In Emei, start by obtaining golden attributes.

Chapter 381 The Five Poisons Sect, the Great Joyful Female Bodhisattva
evening.

After showing Fan Sanshan, Cheng Shifei, and Tie Chuanjia around some places in Baoding Prefecture, the group returned south of the city.

"Sir, please have mercy!"

As they approached the restaurant that Li Xunhuan had recommended, a beggar suddenly walked up to them carrying a broken bowl.

"Gentlemen, please have mercy, please have mercy!"

Looking at the beggar in front of him, Li Xunhuan did not drive him away, but instead took out ten copper coins from his money bag and put them into the beggar's broken bowl.

Fan Sanshan glanced at Li Xunhuan's money pouch and could tell from its shrunken state that there wasn't much silver inside.

Considering that Li Xunhuan had already given his entire fortune to Long Xiaoyun, Fan Sanshan couldn't help but feel admiration.

Fan Sanshan believed he had met countless people in his life, but he had never met anyone as generous as Li Xunhuan to the point of being almost foolish.

If Fan Sanshan hadn't known Li Xunhuan's identity, he would never have been able to connect the man in front of him with a top-tier martial arts master.

No wonder there's a saying in the martial arts world: "There's no better friend than Li Xunhuan."

Faced with Li Xunhuan's charity, the beggar repeatedly bowed in gratitude.

However, his clothes were too dirty, and as he kept bowing, they carried a slight fishy smell, which made Fan Sanshan and Cheng Shifei frown slightly after smelling the beggar's odor.

After the beggar made way and returned to the side of the street to squat down again, the group continued walking towards the restaurant.

Just as the group had walked away, the seemingly ordinary beggar, who had just retreated back to the street corner, suddenly looked up at the backs of Li Xunhuan and his companions.

"Just as the manor lord said, he is clearly a first-rate expert, but he is a soft-hearted person. Little Li Flying Dagger is nothing more than that."

After speaking, the beggar slowly stood up and walked into the alleyway beside him.

A moment later, a figure emerged from the alley.

He was slender, and held a long, jet-black sword in his left hand.

It was Hu Bugui, one of Long Xiaoyun's subordinates.

Half an hour later, after everyone had eaten and drunk their fill, Tie Chuanjia suddenly returned to the second floor. He glanced at Fan Sanshan sitting opposite Li Xunhuan and said, "Young Master, the manager downstairs said that the bill for our table has been settled."

Upon hearing this, Li Xunhuan frowned slightly.

"I'm hosting tonight, how can I let Brother Fan spend so much money?"

Fan Sanshan smiled and said, "The cost of a meal is nothing compared to the help Brother Li gave us outside the Great Wall that saved our lives. Brother Li doesn't need to worry about it."

That being said, Li Xunhuan knew perfectly well that Fan Sanshan had already seen through their financial difficulties, which was why he deliberately used the excuse of going to the toilet to settle the bill in advance.

The thought that at his age, he was suddenly indebted to someone because of money made Li Xunhuan's eyes dim.

Taking in Li Xunhuan's expression, Fan Sanshan said, "This afternoon, Brother Li mentioned that the night view of the river in Baoding Prefecture is excellent. Now that we've had a good meal, why don't you show us the night view of Baoding Prefecture?"

Upon hearing this, Li Xunhuan nodded slightly in acknowledgment.

The group then got up and left the restaurant amidst casual conversation and laughter.

However, after walking on the street for a while and looking at the quiet street, Fan Sanshan's smile gradually faded.

"Brother Li, does Baoding Prefecture have a curfew? Why are the streets so deserted at this hour?"

Upon hearing this, Li Xunhuan shook his head and said, "Brother Fan, you flatter me. It has been more than ten years since I returned to Baoding Prefecture, and I am not particularly clear about the current situation in Baoding Prefecture."

As they replied, both Li Xunhuan and Tie Chuanjia became more wary.

"Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh"

Just then, several subtle yet sharp whooshing sounds suddenly rang out from the dark eaves and alley corners, as fast as lightning, aimed directly at the four people in the center of the street.

Li Xunhuan reacted with astonishing speed. Almost the instant the sound of something breaking through the air rang out, the weariness in his eyes vanished, a glint of light flashed, and his right hand fingers swiftly flicked several times in his sleeve as if playing a zither or plucking flowers.

"Shh! Shh! Shh!"

Several condensed, needle-like cyan finger strikes shot out, emitting sharp, short hissing sounds, precisely meeting the incoming black shadows.

However, as Li Xunhuan's finger strikes pierced through the air, the moment they made contact with the incoming objects, the dark shadows exploded into several thick, ink-like, pungent black smoke powders.

