Qu Yueshan soon felt that something was wrong; his internal organs seemed to be disintegrating into pieces…
Yan Mei was trying to kill him…
After realizing this, Qu Yueshan felt as if his soul was about to depart from his body.
What kind of poison was this that had rendered him entirely unable to detect any toxins?
Furthermore, it couldn’t be expelled by True Yuan; once infected, it seemed to fuse with the body, causing his own body to collapse and fall apart.
At this moment, Qu Yueshan wanted to roar for someone to come inside, yet his body was completely beyond his control.
Ding Huan was still researching the Array, and even if Yan Mei was caught murdering Qu Yueshan, Ding Huan was not afraid of Qu Yueshan coming for revenge.
Another voice came from the entrance of the tent:
"Mr. Ding, may I come in for a chat?"
"Elder Liu?" Ding Huan recognized Elder Liu’s voice and hurriedly went to open the tent flap.
Liu Yinzhu walked in with a smiling face and said:
"I hope I’m not disturbing you, Mr. Ding?"
Ding Huan feigned a panicked expression:
"Oh, not at all, not at all. May I know if Elder Liu has any orders for this humble one?"
Liu Yinzhu quickly said:
"It’s not an order; I just wanted to ask what you think of Elder Qu."
Ding Huan was startled; why would a Sect Elder ask a chef’s opinion about another Sect Elder? It seemed very strange.
"I’m just a novice with shallow experience; how dare I speak ill of an elder behind their back? Please don’t make it difficult for me, Senior Liu," Ding Huan replied hastily.
Liu Yinzhu thought to herself, you have shallow experience? If you did, you wouldn’t have plotted against Qu Yueshan, leaving him severely injured.
You don’t dare to speak ill of an elder? You cursed and disrespected him even to his face, nobody would believe your lies.
"Mr. Ding, I’m somewhat familiar with Elder Qu’s character. Despite his injuries, he’s still someone who ensures his goals are accomplished without fail."
Liu Yinzhu still maintained her smiling expression.
Ding Huan’s heart skipped a beat; he knew this was Liu Yinzhu’s way of reminding him that Qu Yueshan wouldn’t let go of him easily.
"But what can I, a mere chef, do? I can only resign myself to fate.
Sigh, if only my Spirit Root and qualifications weren’t so poor, I could’ve joined a sect, and then Elder Qu wouldn’t bother with a small-time chef like me."
Ding Huan said this to see whether Liu Yinzhu’s sudden interest in him was because she valued his intuition, perhaps wishing to invite him to join Purple Mist Valley. Otherwise, what was the purpose of her warning?
If that were the case, it would be quite good indeed.
Liu Yinzhu, of course, understood Ding Huan’s thoughts, but regrettably, like Gu Youchang, she wasn’t in a position to recruit Ding Huan into Purple Mist Valley.
She thought highly of Ding Huan, so she wanted to find out where he was headed next and then report this to her sect.
If the sect agreed, they could then inform Ding Huan and introduce him to Purple Mist Valley.
"Mr. Ding, Elder Qu hasn’t been with Dual Soul Sect for more than ten years. In such a short period, he has become a Sect Elder; that’s why he’s still so young…"
Liu Yinzhu said, glancing at Ding Huan.
She suspected that Ding Huan had realized something.
Upon hearing this, Ding Huan immediately became alert.
He had thought that only he had realized that Dual Soul Sect was a body-snatching sect. Now, Liu Yinzhu’s words clearly suggested Qu Yueshan was a product of body-snatching.
It seemed the other sects were already aware that Dual Soul Sect was involved in body-snatching.
Even the other sects didn’t dare to stand up against or propose to punish Dual Soul Sect; as an uninitiated disciple, what right did he have to reveal the secrets of Dual Soul Sect?
Wasn’t that just courting death?
"Yes, Elder Qu is indeed wise and valiant, with a bright and early... his vigor and talents unmatched; Dual Soul Sect is truly formidable."
Ding Huan was even less likely to expose Dual Soul Sect as a body-snatching sect now.
Liu Yinzhu felt helpless; she wanted Ding Huan to reveal that Elder Qu had engaged in body-snatching, which would allow her to delve deeper into conversation with him, thus cultivating a closer relationship.
If she were to reveal it herself, the impact would be quite lessened.
Once Ding Huan disclosed it, she could safeguard his secret and even discuss it together, which would lead Ding Huan to trust her more.
Although Ding Huan was only a chef, he was as slippery as an eel.
Just as Liu Yinzhu was about to say something else, a crying voice came from outside:
"Elder Liu, Elder Gu, please come quickly to see to Elder Qu. He, he…"
Hearing this, Liu Yinzhu’s heart jumped, and she rushed out immediately.
By the time she arrived at Qu Yueshan’s tent, Gu Youchang was already there.
Yan Mei, the sole survivor of Dual Soul Sect, stood outside the tent with red-rimmed eyes, looking grief-stricken.
Although Yan Mei’s sorrow was feigned, his innermost feelings were filled with shock and genuine fear.
This Ding Huan was truly terrifying.
He knew Ding Huan must have possessed potent poisons or an insidious method of killing that was imperceptible, but never had he imagined the poison Ding Huan gave would be so horrific.
How much time had passed before Qu Yueshan was eliminated, and his death was unlike anything he had ever witnessed.
In Yan Mei’s mind, no matter what, he had to stick with Ding Huan in the future.
Even if he couldn’t roll with Ding Huan, he would have to get on the good side of Brother Ding.
…
Gu Youchang and Liu Yinzhu exchanged glances, then entered the tent.
