Gentlemen, it's time to enter the Banner of Ten Thousand Souls.

Chapter 231 was poisoned
Chen Ye never knew that Mo Ci was actually a very cautious person.

When he was learning his skills before, Mo Ci seemed half-dead, as if he didn't care about anything. But now he's on high alert, as if this Pearl and Treasure Pavilion is a den of dragons and tigers.

Chen Ye asked a question, and Mo Ci replied, "I didn't even have many years left to live, why should I be cautious?"

Chen Ye then asked, "What about me? I was just a little devil back then, so you had to help me guard against him, right?"

Mo Ci said without hesitation, "I can't even survive myself, so what does it matter to me whether you live or die?"

Chen Ye: ...

He truly lives up to his reputation as a direct descendant of the Crimson Serpent Demon Sect.

However, Chen Ye is now about to become a master himself, so he doesn't hold a grudge against Mo Ci.

The service at Zhuguang Baoqilou is also quite attentive. Early in the morning, someone delivers the morning tea dishes without knocking or disturbing the door. They simply place them outside the door, and a pleasant fragrance wafts over.

When Chen Ye woke up from his meditation, he opened the door and saw the still-steaming breakfast.

This small table used for serving tea is also a treasure; it keeps the tea warm and fresh.

Chen Ye couldn't help but think of the small table with only four wheels at the Yellow Spring Sect; the comparison was truly too shabby.

"Truly worthy of being one of the five major sects, their foundation is extraordinary."

Chen Ye was sighing with admiration, about to take a bite of the exquisite breakfast, when Mo Ci suddenly appeared, snatched it away, and said, "Be careful, do you know if this stuff is poisoned?"

Chen Ye said irritably, "Master, aren't you being a little too cautious? Why would Tianxin Island poison me if there's nothing wrong with them? I have no grudge against them."

Mo Ci shook her head and said, "What if they didn't poison you? What if your enemy knew you lived here and secretly poisoned you to frame Tianxin Island?"

"The enemy framed me..."

Chen Ye was speechless. With a thought, the red snake landed next to the snacks and flicked its tail, slapping the snacks in front of Chen Ye.

Chen Ye grabbed it and stuffed it into his mouth, instantly filling his mouth with a fragrant and sweet taste.

After finishing his meal and wiping his mouth, Chen Ye said to Mo Ci, "Even if I were poisoned, I wouldn't be afraid. Most poisons in the world are ineffective against me."

This is not bragging; it's one of the effects of the ginseng fruit's aroma.

Chen Ye has now cultivated both his inner and outer strength, and his physical body is close to that of a primordial being. According to Qu Heng, even the most skilled poison master back then would find it difficult to poison Chen Ye. Even if the poison were effective, Chen Ye would immediately detect it and expel it from his body.

This is the power of having a naturally endowed body.

It is close to the Tao, and all evils cannot invade it.

Seeing Chen Ye's state, Mo Ci was so angry that her face twitched. This kid has grown too big for his britches and doesn't even listen to his master anymore.

Just as he was about to reprimand him, Chen Ye's expression suddenly changed, and he opened his mouth and spat out a clump of chewed pastry.

Mo Ci asked in confusion, "Who are you...?"

Chen Ye said with a serious expression, "You guessed right, Master. These pastries really were poisoned."

Upon hearing this, Mo Ci instantly transformed into a golden gust of wind and rushed out the door.

A moment later, Mo Ci returned to the room and said to Chen Ye, "No one is watching us, so it seems the person who poisoned us isn't nearby."

With the combined power of the Day Wanderer and Mo Ci's own talent, he ran like the wind, covering most of the surrounding area in a short time without attracting the attention of the Pearl and Treasure Pavilion.

Chen Ye frowned as he looked at the pile of pastries.

This doesn't make sense; Fang Zhixuan has no reason to poison anyone.

But something was definitely wrong with this pastry. Chen Ye's innate body had just sensed it when he spat it out, and he was not injured.

But who exactly wants to harm me?
Mo Ci asked, "Do you know what kind of poison this is?"

Chen Ye nodded and said, "Judging from the properties of the medicine, it seems to be a very famous aphrodisiac in the Demonic Sect back then. It damages the soul and greatly reduces people's resistance to bewitching techniques. You won't notice it for a while, and you will only find out when your soul is attacked."

Chen Ye knew this because he had obtained many of the Demonic Sect's scriptures from Qu Heng, including relevant records. The books detailed the effects and characteristics of this drug, as well as its approximate formula.

However, the refining method was somewhat incomplete, and not all the details were fully understood. This kind of aphrodisiac was a common tactic used by the Demon Lord of Bewitching Hearts, and when combined with the Demon Lord's charm techniques, it was virtually invincible.

How could such a secret poison from the Demonic Sect be in the pastries sent from Tianxin Island?
Mo Ci pondered for a moment and said, "That Fang Zhixuan might be a spy from the Demonic Sect."

Chen Ye shook his head and said, "It's unlikely, and it doesn't seem right. Putting aside Fang Zhixuan's status on Tianxin Island, the fact that he could mobilize so many resources means he must be a cultivator with a relatively high status on Tianxin Island. The Demonic Sect has been declining for a thousand years, so where would a spy come from to do something like this?"

"Even if he is a spy for the Demonic Sect, why would he target a mere Tongxuan Realm cultivator like me instead of harming so many disciples from the five major sects? Is he willing to expose his identity just to harm me? Isn't this a huge loss?"