The smoke and dust spread extremely quickly, and with the night wind sweeping through, it seemed poised to engulf Li Xunhuan and his companions.

Before the smoke and powder even touched them, Li Xunhuan, Fan Sanshan, and the others all smelled a sweet and fishy odor that made them dizzy and caused their internal organs to churn.

"It's poisonous smoke, be careful!"

Fan Sanshan, being experienced, shouted loudly the moment he smelled the poisonous fumes.

At the same time, his powerful true energy circulated rapidly within his body, and the folding fan made of fine steel in his hand unfolded with a "whoosh." With a flick of his wrist, the fan surface turned into a hazy gray afterimage, bringing with it a series of fierce and powerful gusts of wind, like several small whirlwinds, which frantically swept towards the poisonous powder rushing towards him.

A strong wind howled, blowing most of the black poison powder back and scattering it towards the walls and eaves on both sides of the street, but a small amount of fine dust still lingered in the air, causing the sweet and fishy smell to linger.

Tie Chuanjia reacted a moment too slowly, but he immediately held his breath, his burly body suddenly taking half a step forward, subtly protecting Li Xunhuan behind him. His iron fists were already clenched, his beard bristled, his eyes wide open, and he vigilantly scanned the surrounding darkness.

Cheng Shifei was startled by the sudden attack and instinctively covered his mouth and nose. He hurriedly circulated his not-so-profound internal energy, his eyes filled with surprise and doubt.

"Whoosh! Whoosh! Whoosh!"

However, before the poison powder could completely dissipate, figures either leaped onto the rooftops on both sides of the street like ghosts, or darted out from the shadows of the alleyways.

Under the bright moonlight and the light from the lanterns (streetlights in ancient times) on the tall wooden poles along the street, Li Xunhuan and his companions were able to clearly see the people's attire.

They were all dressed in colorful ethnic costumes, mainly in purple, black, and green. Their faces were either painted with strange patterns or covered with veils of the same color, revealing only pairs of cold, cruel, and emotionless eyes.

The weapons these people carried were also quite peculiar, mostly short blades with hooks, poisoned daggers, and strangely shaped forks, which gleamed with an ominous blue or dark green luster under the moonlight, clearly all coated with potent poison.

What was even more unsettling was that when these people appeared, the sweet, fishy smell in the air seemed to be mixed with a faint, pungent odor and the strange smell of decaying vegetation, along with a faint rustling sound, as if countless tiny creatures were crawling in the darkness. Sweeping his gaze over the people around him, Li Xunhuan's tone became even more grave: "Be careful, they're from the Five Poisons Sect!"

Upon learning the identities of these people, Fan Sanshan and Cheng Shifei's expressions changed.

In the martial arts world, if we were to rank the sects that use poison, the Five Poisons Sect would definitely be in the top three.

Even in terms of the ability to use and concoct poisons, the Tang Clan would have to admit defeat.

The disciples of the Five Poisons Sect may have ordinary martial arts skills, but each of them is definitely a master of using poison.

Even a disciple of the Five Poisons Sect who is still in the Acquired Realm might carry poison that can incapacitate a martial artist who has condensed their Yuan Qi into Gang Qi.

It is also because everyone in the Five Poisons Sect uses poison as their main ingredient, and the Five Poisons Sect acts particularly ruthlessly, that even though the Five Poisons Sect is only a second-rate force, the first-rate forces in the martial arts world, and even people from Wudang and Shaolin, are unwilling to provoke the Five Poisons Sect members casually.

None of them expected that they would encounter the Five Poisons Sect so soon after arriving in Baoding Prefecture.

Just then, several unhurried footsteps came from the other end of the long street.

The footsteps were very light, yet strangely they drowned out all the other subtle sounds in the room, clearly reaching everyone's ears.

Li Xunhuan and Fan Sanshan looked towards the street corner upon hearing the sound.

In their line of sight, several pale white lanterns rapidly approached from afar, their dim, swaying light barely illuminating the figures slowly walking towards them.

The leader was a woman who was about fifty years old.

She wore a gorgeous long dress in deep purple embroidered with intricate silver insect and snake patterns, with a black gauze cloak over it. Her long hair was styled in a high bun, adorned with several strangely shaped ebony ornaments that resembled hairpins or hair sticks.

The glow of the lantern outlined her facial features, highlighting her three-dimensional and deep features, and hints of her youthful beauty could still be seen in her eyes and brows.

However, at this moment, his face was filled with a gloomy and indifferent expression that came from long-term exposure to highly toxic substances.

What was most striking were her lips, not a healthy rosy red, but a deep, almost blackish-purple, which gleamed eerily under the pale light. Anyone with even a little experience in the underworld would know that this was a hallmark of someone who had spent years testing poisons on herself and whose body had accumulated a large amount of mixed toxins. What would be a deadly poison to an ordinary person might be commonplace to her.

