Chapter 14: Do It Yourself, or Shall I?

Chu Yuyao rolled her eyes dramatically and brushed off imaginary dust from her sleeves. “Young Master Ye, what a thing to say. A dog will always eat filth, just as some people can never cure their narcissism.”

Ye Cangming’s expression turned even colder in an instant. He fixed her with a chilling gaze for a long moment. “Will you do it yourself, or shall I help you?”

Yuyao immediately understood what he meant, her face paling slightly. So, because she had just touched him, he wanted her hand chopped off?

She instinctively hid her hands behind her back, cursing herself inwardly for her rashness. What a petty dog of a man—was he really this furious over a single touch? It’s not like he lost a piece of flesh.

“Young Master Ye, you’re quite impressive. Planning to chop off my hand just because I touched you? Then what about you grabbing my neck—how should I settle that score? Should I cut off your claws first?”

As she spoke, she slipped behind Shangguan Yuheng, glancing at Ye Cangming with a look of brazen provocation, putting on a perfect display of bullying someone by relying on another’s power.

After all, this was the Medicine King Valley. No matter how much Shangguan Yuheng disliked her, he would never just stand by and watch her get her hand chopped off here; otherwise, there’d be no explaining himself to Tiandao Sect.

A vein throbbed on Shangguan Yuheng’s forehead. He could see now that this woman was determined to drag him into the mess today.

Ye Cangming suddenly laughed, a sound that sent chills down the spine. “Very well, then let’s settle all accounts at once.”

He slowly drew a jet-black dagger from his storage ring, its chilling aura palpable. His eyes swept over her from head to toe. “Where shall we start? The tongue? The eyes? Or…” He deliberately drew out the last word, his gaze landing on the hands she hid behind her back, and his smile grew even more sinister. “Or shall we begin with those restless hands of yours?”

Yuyao was both disgusted by his smile and startled by the murderous intent radiating from him. She realized Ye Cangming genuinely wanted to kill her this time, not just spew empty threats or look at her with disdain as before.

A cold sweat broke out on her back, but she forced herself to remain calm. “If you want to kill me, just do it. I’ve been poisoned anyway and won’t live for long. Just make it quick.”

She was betting that this dog of a man was only trying to scare her, and even if he really wanted to harm her, Shangguan Yuheng wouldn’t stand by idly, no matter how much he disliked her.

If for no other reason, then because this was Medicine King Valley and she was the adopted daughter of Tiandao Sect’s master.

Ye Cangming hesitated for an instant. Had she truly been poisoned? Was it not an excuse? Not some ploy to lure him in by playing hard to get? Yet, whether it was an excuse or not, daring to touch his abs—how could he let her keep her hand?

Shangguan Yuheng’s eyes flickered, his fingers lightly brushing together. The day she divorced at Tiandao Sect, Yuyao had writhed in agony on the ground—certainly not an act—and later had vomited a mouthful of black blood, a clear sign of poisoning. He had no idea how she survived afterward. At the time, all he’d wanted was to dissolve the bond between them; anything relating to Yuyao, he wanted no part of, dreading she’d cling to him, so he hadn’t gone to check on her. The poisoning, it seemed, was real.

Though he thought this, his expression didn’t betray a hint of it.

Suddenly, he reached out and pressed down on Ye Cangming’s dagger, saying in a gentle tone, “Brother Ye, it’s not wise to shed blood in Medicine King Valley.”

Ye Cangming sneered coldly. “What’s this? Feeling sorry for her?”

“I’m only worried about soiling the floors of Medicine King Valley,” Shangguan Yuheng replied, glancing at Yuyao’s hidden hands, his lips curving in a faint, mocking smile. “Once you leave here, do as you wish. I won’t interfere.”

Yuyao’s surprise was plain to see.

Well, well. This man with his gentle façade was a dark-hearted lotus at his core.