Chen Ye trusted his intuition. He had been drinking with Fang Zhixuan until midnight last night and felt that although Fang was a bit slick, he was at least a friend worth making.

Mo Ci actually thought Chen Ye made sense; harming someone requires not only a motive but also the right timing.

Why wait until earlier to poison someone when there was such a good opportunity last night?

Did he think that by spending one night chatting with Chen Ye, he could lower his guard and make him swallow the poison?
There were too many inconsistencies, and both Chen Ye and Mo Ci felt that there was more to the story.

Chen Ye waved his hand and summoned several crimson fire snakes to clean up the poisoned pastries. Then he said to Mo Ci, "Master, let's not alert them yet. Since the person who poisoned us used a sleeping potion, and even used it in conjunction with a charm technique, the person behind it must have other preparations."

“They couldn’t possibly know that I have a congenital constitution, and most people can’t even tell the difference from this sleeping potion, so they must think I’ve already been poisoned. In that case, when the person behind the scenes makes their move again, I’ll know who the real culprit is.”

Mo Ci asked doubtfully, "A wise man does not stand under a dangerous wall, and he would rather die than let his friend die. If you know someone wants to harm you, why bother catching the murderer? Why not just leave? Let's leave the Pearl and Treasure Pavilion now, go to the Qinghe Sword Sect to talk about this, and then have them take you to Rift Sky Mountain. Wouldn't that be safer?"

“It’s safe, but my status is different now.” Chen Ye sighed and said, “Master, I’m no longer that nameless little devil. Before, I could run away whenever I was in danger without any worries. But now I am the sect leader of the Yellow Springs Sect, and my every move represents the Yellow Springs Sect.”

"If I leave without saying goodbye, it will be tantamount to offending Tianxin Island. Even if this matter is brought up later, others will say that the Huangquan Sect Master is a coward, and the entire Huangquan Sect disciples will have to bear this infamy. If any of the disciples have any conflicts with others in the future, they will naturally be weaker, and others will think that the Huangquan Sect is easy to bully, causing a lot of trouble for no reason."

What Chen Ye was talking about was his personal experience from his previous life.

When Chen Ye first started school, he was rather short and was often teased for looking like a girl, and he was bullied quite a bit.

You can't always run away. But if you run away even once, those bastards will know you're afraid.

The more afraid you are, the easier you are to bully, and many despicable people will be willing to harm others and themselves to come and cause you trouble.

The same applies when you grow up: the easier a person is to talk to, the more likely they are to be bullied or blatantly taken advantage of when interacting with others in the future.

The world is vast, and if Chen Ye were all alone, he should run away.

But this concerns the sect, so we can't let others think that the Yellow Springs Sect is so easy to bully.

Chen Ye said to Mo Ci with unwavering determination, "Master, we must find the person who poisoned us and punish them severely so that we can uphold the prestige of our Yellow Springs Sect."

Mo Ci shook his head and said, "Alas, mortals are always burdened by fame, and it's the same even if they cultivate immortality. Why bother with such external things? Wouldn't it be better to just focus on cultivating to immortality?"

Chen Ye calmly said, "If the reputation of the Yellow Springs Sect is damaged, your incense offerings will be gone."

Upon hearing this, Mo Ci exclaimed excitedly, "My disciple is right! Anyone who dares to provoke my Yellow Springs Sect must be severely punished! Catch him out and let him taste the three hundred cruel tortures of the Demonic Sect!"

Chen Ye couldn't help but laugh out loud. Sure enough, when communicating with the old devil, prioritizing profit was the most effective approach.

Despite the laughter, Chen Ye said to Mo Ci very seriously, "I'm not joking anymore. I need to trouble you for a favor. As far as I know, although the Bewitching Demon Lord's drug is colorless, odorless, and extremely effective, it's very troublesome to prepare. It requires fresh tears as a catalyst."

"And it's not just any ordinary tears; it has to be the tears of a virgin, and it has to be prepared within three hours to be effective. Otherwise, the drug will have a sour and foul smell, making it easy to detect."

Mo Ci listened with a puzzled look: "Tears of a virgin? This Pearl Harbor has a population of tens of thousands. It's not difficult to find a virgin. How do you expect me to investigate?"

Chen Ye said, “There are indeed many women in the port, but the person who poisoned this breakfast must be someone from the Pearl and Treasure Pavilion. They must have had the opportunity to handle these pastries, making it easier to poison them. If I were the one who poisoned it, it would be easiest to use my own tears. So Master can start investigating from here.”

Chen Ye couldn't guarantee the accuracy of this lead, but it was the only convenient way to investigate at the moment.

However, since the Pearl Pavilion was ultimately Tianxin Island's territory, Chen Ye couldn't investigate it openly. He could only wish Mo Ci to be careful and cautious, preferring to find nothing rather than alert the enemy or incur the displeasure of Tianxin Island.

Mo Ci readily agreed; for a centuries-old devil like him, such secret investigations were quite familiar.

To ensure sufficient secrecy, Chen Ye also arranged for Mo Ci to act alongside two mirage demons, as illusions could be effective in crucial moments.

After Mo Ci left, Chen Ye thought about it and decided not to stay in the room any longer.

Since the person behind this is planning to use a seductive technique on him, he might as well go out for a walk and maybe lure the snake out of its hole.

(End of this chapter)