Chapter Seventy-Two: The Poison Master’s Servant

"Yinyao." Muye and Aishuo spoke in unison, their tone sounding somewhat awkward. They both carried a burden in their hearts... They were proud people who could not tolerate making mistakes, especially such a mistake.

"Muye, Aishuo~" Yinyao was clearly much more at ease, smiling at the two.

Li Yue and Yin Rou were both wounded, their strength completely drained. If not for Yinyao's appearance, which was like seeing the dawn after endless night, they would have already collapsed from exhaustion. Yet, they still held on, refusing to let themselves fall.

Chu Su also walked over to support Li Yue, which made Li Yue uncomfortable and rather awkward. Yinyao witnessed this and teased, "Li Yue, you must be quite something to have the Master of Lingyu Pavilion supporting you~"

Li Yue was genuinely surprised by this. He hadn't expected the Pavilion Master of Lingyu Pavilion to accompany his mistress, much less to personally help him. This was more than he could bear! Thinking so, he thanked Chu Su and gently freed himself from his support.

Yinyao laughed aloud at Li Yue's reaction. Didn’t he realize she had intentionally revealed Chu Su’s identity? Such a serious fellow!

Li Yue looked at his mistress with confusion. Had he done something wrong?

Those nearby found Li Yue's innocence amusing. Yin Rou, unable to watch any longer, explained, "Li Yue, are you dense? The mistress told you who he is as a subtle introduction. Anyone can see that the mistress and the Pavilion Master get along well; otherwise, why would he humble himself to help you? How can you be so naive!"

Hearing Yin Rou’s hurried explanation, Li Yue scratched his head in embarrassment. His silly expression drew laughter from everyone, dissolving the grim tension that had hung in the air. Yinyao had intended just this.

"Let’s find an inn and rest for the night. It will also give us a chance to talk things over with Muye and Aishuo," Chu Su suggested at the right moment.

"Agreed," Muye and Aishuo nodded together.

"Let's go," Yinyao concurred. Yin Rou and Li Yue had no objections, completely following her lead.

At Fulai Inn, Yinyao and Chu Su each supported an injured companion while Muye and Aishuo went inside to inquire about rooms. After a while, they returned, their expressions troubled. Was the inn full already?

"What’s wrong?" Yinyao stepped forward to ask.

"Yinyao, there are only three rooms left, but there are six of us. Will that be all right?" Muye explained.

"That's nothing. Yin Rou and I will share a room, you and Aishuo another, and the last room will have to be shared by Pavilion Master Chu and Li Yue," Yinyao smiled, laying out her arrangement.

It was a good plan, but two people exchanged glances, feelings stirring in their hearts…

"Mistress," Yin Rou and Li Yue spoke together.

"Hm?" Yinyao looked at them, puzzled.

"Mistress, may I share a room with Li Yue? I want to help take care of him…" Yin Rou’s face flushed deep red; it had taken all her courage to say this.

"Mistress, I feel the same as Yin Rou…" Li Yue added, stammering and visibly nervous.

Only now did Aishuo and Muye notice the unusual atmosphere between the two. Reflecting on Li Yue’s desperate protection of Yin Rou and her quick defense of him earlier, they seemed to understand.

Chu Su also glanced at the pair, realizing belatedly.

Seeing these two finally gathering the courage to take that step, Yinyao was secretly delighted; she had assigned Yin Rou here for this very reason. Otherwise, she could have sent anyone.

But outwardly, she showed none of this, instead frowning and regarding them seriously. "We’ll discuss this later. Muye, Aishuo, go book the rooms. We’ll talk in your room about what comes next."

Muye and Aishuo nodded and went back inside. This time, Yin Rou and Li Yue declined Yinyao and Chu Su’s support, smiling at each other as they helped one another into the inn.

In their room, Yinyao called for the innkeeper, ordered food, and gave him money to buy two sets of clothes. Yin Rou and Li Yue’s clothes were barely wearable, and just climbing to the second floor had attracted too much attention. That wouldn’t do.

The innkeeper was efficient, soon returning with the clothes. Yinyao tossed a set each to Yin Rou and Li Yue, then turned to Muye, "Muye, would you mind sharing some wound medicine?"

"Of course not," Muye said, taking out two bottles and handing them over. Yinyao smiled, passed the medicine to the injured, and sent them to change and apply the salve.

Soon after, the innkeeper and his helpers brought up the food. "Please enjoy your meal, honored guests. If you need anything, just call for me."

"We’ve all been traveling for days. Eat something and regain your strength," Yinyao said kindly.

Muye and Aishuo exchanged glances, eyes flickering from Chu Su to Yinyao. Some things could not be said with certain people present, and they also wondered if Yinyao had changed. They had seldom seen her smile, but now, she seemed to wear a constant, natural smile, though they felt a bit unsettled by it.

Chu Su, suppressing an odd feeling, smiled and said, "Indeed. Let’s eat. I’ve been on the road five days straight, hardly resting at all—just riding day and night!"

Yinyao was puzzled by his words. How had his journey so exactly matched hers? Had he set out before her, or after? She hadn’t heard of him leaving before her departure.

"Su Yi, why did you come?" Muye asked while serving himself.

Aishuo raised an eyebrow at Chu Su. Yinyao, already curious, focused on him as well.

Feeling all eyes on him, Chu Su felt awkward. He couldn’t say he’d come because he’d heard Yinyao was leaving in a hurry and, on impulse, had followed… He didn’t even know his true reason. If he said it aloud, he’d be laughed at for certain.

"I heard that Yinyao left Jincheng in haste, and then my subordinates reported you might run into strong enemies. I figured she must be coming to help you, and I was worried, so I came as well," Chu Su replied nonchalantly.

