Chapter 368: Poison Dragon Alchemy Scripture

Chapter 368: The Poison Dragon Alchemy Scripture

Ceng Chou's words left outsiders such as Su Mo baffled, and even Wang Chengying and his companions were completely lost.

Wang Chengying frowned deeply.

Ceng Chou, the "Sea Snake," was notorious in these waters.

This man had exceptional martial skills—rough-looking but sharp-minded.

Under his leadership, their pirate crew had built from scratch into a feared force in just a few short years.

Yet pirates and merchant associations were both regulars on the seas.

Though sworn enemies, their relationship was more complicated than it seemed.

Merchant associations feared pirates, and vice versa.

Not all skilled martial artists in the world turned to piracy.

Even for someone like Ceng Chou, raiding ordinary fleets was risky enough—going after a Bo Hai Association ship carried immense danger.

The Bo Hai Association was a member of the South Sea Hundred Merchants Alliance.

These merchants lacked military might, but they had one big edge—deep pockets.

Here’s the refined translation incorporating the expert suggestions:

People roam the martial world—though not everyone, most are still driven by just two things: fame and profit!

There was an old saying: "Master both civil and martial arts, then offer them to the imperial family."

Now, there are no emperors anymore.

But these martial skills will always find their use.

The Hundred Merchants' Alliance, or even ordinary merchant caravans, will pay to hire martial arts masters for protection.

The more money they have, the more—and stronger—martial arts masters they can hire.

So if someone like Ceng Chou actually tried to kill Wang Chengying and his companions,

and word of it reached the Bo Hai Association, the association would pursue him to the death.

Because Wang Chengying is the heir apparent of the Bo Hai Association.

They don’t even need to kill themselves.

They only need to offer a bounty on someone’s head, and naturally, there will be those who deliver it to claim the reward.

Therefore, unless huge stakes were involved,

Ceng Chou would be unlikely to take on a powerhouse like the Bo Hai Association.

From the very beginning, Wang Chengying felt this battle was somewhat strange. Now, hearing Ceng Chou’s words, he knew something was off and asked solemnly:

"Boss Ceng, speak plainly. Wang is like a monk with a zhang-long pole—completely in the dark.

"Please enlighten me, Boss Ceng."

It was only because they were both guests invited by Su Mo that Wang Chengying kept a shred of politeness in his words.

Otherwise, after the bloodbath earlier and the casualties on both sides, Wang Chengying’s words would have been far harsher.

Ceng Chou knitted his brows:

"You truly don’t know?"

"Indeed, I do not."

Wang Chengying answered solemnly.

"This..."

Seeing his certainty, Ceng Chou was momentarily at a loss.

After a brief pause, he said:

"I received word that there is a priceless artifact aboard your ship—

"—the *Poison Dragon Alchemy Scripture*!"

The moment those four words were spoken, the air turned to ice.

Wang Chengying’s face twisted in shock as he abruptly stood up:

"That’s impossible!

"Who would spread such a blatant falsehood? Are they trying to ruin the Bo Hai Association?"

Not only Wang Chengying, but even Ding Luo and the others present had their faces drained of color.

Su Mo and Yang Xiaoyun locked eyes.

The same name struck them—Poison Dragon Master!

Years ago, when Su Mo and Yang Xiaoyun first worked a security escort together to deliver the *Dragon’s Cry Within the Box* to Jade Willow Villa, they had encountered the Ghost Lord of Yin Mountain waylaying two disciples of the Falling Star Sect—Lou Jingjing and Cheng Feiyu—in a ruined temple.

The reason for this was that the Ghost Lord had once been wounded by Liu Suifeng, leaving unrelenting sword energy that plagued him endlessly, driving him to seek a *Poison Dragon Pill* refined by Poison Dragon Master in the past.

It was this incident that reminded Su Mo and Yang Xiaoyun of the long-vanished legend of this senior master.

Poison Dragon Master was unmatched in healing and venom, and the elixirs he refined were worth a king’s ransom.

He had vanished from the jianghu in the end—some said he was killed after mistakenly saving a villain, while others claimed he had unlocked the path to immortality through his medical studies and thus retreated into seclusion to pursue eternal life.

Yet, rumors abounded, but no one knew the truth.

Now, suddenly, here in the southern seas, something tied to the "Poison Dragon" name had resurfaced.

Just a set of alchemy scriptures?

The Poison Dragon Alchemy Scripture...

The name inevitably makes one wonder if it was truly written by Poison Dragon.

As a master physician, it would make perfect sense for him to write such a scripture.

Yet if it was indeed him, then clearly he neither mistakenly saved a villain and was killed nor attained the secrets of immortality.

Had he actually gone overseas?

As these thoughts swirled in his mind, Su Mo suddenly recalled the words spoken by Scholar Liuyun back at Haoran Academy.

Poison Dragon hailed from Xuanhu Pavilion!

