The boy’s eyes, wide with astonishment, betrayed a flicker of surprise.
Huo Xiao Di continued, “But whether you admit it or not, your secret will eventually be revealed.” He finally turned his gaze to Zhan Ri Fei, still pinned by his pressure points.
Was this comment meant for Zhan Ri Fei as well?
Zhan Ri Fei appeared not to hear Huo Xiao Di’s words. His expression suggested deep thought, as if pondering something far away. Huo Xiao Di, irritated by Zhan Ri Fei’s calm demeanor, felt a surge of anger rise in his throat.
Fixing his gaze on Zhan Ri Fei, Huo Xiao Di repeated firmly, “In this world, there is no such thing as a secret that can be kept forever!”
Suddenly, his mind felt as clear as crystal. His voice had grown hoarse.
— “If you hadn’t asked me to remove that fragment of Chang Xiang Si for you, I might not have discovered your secret so quickly! It’s impossible for me to believe now that you don’t have ulterior motives.”
Zhan Ri Fei finally raised his head.
“Do you truly believe, Huo, that I also wish to claim Chang Hong Bi for myself?”
Huo Xiao Di said in a deep voice, “No matter how well you act, you always leave behind some clues—I should have realized it long ago!”
— “When Ge Yun Fei from Xing Yun Manor brought Chang Hong Bi to the inn on Little Hammer Mountain, weren’t you already there?”
— “When I was about to rescue this child from Han Shui Palace’s people, who was it that proposed an exchange, diverting me to deal with the Hua brothers instead?”
His eyes locked onto Zhan Ri Fei. “You probably didn’t expect Han Shui Palace’s people to act so viciously, even injuring you in the process. Otherwise, if you had gotten to the child before me, it would have been only natural for him to fall into your hands. I truly misjudged you!”
His voice turned icy, sending a chill through Chang Hong Bi, who shivered involuntarily.
Zhan Ri Fei replied, “Have you forgotten, Huo, that I only just learned Chang Hong Bi was this child?”
Huo Xiao Di let out a cold laugh. His voice now carried a deep note of disappointment. “You may have just discovered that Chang Hong Bi is this boy, but that doesn’t prove you didn’t already know Chang Hong Bi was the prize Xing Yun Manor and the Tang Sect were fighting over! And as for your interest in Chang Hong Bi, isn’t it because of the ‘Old Friends at First Sight’ poison in your system?”
When Huo Xiao Di uttered the words ‘Old Friends at First Sight’, he did so with visible difficulty, as if each word had to force its way out of his mouth.
Zhan Ri Fei remarked, “I didn’t expect you to know about the Shura Sect’s ‘Old Friends at First Sight’ poison.”
Huo Xiao Di replied, “I’ve encountered no shortage of poisons renowned across the martial world.”
Zhan Ri Fei said, “Since you know how lethal the Shura Sect’s poison is, you must also know that its victims die almost immediately—”
Huo Xiao Di interrupted, “The world knows the Shura Sect’s ‘Old Friends at First Sight’ causes instant death, but few know that if the victim reverses their inner energy and seals the opposing acupoints with the Iron Chains Lock technique, they can survive for ten days or so.”
— “When I cut open your clothing earlier, I saw three greenish streaks spreading outward on your back. Clearly, these marks are the result of suppressing the poison with the Iron Chains Lock. No other poison in the world leaves marks like this except for ‘Old Friends at First Sight’!”
— “Judging by the shape of the marks, you must have encountered someone from the Shura Sect five days ago! And the entry point of the poison—it must have been your chest!”
Zhan Ri Fei finally sighed. “I didn’t expect you to know the Shura Sect’s closely guarded secrets so thoroughly.”
He no longer asked further questions.
Huo Xiao Di said softly, “You’re wrong. It wasn’t me who researched ‘Old Friends at First Sight’. It was Tang Tian Hao. To uncover the origins of this poison, he once worked for nine days straight, dissecting forty-one corpses.”
Zhan Ri Fei showed no surprise at this revelation.
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