Earlier they were too far apart to see clearly, but now face to face, the Life-Chasing Poison Master discovered one very familiar face in the crowd.

It was the tall, thin Taoist priest who had thrown a handful of snow to block the guard’s mouth—he looked remarkably like Wang Daxia, the fastest-promoted member of the Imperial Guards. Because his master Yan Shifan had been tricked by Wang Daxia several times, he often cursed him as a “stinking brat” and wished him dead. But Wang Daxia’s backing was too strong, with superior Lu Ying and the female physician Wei Caiwei—though the Lu family had fallen, a skinny camel was still bigger than a horse; Dr. Wei had Shang Zhaoyi’s support in the palace, making him untouchable.

Wang Daxia was too famous; the Life-Chasing Poison Master had seen him before. But this thin priest was much thinner than Wang Daxia, with a pale, gaunt face and a chin so thin it was pointed, slightly blue-tinged—clearly having just shaved his beard.

His temperament was completely different too. Wang Daxia was always grinning foolishly, seeming heartless, while this thin priest had gloomy eyes and a cold, hard demeanor.

Could it just be a resemblance? The Life-Chasing Poison Master wasn’t certain. He didn’t dare approach, only moved left to make room for the group to dispose of bodies.

The Life-Chasing Poison Master immediately became alert and asked: “Who are you people? Why are you disguised as priests on Mount Wudang?”

Wang Daxia snorted coldly: “Now you’re begging us, not us begging you. Cut the chatter!”

Seeing Wang Daxia’s murderous look, the Life-Chasing Poison Master became even more uncertain. The Wang Daxia in his memory was a smiling tiger who would stab someone while still wearing a smile.

To stabilize this key witness, Lu Ying improvised a lie: “We came seeking fortune. We heard Prince Jing’s seven-day and seven-night ceremony for the Xuanwu God would use over a thousand taels of gold just for writing. We want to strike it rich for New Year’s. Just now we heard guards say Prince Jing lost something, so the mountain gates were sealed to catch thieves. I assume you’re also in the same line of work, coming to Mount Wudang to seek fortune.”

During the ceremony, fist-sized brushes would be used to copy ritual texts, with gold shaved into fragments and made into golden ink. Each written character cost at least one tael of gold—truly words worth their weight in gold. A thousand-character ritual text would indeed cost a thousand gold pieces.

“Those who stay near ink become black”—now Lu Ying’s lying skills rivaled Wang Daxia’s.

After throwing the two guards’ bodies over the cliff without hearing even an echo of them landing, the Life-Chasing Poison Master believed Lu Ying’s nonsense and hurriedly ran over, saying: “Yes, I’m also a gentleman burglar, but my luck was terrible. I was discovered just for stealing one ritual item. If I hadn’t met you fellow professionals, those guards would have already caught me.”

Lu Ying saw through but didn’t expose him, asking: “What amazing thing did you steal that alerted Prince Jing?”

Wang Daxia also said: “Show us—let us see for ourselves.”

The Life-Chasing Poison Master’s bundle was full of various poisons and he dared not open it, saying: “A golden incense burner. Fearing the guards would search me, I threw it over the cliff. Saving my life was more important.”

Lu Ying pretended to believe him: “Let’s hurry. Once patrolling guards discover the two checkpoint guards are missing, we won’t be able to leave.”

Lu Ying led everyone up the mountain. The Life-Chasing Poison Master hesitated: “I’ve already been discovered. Why not flee down the mountain instead of going up?”

Lu Ying spun another lie: “You think only we want to steal things? The Mount Wudang priests also want to profit, working from inside and out. Don’t worry, someone will meet us. As they say, ‘thieves don’t leave empty-handed’—having come this far, we must steal something to take back. We can’t return empty-handed and break the profession’s rules.”

What a principled habitual thief! Wang Daxia thought: Commander Lu, you’ve learned bad habits.

With no other way out but following these thieves, the Life-Chasing Poison Master had to stay close.

Lu Ying gave a meaningful look, and her subordinates understood, surrounding the Life-Chasing Poison Master in the middle as they walked the stone steps.