"Su Yi, sorry to have worried you. Yinyao, forgive us—despite sending people to protect us, you still had to come yourself," Aishuo said apologetically to Yinyao.

Yinyao waved it off. "Don’t mention it. Honestly, this time I didn’t just want to send people to protect you—I wanted to use this opportunity to help Li Yue and Yin Rou break through their impasse. Li Yue is such a blockhead, after all."

Now it was everyone else’s turn to be dumbfounded.

"So you really used us as you pleased!" Aishuo said in mock reproach, though she was smiling, clearly joking.

Muye chuckled as well. Yinyao seemed more and more different these days. "Enough joking. After dinner, let’s think about our next move. Aishuo and I are headed to Medicine King Valley’s Venom Master Peak. Do you have any new plans for dealing with Ji Muyu? We can discuss it together."

Everyone nodded and tucked into their meal. Shortly after, Li Yue and Yin Rou reappeared, changed and freshly bandaged. Yinyao, quick-eyed, waved them over to eat.

"How much does everyone know about the Medicine Slave and Venom Master?" Yinyao asked, cutting straight to the point.

"We don’t know much, but there are plenty of rumors. The Venom Master made poisons, the Medicine Slave crafted antidotes. They always seemed to be in competition," Muye recalled.

Chu Su studied the map. "It’s odd—Venom Master Peak in Medicine King Valley is right next to where the Medicine Slave dwelled. From the map, they each occupied a mountain, facing each other almost directly."

Yinyao hadn’t paid much attention to the precise location before, only glancing at the route in haste. Now that Chu Su mentioned it, she gave it more thought.

"I remember hearing from some elders about their complicated history," Aishuo mused, propping her head as she tried to recall old tales.

Li Yue, who’d been silent, produced an envelope from his robe and handed it to Yinyao. "Mistress, the Leader gave this to me. It’s information about the Venom Master and Medicine Slave—he thought the Ghost Doctor would find it useful."

At the mention of Li Su, Yinyao remembered the man with the Heart of Seven Apertures, and happily opened the envelope. Inside, she read:

The tale of the Venom Master and Medicine Slave is shrouded in legend. After sifting through countless versions, I’ve pieced together what seems closest to the truth:

The Medicine Slave was a reclusive woman who spent her days treating the villagers at the foot of her mountain. One day, summoned to save a life, she found another already there—a man who would become the infamous Venom Master. Where there is knowledge of poison, there is knowledge of medicine, and vice versa. To suppress the poison in the villager’s body, the Venom Master proposed fighting poison with poison. The Medicine Slave would never have agreed, but circumstances left no other choice. Together, they cured the villager.

Thus began their acquaintance. The Medicine Slave, sheltered all her life, knew little of the world, while the Venom Master, already notorious in the martial world, invited her to travel with him. She hesitated, but he argued that as a master of poison, her skills would improve at his side—he would create poisons, she would craft antidotes.

Perhaps convinced by his reasoning, perhaps longing to see the world, she agreed. They wandered together, much like Aishuo and Muye now. But they met with constant criticism—how could a famed healer consort with a cold-blooded killer? The whispers grew unbearable, and one day the Medicine Slave left the Venom Master in secret.

Later, someone sought out the Venom Master for a deadly poison, intending vengeance, but it ended up harming an innocent. No one could cure the victim—except the Medicine Slave, who appeared to save the life, earning the title of Medicine King, while the man was already called Venom Master.

In time, she learned this had all been a ruse by the Venom Master to draw her out, for he could not find her. When she appeared, they only exchanged brief words before she vanished again. Not long after, rumors spread that the Venom Master had tested a new poison on himself and fallen into a coma. The Medicine Slave at last returned, working her healing miracles to pull him back from the brink of death.

Afterward, the Medicine Slave renounced the title of Medicine King, insisting she was simply a humble healer. The two of them then vanished from the martial world, living out their days in seclusion.

After reading, everyone realized the strange and moving history between the Medicine Slave and Venom Master—they were clearly a pair, only separated by fate.

"Who would have thought?" Muye sighed, exchanging a meaningful look with Aishuo.

"Indeed, who would have guessed," Yinyao echoed, equally surprised.

The reactions were similar all around, except for Chu Su, who fell silent. He was pondering Li Su—what kind of man was he, to have gathered and organized such old tales? How deep must his abilities run?

"Very well, we set out at dawn. I’ve decided to accompany Muye and Aishuo to Medicine King Valley’s Venom Master Peak. Chu Su, what about you? Yin Rou, Li Yue, you two should return—leave the rest to me," Yinyao announced, growing more decisive and authoritative.

"Of course I’ll go. I wouldn’t miss the chance to see the Medicine Slave and Venom Master for anything," Chu Su replied without hesitation, his keen interest plain to see.

"As you command," Yin Rou and Li Yue answered in unison, bowing.

"Since there are no objections, let’s all get some rest," Yinyao said languidly, crossing her arms.

Li Yue glanced at Yin Rou. "Mistress, what about our room?"

"One room, just the two of you," Yinyao replied, grinning at their bashful expressions.

Muye looked at the four remaining. If he followed his own wishes, he’d have Yinyao and Chu Su share, but that was impossible. "Aishuo, you share with Yinyao. I’ll room with Chu Su next door."

The others nodded. Yinyao had already decided; she knew she couldn’t possibly share with Chu Su. Sharing with Aishuo had always been expected. In truth, she wasn’t even sure what her relationship with Chu Su was—good friends, perhaps, but was that all?

Chu Su, for reasons unknown, felt no resistance to the idea of sharing a room with Yinyao. But he knew what lay between them; alone in a room together, just a man and a woman, would be improper. And besides, there was Li Su…