The movement stopped about ten paces from Mo Sigui.

A person stood up in the grass.

When An Jiu saw his face, her eyes widened slightly. It was — Wei Yunshan!

She had considered this possibility before, but seeing her suspicion become reality still surprised her a bit.

Wei Yunshan stared at Mo Sigui. “Hand over the Ghost Shadow’s heart blood.”

“Wasn’t it stolen by you?” Mo Sigui said with a straight face. “I’ve refined all the blood into pills. Since you’ve already obtained them, why are you still holding my medicine boy hostage?”

“Haha! A childish trick, trying to deceive me?” Wei Yunshan put on the air of a seasoned jianghu veteran, not feeling any shame about stealing from others. “Since you’re willing to risk your life for a mere medicine boy, I’ll show you some respect. Be a good boy and hand over the medicine, and I won’t make things difficult for you.”

He clapped his hands, and twenty black shadows swiftly approached from afar. One of them was carrying an unconscious youth — Mo Sigui’s medicine boy.

“Wei Yunshan,” Chu Dijiang, who had been silent until now, spoke up, revealing his identity.

Wei Yunshan’s expression tightened slightly. “These days, few can recognize me. Who are you?”

There were only a handful of masters at the Huajing level in the world, and the Konghe Army had portraits of all of them. Chu Dijiang had seen them countless times. Wei Yunshan looked more emaciated than in his portrait, but the general features were still there. Chu Dijiang spoke up merely to test him.

“Rumor has it that Wei Yunshan is indifferent to worldly desires, a reclusive expert. Who knew he was a traitor!” Mo Sigui felt instant contempt.

“I have no country, no family. I only know that blood can relieve a lifetime of pain and suffering,” Wei Yunshan had lost his patience. “In two-quarters of an hour, if I don’t give the order, your medicine boy will be beheaded!”

“Old fool,” Mo Sigui sneered. “You think a medicine boy can sway anyone? I came here today to see who was so blind as to dare steal from me!”

Wei Yunshan had seen Lou Xiaowu and Mo Sigui being quite intimate. He had originally planned to capture her, but Ling Ziyue guarded her too closely. It was already difficult enough for him to leave the military camp with one person; if he alarmed them further, it would become impossible. So he grabbed the medicine boy instead.

He hadn’t initially intended to use the boy to threaten Mo Sigui, only thinking the boy might know something. Unexpectedly, it had indeed yielded results.

“The medicine boy may not be worth much,” Wei Yunshan took out a scroll from his sleeve. “But what about your master’s manuscript?”

From the medicine boy, Wei Yunshan had learned that Mo Sigui treasured this manuscript dearly.

Mo Sigui’s expression grew even more unfriendly. He had kept the manuscript on a whim; even if it were destroyed today, he’d only lose a memento. But he couldn’t stand someone using it to threaten him.

Seeing Mo Sigui’s change in expression, Wei Yunshan became more certain he had found his weakness.

“I suppose Elder Wei has already given those fake medicines from the box to your master, claiming they were real?” Chu Dijiang suddenly interjected. “You know they’re fake but are deceiving your superiors and subordinates, intending to keep the real medicine for yourself, right?”

He looked at the black-clad men behind Wei Yunshan. “After he gets the medicine, do you think he’ll let you return to report?”

Those statue-like men in black showed subtle movements.

Seeing this, Chu Dijiang took out a small bottle from his bosom, poured out a pill, and held it between his fingers. “This is refined from a person’s heart blood. Does anyone want to test it?”

A person’s heart blood is limited. The potency of one pill was already considerable. Any martial artist would want to possess it.

After a few moments of silence, one of the twenty men stepped forward. “Hand it to me for inspection.”

Chu Dijiang’s gaze shifted slightly. This man took the lead, and no one objected. But Chu Dijiang saw that when he stepped out, a few others had very small reactions. With a slight smile behind his face covering, he infused the pill with his inner force and flicked it towards the man with two fingers.

The man raised his hand to catch it, the pill intact. Before he could bring it close to his nose, he could already smell the rich medicinal aroma mixed with the scent of blood, clearing his seven apertures.

“Elder Wei, how do you explain this?” The man held up the pill, questioning Wei Yunshan.

From the tone of his words, Mo Sigui realized Wei Yunshan had indeed deceived his superiors and subordinates! He couldn’t help but glance at Chu Dijiang, wondering how he knew.

“Don’t listen to his devious words sowing discord!” Wei Yunshan sensed trouble. While urgently thinking of a countermeasure, he tensed his entire body, ready for a life-or-death struggle at any moment. “Saying such things before battle is nothing but an attempt to make us turn on each other. Don’t fall for it!”

Though he said this, doubt had been planted.

“Return the divine doctor’s manuscript and the medicine boy, and all these pills will be yours,” Chu Dijiang said.

An Jiu recognized the bottle in his hand and was surprised. When had he taken it?

“You’re willing to make a losing deal?” Wei Yunshan didn’t believe it.

Chu Dijiang said, “If I’m not mistaken, the person who needs the medicine is the Liao Emperor. If we keep it, we can’t withstand the full force of Liao. Even if we send you away today, other experts will come in a few days. This item may be good, but it’s too hot to handle. It’s better to exchange it for something more practical. After all, we’ve already gained some advantage. It’s wise to quit while we’re ahead. What do you think, Elder?”

This explanation made sense, but because it made too much sense, Wei Yunshan felt something was off. However, he couldn’t pinpoint what was suspicious about it.

He paused for a moment, then raised his hand. “Release him.”

The man holding the boy threw him over.

Neither Chu Dijiang nor Mo Sigui moved to catch him. The medicine boy fell hard on the ground.

Mo Sigui lowered his gaze to carefully observe the boy’s condition. Seeing nothing unusual, he temporarily ignored him and nodded to Chu Dijiang.

Chu Dijiang then raised his hand. “You outnumber us, and we can’t deny it. Throw the manuscript over first, and I’ll immediately offer up the medicine.”

Wei Yunshan knew Chu Dijiang was at the Huajing level, but he was confident he could handle him. So he directly tossed the manuscript over.

Mo Sigui could tell if it was genuine even with his eyes closed. After a glance, he grabbed the medicine boy and tucked the manuscript into the boy’s clothes.

Chu Dijiang raised his hand and waved.

The people on the other side tensed, but seeing he hadn’t thrown anything, they grew annoyed.

An Jiu, hiding in the shadows, saw this gesture and knew it was a signal for her to retreat. She quietly withdrew, circling the gentle slope to rendezvous with Chu Dijiang.

Just as Wei Yunshan was about to lose his temper, Chu Dijiang suddenly threw the bottle.

Wei Yunshan’s heart leaped with joy, but to his surprise, the bottle wasn’t thrown to him, but towards one of the black-clad men at the edge of the group.