RPDPHW Chapter 23

When Zhong Shujin opened her eyes, the person beside her was already gone.

If not for the lingering traces on her body and the disheveled bed reminding her that last night had truly happened, she might have thought it was all just a dream.

After all, over the past two years, she had dreamed of nights like that more than once…

Thinking of it now, Zhong Shujin couldn’t help but blush. She patted her flushed cheeks, sat up, and began to take in her surroundings.

Alright, Gu Qingyin was really gone.

How annoying—leaving without even saying a word.

After finally meeting again, she couldn’t even properly say goodbye before leaving.

Zhong Shujin got up, put on her clothes, and, feeling inexplicably irritated, stepped out of the room.

Not seeing her subordinates upstairs, she boldly went downstairs.

The Tang Clan’s people couldn’t have found their hiding place so quickly, could they?

In the inn’s main hall, Jing Rong and the others were gathered around a square table in the corner, listening intently to the surrounding conversations. They were so focused that they didn’t even notice Zhong Shujin standing behind them—until she spoke.

“Why are only you guys here? Where’s Uncle Qiu?”

Jing Rong, knowing that Zhong Shujin disliked being too close to others, quickly stood up and gave up his seat for her. Then, he squeezed in next to Leng Shaoying and replied, “Protector Qiu went out to gather information!”

Zhong Shujin gave a slight nod and sat down in Jing Rong’s original seat.

Seeing this, Leng Shaoying pushed the side dishes toward Zhong Shujin. “You must be hungry after sleeping for so long, Chief. Eat something first.”

At the same time, Li Ziming, who was sitting across from Zhong Shujin, handed her a pair of chopsticks and asked with concern, “Chief, do you feel any discomfort anywhere?”

Zhong Shujin took the chopsticks and mumbled, “Mm… it’s fine…”

There was discomfort, but it was too embarrassing to mention…

Leng Shaoying chuckled. “Just look at the Chief’s complexion today—much better than before. That young lady’s medical skills are outstanding. How could she leave the Chief feeling unwell?”

Zhong Shujin pouted in grievance. The one who made her body ache was that person, okay!

She didn’t respond but straightened her sore waist and tapped Ju Yuze, who was sitting beside her and eavesdropping, with her chopsticks.

“What are you listening to so intently?”

Ju Yuze rubbed his head and grinned mischievously as he leaned closer to Zhong Shujin, speaking in a mysterious tone. “Chief, do you know what happened this morning?”

“I don’t. Why don’t you tell me?”

But Ju Yuze deliberately kept her in suspense. “It’s no fun just telling you outright. Why don’t you take a guess, Chief?”

Zhong Shujin calmly poured herself a cup of wine. After taking a sip, she picked up a bite of food from the table, chewing and swallowing it slowly before speaking.

“Rong’er, you tell me.”

Beside her, Jing Rong dutifully reported, “Chief, the Grand Elder of Tang Sect, Zhu Xing’an, died this morning!”

Died?

Zhu Xing’an is dead?!

Hearing this news, Zhong Shujin couldn’t help but feel a bit surprised.

What kind of joke was this? That old man was still full of life when he threw poison darts at her last night!

How could he just suddenly die overnight?

Zhong Shujin hadn’t even recovered from her shock when Li Ziming added, “And he was poisoned to death!”

What?! The Grand Elder of the Tang Sect was poisoned to death?

The Tang Sect were known as the most skilled poison masters in the martial world, yet their own Grand Elder had died from poisoning.

If this news spread, the entire martial world would laugh their heads off!

Seeing the slight twitch in the corner of Zhong Shujin’s mouth, Ju Yuze added, “What’s even funnier is that he was killed by their own Five Venoms Powder!”

Ah, now Zhong Shujin was truly baffled. How could Zhu Xing’an suddenly be poisoned to death by Five Venoms Powder? Didn’t the Tang Sect have an antidote for it?

Seeing the doubt in Zhong Shujin’s eyes, Leng Shaoying lowered her voice and recounted what she had heard earlier that day.

“This morning, Zhu Xing’an led people through the city searching for us. Before they could find us, someone ambushed him in the streets. The hidden weapon that struck him seemed identical to the poisoned dart he used against you last night—it was clearly from the Tang Sect. After being hit, the Third Elder beside him immediately stepped forward to check his wound. When he finished, he scoffed and said, ‘Five Venoms Powder! Which ignorant fool dares to use Five Venoms Powder against a Tang Sect member?!’ Zhu Xing’an also sneered at the idea and casually took out the antidote from his robes and swallowed it.”

Leng Shaoying paused before continuing, her voice carrying a hint of irony.

“But then, something unexpected happened. At first, he seemed fine, but the moment he swallowed the antidote, he suddenly started foaming at the mouth! His eyes widened in disbelief, and he clutched his throat, as if trying to force the antidote back up. But it was useless—within moments, he collapsed and died on the spot!”

Since Zhu Xing’an died in the middle of the street, news of the incident spread quickly.

Now, the story of the Tang Sect’s Grand Elder dying from Five Venoms Powder had already circulated throughout the martial world, turning the prestigious sect into a laughingstock among the major factions.

Sure enough, the nearby martial artists sitting in the tavern were eagerly discussing the event.

