Chapter 384: Invulnerable to All Poisons

Chapter 384: Immune to All Poisons

Seeing two unfamiliar young men behind him,

the elderly man frowned slightly:

"Youngsters, this old man’s never met you before, has he?

"Listen to me—the *Poison Dragon Alchemy Scripture* ain’t worth it.

"Layin’ hands on it’ll only get you killed... Besides, you won’t even be able to obtain it.

"Drop it now, turn tail, and scram. Don’t waste your precious lives here for nothing."

Hearing this, Su Mo exchanged a glance with Little Situ Taoist behind him and smiled faintly:

"If not for all the blood and corpses piled up on that roof,

"I might’ve taken you for some kinda saint."

"Young man, talkin’ like that just shows you don’t get it."

The elderly man chuckled, fishing a chicken leg from his sleeve and taking a bite:

"Though it’s often said that the righteous get the goods in this world,

"the truth is, they go to whoever’s got the sharper blade.

"They fought over the *Poison Dragon Alchemy Scripture*, and this old coot wanted it too...

"But if I had tried to reason with them, do you think any of them would have spared a glance for a frail old man?

"Askin’ nice wouldn’t have cut it.

"So, the only way was to settle it the hard way.

"But this old bag o’ bones fears dyin’ and hurtin’, and truly dislikes pointless fights. So, I had to rely on some dirty tricks to mess with ’em.

"As for them losing their lives in the process... who’s to blame, really?

"If they hadn’t fought for the *Poison Dragon Alchemy Scripture*, they wouldn’t have died in vain.

"Young man, you look like a smart one—not the sort to blow off an old-timer’s warnin’. That’s why I’m speaking kindly to you.

"If you’ve got sense, turn around and leave. Don’t get tangled in this mess.

"But if you refuse to listen... Well, though this old man has a merciful heart, these hands are already bloody. Two more corpses won’t tip the scales."

Su Mo nodded repeatedly:

"Wise words, old-timer. If you hadn’t tried poisonin’ me three times already, I might’ve bought it."

"...The hell?"

The elderly man was momentarily speechless:

"You caught that?"

"Wasn’t me."

Su Mo smiled and said, "My little sister was the one who noticed."

"Really?"

The elderly man looked at Little Situ behind Su Mo in surprise. She stuck her chin up and sniffed when he looked at her.

This amused the old man, who chuckled and said,

"Sharp girl, you’ve got some skill. Which sect are you from? I’ve spent my whole life studying 'poison.'"

"I know some folks in the field. Tell me, who is your master? If I happen to know them, maybe we can keep things friendly today."

"No need for trouble and preserve any existing bonds, shall we?"

"Not necessary," Little Situ said, tilting her head.

"My master doesn’t know big shots like you."

"Ha!" The old man laughed heartily. "Kid, not impressed, huh? But you may not know—medicine and poison go hand in hand."

"Used right, they heal countless lives."

"Used wrong, they kill."

"My methods? All about intent—whether to heal or harm hinges on the nature of the person before me."

Su Mo nodded slightly.

"You’ve got real insight, old man. Impressive."

"If you admire me, then leave quickly. You kids are entertaining, and this old man is not looking for more blood on my hands."

The elderly man waved dismissively while gnawing on his chicken leg.

Su Mo, however, smiled.

"No hurry. Having witnessed your methods today, Su Mo came after you for two things."

"I hope you’ll hear me out."

"Oh?" The old man blinked. "Two things? If you want the Poison Dragon Alchemy Scripture, that’s just one matter."

"What’s the second one?"

"Now you’ve got me curious. Speak, and I’ll consider whether to oblige."

"Very well," Su Mo nodded.

"My sister’s had an illness since birth."

"She’s never been able to move her legs... Seeing your formidable skills today, it’s clear your mastery of medicine and poison is extraordinary."

"That’s why I’m asking you, elder, to examine my younger sister and see if there are any means to cure her."

"..."

The old man blinked in surprise. "You’re here for a cure?"

