You Have a Death Wish

Anyone with eyes could see that the Wen family and Taiqing Pavilion were covering this up together, and both probably knew what the truth was.

Right now, they were recklessly flinging mud at Nine Saints Hall, but their haste had left their story full of holes. This indicated that the deaths of Family Head Wen and Elder Huaisang had caught both families completely off guard.

Behind the truth, there must be a massive secret hidden.

What kind of truth could make Wen Yu not even pursue her own mother's death?

Song Yao recalled her Fifth Junior Sister mentioning that the members of the Wen family shared weak familial bonds; to them, the death of any relative meant next to nothing.

Rather than mourning the passing of their kin, they cared far more about how to dispose of the corpses afterward.

Since the Wen family were all poison cultivators, even their blood was highly toxic. Burning them with a special, intense fire was indeed a highly effective solution.

Her voice trembling, Wen Yu forced a smile that looked more painful than crying. “Then I will have to trouble you, Senior Ji.”

“No need to be polite.”

A gentle swirl of spiritual energy materialized in Ji Duchuan's palm, enveloping the blackened nail.

The spiritual energy flowed slowly like a light mist, and under its nourishment, the dried blood and charred soot gradually became translucent.

He closed his eyes to sense it for a moment, then opened them with a look of realization. “The poison on this nail is the same as the one affecting Hall Master Ming and Daoist Huachao. However, its concentration and toxicity are far stronger.”

Song Yao asked, “Is it related to dark poison?”

Ji Duchuan replied, “It is indeed dark poison, but with a few extra ingredients layered on top.”

This was exactly as expected. Unsurprised, Song Yao turned to the anxious Wen Yu and said, “Young Mistress Wen, this should prove the innocence of Nine Saints Hall, yes?”

Steeling herself, Wen Yu stammered, “O-of course. I was too impulsive earlier. I hope... I hope you can forgive me, Miss Lin.”

“It's fine, it's fine,” Song Yao said.

Then, her tone shifted. “But since it is dark poison, the person who killed your mother is highly likely to be a member of the Wen family. Does Young Mistress Wen truly not have any leads at all?”

Wen Yu stammered, “...There is no need for you all to worry about that. I will investigate it myself.”

Song Yao smiled. “You can't say that. Hall Master Ming and Daoist Huachao were also poisoned by this. Putting aside whether you can even find the culprit, if you do find the truth but choose to shield them, who will cure Hall Master Ming and Daoist Huachao?”

Wen Yu quickly protested, “I-I am not that kind of person...”

Song Yao stared at her, her eyes seemingly able to peer into the girl's soul. “You don't even care about your own mother's death. How can I trust you?”

Startled, Wen Yu snapped angrily, “W-what nonsense are you talking about? How could I not care about my mother's death?”

Facing her anger, Song Yao did not back down. Instead, she took a step closer, a half-smile playing on her lips. “Your mother only died last night. Just now, outside the Wen family's front hall, you didn't care in the slightest about the truth behind her death. Instead, you hung on Pavilion Master Ye's every look. You call that caring?”

Though Song Yao was slender and frail-looking, Wen Yu shivered involuntarily as she approached, taking a half-step back. “I... I didn't...”

Song Yao leisurely took another half-step forward. “You probably know better than anyone whether your mother's death had anything to do with Nine Saints Hall. Yet you'd rather abandon the search for the truth just to help Taiqing Pavilion frame us. You call that caring?”

Wen Yu stumbled backward again.

But there was nowhere left to retreat. With a thud, her back hit the wooden door—right against the charred silhouette of Wen Meijue.

Song Yao stopped a half-step in front of her. “The Wen family repeatedly claimed they didn't want to rely on Nine Saints Hall. Is eagerly playing the dog for Taiqing Pavilion what you truly wanted instead?”

Wen Yu stammered, “...I-I am not.”

Song Yao's gaze grew cold, carrying a hint of pity. “The world says the Wen family is heartless, and indeed they are. Trading the truth of your mother's death for a sense of security... I suppose that is a worthy bargain to you.”

Having said her piece, she turned her tone. “However, now that dark poison has been uncovered, regardless of whether the true culprit is found, the Ming family and Nine Saints Hall will not let the Wen family off. With your mother dead, you are likely of little use to Taiqing Pavilion. I doubt they will protect you for much longer.”

“Go on out.”

Her lips curved into a smile. “Treasure these last few days you have as the young mistress.”

With that, she turned to walk back inside. Behind her, Ji Duchuan and Ye Chang'an stood dazed, clearly taken aback by the sheer pressure of her aura just now.

But in the next instant, Ji Duchuan snapped out of it and cried out, “Watch out!”

Song Yao had already anticipated this and swiftly dodged to the side.

A long whip grazed past her shoulder and lashed against the floor, kicking up a cloud of ash.

Behind her, Wen Yu's eyes were bloodshot, her face streaked with tears. Her hand trembled as she gripped the whip, and she shrieked, “Do you think I wanted to be the young mistress?! Do you think I wanted to be Taiqing Pavilion's lapdog?! They forced me! They all forced me!”

Her whip trailed on the ground, trembling slightly.

“If we didn't cooperate with Taiqing Pavilion, we would forever be trampled underfoot by Wen Tang and that dead old man!”

Gritting her teeth, large tears rolled down her cheeks. “My mother said we are poison cultivators! Poison cultivators! Only that dead old man was willing to obediently listen to Nine Saints Hall. And Wen Tang... Wen Tang actually treated herself as a member of Nine Saints Hall! She even said she wanted to stay in Nine Saints Hall forever!”

“What good would come to the Wen family if it fell into her hands? My mother and I were only thinking of the Wen family's future!”

Her voice cracked, her throat hoarse. She was clearly on the verge of a mental breakdown, her words disorganized and frantic.

“And now look! My mother finally became the family head, and I finally became the young mistress, but she died! She left me all alone!”

Wen Yu whipped her head up, glaring at Song Yao with eyes so red they looked ready to bleed. “What else can I do besides listening to Ye Chongguang?! Tell me, what else am I supposed to do?!”

Ye Chang'an was shocked. “I'm still standing right here! Is this really something you should be saying in front of me?”

Wen Yu suddenly spun around and lashed her whip toward him with a sharp whoosh. “And you!”

Caught completely off guard, Ye Chang'an scrambled to dodge, falling awkwardly to the ground. He roared in anger, “You dare attack me?! You have a death wish!”

Wen Yu glared at him viciously. “What does a useless trash like you know?! You are the young master of Taiqing Pavilion! You can do whatever you want and go wherever you please! But what about me? Since I was a child, I had to cultivate dark poison at home! Do you have any idea how painful the backlash of dark poison is?!”

Song Yao pursed her lips.

She had seen someone suffer from dark poison backlash, and it was indeed terrifying.

In the past, around the middle of every month, her Fifth Junior Sister would lock herself inside a cave in the back mountain, only emerging two days later half-dead.

Once, out of curiosity, she had secretly hidden inside the cave beforehand.

She had watched as her Fifth Junior Sister's dark poison erupted throughout her body. Her meridians had turned pitch-black, and she had thrashed around in a mad frenzy of pain, like a beast driven insane by torture. She hadn't recognized anyone, and had even resorted to self-mutilation.

Realizing that her Fifth Junior Sister probably wouldn't remember what happened in this state—meaning it wouldn't affect her resentment value—she had crawled out of her hiding spot and tied her up.

Then, she had channeled her spiritual energy to suppress the dark poison while telling her dry jokes.