Inside, Qu Yueshan lay on the ground, his face had already necrosed, clearly dead beyond any doubt.
"The meridians throughout his body have disappeared, and his flesh has turned into blood water. Such a terrifying poison," Gu Youchang said with a grave tone.
With just one sweep of their Divine Will, they knew how Qu Yueshan had died.
Yet, Liu Yinzhu felt a chill; to be honest, although she had just been sitting inside Ding Huan’s tent talking to him,
she hadn’t truly been afraid of Ding Huan deep in her heart.
Ding Huan was intelligent and scheming, with a strong predictive ability, but his strength was still far too inferior to hers for her to feel any need to be wary of him.
Now, seeing Qu Yueshan’s state, she realized she was wrong.
Liu Yinzhu was one hundred percent certain that Ding Huan was implicated in Qu Yueshan’s death.
Without leaving his tent, Ding Huan had managed to kill Qu Yueshan. Such a method was terrifyingly chilling.
As for suspecting Yan Mei? That was utterly out of the question.
Yan Mei, a mere Cultivation Beginner, was timid and hesitant. Even if Qu Yueshan had been unconscious and allowed him to carry out the killing, he probably wouldn’t have dared.
Originally, Liu Yinzhu had planned to recommend Ding Huan to Master Gu after returning to the Sect, but now she had changed her mind.
Ding Huan absolutely must not be allowed into Purple Mist Valley; the man was too dreadful.
Just a common chef, yet capable of stealthily murdering an elder. What would happen when he grew stronger? Could he not then kill a Sect Master with ease?
"The poison of the Swallowing Foot Corpse is so dreadful, it’s hard to believe," Gu Youchang sighed after a long while.
Yet Liu Yinzhu said, "It’s also possible that the poison from the Cold Harm has not been fully removed."
"Ah..."
Gu Youchang let out a long sigh and walked out of the tent, then said to the red-eyed Yan Mei outside:
"This is not your fault. Go and bury your Sect Elder properly. Take his belongings to Dual Soul Sect."
"Elder Gu, I dare not touch Elder Qu’s belongings," Yan Mei quickly bowed, saying.
Gu Youchang nodded, "In that case, I’ll take them to Dual Soul Sect."
Yan Mei, being new, strictly speaking, still not a disciple of Dual Soul Sect, it was normal for him to refrain from touching an elder’s possessions.
"Yes," Yan Mei quickly bowed in response.
At this moment, Liu Yinzhu no longer had the mood to chat with Ding Huan. She didn’t even want to get too close to him.
Ding Huan, without stepping outside, knew the moment he heard Yan Mei’s crying that the boy had succeeded.
Impressive, the method he came up with was truly effective.
That night, Yan Mei did not come to find him, and Ding Huan nodded to himself; that was right.
Had Yan Mei come to find him on the first night, it would have meant the boy was too foolish.
Everyone knew that he and Qu Yueshan did not get along, and if Yan Mei sought out Ding Huan right after Qu Yueshan’s death, suspicions would inevitably be aroused.
The next day, the troop continued to move forward. With even an elder of Dual Soul Sect dead, no one felt they were tougher than Elder Qu.
The entire group was in a rush to travel.
After setting up camp in the evening, Ding Huan still went out to forage for food.
In such a dangerous place, with Cold Harm before and Swallowing Foot Corpse behind, Ding Huan’s solitary ventures outwards made nearly all disciples admire the courage of this chef.
However bold Ding Huan was, he wouldn’t stray too far; he just caught an Iron Spine Pig nearby and returned.
Since Ding Huan was now leading the way, even Guan Pou told him not to cook anymore.
In fact, Ding Huan’s trips to find food had also become much less frequent. One forage could last several days.
Not because of fear, but because he wanted to devote all his time to studying Arrays.
For the next few days, nothing happened, giving the people in the group a bit of vitality.
Yan Mei also took the opportunity to get close to Ding Huan and quickly became quite a good friend.
"Brother Ding, thank you," Yan Mei said sincerely when returning the Genetic Poison Fog to Ding Huan.
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He was indeed a beginner disciple, but in his heart, Ding Huan’s status was higher than that of Elder Gu and Elder Liu.
Elder Gu and Elder Liu couldn’t ensure their survival; Ding Huan could. And neither Elder Gu nor Elder Liu could make a Cultivation Beginner like him kill Qu Yueshan; Ding Huan could.
"Brother, can you tell me the answer to that question now?" Yan Mei asked in a hushed tone.
Ding Huan no longer kept it a secret, also lowering his voice:
"Dual Soul Sect is a sect that practices seizing bodies. They recruited you to use your body for an elder’s soul seizing."
Yan Mei froze, and after a while, he murmured:
"So that’s how it is, no wonder... I understand now..."
Previously, he had planned to return to Dual Soul Sect, but now, even with a million doses of courage, he wouldn’t dare to go back after hearing Ding Huan’s words.
"Brother Ding, can I follow you?" Yan Mei quickly asked Ding Huan after calming down from the shock.
Ding Huan pondered for a moment, then said:
"The matter between me and Elder Qu will unquestionably reach Dual Soul Sect. So once everyone is safe, it will be time for me to escape.
You still have another path. Because your Spirit Root isn’t bad, you might try to curry favor with Elder Liu or Elder Gu. If you can join their Sect..."
Yan Mei shook his head:
"Brother Ding, although my Spirit Root is decent, I’m sure that neither Yanyue Sect nor Purple Mist Valley would offend Dual Soul Sect for my sake. If I don’t want to go to Dual Soul Sect, my only option is to follow you, Brother Ding."
Ding Huan laughed heartily, "In that case, let’s escape together."