Lu Ying’s group hurried to the Great Sage Southern Cliff Palace at Purple Cloud Rock—a palace carved through rock and built on a cliff face, with sheer drops on both sides, like a palace growing from the rock itself.

At the palace gates stood Prince Jing’s sentries. Seeing a group of priests approaching, they naturally demanded to see pass tokens and verify identities.

Lu Ying called out loudly: “We went down the mountain on the temple master’s orders and didn’t know passes were suddenly required—we weren’t prepared. ‘Though I stand before you unrecognized, I keep my bamboo hat to avoid being buried’—please ask the temple master to come out. You don’t recognize us, but the temple master knows us.”

As soon as she finished speaking, with a creaking sound, the palace gate opened. The temple master of Great Sage Southern Cliff Palace emerged carrying a fly whisk, scolding: “You unfilial disciples! Why are you only returning now! The ceremony begins tomorrow, yet you still have time to play outside!”

The temple master was an Imperial Guard agent. “Though I stand before you unrecognized, I keep my bamboo hat to avoid being buried” was the code phrase—a poem written by the famous Tang dynasty Taoist Lu Dongbin, who had once practiced at Mount Wudang’s Great Sage Southern Cliff Palace.

Seeing the temple master personally come out to collect them, the guards let them pass, warning: “This won’t happen again. Remember to bring your passes next time.”

Lu Ying and her group swaggered through the palace gates. This place was legendary as where the Xuanwu God achieved enlightenment and ascension, hence called Great Sage Southern Cliff Palace. It had been a sacred Taoist site since ancient times, and after hundreds and thousands of years of expansion, it had over nine hundred rooms alone.

The temple master led them to a secluded palace building to rest. As soon as they reached safety, Lu Ying gave a meaningful look, and everyone rushed forward to tie the Life-Chasing Poison Master to a chair.

The Life-Chasing Poison Master was still in the dark, shouting loudly: “I really threw the golden tripod into the cliff! I have nothing on me except some life-saving pills.”

Wei Caiwei opened the Life-Chasing Poison Master’s bundle—it was full of “good stuff”! There were poisons she recognized and others she didn’t. Among them was an oiled paper package containing dried mushrooms. The mushroom caps had markings like ancient carved figures on medicinal bones—various postures with an eerie beauty.

Wei Caiwei recognized these mushrooms. She picked up one mushroom and held it near the Life-Chasing Poison Master’s mouth: “Since you claim these are life-saving pills, please try eating one and see what miraculous effects it has.”

Tied to the chair and unable to move except his neck, the Life-Chasing Poison Master turned his face away, avoiding the mushroom.

Lu Ying asked: “What is this thing? Is it dangerous?”

Wei Caiwei said: “When I was in Tieling, there were shamanic priests. Each time they performed rituals, shamanic priests would dance continuously for days and nights without eating or drinking, as if possessed by immortals—something ordinary people couldn’t do. Actually, there was a secret—they consumed these mushrooms. After eating them, they would dance uncontrollably, forgetting fatigue until completely exhausted. Afterward, the priests would sleep for several days.”

Wang Daxia found it interesting: “Just dancing? They won’t die?”

Wei Caiwei nodded: “Dancing until fainting. This substance severely harms the body—shamanic priests generally only dance once a year.”

Wang Daxia: Really so magical? Why do I have an urge to try it…

Knowing Wang Daxia’s old habit of putting anything in his mouth, Wei Caiwei warned: “This thing makes men impotent. Absolutely don’t touch it.” Actually, it didn’t.

Little Wang Daxia trembled with fear, and big Wang Daxia immediately dismissed the thought.

Wei Caiwei continued examining the bundle, pouring scab fragments from a bamboo tube: “This is smallpox material. Commander Lu, we have both the person and evidence—he’s the one who tampered with the jade Guanyin.”

Hearing the last sentence, the Life-Chasing Poison Master immediately understood who they were: “You’re not thieves at all—you’re Prince Yu’s people!”

Lu Ying said: “We’re Imperial Guards, pursuing criminals thousands of li to Mount Wudang. You harmed imperial offspring—we’re taking you back.”

