— After all, how could the Tang Sect tolerate another sect possessing a poison that surpassed their own?
— As the Tang Sect’s brightest hope, Tang Tian Hao might have been arrogant, but he understood his responsibility.
Huo Xiao Di continued, “But don’t forget, I know Tang Sect’s Xiao Tang. If not for him, I wouldn’t have recognized this infamous poison.”
He left his words unfinished, unable to say the rest.
— The reason he could identify the marks left by this poison was that he had personally witnessed Tang Tian Hao inspecting the corpses collected by the Tang Sect. He had listened to Tang Tian Hao, with the precision of a scholar, recount each of his discoveries in painstaking detail.
At that moment, Huo Xiao Di had almost forgotten that this was the first time he had ever met Tang Tian Hao, the future head of the Tang Sect. But what remained crystal clear in his memory was the night he and Xiao Tang had shared a drunken revelry.
It was during that night, when both of them were thoroughly drunk, that Huo Xiao Di heard Tang Tian Hao discuss the poisons of various sects. The proud and arrogant heir of the Tang Sect, who looked down on all poisons outside his own clan’s arsenal, had nothing but praise for the Shura Sect’s “Old Friends at First Sight.”
A drunken Tang Tian Hao, with hands meticulously cleaned, had gently tapped the long table before him, his hazy eyes still critiquing his findings.
Even now, Tang Tian Hao’s words echoed in Huo Xiao Di’s ears:
— “The Iron Chains Lock can only delay the spread of the poison. Each time the inner energy is reversed to activate the Iron Chains Lock, the poison’s effects deepen further. When the poison flares, especially at noon or midnight, when the body’s yin and yang energies are at their extremes, the pain becomes unbearable. Using the Iron Chains Lock is akin to drinking poison to quench thirst—it only offers temporary relief while worsening the condition. The name of this poison, ‘Old Friends at First Sight,’ likely refers to its constant, inescapable presence once it takes hold.”
Huo Xiao Di’s heart clenched suddenly, though he wasn’t sure if it was because of Tang Tian Hao’s words still ringing in his ears or the sheer ruthlessness of the poison itself.
Breaking his thoughts, he heard Zhan Ri Fei say, “Even if I’ve been poisoned with ‘Old Friends at First Sight,’ it has nothing to do with you, Huo.”
Huo Xiao Di replied, “True! It’s none of my business. But it is connected to Chang Hong Bi! Even if the Shura Sect came after you—which, after all, is just another branch of the martial underworld—that could be ignored. But what about the Great Compassion Palm mark under your left ribs?”
His voice was sharp, and Zhan Ri Fei froze for a moment.
Huo Xiao Di’s expression grew darker.
“The Great Compassion Palm is the supreme martial art of Shang Qing Temple. Are you telling me it just happened to make its way onto your body?”
Zhan Ri Fei was visibly taken aback.
Huo Xiao Di’s face turned increasingly grim. “One of the Shura Sect’s mortal enemies is Shang Qing Temple. Even children know their name, strange as it may sound, belongs to a revered sect known as a pillar of righteousness in the martial world.”
He continued, “Shang Qing Temple is infamous for its strict rules. The Great Compassion Palm is never taught to outsiders, and for over two centuries, they haven’t even accepted lay disciples. They’re a celebrated order of wandering warriors, upholding justice and punishing evil. Countless villains have met their end at the hands of Shang Qing Temple.”
Fixing his gaze firmly on Zhan Ri Fei, Huo Xiao Di asked, “Shang Qing Temple’s reputation is built on fairness and discretion. They never kill the innocent. Every time they act, it’s in response to receiving a Chivalry Plaque circulating in the martial world. And tell me, Zhan Ri Fei, has anyone ever targeted with the Chivalry Plaque been anything less than a vile, irredeemable scoundrel?”
Huo Xiao Di’s lips trembled as he spoke. “If you hadn’t provoked the Chivalry Plaque, how could you have been struck by Shang Qing Temple’s ultimate technique, the Great Compassion Palm?”
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