She wasn't holding any weapon; it just hung naturally at her sides. Her ten fingers were long and slender, and her nails were painted dark purple, smooth and sharp.

Behind her followed three elderly men, each dressed differently and exuding the same sinister aura, who were clearly elders or protectors of the sect.

The woman stopped three zhang away from Li Xunhuan and the others. In the dim light, her eyes looked at Li Xunhuan, who was surrounded in the middle. Her gaze was not like that of looking at a person, but more like that of examining a precious poison material, with scrutiny, inquiry, and a hint of cat-and-mouse playfulness.

He is none other than He Baiyao, the current leader of the Five Poisons Sect.

The streets were deathly silent, save for the howling of the night wind as it swept through the empty streets and the faint rustling of insects crawling across them.

She slightly twitched the corners of her dark lips, as if she wanted to laugh, but it only sent a chill down one's spine: "Tsk tsk, I've heard of him before. Not only is Li Xunhuan, the Little Li Scholar, never missing his target with his flying daggers, but he is also a rare handsome man."

"Seeing it today, the rumors are indeed true."

Hearing what He Baiyao said, Li Xunhuan coughed lightly twice, then looked up at He Baiyao and said, "I have no connection with the Five Poisons Sect. I just returned to Baoding Prefecture from the border today. I wonder where I have offended your sect, causing Sect Leader He to set up such a show tonight?"

In response to Li Xunhuan's question, He Baiyao gently raised his hand and brushed away non-existent dust from his cloak with his dark purple fingernails, and said slowly, "Nothing much, I'm just asking for a favor from you, Master Li."

Upon hearing this, Li Xunhuan asked softly, "What kind of help?"

He Baiyao smiled and said, "I would like to ask Master Li to help me serve someone."

Li Xunhuan narrowed his eyes slightly: "Who is it?"

Immediately afterwards, a deep, muffled voice, as if squeezed from the depths of a huge abdomen, suddenly came from the rooftop on the other side of the street, picking up where Li Xunhuan left off.

"Of course it is me."

The sound wasn't particularly loud, but it had a sticky, heavy, and extremely uncomfortable penetrating power, as if it were hitting one's eardrums and heart directly.

Immediately afterwards, a series of muffled footsteps, like the beating of a drum, rang out, causing the bluestone slabs beneath their feet to tremble slightly.

It wasn't the sound of a person walking; it sounded more like a colossal elephant slowly pacing. With each step, dust fell from the eaves of the houses along the street, and Li Xunhuan and the others felt a sudden sinking feeling in their hearts.

The followers of the Five Poisons Sect looked on with awe towards the source of the sound and vibration, which was the roof of a three-story restaurant on the right side of the street.

Under the interplay of moonlight and the pale glow of lanterns, a massive figure rapidly approached from afar.

Her face was as big as a copper basin, with layers of flesh piled up on it, squeezing her original features so much that they were almost distorted.

A huge, gaudy, bright red brocade robe covered her like a tent, but it was stretched taut and about to burst, especially around her chest and abdomen, where layers of fat almost burst the silk, creating deep, bottomless folds.

It looked like a mountain of flesh.

Despite her extreme obesity, her hair was slicked back and styled into an exaggerated high bun, adorned with gold and jade hairpins. Her plump fingers were also covered with various gemstone rings, gleaming with a vulgar luster of wealth.

She is not alone.

In the shadow of her massive body, and on the rooftops on either side, a dozen or so figures stood indistinctly.

The group consisted of both men and women, dressed in various styles, but all were agile and had sharp eyes, clearly skilled fighters.

What's even more striking is that among them are five or six handsome and robust young men, dressed in light and luxurious silk shirts, with fawning and numb smiles on their faces, surrounding her like stars around the moon, some gently fanning her, others holding food boxes for her.

When she stood still, the moonlight clearly outlined her silhouette, even seasoned veterans like Li Xunhuan and Fan Sanshan, who had seen it all, couldn't help but show a hint of undisguised astonishment and solemnity in their eyes.

Seeing the mountain of flesh that was almost two heads taller than He Baiyao as it approached, Fan Sanshan's expression changed drastically.

"The Great Joyful Female Bodhisattva".

"Ok?"

Looking at the Great Joyful Female Bodhisattva opposite him, Li Xunhuan's expression first showed doubt, and then, as if he understood something, his expression immediately turned ugly.

However, while everyone's attention was focused on the Great Joyful Bodhisattva opposite them, no one noticed that a golden-white figure silently landed in the shadow of a rooftop, like a gentle breeze.

(End of this chapter)