how could she bring herself to beg?
At that moment, Bai Yang stepped forward. He glanced at her, then turned to Song Wanníng and bowed.
"Master. Please, save Uncle Gu." An Ze rushed over as well, voice full of anger. "Master, if it wasn't for your suggestion, Uncle Gu wouldn't have taken the pill. You need to take responsibility and cure him!"
They could've used an animal to test the pill. But Song Wanníng had refused. Clearly, she had done it on purpose!
Even the Sect Master turned a stern gaze on her.
"Junior Sister Song, no matter what, you and Gu Qingyuan are fellow disciples. You can't just let him die."
As if not saving him would make her the villain.
Song Wanníng had seen this scene far too many times.
She laughed coldly, glancing lightly at An Ze.
Ever since he had fallen in with Ye Chuxue, he had shown no trace of respect toward her. In her past life, she had thought of them all as her children. She blamed herself for raising them poorly.
But truth was, some people were just ungrateful wolves.
There was no need to feel guilty.
She raised her brow slightly. Her aura pressed down on An Ze like a crashing wave.
He wasn't the protagonist. He wasn't even worth avoiding.
Thud—
An Ze dropped to his knees, forced down by her spiritual pressure.
He screamed, struggling to lift his head.
"Master, what are you doing?! Let me go!
I only spoke the truth. How dare you suppress me like this?!
His expression twisted with pain and fury. A glint of killing intent flashed in his eyes.
She had struck him again and again. Now this? She was unfit to be a master!
"Why?"
Song Wanníng's voice was soft and icy.
She raised her foot and stepped on the top of his head.
The pressure of her spirit boot crushed down against his scalp, sending numbness racing through his limbs. He couldn't hold himself up. His entire body collapsed to the ground.
His cheek pressed against the cold floor, his eyes wide with humiliation and shock.
"Master, what are you doing?!"
Bai Yang stepped forward in alarm, about to intervene.
Song Wanníng met his gaze, just a single glance enough to freeze him in place.
"…Master…"
"If you still want to be my disciple, stay where you are. If you'd rather be like him, then kneel and take it."