flstandardbreds Chapter 292 Suffered a Backlash
Chapter 292 Suffered a Backlash
Yun Qingqing frowned, her gaze sweeping over the array in the courtyard, thinking to herself: It seems that Wan Shan wants to seize all the cultivation and fortune of everyone present.
Suddenly, the door to the east wing room in the courtyard creaked open a crack.
A thin old man wearing a gray Taoist robe leaned out, holding a bowl in his hand.
Yun Qingqing and Xiaobai disappeared, and he did not notice the presence of the man and the wolf. He walked straight to the outer edge of the formation, preparing to pour the contents of the bowl into one of the empty slots.
Yun Qingqing's eyes flickered slightly. This old man must be the one who cast the spell. She approached him silently.
Just as the old man bent over to pour out the blood, Yun Qingqing's fingertips twitched slightly, and a gust of wind swept towards the old man.
The bowl shattered on the ground with a crash, spilling dark red liquid that stained the edges of the array.
The old man's hand trembled, and he suddenly sat up straight, his cloudy eyes scanning his surroundings with suspicion.
Apart from him and the broken bowl on the ground, there was no one else in the courtyard.
"Who? Who's playing tricks here? Show yourself if you dare!" he shouted, his sharp eyes scanning the courtyard.
No one answered.
The old man's expression immediately turned serious. The gust of wind just now was strange; it was definitely not a natural wind.
"May I ask who you are here? I am here to handle important matters for Wanzhuang, so you'd better not meddle in my affairs," he said in a deep voice.
The moment the old man finished speaking, the seven bronze lamps at the center of the formation went out simultaneously without warning.
The intricate patterns drawn with dark brown liquid were instantly washed away by invisible water, turning into inconspicuous stains that seeped into the soil.
The old man's expression changed drastically as he looked at the destroyed formation. He opened his mouth to say something, but suddenly clutched his chest, and his body swayed violently.
"puff……"
He suddenly spat out a mouthful of blood onto the ground, panting heavily, his eyes unfocused, the excruciating pain in his chest making it almost impossible for him to think.
Just then, his originally gray and black hair lost all its color at a speed visible to the naked eye, quickly turning snow-white, as if all life had been sucked away in an instant, and he fell heavily to the ground.
Meanwhile, inside the banquet hall.
Wan Shan wore a smile that suggested he was in complete control, and was about to wave his hand to have his men take Xu Ji and the others away for preventing them from eating.
Just as he was about to speak, his expression suddenly changed drastically, and he coughed up a mouthful of blood onto the ground.
His black hair turned white instantly.
"Master Wan."
"Master Wan, what's wrong?"
Several people nearby exclaimed and rushed forward, their faces full of concern.
Wan Shan clutched his chest, his breathing erratic, unable to speak for a moment.
Xu Ji then spoke up coolly: "He used evil magic to harm people and suffered a backlash."
"You're talking nonsense!" Someone immediately stood up and angrily rebuked, "Master Wan is a righteous man who invites like-minded people to join him. How could he use evil magic to harm people? You must be a villain framing him."
"That's right, the master was perfectly fine just now, you must have secretly sabotaged him."
Seeing Wan Shan cough up blood, everyone echoed this sentiment and glared angrily at Xu Ji and the others.
The scene became somewhat chaotic for a moment.
Just then, a gray-black rat slipped out from some corner, darted under a table, picked up a small piece of meat that had fallen, and retreated to the corner to gnaw on it.
Everyone's attention was focused on Wan Shan and Xu Ji, and at first no one noticed them.
The mouse took two bites, then suddenly froze, its limbs twitched a few times, and then it fell straight to the ground and lay still.
"Look, there's a mouse!" A sharp-eyed person nearby pointed at the corner and exclaimed.
The crowd looked in the direction of the sound and saw that there were still bits of meat around the rat's mouth; it was already dead.
The hall fell silent instantly.
The man who had been most vehemently criticizing Xu Ji earlier suddenly changed his expression: "This food is really poisoned."
The look in everyone's eyes as they looked at Wan Shan instantly changed from concern to shock and anger.
"Master Wan, why did you want to harm us all?"
Questions rose and fell, and the previously respectful and obsequious faces were now filled with shock, anger and betrayal.
"Wanshan, you have to give us an explanation today, or we're not done with you."
"We thought you were someone important, but we never expected you to be such a despicable person."
"You poisoned us all, what are you trying to do to us?"
The crowd grew angrier as they spoke, and some of the more impatient ones had already drawn their weapons, subtly surrounding Wan Shan and his trusted confidants.
The once festive and lively hall was instantly filled with the smell of gunpowder.
Wan Shan's face was ashen, clutching his chest in pain. Facing the angry crowd, he was too weak to speak due to the pain, but his heart was burning with rage. Who destroyed the formation?!
He was eager to leave, but because he felt unwell, he could hardly move.
Just then, a middle-aged man in a gray robe suddenly stood up from the crowd and said loudly, "Don't listen to that kid's nonsense. Master Wan is upright and honest. How could he possibly poison us? There is absolutely nothing wrong with the food."
As he spoke, he took out a silver needle from his pocket and inserted it into a dish in front of him in front of everyone. After a moment, he pulled it out, and the silver needle was still as shiny as new.
"See that?" He raised the silver needle, his voice growing louder. "The silver needle isn't black, so how could it be poisonous? It must be that the rat itself is sick, or they used some method we don't know about to tamper with it and try to frame Master Wan."
Seeing this, some of the people who were initially wavering showed hesitation again.
Xu Ji said, "This poison cannot be detected by ordinary silver needles. It is called 'Bone-Eroding Powder,' which is colorless and odorless. It specifically damages the meridians and internal energy, but it does not clash with silver. If you don't believe me, you can try circulating your internal energy to see if you experience a dull pain in your dantian or stagnation in your qi and blood."
Upon hearing this, the man holding the silver needles subconsciously gathered his qi, and his expression immediately changed.
Sure enough, I felt a slight but clear stinging pain in my dantian, and my internal energy flow was not as smooth as usual.
His expression changed drastically.
Everyone secretly channeled their inner energy, their faces growing increasingly grim.
Xu Ji glanced at the crowd whose expressions had changed, and continued, "This poison is not easily detected at first. Once the toxicity penetrates deep into the meridians with the effects of the alcohol, and is combined with the Wanshan Evil Technique, everyone will die here."
After he finished speaking, everyone's faces turned ashen, and they glared angrily at Wan Shan.
"Wanshan, how cruel you are to try to kill all of us."
Ignoring the anger of the crowd, Wan Shan only wanted to kill the person who destroyed his formation. Taking advantage of the crowd's shock and anger before they could react, he darted out of the house like lightning.
"Quick, chase after them! Wanshan has escaped!"
Seeing that Wan Shan had fled, everyone gave chase.