As dawn broke the next day, Cai Zhao was already up.
Like many mornings spent with her aunt, she began her routine. Sitting in meditation, she circulated her qi, focused her mind, and cleared her meridians. In the stillness, she listened to her own slow, steady breathing, feeling the energy flow through her channels. Repeatedly, it surged through the acupoints in her body. The familiar pain struck her, neither too fast nor too slow. As aches, soreness, and slight cracking sounds emanated from her joints and muscles, she gradually learned to endure it. This pain, oddly comforting, gave her the courage to stand fearlessly before anyone.
Although the core techniques of the Six Northern Sects stemmed from the same origin, subtle changes had occurred during the two hundred years of separate inheritances. Throughout generations, exceptionally gifted individuals would often incorporate their unique insights into their sect’s core methods. Generally speaking, once one had grasped the basics, cultivation became a personal journey.
Cai Pingsu once said, “True mastery is sixty percent innate talent and forty percent cultivation. If victory could be achieved merely through secret manuals, why would the successive leaders of the Qingque Sect always groom their children to be the sect’s elite before passing on the leadership?”
Rumor had it that this candid remark led Cai Pingsu to offend Yin Dai and his daughter. However, she had offended many people throughout her life and never dwelled on it.
Naturally, disciples from powerful backgrounds often gained access to better cultivation resources, such as rare treasures for nurturing marrow and clearing meridians, or blessings from elders to stabilize their minds and temperaments. Nevertheless, over the past hundred years, many unknown individuals have risen like stars, shaking the world. For instance, Qi Yunke came from an unremarkable group of outer disciples in the Qingque Sect.
Cai Pingsu welcomed such situations. From a young age, she delighted in sharing advanced techniques with newly acquainted fellow disciples. As long as they were upright and chivalrous, she believed the more people who could cultivate righteously, the better.
For this, her elders warned her countless times. Even Fakong didn’t side with her, advising, “Mastering extraordinary skills is easy, but truly knowing a person is difficult. You view the world with a clear sky’s heart, but even the sky has storms and haze.”
Cai Zhao opened her eyes and accepted the soft, warm towel Furong handed her, wiping the cool sweat from her forehead.
She exhaled softly, feeling refreshed and at ease. The energy in her dantian flowed smoothly, and apart from a slight soreness in her muscles and bones, the fatigue and irritation from the past two days had vanished.
After a full two hours of cultivation, it was nearly midday. Cai Zhao asked what Chang Ning was doing. Feicui replied, “Young Master Chang hasn’t left his room all morning. After breakfast, he went to his room and asked not to be disturbed.”
Puzzled, Cai Zhao inquired about it during lunch. Chang Ning, unusually quiet, finally answered after a long pause, “I was cultivating to heal my injuries. It seems to have had some effect.”
“That’s good news,” Cai Zhao said, not thinking much of it. She then turned to Furong and asked, “Did anyone come to cause trouble this morning?”
Furong replied with a smile, “Four sneaky fellows came at dawn with a bag of spiders, intending to release them near Young Master Chang’s quarters. Feicui thought that since they liked such things, she sprinkled some powder on them. Now, snakes, insects, rats, and ants within three feet will chase after them. They fled, jumping and yelping.”
Satisfied, Cai Zhao said, “Well done, Feicui. Have extra shrimp at lunch to replenish yourself.”
Feicui walked away, her face turning green.
Chang Ning, who had seemed lost in thought, only came to when Feicui rushed out of the room. He said gently, “Miss Furong, please convey my thanks to Miss Feicui.”
After Furong left, Cai Zhao finally noticed Chang Ning’s unusual behavior and asked what was wrong. He replied, “Would you accompany me to the Medicine Pavilion this afternoon? I’d like to consult Uncle Lei about something.”
They agreed, and after lunch, they strolled to the Medicine Pavilion. At the entrance, Cai Zhao noticed a small, exquisite bamboo fence in the corner, enclosing about a dozen fluffy yellow ducklings waddling about, quacking adorably. Some even had small, colorful bows tied to their heads. Cai Zhao paused, gazing at the ducklings with affection for a moment.
Entering the Medicine Pavilion, Cai Zhao finally met the legendary Uncle Lei.
