Chapter 5158 — Controlling Through Gu Poison
The Blossom Guardian · Page 1 of 2
The scene that followed nearly stopped Qin Yuanming's heart altogether. Wei Zhao's true qi had actually taken up residence inside his dantian and begun a savage, merciless battle with the poison qi. Both forces were extraordinarily domineering, and in an instant they turned his dantian upside down. Qin Yuanming could neither live nor die; the agony had him rolling back and forth across the ground, howling in torment.
How long it went on, he could not say. By the time Qin Yuanming felt as though his whole body were about to come apart, the incomparable agony finally began to fade. A survivor of the ordeal, he was soaked head to toe in cold sweat, utterly drained.
"Seems your willpower isn't bad, managing to pull through after all." Wei Zhao was rather surprised. Seeing the baffled look on the other man's face, he said, "Since you're still alive, take a careful look at what's going on inside you."
Qin Yuanming stared blankly for a long while. When he next turned his gaze inward upon his dantian, wild joy burst across his face: Wei Zhao's warm true qi had been slowly withdrawn, and the poison qi from the Center's improved elixir had vanished without a trace!
This came as no surprise to Wei Zhao whatsoever. His five-element killing qi was all but invincible among true qi, and even at the level of a five-poison flood dragon it remained greatly useful. Troublesome as the poison qi of the Center's improved elixir might be, in the end it could not escape being strangled to nothing.
"Th-thank you, Grand-Uncle Master!" Qin Yuanming came to his senses and hurriedly kowtowed to Wei Zhao. With his crime exposed today, he had thought death a certainty; never had he imagined the situation would turn around like this, with Wei Zhao instead ridding him of the very poison that had held his life in its grip. It was truly beyond all expectation.
"Thank me for what?" Wei Zhao found it rather amusing.
"Naturally I'm thanking Grand-Uncle Master for sparing my life. From this day on, your disciple will follow Grand-Uncle Master and none other, and will brave fire and water without the slightest hesitation." Qin Yuanming hurried to pledge his loyalty. He was no fool; Wei Zhao's meaning was plain enough. Having discovered his betrayal, the man had not only refrained from killing him but had even stepped in to rid him of the poison—without question, he clearly intended to make Qin Yuanming his own.
Betrayal, like anything else, grew easier with practice. The first time Xue Jianming dragged Qin Yuanming into the muck, he had still been hesitant and awkward; now, though, he had become remarkably deft about it. Having already betrayed the Cangwu Sect of the North Island, he could, now that the poison no longer threatened him, just as easily betray the Center and switch his allegiance to Wei Zhao. After all, if Wei Zhao wanted him dead now, it would be all too simple—he would not even need to lift a finger; a single word would suffice.
"Oh, I think you've misunderstood. I never meant to save you. This was purely for research. Now that the research is done, it's time to send you on your way." Wei Zhao curled his lip.
"What? On my way?" Qin Yuanming was scared out of his wits once more. His emotions today had been like a roller coaster; no heart, however sturdy, could withstand such battering.
Casting aside the last shred of self-respect, Qin Yuanming kowtowed to Wei Zhao and begged frantically for mercy. By now the little pride he had left had long since been ground away by the earlier agony, and to stay alive he would do anything at all.
Qin Yuanming had already been tortured half to death, and after begging for a good while he was sprawled flat on the ground, unable even to climb to his feet. Looking at the sorry, gasping sight of him, Wei Zhao finally spoke: "Very well. I've always been a soft-hearted man. Since you're so sincere about it, sparing your life isn't out of the question."