Young hero, stay put and don't be reckless.

Chapter 99 You have to go

Jiang Xun was taken aback: "Gu poison?"

"Not bad." Old Yu withdrew his finger, his expression not good. "Ordinary poisons can be cured with medicine. Gu poison is different—"

This thing is alive; it grows on its own and even reproduces. If you use medication to suppress it, it will stay still; but as soon as you let go, it pops up again. Ordinary medications are completely ineffective against it.

Jiang Xun's face turned pale.

"Then what should I do?" His throat tightened a little. "Am I really supposed to obediently listen to Ling Xuan and go to Shuofeng City to be his slave?"

Old Yu didn't reply, but patted him on the shoulder: "Don't rush, let me think about it some more."

Jiang Xun leaned against the headboard, his mind a jumbled mess.

He suddenly had a strong urge to rush back to Jiangning Prefecture, beat Ling Xuan up, and snatch the antidote.

But he also knew he couldn't beat him—that guy's martial arts skills were far superior to his.

Last time at the inn, someone pressed him down on the bed with one hand and rubbed him against it; he didn't even have a chance to flinch.

Should we go again?

It's still just delivering vegetables.

He sighed, pulled the blanket up, and covered his head.

"There's always a way out." Old Yu patted him again. "Rest first, we'll talk about it tomorrow."

Jiang Xun gave a muffled "hmm" and closed his eyes.

The sound of doors opening and closing came from outside; Old Yu was gone.

He threw off the covers, stared at the ceiling for a long time, his mind racing with thoughts.

Later, I don't know how, I fell asleep again.

In his dream, he returned to that night—Ling Xuan's hand gripped his wrist like an iron clamp, and he couldn't break free no matter how hard he tried.

He struggled desperately, the more he struggled, the tighter the grip became, until finally he was swallowed by the darkness...

"ah--"

He suddenly opened his eyes, gasping for breath, his heart pounding like a rabbit, and the back of his clothes was soaked with sweat.

It was already bright outside the window, and the morning light shone through the window paper, drawing a thin, long golden line on the ground, as if it had been cut with a knife.

"Had a nightmare?" someone asked from the side.

Jiang Xun turned his head and saw an old man with gray hair sitting in a chair. He had a thin face and eyes as sharp as knives.

Shen San.

He was wearing a worn-out gray cloth robe with no decorations, but the moment he sat there, he exuded an aura that commanded respect.

Jiang Xun was taken aback: "Why are you here?"

Shen San stared at him for a moment: "You've been poisoned?"

Jiang Xun nodded.

"Cicada venom?"

Jiang Xun nodded again.

Shen San paused for a moment, then suddenly laughed: "You think this poison can kill you?"

Jiang Xun was taken aback: "Are you out of your mind?"

"Yes," Shen San said, "but not necessarily for you."

"What do you mean?"

Shen San looked at him and said, word by word, "You practice the Unbound Heaven Guiding Technique, making you immune to all poisons."

Jiang Xun was completely stunned.

"Really?" He sat bolt upright, his eyes wide with surprise. "Such a good thing?"

"Not bad." Shen San smiled. "The Unbound Heaven Guiding Technique is known as one of the two great extraordinary skills in the world. It is far superior to ordinary internal energy techniques. Try circulating your internal energy using the Dragon Control Technique and see if there is any change."

Without saying a word, Jiang Xun sat cross-legged and closed his eyes.

He has been practicing the Dragon Taming Technique for several months, and he can recite it with his eyes closed.

Internal energy originates from the dantian and slowly travels along the meridians—one cycle, two cycles…

On the third week, he suddenly felt something move inside his body.

It was very light, like a thin thread being cut silently by something.

The suffocating feeling that had been weighing on my chest suddenly eased a little, like a long-blocked river channel being cleared up.

He opened his eyes and moved his hands and feet.

The feeling of weakness in my body lessened considerably, and the fishy, ​​bitter taste in my stomach also faded.

"It seems... a little better?" He was a little unsure.

Shen San nodded: "This is the effect of the Bu Zhou Tian Yin Jue. It circulates within your body on its own and will slowly neutralize the Golden Cicada Poison. In as little as ten days to half a month, or as long as one or two months, the poison will disappear on its own."

Jiang Xun let out a long sigh, then slumped onto the bed like a deflated balloon, patting his chest dramatically: "That scared me to death! I thought I was really going to be in deep trouble this time."