Uncle Lei’s real name was Lei Xiuming, the only one of the former Sect Leader Yin Dai’s seven original disciples who remained in the sect. Like Fan Xingjia, he excelled in qi cultivation and medicine preparation. Over ten years ago, during a major battle against the Evil Sect, he was severely injured, losing an eye and the use of one foot. Now he needed a cane to walk.
“It was the Sect Leader who risked his life to dig me out from a pile of corpses,” Lei Xiuming said, sitting alone in the medicine room. His frame was thin and frail, and his once-handsome face was covered in scars. A delicately embroidered eye patch covered his left eye.
“He was the Master’s specially admitted last disciple. Initially, we all looked down on him. Cai Pingsu was right; he was stronger than all seven of us,” Lei Xiuming’s gaze shifted to Cai Zhao. “Your eyes and forehead resemble Cai Pingsu’s.”
His voice suddenly lowered, “Now, even she is gone… Did your aunt ever mention me to you?”
“She did,” Cai Zhao replied calmly. “Aunt said you were particular about your clothes and accessories, and prone to melancholy. You’d sulk for a long time over trivial matters. Because my aunt ‘borrowed’ two of your outfits and a jade crown, you were so angry that you refused to speak to her for ages.”
“Two outfits, two outfits…” Lei Xiuming raised his hand to touch his scarred face. “Was that ‘borrowing’?! I wasn’t with Elder Brother Pei on a mission to Qiong Mountain Manor, only to have the misfortune of running into your aunt when she planned to disguise herself as a man to roam the jianghu. My robes fit her perfectly, so she took them without even asking!”
“…Didn’t my aunt leave a snow lotus as a thank-you gift? She said your clothes and accessories were particularly eye-catching.”
“How could they not be? When your mother saw Cai Pingsu wearing my robes, she was so stunned she couldn’t walk straight and insisted on marrying her. Later, when your mother found out your aunt was a woman, she couldn’t bring herself to blame your aunt. Instead, she came and scolded me, saying it was all my fault for lending the robes that caused her misunderstanding—truly a case of being blamed for no reason. Who could I complain to?” Lei Xiuming gritted his teeth.
Chang Ning suddenly said, “So, Senior Lei’s past isn’t all about sorrow and pain.”
Lei Xiuming was taken aback, a trace of melancholy appearing on his face. “Indeed, there were quite a few amusing incidents as well.”
He turned to look at Cai Zhao again: “I miss your aunt dearly. I should have seen her off when she left, but I couldn’t bring myself to step out of Wanshui Qianshan Cliff. I’ve regretted it for three years.”
Cai Zhao lowered her head: “Uncle, there’s no need to dwell on such things. Death is like a candle being extinguished. Whether you saw her off or not, my aunt wouldn’t mind.”
Lei Xiuming said, “The day before yesterday, your mother came to see me before she left. Not only did she kick down my door, but she also vividly described Wu Yuanying’s tragic state three times. In the end, she told me to cherish what I have and not be ungrateful. Compared to Wu Yuanying, she said, I’m incredibly fortunate to still be breathing every day.”
Cai Zhao felt awkward: “Mother was trying to comfort you in her way.”
“Indeed,” Lei Xiuming’s expression relaxed. “After being yelled at by her, I’ve been thinking more these past few days. Of us seven brothers, except for Second Brother Qiu Renjie who left for distant lands, I’ve become a cripple, and the rest of our brothers are all dead…”
Suddenly, he frowned, “But Seventh Brother’s body was never found. Do you think he might also be like Elder Brother Wu…”
“No,” Chang Ning said concisely. “Lady Luo spent two years in the Evil Sect, exploring every prison inside and out. If there was any news of Senior Guo Zigui, she wouldn’t have failed to mention it. Senior Guo’s reputation in his lifetime was far less than that of the great hero Wu Yuanying. The Evil Sect had no reason to keep him secretly imprisoned for years.”
Lei Xiuming nodded: “You make a good point.” He then asked, “Why have you come this time? Has your condition changed?”
“Please take a look, Senior,” Chang Ning sat down nearby.
Lei Xiuming placed one hand on Chang Ning’s wrist and used his other hand to press his index and middle fingers together. He slowly channeled his true qi to examine the Tianzhu, Qishe, and Shanzhong acupoints, then checked the Dazhui, Lingtai, and Zhongzhu points.
“It’s better than before. I can sense that you’ve recovered some of your power,” Lei Xiuming lowered his hands. “It’s slow, but there’s improvement.”