Little Situ also shot Su Mo a surprised look.

She’d assumed Su Mo was after the Poison Dragon Alchemy Scripture.

Bringing her along was to guard against the old man's poison techniques.

So she’d been fired up, like a proud little phoenix.

But now, hearing Su Mo's words, she realized she had misunderstood. Suddenly, all she felt was the warmth of Su Mo's back. A drowsy warmth settled in her chest, and she longed to slump against him and stay there forever.

Clueless about Little Situ’s inner turmoil, Su Mo simply nodded lightly at the old man:

"That’s right."

"Do you know who this old man is?"

"I wouldn’t presume to."

"You don’t even know who I am, and you still have the nerve to ask for my help?"

"You’re not scared I’ll kill her?"

The old man’s voice turned razor-sharp!

Su Mo shook his head gently:

"Honestly, coming to you is a last resort."

"All her teachers are experts in the arts of medicine and poison, yet even they have no solution. You, senior, probably can’t help either."

"But since you seem to have extraordinary expertise in poison arts, I thought to ask for your opinion, so my sister might have another angle to think about."

"And with your abilities... harming me would already be a tall order."

"Much less her?"

As he spoke, Su Mo sighed to himself.

This was somewhat a case of grasping at straws.

Yet, even if there was the slightest possibility, Su Mo didn’t want to miss it.

That’s why he’d dragged Little Situ here in such a hurry.

"You disrespectful brat! Asking for a favor but still running your mouth!"

The old man was furious.

Su Mo waved his hand:

"Just calling it like I see it."

"...So what’s this second thing you wanted to talk about?"

"Let me take a look at the Poison Dragon Alchemy Scripture."

Su Mo said, "Of course, if you're willing to share it, Elder, then give it. If not, just pretend I never asked."

"...Also for treating illness?"

"Something like that."

"That's unusual."

The elderly man glanced at Su Mo, then suddenly raised his brows:

"Fine, the Poison Dragon Alchemy Scripture—I'll show it to you."

"Oh?"

Su Mo was taken aback and clasped his hands in thanks. "Then I must thank you, Elder..."

"No need, no need."

The elderly man looked around and said softly:

"I'm not done yet. Letting you see the Poison Dragon Alchemy Scripture isn't difficult, but you must leave that girl aside and look at it by yourself."

Little Situ immediately shook her head:

"Eldest Brother Su, don't listen to him. He wants to secretly poison you."

"He's probably rigged the scripture."

Su Mo nodded. He didn't really need to see the Poison Dragon Alchemy Scripture. With all this trouble, why force it?

Just as he was about to refuse, the elderly man spoke again:

"If you read the Poison Dragon Alchemy Scripture, this old man promises to treat that girl."

"If you don't... heh heh... then forget it."

Su Mo raised his brows, gave the old man a look, and gave a small smile:

"Very well, then it's settled."

Right now, he could certainly grab the old man and force him back to the ship to treat Little Situ.

But you can't force these things, and when it came to treatment, even if it was a quick fix, it would be useless.

If the elderly man later gave bad advice, it would be worse than saying nothing.

Now, with this opportunity, it was worth a shot.

Overriding Little Situ's objections, he placed her on a nearby large rock to sit.

Seeing he'd made up his mind, Little Situ quickly grabbed his arm and said:

"Eldest Brother Su, wait! We don't have to do this now."

"This old man's methods are nothing to write home about. Chances are, he can't help me anyway. Don't risk it for me."

Su Mo just smiled:

"Don't worry, it's not really dangerous."

"Stay put here for a while. I won’t be far, and if anyone tries to take advantage and ambush you, I’ll spot them. Relax."

"...I'm not worried about me, but your safety."

Little Situ blurted out:

"Eldest Brother Su, you..."

Su Mo chuckled at this and murmured something into Little Situ’s ear.

At first, she couldn’t quite make out what he was saying, only feeling the warmth of his breath against her earlobe, turning her ears bright red in an instant.

By the time she came to her senses and understood his words, Su Mo was already standing before the elderly man.

