Huo Xiao Di said, “There’s no shortage of infamous poisons in the world, and I’ve seen quite a few.”
Zhan Ri Fei remarked, “If you’re aware of the potency of this Shura Sect poison, then you should also know that once it enters the body, death is imminent—”
Huo Xiao Di interrupted, “Everyone knows the Shura Sect’s ‘Old Friends at First Sight’ poison is fatal upon contact. But what they don’t know is that if one reverses their internal energy flow and uses the ‘Iron Chain Loop’ technique to seal opposing acupuncture points, it can stave off death for a dozen days or so.”
—“When I cut open your clothing earlier, I noticed three greenish marks on your back, spreading outward. These are clear signs of using the Iron Chain Loop to resist the poison. No other poison in the world leaves such distinctive marks!”
—“Judging by the shape of the marks, I’d deduce that you encountered someone from the Shura Sect five days ago! And the location of the ‘Old Friends at First Sight’ poison—should be on your chest!”
Zhan Ri Fei finally sighed. “I didn’t expect you to know so much about the Shura Sect’s closely guarded poisons!”
He didn’t bother to deny it further.
Huo Xiao Di said leisurely, “You’re mistaken. It’s not me who has studied ‘Old Friends at First Sight’—it’s Tang Tian Hao. To uncover its origins, he once examined forty-one corpses over nine consecutive days without rest.”
Zhan Ri Fei showed no surprise at this revelation.
—How could the Tang Sect tolerate another sect possessing poisons more potent than their own?
—As the Tang Sect’s great hope, Tang Tian Hao was arrogant but fully understood his responsibilities.
Huo Xiao Di continued, “Don’t forget, I know Little Tang of the Tang Sect. If it weren’t for him, I wouldn’t even recognize this infamous poison.”
He left the rest unsaid, words that he ultimately couldn’t bring himself to speak aloud.
—The reason he recognized the marks left by this poison was because he had witnessed Tang Tian Hao personally examining every corpse the Tang Sect had collected. He had listened as Tang Tian Hao meticulously described each of his findings, as though reciting from memory.
At that time, Huo Xiao Di had almost forgotten it was his first meeting with the Tang Sect’s heir apparent. But he remembered with perfect clarity the drunken night he had shared with Little Tang.
It was during that night, when both of them were thoroughly inebriated, that Tang Tian Hao had spoken at length about poisons from various sects. Though Tang Tian Hao typically dismissed all poisons not of the Tang Sect with disdain, he had nothing but praise for the Shura Sect’s ‘Old Friends at First Sight.’
Even drunk, Tang Tian Hao’s hands were meticulously clean. As he sat at the long table, tapping it lightly, his hazy, intoxicated eyes still scrutinized his findings with a connoisseur’s precision.
Even now, Tang Tian Hao’s words echoed vividly in Huo Xiao Di’s ears:
—“The Iron Chain Loop can only temporarily contain the spread of the poison, but each time internal energy is reversed to engage the technique, it drives the poison deeper. Over time, during poison flare-ups—especially at noon and midnight, when yin and yang within the bloodstream peak—the pain becomes unbearable. Using the Iron Chain Loop is akin to drinking poison to quench thirst: it provides temporary relief but only worsens the condition. This poison is named ‘Old Friends at First Sight,’ likely because once afflicted, it never leaves you—it stays with you for life.”
Huo Xiao Di’s heart tightened suddenly, unsure if it was because of Tang Tian Hao’s words still ringing in his ears or the sheer cruelty of the poison itself.
Breaking his reverie, Zhan Ri Fei’s voice cut in, “Even if I am afflicted with ‘Old Friends at First Sight,’ it has nothing to do with you, Brother Huo.”
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