“Hahaha! The Tang Sect has truly embarrassed itself this time! Not only did they fail to catch the Demon Sect members, but they even lost their own Grand Elder!”

“Exactly! And to make it worse, that Grand Elder died from their very own Five Venoms Powder! Just hearing about it makes me laugh!”

“To be poisoned by his own sect’s creation… no wonder he died with his eyes wide open in disbelief!”

“Still, if you ask me, the Demon Sect really got lucky. With the Tang Sect now busy handling their Grand Elder’s funeral, they won’t have time to go after them anymore!”

“Haha, true enough! But honestly, the Tang Sect went too far this time. If they hadn’t slaughtered dozens of Demon Sect disciples for no reason, that demoness wouldn’t have stormed their stronghold for revenge!”

“Well, these major sects have been fighting and killing each other for ages. This kind of chaos is nothing new.”

“Exactly! As long as they don’t drag us into it, I couldn’t care less!”

Upon hearing their conversation, Zhong Shujin frowned and muttered, “Tsk, what a waste. He died too quickly—I didn’t even get to properly vent my anger!”

Li Ziming sighed helplessly and said, “Cult Leader, if we hadn’t run into that poison doctor, we might not have made it out in one piece. Now that the Tang Sect has lost their Grand Elder, their internal power dynamics will definitely shift. With this turmoil, they won’t be coming after us anytime soon. Given that, I’d say we’ve accomplished enough for now. Why don’t we call it a day and return to the sect? We can deal with everything else once we’re back.”

Zhong Shujin pouted unhappily. Taking down an enemy without doing it herself just didn’t give the same sense of satisfaction.

Besides, the thought of going back to the sect right now… something about it felt off.

It felt like… something was missing.

“Ah, speak of the devil, and the devil appears!” Ju Yuze suddenly stood up, waving excitedly toward the entrance. “Miss Nian! Over here, over here!”

Zhong Shujin lifted her gaze and caught Gu Qingyin’s eyes across the room.

Hmm, so she didn’t leave without a word. Good.

Suppressing the sudden surge of excitement in her heart, Zhong Shujin forced herself to look away calmly. She shot Ju Yuze a glare and snapped, “Stop spouting nonsense! Her surname isn’t Nian! And she’s not called Nian Jin either!”

Nian Jin.

No matter what she thought about it, that name just sounded… strange.

Hearing their leader’s reprimand, Ju Yuze suddenly recalled the way the cult leader had called out last night before the poison doctor took her away—along with the sounds he had overheard outside the door. Curiosity piqued, he asked, “So if she’s not called Nian Jin, then… is it Qingqing?”

At his words, Zhong Shujin slammed the table with a loud bang, shooting him a sharp glare. “You’re not allowed to call her that!”

Furious!

The name Qingqing—only she was allowed to say it!

Ju Yuze flinched at his leader’s sudden outburst, shrinking his neck timidly. “Then what should we call her? There are so many of us—we can’t just keep calling her ‘Poison Doctor’ all the time. What if we accidentally attract her enemies?”

… Hmm. That actually made some sense.

Before Zhong Shujin could speak, a voice laced with amusement came from beside her. “It’s just a name—call me whatever you like.”

Zhong Shujin instantly felt annoyed. How could it just be ‘whatever’?!

Seeing that Ju Yuze was about to call out Qingqing, she quickly tensed her face and corrected him in time. “From now on, you’ll call her Doctor Gu!”

Noticing the sharp look in Zhong Shujin’s eyes, Ju Yuze hurriedly shut his mouth and obediently changed his words. “Doctor Gu…”

Calling a poison doctor—one feared by many top martial artists—a mere doctor… It felt oddly off.

Gu Qingyin’s lips curved slightly as she locked eyes with Zhong Shujin. With an air of casual ease, she responded to Ju Yuze, “Hmm? What is it?”

Ju Yuze patted the empty seat beside him and said, “Doctor… Doctor Gu, have a seat first before we continue talking!”

Before Gu Qingyin could move, Ju Yuze suddenly let out a loud wail. “Ah!!! Teach—why did you kick me?!”

Everyone at the table turned their gaze toward Zhong Shujin.

She sat there, her face cold and unreadable, saying nothing. However, she awkwardly scooted to the side, deliberately leaving an open seat next to her.

The Bloodflame Sect members exchanged glances, all equally surprised. Huh?

Their leader had always disliked being too close to others. Since when was she willing to share a seat with someone?

Gu Qingyin’s smile almost overflowed from her eyes, but she still pretended not to understand, walking past Zhong Shujin toward the seat beside Ju Yuze.

Before she could take more than two steps, a firm tug on her sleeve stopped her.

She turned, feigning confusion. “What’s wrong?”

Zhong Shujin pressed her lips together, a hint of displeasure in her voice. “Men and women should have boundaries. Don’t sit with him. Sit next to me instead.”

Hmph! She had already hinted so obviously—why wasn’t this person getting it?!

Before Gu Qingyin could respond, Ju Yuze beat her to it, exclaiming, “Hey, Teach, when you used to force me to take you to the brothel, you never seemed to care about men and women having boundaries!”

Hearing this, Gu Qingyin raised an eyebrow.

“Brothel?”