Chapter 435: Recovery

Chapter 435: Recovery

The slanting wind and drizzling rain swept every corner of Solitary Gourd Island.

Tiny streams spread across the ground like spiderwebs.

A faint bloodstain spread across the entire island...

Everyone who disembarked—whether it was Su Mo's group or the survivors from Dragonwood Island—had grim expressions.

Xiao Ning and his sister paled, glancing around as they instinctively stepped forward.

But Su Mo rested a hand on their shoulders:

"Stay behind me."

With that, he took the lead, heading deeper into Solitary Gourd Island.

The other martial artists stayed silent, following closely behind Su Mo.

They advanced from the docks into the town.

The closer they got, the stronger the smell of blood grew.

Upon reaching the town, they found all buildings shuttered tight, doors and windows sealed.

The streets were deserted.

Blood oozed from under every doorframe, carried by the rain, merging into rivulets that snaked through the streets.

A man stepped out from the crowd—Xia Qiuliang, the Little Divine Fist.

He pushed open a door and saw a body sprawled near the main hall’s entrance.

Further inside, at the doorway of the inner chamber, lay a second corpse.

The one near the entrance was a man, while the one deeper inside was a woman.

"From their clothing, they were likely asleep when it happened.

"The man heard something and came out to check, but the moment he opened the door, he was killed.

"The woman came out from the inner chamber and suffered the same fate..."

As Xia Qiuliang spoke, his face grew even darker:

"They were civilians!"

At this point, he suddenly thought of something and bolted into the house.

The others waited in silence. Moments later, Xia Qiuliang reemerged.

In his arms was a child, barely five or six years old.

Pale-faced, lifeless—spared nothing.

Xia Qiuliang looked around, his eyes bloodshot:

"This child... huddled inside a wardrobe, only for a blade to pierce through..."

"How vile!"

"They didn’t even spare such a young child."

"Who in the world would commit such brutality!?"

"This is beyond reason!"

"Butchering unarmed commoners is a disgrace to the martial arts world!"

"Hero Su, how should we handle this?"

Amid the discussion, someone turned to Su Mo for advice.

Su Mo only sighed.

Right now, discussing action is premature—without even knowing who the perpetrators were, what could be done?

He let out a quiet breath and said solemnly:

"Everyone, after journeying all night, we’d hoped to catch some rest on Gupiao Island."

"But now, rest is out of the question."

"Please, everyone, check every house first—see if anyone’s still alive on Gupiao Island."

"Yes."

Without another word, they saluted with clasped fists in acknowledgment and immediately used their lightness techniques (Qinggong), dispersing in all directions.

Su Mo wasted no time either. Holding Yang Xiaoyun’s hand, he followed behind Xiao Ning and his sister, advancing along the street.

Soon, they reached the inn where he had stayed before.

He pushed the door open and saw the innkeeper slumped dead over the table, blood pooling from his chest onto the floor.

Moving past this spot, they continued toward Xiao Ning’s home.

The siblings lived outside town, among some scattered households.

The blood trail faded here.

Yet, checking along the way, they found no survivors.

Xiao Ning paled further with every step:

"Uncle Zhou, Uncle Li, Brother Dali..."

"All dead."

"What... what in heaven’s name happened?"

Su Mo gave a slight shake of his head and was about to speak when he suddenly looked toward a house not far away, asking:

"Where is that place?"

"That’s Aunt Wang’s home."

Xiao Ning had just answered when a gust of wind rushed past—Su Mo vanished, only his voice lingering:

"My lady, take good care of the two children."

By then, he was already standing in the courtyard of Aunt Wang's house.

The courtyard gate was open, but the door was shut.

With a single sweep of his palm, Su Mo blew the door open and immediately heard a voice from inside:

"Close it, close it! An old man like me can't take the bitter cold wind."

"..."

Su Mo was at a loss for words. He had thought the noise meant the murderer might still be around.

Instead, it turned out to be the Poison Lord, who had somehow sneaked in here.