“That’s not what I wanted to ask about, Senior,” Chang Ning pulled his collar up to his neck. “It doesn’t matter if my father only started teaching me martial arts in the past two years. Starting from scratch isn’t an issue. What I want to know is, how much do you know about the Five Poison Palm?”
“Five Poison Palm?” Lei Xiuming was startled. “So you think you’ve been struck by the Five Poison Palm?”
“In the chaos, I was indeed hit by several palm strikes, but I’m not sure if it was the Five Poison Palm,” Chang Ning explained. “It seems like it might be, but also might not be. That’s why I’ve come to seek your guidance.”
Lei Xiuming pondered for a moment before explaining, “The Five Poison Palm was originally a secret technique from the dense forests of Yunnan, somehow finding its way into the Evil Sect. It combines five deadly poisons with special cultivation methods to create a powerful palm strike. Those struck by the Five Poison Palm suffer from festering flesh in mild cases or poisoned blood attacking the heart in severe cases. It’s said that Nie Hengcheng practiced this technique, but as his power grew, he moved on to even more formidable skills.”
Cai Zhao understood. Simply put, when struck by a normal palm strike, one suffers internal injuries. Unless vital organs are shattered, there’s usually hope for recovery. However, being hit by the Five Poison Palm not only causes internal injury but also poisoning. The former requires treating internal injuries, while the latter demands both injury treatment and detoxification.
“I’ve treated several victims of the Five Poison Palm in the past,” Lei Xiuming said. “They often died not from internal injuries, but from the poison’s effects.”
Cai Zhao asked, “Can’t the poison be neutralized? Many experts in righteous sects excel at detoxification.”
“To neutralize poison, you first need to know what poison it is. But who knows which five poisons were used?” Lei Xiuming smiled bitterly. “That’s the insidious nature of the Five Poison Palm. Different practitioners use different poisons. For instance, two disciples learning this technique might use the same four poisons, but for the fifth, one might use scorpion venom while the other uses bone-eating grass. Without knowing the specific poisons, how can we administer the right treatment?”
“So, is the Five Poison Palm unbeatable?” Chang Ning inquired.
“Not necessarily,” Lei Xiuming replied. “Everything has its strengths and weaknesses. While the Five Poison Palm is immediately toxic and has severe after-effects, it has three main weaknesses.”
“First, it’s vulnerable against opponents with higher cultivation who are prepared. If such an opponent is struck, they can use their superior inner force to repel the poison, turning it back on the attacker.”
“Second, it loses effectiveness if the specific poisons used become known. Once the secret is out, the Five Poison Palm loses half its potency, becoming just an ordinary palm technique.”
“I remember years ago, Nie Hengcheng’s second disciple, Chen Shu, made a name for himself by ambushing several renowned righteous martial artists over several months. He didn’t aim to kill outright but struck each with a single palm before retreating, leaving his victims to suffer and eventually die.”
Cai Zhao listened intently, “What happened then? Did all those heroes die?”
“If they had, your brother Chang Ning wouldn’t be here,” Lei Xiuming smiled. “Chang Haosheng was among those victims. He was young then, not even married when he fell prey to the ambush.”
Cai Zhao turned to look at Chang Ning, “How did they recover?”
“It was your aunt who intervened,” Lei Xiuming seemed lost in memories. “After Chang Haosheng was poisoned, she was desperate. Within three days, she raided ten Evil Sect branches and posted notices everywhere, challenging Chen Shu to a one-on-one duel. She vowed to continue disrupting the Evil Sect’s operations until Chen Shu appeared. During that time, even low-ranking Evil Sect members got headaches at the mere mention of the name ‘Cai’.”
“Wasn’t Aunt afraid of retaliation against Luoying Valley?” Cai Zhao felt worried in retrospect.
Chang Ning smiled, “First, it wasn’t as lively as your Luoying Town. Second, there weren’t many people in Luoying Valley then. If the Evil Sect wanted to cause trouble, they could at most burn down some houses and trees, which your aunt could easily rebuild. The Evil Sect, on the other hand, had branches that Nie Hengcheng had painstakingly established over decades, each hiding considerable wealth.”
Cai Zhao chuckled awkwardly.