At this realization, Su Mo instinctively glanced at Little Situ.

Only to find she hadn't been listening to the conversation at all.

Instead, she was struggling with a plate of braised pork knuckle on the table.

Her cheeks bulged as she chewed, her mouth shiny with grease. Noticing Su Mo's gaze, her face flushed red.

She hurriedly tried to swallow the meat but nearly choked in her haste.

Alarmed, Su Mo quickly handed her a cup of liquor.

She downed it and immediately winced at the burn, her face quickly developing a light flush.

Only then did Su Mo remember that Little Situ had hardly drunk since childhood, giving her little tolerance.

For a moment, he worried whether she might get drunk right here.

But then again... Little Situ didn't seem to cause trouble when drunk.

And Su Mo couldn't even imagine what she'd be like in such a state.

Would she pull out silver needles and start poking everyone in sight?

After entertaining these thoughts for a while, he shook his head lightly and observed Little Situ again. Sure enough, her eyes had grown hazy, as if she'd lost all sense of time—nearly raising her cup to toast the moon.

Su Mo sighed. Her tolerance for alcohol was still so poor.

Just as Su Mo was watching Little Situ, he heard Ceng Chou's expression change slightly:

"Is that item truly not on your ship?"

"No."

Wang Chengying was resolute. "Both you and I know what the Poison Dragon Alchemy Scripture is. Bohai Trading Company's business is thriving—there's no reason for us to get entangled with something like that.

"You should understand that the slightest misstep could reduce Bo Hai Association to ashes.

"Would anyone in Bo Hai Association be foolish enough to do such a thing?"

Ceng Chou, a seasoned jianghu veteran with deep cunning, studied Wang Chengying's face and knew immediately he was telling the truth.

His expression darkened momentarily:

"Seems I’ve been used as a blade in this mess.

"Today’s offense is on me—I’ll make it right with your Bo Hai Association."

Wang Chengying furrowed his brow and went quiet.

This was Su Mo’s Ziyang Escort, not the Bo Hai Association’s trading house. Even if someone had to call the shots, it wasn’t his place.

His eyes flicked to Su Mo.

Su Mo grinned. "Y’all know I’m from the Eastern Wastes. Don’t know much about the South Sea.

"Your beef with each other? Not my business.

"But I’m real curious about this Poison Dragon Alchemy Scripture. Mind filling me in?"

The group exchanged glances. Before Wang Chengying could speak, Zeng Chou cut in:

"Chief Su, this scripture’s a legendary book floating around the South Sea.

"Folks say it’s got recipes for miracle drugs and how to brew ’em.

"Get your hands on it, follow the prescriptions, and your skills’ll skyrocket overnight. Plus, you’d rake in a fortune.

"Some pills can bring back the dead, fix any injury—hell, regrow flesh on bones.

"Imagine how many folks would fork over a fortune for that.

"And... word is, it’s tied to some big scheme.

"But the details? Above my pay grade."

"Got it."

Su Mo nodded. "A book this powerful must’ve come from somewhere. Any ideas?"

"Well..."

Zeng Chou shook his head. "Folks tell all kinds of stories. Some say it came from a mysterious island—someone found some old ruins there.

"Walls covered in texts and diagrams teaching how to work your qi, swallow pills, and become immortal.

"Someone copied the texts, spread ’em around the South Sea.

"But the immortality diagrams? No regular person could copy those, so they got left behind.

"Others claim some oddball wrote it. Guy wanted to see the world, but ended up dead on some island.

"Only the scripture survived.

"Us martial folk don’t buy the first tale.

"Sure, some fools chase pipe dreams, but ghost stories don’t hold water.

"The second version’s a lot more believable."

When you’re under someone’s roof, you play by their rules. Zeng Chou was a guy who picked his battles.

Under such circumstances, he didn’t think about escape but instead tried to prove his worth, hoping Su Mo would reconsider killing him.

Unaware of Su Mo’s true motives, he spilled everything Su Mo asked for.

If Su Mo was satisfied, he might just keep his life.

Su Mo gave it some thought, but overthinking it wouldn’t help.

Rumors were mostly just gossip.

Personally, he was more inclined to believe the latter.

But Yang Xiaoyun, standing beside him, stiffened.

Her eyes flicked to Su Mo on reflex.

Back when they first started escorting caravans together, Su Mo had explained his martial arts’ origins.

A mysterious figure had taught him a technique called the "Heaven and Earth Great Marvel Art."

The technique was so profound it defied written explanation, making it impossible to pass down.

Yang Xiaoyun never once questioned Su Mo.

She’d simply marveled at how vast the martial world was, believing one should always stay humble.

Now, Ceng Chou’s words struck her as eerily similar to that art.

Was it possible… her husband wasn’t even practicing martial arts?

But something… immortal?

If that was true, it made perfect sense how he’d become the "First of Donghuang" in just a year or two.