Shen San smiled and waited for Jiang Xun to recover before changing the subject: "I've heard about what happened in Qiantang. Although you didn't get the Dragon Crystal, don't be discouraged. There are other ways to slow down the growth of your internal energy."

"Dragon Crystal?" Jiang Xun paused for a moment, then asked somewhat guiltily, "Who did that thing end up with?"

"Chen Lei of Yinzhai".

Jiang Xun wasn't surprised.

Judging from the martial arts competition that day, Chen Lei and Tuoba Feng were the most promising.

Tuoba Feng had already fled, so it was only natural that the Dragon Crystal would be handed over to Chen Lei.

But did this prodigy of the Hidden Abode notice anything unusual about the Dragon Crystal?

For some reason, Jiang Xun didn't tell Shen San that he had already absorbed the dragon crystal's energy. He just sighed pitifully, "Then what should I do?"

Shen San thought for a moment: "There is another kind of pill called the Heaven-Seizing Pill, which also has the effect of defying fate."

"Where can I find this pill?"

"Back then, the Great Sheng Dynasty specially invited extraordinary people from all over the land to refine elixirs, and they produced a batch of Heaven-Seizing Elixir, but it was lost in the chaos of war. I can try to inquire about it."

"The Great Sheng Dynasty?" Jiang Xun was stunned for a moment, then suddenly remembered what Tuoba Feng had said—the Buzhou Tian Yin Jue was a unique technique of the previous dynasty's royal family.

He met Shen San's gaze and asked, "Are you a member of the former dynasty's royal family?"

Shen San's eyebrows twitched slightly, but he quickly regained his composure.

"I'll find out from you sooner or later." The voice was very calm, as if it were about something very distant.

Jiang Xun waited for him to continue.

Shen San remained silent for a moment before speaking, "Do you know about the Heavenly Secrets Pavilion?"

"I've heard of them." Jiang Xun nodded. "They worked exclusively for the previous dynasty's royal family. It's said they could predict the future and knew the secrets of heaven. After the previous dynasty fell, they disbanded."

"That's right." Shen San's voice was as calm as if he were talking about someone else's business. "Shen Bufan is the Fate Master of the Heavenly Mystery Pavilion. Back when the capital was captured and there was chaos and war, he protected Crown Prince Jing and Crown Princess and fought his way out of the encirclement, risking his life to escape."

Jiang Xun was startled.

Prince Jing.

Zhou Jing was the last crown prince of the Dasheng Dynasty.

When he was a child, he overheard his private tutor saying that the prince was kind and benevolent and had a good reputation, but unfortunately he was born at the wrong time.

On the day the Dayong army breached the imperial city, a fire broke out in the Crown Prince's residence, and Zhou Jing and his wife and children disappeared without a trace, their fate unknown.

"And then?" Jiang asked.

"And then?" Shen San's voice remained calm, but the underlying tension was heavier than anger. "The iron cavalry of Dayong caught up. Li Zhi personally led the pursuit, chasing them for several days and nights."

Shen Bufan protected Crown Prince Jing as they fled to the edge of a cliff. There was no way forward, and pursuers were closing in. Unwilling to suffer humiliation, Crown Prince Jing jumped off the cliff.

Jiang Xun suddenly realized—so this former crown prince had died by jumping off a cliff.

The rebel leader who was pursuing him was Li Zhi, the first crown prince of the Dayong Dynasty, but this Crown Prince Zhi had died of illness a few years ago.

Jiang Xun sighed, then suddenly remembered something: "That old man... how did Shen Bufan survive?"

"I don't know." Shen San shook his head, a hint of bitterness in his voice. "I always thought he was dead, until I found him in Jiangzhou a few years ago."

Jiang Xun really wanted to ask Shen San, "What exactly is your identity?"

But Shen San clearly didn't want to talk about it.

However, recalling Shen San's undisguised dissatisfaction with the Dayong Dynasty during their first meeting, this person must be a descendant of the previous dynasty, and most likely a member of the Tianji Pavilion.

After a moment of silence, Shen San suddenly spoke up: "Ling Xuan sent you to Shuofeng City because of the treasure map, right?"

Jiang Xun was taken aback, and the smile on his face faded slightly.

"How do you know about the treasure map?" His eyes became wary. He had only mentioned to Lao Yu that Ling Xuan had poisoned him, but he hadn't mentioned the treasure map.

Shen San didn't explain, he just looked at him, his gaze as calm as a deep pool of water.

"You have to go to Shuofeng City."