Ye Cangming let out a derisive laugh, but didn’t actually make a move in Medicine King Valley. He wouldn’t be so disrespectful to Shangguan Yuheng. Besides, there would be plenty of time to deal with this woman in the future.

He shot Yuyao a sinister look, then sheathed his dagger and strode away.

There’d be countless ways to make her pay later.

Once Ye Cangming left, Yuyao exhaled in relief. She knew, however, that the dog of a man would not let things go so easily. Still, she was no pushover; she’d take whatever came her way.

Almost as soon as Ye Cangming walked out of Qingfang Pavilion, a notification sounded in her mind.

[Ding! Congratulations, Host. Ye Cangming’s Favorability +5. Current Favorability: -90. Please keep up the good work.]

At this, Yuyao wondered if her system had gone haywire. Choking, threats of hand-chopping, and insults—how could that raise favorability? Was he a masochist?

She was still pondering whether her system was bugged when Shangguan Yuheng’s voice sounded at her ear. “Junior Sister Chu, you mentioned being poisoned. What kind of poison is it?”

Her heart gave a lurch. Just as she thought—the black-hearted lotus was probing her.

“I’m not sure. All I know is when it acts up, the pain is excruciating. You saw it that day at Tiandao Sect, didn’t you?” She was referring to the day of her divorce, her expression the perfect picture of confusion, as if she truly had no idea what poison she’d been afflicted with.

This black lotus was too clever; if she blurted out that she’d been poisoned by Thousand Despair Powder, how would she explain? That’s no ordinary poison, but an ancient, incurable venom. The original host knew nothing of poisons—there was no way she could have known.

Shangguan Yuheng’s eyes flickered. Her explanation matched what had happened on the day of the divorce.

“Give me your hand.”

He said it suddenly.

Yuyao instinctively shrank back. “What for?”

“Don’t you want to be cured?” Shangguan Yuheng shot her a cool glance. “Or would you rather have Brother Ye come back and chop off your hand?”

Yuyao: “……”

The dog of a man.

But in the end, she extended her hand.

Shangguan Yuheng placed his fingers on her pulse, and his brows furrowed at once.

Her pulse was chaotic, a clear sign of poisoning, though he couldn’t determine what kind.

He withdrew his hand abruptly and pointed to another undamaged chair. “Sit down.”

He was clearly preparing to examine her thoroughly with his spiritual energy.

Yuyao obediently walked over, but just as she touched the seat she jerked upright in alarm. “Wait—this chair isn’t rigged too, is it?”

Shangguan Yuheng’s expression was faintly exasperated. Did she not trust him? But understanding her wariness after her earlier fall, he said nothing, only brushed a hand across the chair’s surface. “You can sit now.”

Yuyao saw a sheen of spiritual light cover the chair and settled down carefully. Sure enough, nothing untoward happened.

He came to stand at her side, his palm hovering a few inches above her head, facing downward, and began channeling a gentle stream of azure spiritual energy to examine her condition.

As the energy flowed into her meridians, his brow furrowed almost imperceptibly.

Her meridians were frail and blocked, her spiritual roots a chaotic tangle—the classic case of a useless five-element root. With such poor aptitude, had she not been the adopted daughter of Tiandao Sect’s master, she’d be fated for a life of menial labor, no matter the sect.

Moreover, the woman had clearly tried to progress too quickly, consuming far too many pills without properly consolidating her foundation, leaving her spiritual core extremely unstable.

Poor aptitude, unwilling to endure hardship, always seeking shortcuts.

He summed up his judgment briefly in his heart.

His spiritual energy probed deeper.

Suddenly, his brows drew tight—something was wrong.

In the depths of Yuyao’s dantian, he discovered a strange cluster of black mist, slowly devouring her vitality.

“That’s… Thousand Despair Powder?” He frowned, uncertain, and investigated even more carefully.

He found it was indeed very similar to Thousand Despair Powder. Such an ancient and rare poison, he had only ever read about it in ancient texts—never once encountered it in real life.