How could regular martial artists stand a chance against immortals?

Yet as she thought this, a nagging fear crept in.

Gazing at Su Mo, who sat quietly beside her, she wondered—what if her husband just… ascended one day?

Leaving her alone in this mortal world?

Yang Xiaoyun’s mind wandered, sent spiraling by Ceng Chou’s words into a place Su Mo never saw coming.

Meanwhile, Su Mo changed the subject, asking Ceng Chou about the sea—especially pirates.

Ceng Chou spilled everything, talking a mile a minute, detailing it all.

Su Mo listened, nodding along.

That’s when he learned that aside from the Four Divisions under the Lord of the Seas, there were plenty of loose pirate crews.

Most worked in groups—only the outcasts flew solo.

In these waters, apart from a few pirates like Ceng Chou, the biggest crew went by the "Shadowcloud Alliance."

Ceng Chou had crossed paths with the Youyun Alliance a few times before, but they never saw eye to eye, so he kept his distance afterward.

"Their methods are so shrouded in mystery, it’s impossible to figure them out.

"Still, I’ve heard they’ve been scheming something big lately.

"Plenty of rumors are floating around, but few know the specifics.

"Call it a hunch, but I’d bet those troublemakers are brewing up no good."

After a beat of silence, Su Mo asked:

"Old Ceng, you know these waters like the back of your hand. Mind if I ask if anything odd’s happened out here recently?"

"Odd things?"

Ceng Chou hesitated, nearly saying—would a fighter of your caliber suddenly appearing from the Eastern Wasteland count?

That sort of thing was rare...

But he held his tongue in the end.

"Can’t say I’ve heard anything," he finally replied.

"...If we’re talking strange," Wang Chengying cut in, unable to stay silent any longer,

"we ran into something."

"Oh?"

Su Mo quirked a smile. "I’ve always had a soft spot for jianghu legends. Humor me, Brother Wang."

"Don’t mention it."

Wang Chengying shook his head. "I’m fond of weird yarns myself.

"But this was something we lived through.

"Just remembering it gives me goosebumps."

Even Ceng Chou leaned in, intrigued.

Wang Chengying took a breath:

"Our current voyage covers plenty of ground.

"We sailed out of Pingyang, hitting several islands on a roundabout path—took half a year all told.

"Finally loaded up with cargo picked up from ports along the way and headed back to Pingyang.

"Left it to the Bo Hai Association to handle sales.

"Some islands were big, others tiny.

"Folks also call it the Southern Sea Archipelago.

"Islands sprinkled throughout the Southern Sea—that comes with the territory."

"However, starting a few months ago, we occasionally stopped at a small island and something felt off.

"The island was small, but usually quite lively.

"The islanders made their living through sericulture, and our Bo Hai Association had a contract with them.

"Every year, at a specific time, we would go to the island to purchase their harvested silk.

"Because of this, every time we arrived, there would always be people waiting for us at the dock.

"But this time... not a soul by the pier.

"We’re not the type to crave grand welcomes or fuss over formalities, so we didn’t think much of it at first.

"Yet, as we walked further along the path, we grew increasingly uneasy.

"The small roads along the way were utterly deserted.

"And when we reached the town where they lived, every household had their doors bolted shut.

"Our immediate assumption was that the island had been raided by pirates.

"But we quickly dismissed that idea.

"When pirates land, they leave utter devastation—people fleeing in panic, and when they depart, they usually burn the houses to the ground.

"But on this island, every home’s doors and windows were intact, and even the streets, aside from autumn leaves swept by the wind, showed no signs of struggle.

"Instead, a putrid stench wafted from behind those tightly closed doors."

As he spoke, his brows furrowed, as if revisiting that moment.

The entire street was empty, every household’s doors and windows shut tight.

What should have been a lively little town now felt like a ghost town.

"Finally, we pushed open one of the doors.

"That’s when we discovered the entire family slaughtered where they lay.

"Blood had soaked into the floor, spreading into a dark, congealed pool.

"The bodies had already rotted, hence the rotting stench.

"But it was still clear... each had been dispatched with a single sword thrust to the heart.

"From then on, we went door to door.

"In the end, we found that every silkworm farmer on the island had been methodically slaughtered.

"Their corpses were stacked inside their homes—some in large heaps, others just two or three—but not a single one was left outside.

"Every house had its door carefully closed, as if the killer had methodically tidied the entire town after the massacre."

At this point, Wang Chengying heaved a heavy sigh and gave a bitter laugh.

"Chief Escort Su, truth be told...

"Before this, I would’ve dared to call myself a brave man.

"But that day, we were all scared witless.

"We’re not afraid of the dead, nor of killing, and even facing death ourselves wouldn’t make us bat an eye.

"But the killer's methods were so unnatural, so bizarre. Even now, thinking about them sends chills down my spine."