The corpse of a heavyset woman lay on the table, and the Poison Lord was munching on a chicken leg as he studied the body.

After a brief glance, he turned to Su Mo:

"If you're coming in, come in. If you're leaving, leave. Don't just stand there in the doorway—you're letting in cold air."

Su Mo simply gestured for Yang Xiaoyun to join him.

Yang Xiaoyun then brought the two children forward and started at the sight of the Poison Lord:

"Senior, what are you doing here?"

"...After arriving on this island, everything felt strangely familiar."

"Somehow, I ended up here."

"I think this old man stayed here for a few days before?"

As he spoke, the Poison Lord frowned slightly, as if his head was aching slightly.

But he quickly shook his head:

"Who would be so brutal in their methods?"

"Senior, have you heard of... Forget it, it's not important."

Su Mo had initially wanted to ask the old man about the BloodWeeping Sword, but halfway through, he remembered that the old man's memory was gone. Even if he had known something in the past, he likely couldn't recall it now.

Bringing it up further would be pointless.

The Poison Lord gave Su Mo a sharp look:

"Young man, always leaving your sentences half-finished."

He said no more and reached out to touch the wound on Aunt Wang's chest, preparing to rip open her garment.

Xiao Ning made to object, but Su Mo stopped him.

He watched quietly as the Poison Lord carefully examined the wound, then produced a small porcelain bottle from his robe and dusted some medicinal powder onto Aunt Wang's injury.

Yang Xiaoyun couldn't help looking at the old man: "Senior, what are you doing?"

From the Poison Lord's manner, he certainly wasn't trying to violate the body.

But since the person was already dead, sprinkling medicine powder on the wound certainly wasn't meant to revive her.

This just made it all the more baffling.

The Poison Lord quietly observed the small pile of powder, which soon turned from white to black, giving off a putrid stench.

Su Mo and Yang Xiaoyun immediately held their breath and clamped hands over Xiao Ning and his sister’s noses.

They both looked at the Poison Lord.

He waved his hand dismissively:

"Just a nasty stench—harmless. But she *did* get poisoned."

"Poison? How?"

Su Mo froze. "How could it be poison?"

Su Mo had encountered similar gruesome scenes on Gupiao Island twice before.

The first was on a Tiger Cang Banner pirate ship.

According to Cheng Suying and her junior brother, the Tiger Cang Banner was one of the Four Sea Divisions under the Sea King’s fleet.

They had been lured by that legendary big ship and went to besiege it.

Somehow, they got separated from their main force.

In the end, they encountered the BloodWeeping Sword Slave, and no one on that ship made it out alive.

The second incident involved Ceng Chou the Sea Snake’s pirate ship.

They had surrounded the Bohai Trading Company when Su Mo stumbled onto them and invited Ceng Chou aboard as a guest.

But the ship had departed.

The next day, they encountered it again at sea—only to find the whole crew slaughtered.

The deaths were identical to that of the Tiger Cang Banner pirates.

So Su Mo figured that this, too, was the work of the BloodWeeping Sword Slave.

Everything he knew about the so-called BloodWeeping Sword Slave came from Ceng Chou himself.

At the time, he’d put on a show of outrage in front of Su Mo, swearing revenge for his crew. Later, he did indeed go to contact the Tianji Pavilion.

Su Mo’s carrier eagle retrieved a token engraved with the words "Tianji," as proof.

With all this in mind, Su Mo had naturally linked the carnage on Gupiao Island to the BloodWeeping Sword and its slave.

Now here was the Poison Lord saying that Aunt Wang had been poisoned!?

"She was indeed poisoned."

The Poison Lord nodded. "Though this old coot’s lost his memories, he remembers these things quite clearly."

"Then may I ask, Senior, what kind of poison was it?"

Su Mo asked gravely.

"This poison... is called 'End of All Ends'."

"......"

Su Mo blinked, feeling the name of the poison sounded way too flippant.

The Poison Lord glanced at him and snorted:

"Don’t judge it by its name—its power is terrifying.