Without preamble, the elderly man directly pulled out the Poison Dragon Alchemy Scripture:

"Young man, think this through. This is perilous."

"You can still turn back now, take this girl and leave—you can still back out."

"Otherwise... well, it’s hard to say."

"No need for warnings, old man? Just hand it over."

Su Mo smiled.

"Fine."

Seeing this, the elderly man said no more: "Young but brave. Here, take it."

He passed the Poison Dragon Alchemy Scripture to Su Mo.

Without another word, Su Mo opened it and began reading.

As he read, his eyebrows rose slightly.

Watching Su Mo engrossed in the scripture, both Little Situ and the elderly man couldn’t help but were glued to his every move.

Moments later, Su Mo’s expression suddenly changed.

He jerked his head up to glare at the elderly man:

"You... what poison did you put in this scripture?"

His voice was tight with urgency and pain.

Only then did the elderly man relax, taking back the scripture:

"Learn from this, kid. I used [Soul-Severing Powder]."

"Whether you hold your breath or shield yourself with inner energy, there's no defense against this poison."

"Still, the fact that you lasted this long before it hit you is impressive. Your internal energy is something else."

"After this lesson, I hope you’ll learn not to underestimate others just because of your profound cultivation."

"This old man can still take you down if I want."

"Never mind, never mind..."

He sighed and turned to approach Little Situ.

Su Mo flew into a rage:

"What are you doing... You—you stay away from her!"

But Little Situ only looked at Su Mo:

"Brother Su, don't fret. I’ll save you right away."

In her haste, she fell from the large rock.

Su Mo froze, instinctively about to leap up, but seeing that Little Situ was unharmed, he relaxed and continued putting on a show of pain:

"You old coot... If you’ve got any skills, come at me! Picking on a little girl who can’t move her legs—what kind of skill is that?"

The elderly man snorted:

"I have wandered the rivers and lakes my whole life—when have I ever bullied a child?

"Young man, speaking like that only shows how little you think of me."

As he spoke, he approached Little Situ, crouched down, and reached for her wrist.

Little Situ, however, was furious:

"Get away! I don’t need you to save me!"

"Don’t worry, your young man won’t die," the elderly man said with a chuckle.

"This young man was willing to risk his life for you—that’s truly rare.

"It even reminded me of some memories.

"Killing someone like that would be a shame."

By then, he had already taken hold of Little Situ’s wrist. After a quick check, his expression abruptly changed:

"This is ridiculous!!!"

The moment those four words left his mouth, the elderly man jumped up, pointing at Su Mo and cursing:

"Preposterous! Are you mocking this old man?

"Is this an illness?

"All six of her meridians—three yin and three yang—are damaged! Unless a Great Luo Golden Immortal descends to this world, curing this ailment is completely impossible!!"

With that, he turned and strode away. But as he passed Su Mo, he casually tossed him a bottle of pills:

"Swallow these, circulate your qi through your meridians for three hours, and the poison will have no lasting effects."

With that, the elderly man tapped his foot lightly and was already on the small boat. Then, he scattered something into the water.

Soon, splashing sounds could be heard as fish swarmed around, gathering around his boat. In moments, he was quickly out of sight.

Seeing this, Su Mo, who had been lying on the ground, suddenly rolled to his feet.

Yet, his brows were slightly furrowed, and his face still looked troubled.

"Eldest Brother Su..."

Little Situ blinked in surprise. "You're truly immune to all poisons?"

Su Mo turned to look at her and shook his head with a wry smile.

"Have I ever lied to you? No need to panic..."

What he'd whispered earlier into her ear was to reassure her that he was immune to poisons and that this situation wasn't actually dangerous.

"I..."

Little Situ fell silent, bowing her head.

"I... I didn’t doubt your words. It’s just that seeing you in pain, I... I just couldn't take it."

"It’s alright."

Su Mo smiled, moving close to her and hoisting her onto his back. He casually slipped the antidote for the Lihun San into his robe.

