In the dark dwelling, Li Qingshan carefully avoided the bottles littered across the ground. A strange smell filled the air, and the entire place was messy, which was quite the contrast from her clean and tidy personality.
A miserable howl suddenly rang out from the depths of the dwelling. Li Qingshan rushed over, only to see Ru Xin standing there in white. The howl had emerged from right in front of him.
Li Qingshan tapped her on the shoulder, and Ru Xin turned around, revealing a hideous, green face, which made Li Qingshan jump in fright. However, he immediately realised it was just a rusted bronze mask.
“What are you doing?” Li Qingshan grumbled and saw what was going on in front of her.
A fire devourer was bound firmly to the stone platform. He was cut open along his abdomen, revealing his organs. In particular, his bright-red heart shone with fire-red light. Ru Xin currently held a small bottle, pouring an unknown liquid onto the heart. The fire devourer’s howls became more and more violent.
There were several dozen coffins standing in the surroundings of the dwelling with several dozen fire devourers of all ages and genders among them. Their eyes were firmly shut, but they continued to breathe.
With a tremble of her hand, Ru Xin poured all of the liquid in the bottle onto the fire devourer. Immediately, the fire devourer stopped howling, and his body became a greyish-white.
“Why are you here?” Ru Xin’s voice rang out from behind the bronze mask, which came off as rather sunken.
“I’ve come to take a look at what you’re doing. What’re you wearing that for?” Li Qingshan looked at Ru Xin. He simply had a feeling that she was a little different from usual.
“It’s just a poison mask. I found it in the Myriad Poison Ancestor’s possessions. If there’s nothing else, you can go play somewhere else. Stop disturbing me.” Ru Xin waved her hand in annoyance.
“What’s this supposed to be, live experimentation?” Li Qingshan tapped the fire devourer on the stone platform, only to discover that his body was as hard as rock. Even his blood had frozen. He clicked his tongue. “What strange and potent poison!”
“With your level of intelligence, even if I tell you, you’d struggle to understand.” Ru Xin laid out her hands and shook her head around.
“You can insult my personality, but you can’t insult my intelligence.” Li Qingshan was furious. If he was called a fool by the Clam King of Mirage Sea, then so be it. He would not stoop to the same level as a madman. However, after coming home after so much difficulty, he was still being labelled as an imbecile.
“Heh, that’s a pity because you have neither.”
Li Qingshan downright ignored her and wandered around through her dwelling. He tapped the crystal coffins and weighed the bottles in his hand, coming to a vague understanding. He asked, “You plan on using poisons against Fire Melt mountain?”
“No, not poison. Disease, or you can call it viruses,” said Ru Xin.
“What virus?’ Li Qingshan said.
“A malignant disease that’s highly infectious. So far, I have two directions. One can turn them into rock like that, while the other makes them heat up before going bang in the end! Hehehe!”
Ru Xin gestured with her hands, and her voice revealed a hint of craziness. Her eyes shone like fire. Combined with the hideous mask, she seemed quite disturbing.
“Are you alright?” Li Qingshan asked in concern. He wanted to take down Fire Melt mountain and obtain the divine wutong tree, but he did not want her to become crazy like Shen Mengdie.
“Never been better,” said Ru Xin.
“Then… can this disease infect the Fire Devouring King as well?” Li Qingshan asked.
“Of course not. It can infect fire devourers at the first heavenly tribulation at most.”
“Then what’s the point of it? It can’t even touch the mainstay of Fire Melt mountain. Don’t tell me you’re planning on waiting for stronger fire devourers to die from old age? I’d rather not wait around,” said Li Qingshan.
“I said you don’t have a brain, yet you refuse to admit it. Once I create this disease, I can sell it to the Crystal palace, which is the imperial court of the merpeople, and exchange for a great deal of benefits. What do you think the Crystal palace will do after they obtain it?”
“They’ll use it! It’s a grudge that runs across generations after all. If your disease really is as powerful as you said it is, then it can destroy the foundation of Fire Melt mountain,” Li Qingshan said.