"And it’s not easy to make. It’s an instant-kill poison.

"Hmm... that’s not quite accurate. To be precise, a single drop in your veins, and you’re finished!

"This poison forces all your blood to rush out. Even a tiny cut on the fingertip can drain half the body’s blood.

"Imagine what it does to vital organs!

"One wound, and it’s over—completely!"

"A poison like that really exists?"

Su Mo raised his eyebrows slightly. "Then why haven’t I heard of it?"

"Hah!"

The Poison Lord suddenly chuckled. "Because it doesn’t work on martial arts masters."

"???"

Su Mo was stunned.

Wait—you said it kills instantly! How could it suddenly not kill people?

"This poison has a twisted backstory.

"It’s said that in the South Sea region, there was once a brilliant but spiteful physician.

"Once, a martial arts master sought his help.

"Once healed, the physician demanded to learn his techniques.

"No deal had been struck, so the master naturally refused.

"He tossed the payment and walked out.

"But the physician harbored a deadly vendetta against him.

"Time after time, he plotted to kill the man, but since he had no martial arts, poison was his only weapon.

"Yet, the master had once consumed a rare fruit, making it so no poison could touch him.

"After multiple failed attempts, the physician realized his poisons were useless.

"He had to rely on a poison unlike any other—something utterly unexpected.

"In the end, he brewed 'End of All Ends.'

"Before deploying it, he tested it repeatedly."

"Anyone poisoned by this will find their blood gushing uncontrollably from the wound."

"They could bleed out completely."

"But if you call it a poison, it merely supercharges blood and qi circulation."

"So it might not necessarily be feared by that martial arts master's poison immunity."

"Later, he changed his name and identity, schemed his way close to his target. After exhausting every scheme, he finally found an opportunity to make a small cut on the man's arm."

"At this point, he was smug with satisfaction, watching as the man bled like a stuck pig. He then boasted about all his scheming."

"While everyone was shocked that someone would go to such extremes over something so petty, resorting to murder, they also worried for the martial arts master."

"But then they discovered that the master just tapped a few pressure points on his arm, sealing the meridians and acupoints..."

"And the bleeding stopped."

When the Poison Lord reached this part, he couldn't help but broke into roaring laughter:

"In the end, naturally, the physician was put down by the martial arts master."

"This poison became a joke."

"Though it was recorded in medical texts, its formula became little known."

"Back then, the old man told my wife this joke..."

At this point, his expression suddenly stiffened: "Wife... wife..."

The Poison Lord suddenly clutched his head, crouching on the ground, veins bulging on his hands and forehead.

His hair, which had already turned black, rapidly turned white before their eyes.

For a moment, it kept flickering between black and white.

Seeing this, Su Mo acted on impulse and quickly moved behind the Poison Lord, placing a palm on his back:

"Senior, clear your mind - don't dwell on it."

But the Poison Lord wasn't listening, his qi and blood raging out of control.

The veins beneath his skin swelled, pulsing violently through his veins.

Even though Su Mo wanted to help guide his qi back to its source, without the Poison Lord's cooperation, there was little he could do.

Suddenly, the Poison Lord gave a savage roar, took a step forward, and burst out of the room.

His Qinggong was so swift that he disappeared in a flash.

Su Mo and Yang Xiaoyun shared a look. Yang Xiaoyun nodded slightly, and Su Mo said:

"In that case, you should head back to town and meet up with the others."

"No telling if the killer's still around. Stay sharp."

"Alright."

Yang Xiaoyun nodded in agreement.

Su Mo finally leaped out at this point. The old man, the Poison Lord, had consumed the red spider lily and was indeed dead at that time.

His pulse, heartbeat, and even his life force had dissipated.

Stone-cold dead.

His subsequent resurrection already raised serious doubts.

Now, judging by his appearance, he had clearly pieced something together.

Yet, the moment this thought emerged, the effects of the red spider lily on him began to fade.