Just out of the dragon’s pool and into the tiger’s den, the Life-Chasing Poison Master felt despair and decided to go all out: “I confess! I’ll confess everything! I only ask to keep my worthless life! I did this under Yan Shifan’s orders. Now Prince Jing wants to silence me, and my former master Yan Shifan won’t protect me. I’m at the end of my rope and willing to cooperate with you Imperial Guards to identify the real culprit!”

Hearing Yan Shifan’s name again, Wang Daxia’s eyes flashed with killing intent: “What evidence do you have that you acted under Yan Shifan’s orders? Proof that you’re his man?”

“I—” the Life-Chasing Poison Master said urgently: “It really was him! Otherwise, as an ordinary citizen with no grievance against Prince Yu, why would I harm imperial offspring? Listen to me—Prince Jing already has a concubine who’s pregnant. In the competition with Prince Yu to produce sons, he’s always been at a disadvantage. Yan Shifan helped him eliminate Prince Yu’s son. They’re in cahoots—next they’ll move against Prince Yu. If they eliminate Prince Yu and his son, Prince Jing will be the only son. Even without being named crown prince, he’ll eventually ascend the throne. Every word I speak is true—if even half a sentence is false, let me die without burial!”

The Life-Chasing Poison Master swore a poisonous oath. Lu Ying listened without surprise—she had seen through Prince Jing’s nature back at Qionghua Island in the Forbidden City. Now bringing this witness back to the capital with smallpox evidence in hand, even if Emperor Jiajing wouldn’t immediately punish Yan Shifan and Prince Jing, he absolutely wouldn’t pass the throne to Prince Jing.

Once Prince Yu ascends the throne, we won’t need to act—the new emperor will settle accounts with Prince Jing himself.

Hearing this, Wang Daxia remained silent. He was no longer the youth ignorant of politics. Even with witness and evidence in hand, the emperor would still not severely punish Yan Shifan to maintain court balance.

At this moment, his father’s killer Yan Shifan was in the Golden Hall at Mount Wudang’s peak. I must find a way to personally slay my enemy!

Missing this opportunity, he’ll harm others again!

That night, everyone rested in Great Sage Southern Cliff Palace. Tomorrow the temple master would give them passes to escort them off Mount Wudang.

At midnight, Wang Daxia quietly got up, moving like a cat out the door—he was going to the Golden Hall to assassinate Yan Shifan.

Just as he left Great Sage Southern Cliff Palace, he saw flames soaring from the Golden Hall at the mountain peak, with torches like brilliant stars, and heard someone shouting: “Ghosts! There are ghosts! They’re possessed!”

Wang Daxia didn’t understand. A person rolled down the stone steps—a Prince Jing mansion guard covered in blood from the fall. Supporting himself against a tree to stand, he saw Wang Daxia.

Wang Daxia drew his sword, about to silence him, but the guard seemed blind, showing no reaction to Wang Daxia’s weapon. He spread his arms wide, dancing wildly with gestures and poses, spinning crazily around Wang Daxia.

While dancing, blood from his forehead continued flowing, like a senseless corpse possessed by ghosts.

There’s a ghost! Really a ghost! Wang Daxia had always feared ghosts. Seeing this eerie scene, he froze in terror.

He feared ghosts—back when a spirit tablet on Wei Caiwei’s family altar was knocked over by mice, he was scared to death, let alone having a ghost dancing around him now.

A warm hand pushed Wang Daxia’s drawn sword back into its sheath: “Don’t be afraid. Come with me.”

It was Wei Caiwei’s voice!

This voice was like a protective charm, dispelling Wang Daxia’s fear. Wang Daxia slowly turned around and saw Wei Caiwei shrouded in a black robe.

Wei Caiwei said: “I put dancing mushrooms in the midnight snacks. All guards who ate the snacks are dancing.”

Lu Ying threw a set of Prince Jing mansion guard clothes and armor to the dumbfounded Wang Daxia: “Put them on. You want to act alone? Don’t even think about it. We’ll eliminate Yan Shifan together.”

Author’s Note: Dancing mushrooms are real. The world is vast and full of wonders. Everyone, don’t eat mushrooms of unknown origin.