"That elderly man truly had no solution for the Three Yin and Three Yang damage. Ah, all that trouble for nothing..."

"Eldest Brother Su..."

Little Situ murmured, "If you’re immune to poisons, why pretend to be poisoned?"

"To give that old man his moment, of course."

Su Mo chuckled.

"People's motives are complicated.

"If I had remained completely unaffected, he might have kept his promise—or he might have been goaded into a fight, causing more problems.

"Given that, it was better to let him believe I was poisoned.

"This way, feeling smug, he might actually keep his promise.

"To obey someone stronger than oneself is submission.

"But to willingly keep a promise to someone weaker—isn’t that an act of mercy?

"People dislike submitting to others, yet they love playing the benefactor.

"That's human nature.

"Of course, had he tried anything to kill me...

"Then today, he would never have walked away alive."

Only then did Little Situ finally get it. She couldn’t help but think that the elderly man had come way too close to death.

Fortunately, he hadn’t taken advantage of Su Mo’s 'poisoned' state to make his move.

Otherwise, there'd be one more body in the water today.

Su Mo then said with a smile:

"However, I didn’t expect the old man to leave the antidote behind before leaving.

"From the way he acts, he doesn’t seem the reckless type.

"Once we return to the ship, Little Situ, check if the antidote he gave is real…

"If it is, see if we can make more."

"Why?"

Little Situ was confused—since the poison had no effect on Su Mo, why bother making more?

"We might not be done with this old man yet."

Su Mo chuckled:

"We might run into him again later."

"Hmm?"

Little Situ frowned, thinking hard before it hit her:

"His Poison Dragon Alchemy Scripture—is it the Wang family’s version?"

"...Unlikely."

Su Mo shook his head. "But it’s fake too. The contents recorded in it are exactly like ours."

"So, the scripture has that same line?"

Little Situ looked at Su Mo:

"Do you think he’ll go?"

The old man was skilled in both medicine and poison arts, so he’d naturally figure out the hidden message in the scripture.

Thus, Little Situ didn’t even doubt he’d find it—it was just a matter of time.

Su Mo, however, wasn’t so sure:

"He might go, or he might not…"

At this point, Su Mo furrowed his brow:

"If the Poison Dragon Alchemy Scripture in his hands was the Wang family’s version, that’d be one thing.

"But if it wasn’t… then that could mean trouble.

"Someone is secretly distributing these scriptures just to pass along that one line.

"If all these people, at a certain moment, make their way to that ‘Dragonwood Island’ on a foggy day…

"Who knows what’ll happen?"

"...But first, there’s another question."

Little Situ said softly, "Does Dragonwood Island exist?"

"..."

Su Mo was silent for a moment, then smiled.

"Dragonwood Island exists."

"Huh?"

Little Situ was surprised. "Why are you so certain?"

"Dragonwood Island *must* exist!"

Su Mo said firmly, "There *must* be a *Great Luo Golden Immortal* there!"

Only then did Little Situ understand Su Mo's meaning.

Before the old man left, he had said that unless a *Great Luo Golden Immortal* descended to the mortal world, curing this ailment would be absolutely impossible.

Su Mo's firm tone now was just to keep her hopes up.

She smiled faintly, tilting her head to look at the man who was carrying her on his back, and said softly,

"Actually... it's not important..."

"Hmm?"

Su Mo looked at her and shook his head lightly.

"Let's go, let's head back.

"From here, heading further south, Lone Gourd Island isn't too far anymore."

"Alright."

Little Situ didn't say anything else, though after hesitating for a moment, she gently put her arms around Su Mo's neck.

Her heart fluttered slightly, afraid he might be displeased.

But then she heard Su Mo say quietly,

"Hold on tight..."

"Mm-hmm!"

Little Situ immediately nodded repeatedly, burying her head against Su Mo's shoulder, her eyes brimming with joy.

If she could stay like this, carried on his back forever...

Even if she could never walk again in this lifetime, what would it matter?

She thought dreamily, then secretly sighed, feeling she was being far too greedy...