In that brief span of time, his internal energy showed signs of scattering once more.

His hair, which had turned jet black, now appeared uneven, fading from black to sickly yellow.

If it were just this, it wouldn’t matter much.

What worried Su Mo now was whether the old man might drop dead again due to regaining his memories.

After stepping out of Aunt Wang’s courtyard, Su Mo chased after the Poison Lord’s trail.

Yet, he was clueless how to help.

Catching up to the old man was easy, but solving his problem was a whole different story.

The Poison Lord, in a frenzy, rushed into the woods, pummeling the trees wildly. Lost in rage, he even slammed his head against the trunks.

Soon, his head was bloodied.

Just as Su Mo was about to intervene, the Poison Lord suddenly froze.

Then, he threw back his head and howled with laughter:

"This old man remembers now, remembers!!!"

As these words fell, his once-black hair was streaked with white in an instant, just like before.

Turning around, he plopped down into the mud, heedless of the ground beneath him.

Gazing up at the blanket of gray clouds, a tired grin appeared on his face:

"Good… I remembered.

"Kid Su, are you there?"

"I’m here."

Su Mo stepped forward.

"’Bout time."

The Poison Lord shot Su Mo a look and asked:

"Did you obtain that flower?"

"Yes."

Su Mo nodded faintly.

"That's good."

After a brief moment of contemplation, the Poison Lord took out a medicine bottle from his bosom, swallowed the pill inside, and then said to Su Mo:

"Give me a moment."

"Mhm."

Su Mo nodded again.

He then saw the Poison Lord sit cross-legged, clearly beginning to meditate.

After observing quietly for a while, Su Mo sighed lightly and leaned against the side to stand guard for the old man.

Before long, the Poison Lord opened his eyes, revealing a face with snow-white hair yet youthful features, full of vitality.

He gently rubbed his chest and said to Su Mo:

"Su Mo, this old coot has a favor to ask of you."

"Senior, please speak freely."

"I wish to take one petal from that otherworldly flower."

The Poison Lord spoke solemnly.

"It's aboard the ship. I'll take you to get it."

"Good."

The Poison Lord nodded immediately, and the two got up, heading straight for Su Mo's large ship.

As they passed through the town, the Poison Lord didn't pause for anything. Upon reaching the dock, they saw Yang Xiaoyun escorting Little Situ Taoist down from the ship, clearly intending to look for Su Mo.

Spotting Su Mo and the others returning, she let out a relieved sigh:

"Senior is alright?"

The Poison Lord laughed heartily: "This old timer's always had luck. Fortune-tellers say I'll make it to ninety-nine. At sixty-six, I've got at least thirty-three more years to go."

Everyone was baffled, feeling something was slightly off.

Since when do storytellers tell fortunes?

The Poison Lord ignored them and boarded Su Mo's large ship first.

Yang Xiaoyun shot Su Mo a look, who shook his head slightly and said to Little Situ Taoist:

"Could you spare one petal from the Bloodflower?"

"Oh! Certainly."

Little Situ Taoist nodded immediately. "I'll fetch it right away."

"Mhm."

At that, everyone boarded the ship.

Little Situ Taoist still hadn't taken her first steps. After being bedridden for years, even though her meridians were repaired, she had to relearn walking gradually and couldn't hurry her recovery.

With the help of the four cardinal ladies—East, West, South, and North, she returned to the room and retrieved a petal of the red spider lily.

The Poison Lord gazed at it as if he'd struck gold.

Holding it carefully in his hand, he gave a faint smile:

"Thank you, young Su. You've done this old man an enormous favor.

"But now, I must ask one more favor of you."

"Go ahead."

"I'd like to borrow a room from you. I need to concoct some medicine here."

This was naturally no trouble—there were plenty of rooms on the ship, so any one would do just fine.

Once the Poison Lord closed the door, Yang Xiaoyun turned to Su Mo:

"What's up with him?"

Su Mo heard this and paused briefly before sighing:

"Let’s... just wait and see for now."