Otherfolk possessed excellent talent for cultivation, but those that had not undergone any heavenly tribulations or were only at the first heavenly tribulation still formed the majority. Once the merpeople obtained a weapon capable of massacre like this, it was impossible for them to not use it, and once they did use it, all they had to do was wait for Fire Melt mountain to be destroyed.
“Do you think Fire Melt mountain will just sit still? No, they won’t be able to think that far ahead. Anger and hatred will consume them. Unlike the countless wars in the past, this will be a war of extinction!” Ru Xin smiled.
The two races had been at war with one another for many years, and they each had their victories, but no matter who won or lost, as long as they retreated to their respective territories, the enemy would be constrained by the geography. Any attempts at pursuit would become difficult. The main peak of Fire Melt mountain and the Crystal palace had never been under attack, and it was virtually impossible for cultivators as powerful as the Merfolk King and the Fire Devouring King to die. Once they possessed a geographic advantage, it was very likely for them to turn the tables.
As a result, the plan of borrowing the forces of the Merfolk of the South sea to attack Fire Melt mountain seemed simple on the surface, but it was nowhere near that simple in reality. No matter how deeply the two races hated one another, they would never take a risk like that. He would probably still have to fight, but it would be very easy for the merpeople to treat him as cannon fodder.
Li Qingshan had worried about this before, but he trusted Xiao An’s plans and preparations, so he never delved too far into it. Only now did he find out it was such a vicious and devastating scheme, which they had kept as a secret from him for quite some time now. Perhaps it could also be described as an open plan, a strategy. As long as they possessed this disease, it was impossible for the Merfolk of the South sea to not use it, but as soon as they used it, it would be war.
If everything progressed smoothly, then he would not even have to worry about facing the Fire Devouring King. All he had to do was wait until the fire devourers and merfolk both suffered heavy casualties. He could even say there was no risk at all, and he would be able to obtain so many benefits from the merpeople in the process.
He also understood why the Great Banyan Tree King said his abilities were limited and told him to introduce the Myriad Poison Ancestor to Ru Xin. He had always been the guide and protector of the Mist province daemons and otherfolk. The fire devourers never really had any contact with anyone, but even he was reluctant to carry out this devilish scheme against them.
Even the person behind this matter, Li Qingshan, found it far too brutal. His problems with Fire Melt mountain was primarily still a conflict of interest after all, where they had to compare whose fist was mightier. His resentment was gathered on the Fire Devouring King and the mainstay of Fire melt mountain.
Of course, he would not be soft-hearted either and pursue some kind of “righteous” method. Once he actually went to war with Fire Melt mountain, the repercussions alone would claim the lives of thousands of fire devourers. If he was going to attempt it, he would give it his all. There was no need for him to put on some fake act of compassion.
He was more worried about the woman before him. As it seemed, she had been waiting for this day from the day she joined the school of Medicine.
“The plan is very good, but there’s no need for you to be so impatient. If it really doesn’t work out, there are always other methods. Restlessness is the greatest taboo to cultivation. Don’t forget about the meaning of the name your master gave you.”
“I won’t be forgiving anyone!” Ru Xin said firmly.
“Yeah, yeah, yeah. I don’t really agree with your master either. Treating the sick and saving lives is nice, but how can you go without achieving revenge? Though, don’t let hatred consume everything. Let’s carry out revenge happily and joyfully.”
Li Qingshan pressed down on her shoulders and gently took off her bronze mask, except her jade-like face was clearly filled with pain and delicateness he had never seen before. Her eyes were in a daze, sweeping past the crystal coffins as if she struggled to face what she was doing.
“”I don’t even know them. How am I any different from the people I hate like this?”
Doctors had a heart of compassion. No matter how much hatred she had, no matter how vicious her tongue was normally, Hua Ci had still taught her a heart of benevolence.
Li Qingshan smiled. “Why must there be a difference? They started it, and we’ll end it. Even the debt from a glare will be paid back a hundred fold!”