Lei Xiuming continued, “But a cunning person like Chen Shu wouldn’t agree to a fair fight. He openly accepted the challenge while secretly setting traps at the meeting place. Little did he know, your aunt was counting on this. She had people lying in ambush around the area, catching Chen Shu and his group as they were setting up their traps. A fierce battle ensued.”
“During the fight, your aunt deliberately let herself be hit by the Five Poison Palm, using her inner force to repel the poison at the moment of impact. It was a risky move since she had never faced Chen Shu before and didn’t know their relative strengths. Fortunately, your aunt’s power slightly surpassed his. When Chen Shu was poisoned, he urgently tried to detoxify himself, lowering his guard. This allowed your aunt to identify the five poisons used. Afterward, I assisted the monk Fahai in quickly concocting an antidote, saving everyone’s lives.”
Imagining Cai Pingsu’s heroic and righteous demeanor back then, Cai Zhao felt exhilarated, “Aunt was truly remarkable.”
“Of course, why else would so many people follow her lead?” Lei Xiuming glanced at her. “When your mother learned of your aunt’s risky actions, she cried enough to nearly flood Changchun Temple.”
He paused, then added, “That year, your aunt wasn’t even seventeen. She accomplished what many senior righteous martial artists couldn’t. When Master Yin Dai heard about it, he kept muttering ‘the young are formidable’ for days.” Yin Dai had also said to himself, “A daughter should be like Cai Pingsu,” which made the Yin sisters deeply resent Cai Pingsu from then on.
“What happened to Chen Shu afterward?” Chang Ning suddenly asked.
Lei Xiuming snapped out of his reverie and replied scornfully, “Once the Five Poison Palm is mastered, its toxins can’t be changed. Since everyone could now create antidotes to counter the poisonous palm, the technique became useless. It was too late for him to master new skills. Later, he died at the hands of Elder Brother Zhou Zhizhen, becoming the first of Nie Hengcheng’s four main disciples to perish.”
“Uncle Lei, you mentioned three weaknesses of the Five Poison Palm. What’s the third?” Cai Zhao suddenly remembered.
Lei Xiuming smiled, “The third weakness is its cost. When cultivating with deadly poisons, you must first protect your own life. The training requires many rare and expensive medicines to shield your heart and meridians from the toxins. Therefore, those without money should never attempt to learn the Five Poison Palm.”
Chang Ning frowned, “From what you’ve said, Senior, both Nie Hengcheng and Chen Shu abandoned the Five Poison Palm midway—one for a different technique, the other because his secret was exposed. I’m curious, if one were to continue practicing the Five Poison Palm to its ultimate level, how powerful could it become? Could it poison opponents without even touching them?”
Lei Xiuming’s expression turned serious, “I’ve only heard rumors about this. It’s said that a hundred years ago in Yunnan, there was a master who perfected the Five Poison Palm to such a degree that even the wind from his palm strikes carried poison. In a duel, if the fight lasted more than a moment, the opponent would die from inhaling the toxic air—but no one has ever witnessed this firsthand.”
Chang Ning remained silent for a long while, then bowed deeply, “Thank you, Senior Lei, for enlightening me. Moving forward, I plan to cultivate and heal on my own, to see if there’s any improvement.”
With that, he thanked Lei Xiuming again and beckoned Cai Zhao to leave. Outside the Medicine Pavilion, he stood waiting, gazing at the sky lost in thought.
Watching their retreating figures, Lei Xiuming said softly, “Why didn’t you ask how to cultivate and heal?”
Cai Zhao smiled, “My aunt used to say, that if you trust someone, there must be a reason they don’t tell you everything. If you don’t trust someone, whatever they say is likely a fabricated lie—so what’s the point in asking? Uncle Lei, why didn’t you ask?”
Lei Xiuming hesitated, “Chang Haosheng was once struck by the Five Poison Palm. I was wondering if he might have left behind some secret technique to counter it?”
“That sounds plausible, but it would be a Chang family secret. We shouldn’t pry,” Cai Zhao said with a cryptic smile.
Lei Xiuming frowned, “Fine, protect that boy if you must. I hope Chang Haosheng’s spirit in heaven will help his son recover soon, so I don’t have to keep brewing detoxifying soups every day.”
“You know, Uncle Lei, food can be more nourishing than medicine. Instead of brewing detox soups, why not make some duck porridge? I saw those lively ducklings in the corner when I arrived. Why not use them for the porridge?”
Lei Xiuming: ??!!
“…Get out of here!”