Wrong poison

Spring gazes upon Mountain Eaves, where stones warm and moss grows.

Silver moonlight streamed through the window lattice, illuminating a pair of figures embracing on the bed.

The woman wore a dress of soft blue top and apricot yellow skirt, while the man was clad in black close-fitting attire. Both possessed unmatched beauty, sleeping side-by-side, appearing to be a loving couple to any unaware observer.

If only… the swords in their hands weren’t pressed against each other’s necks.

The story began an hour prior when Lian Qiao had intended to secretly poison Lu Wu Jiu while he slept.

The plan was meticulous, save for one minor accident—

Upon opening the box, both Gu worms simultaneously escaped, burrowing into their bodies. Darkness clouded her vision, and she lost consciousness.

(TL Note: Gu worms are poisonous organisms used in black magic.)

When she awoke, she found herself lying next to Lu Wu Jiu.

Although their clothes remained intact, their position was intimate. Had she woken up any later, her innocence would have been compromised.

Thus, Lian Qiao swiftly drew her sword, and Lu Wu Jiu reacted just as quickly. They both attacked at once, reaching a stalemate, resulting in the tense scene just now.

Even in this situation, Lian Qiao maintained her young miss demeanor, her eyes wide as she glared fiercely at Lu Wu Jiu: “Don’t you dare come closer! If you take another step, I will tear you to pieces!”

The man opposite her was calm, his eyes deep and serene: “But if I recall correctly, it was you who snuck in at night to poison me, you who made the first move. Now that things have come to this, shouldn’t I be the one questioning you?”

Lian Qiao followed his gaze, only to realize that his belt had been untied at some point, the dark silk tassel end entwined ambiguously around her fingertips.

“…”

The lecherous one was actually herself!

It must be the Gu poison controlling her without her knowledge. Lian Qiao’s ears turned slightly red, and she quickly retreated two steps.

To make a long story short, Lian Qiao initially only intended to give Lu Wu Jiu a small lesson.

After all, during the night hunt not long ago, the great demon she had been lying in wait for was killed by him first, and all the treasures fell into his hands. She couldn’t help but feel resentful, which gave rise to the idea of revenge.

However, she also didn’t understand why the “most itchy thing under heaven” itch Gu she had painstakingly acquired had turned into this strange and sinister Gu…

There was really no other choice at the moment; she didn’t want him to misunderstand, so she had to reveal everything.

After listening, Lu Wu Jiu tapped the table rhythmically, his voice warm and steady: “So, you’re saying you accidentally used the wrong Gu, turning the itch Gu into a love Gu?”

Lian Qiao looked up sharply: “Love Gu? What is that?”

“It is said to be a Gu that can prevent a man and woman from separating. Those afflicted with it are forced to stay together, day and night, hence the name love Gu. However, such a thing is too wicked and has long been listed as a forbidden Gu. It hasn’t appeared in the world for hundreds of years.” Lu Wu Jiu raised his eyes slightly, “How exactly did you get it wrong, to actually obtain a forbidden Gu?”

Lian Qiao instantly bristled: “You suspect I deliberately poisoned you? You must be dreaming! The people seeking to marry me could form a line from the top of the Wu Xiang Sect to the bottom of the mountain, and there still wouldn’t be enough space. Do I need to resort to such despicable means to poison you? I wish I could be as far away from you as possible!”

“Is that so?” Lu Wu Jiu sipped his tea, his expression slightly somber.

“Of course!”

Lian Qiao turned her head away in disgust, casually pouring herself a cup of tea to calm her nerves.

What sins had she committed? Why did she always lose face in front of Lu Wu Jiu, and even become afflicted with this kind of Gu with him?

Their grievances could not be explained in three days and three nights.

At the beginning of Hongmeng, when heaven and earth were first created, the gods were the rulers of the Three Realms. Later, some gods intermingled with humans, giving birth to a small number of descendants with an additional meridian compared to ordinary humans.

(TL note: Hongmeng refers to the primordial chaos from which the universe was formed in Chinese mythology.)

This extra meridian was called a “spiritual root,” which was the qualification for cultivation, and these descendants were called “god servants.”

Although god servants were not as powerful as gods, nor did they live as long, they were still much stronger than ordinary humans, and it was said that they could continuously cultivate to eliminate their mortal nature, be reborn, and ascend to become gods.

Later, as the gods gradually declined, the god servants grew stronger, and these people secretly changed their name to “cultivators.”

After the destruction of the God Palace, there were no more gods in the world, and cultivators became the new rulers. The four god servant families, who originally served the God Palace, each took control of a portion of the God Palace’s former territory, gradually evolving into the four great aristocratic families of the cultivation world today.

Lian Qiao came from the Qi Shan Lian family, one of the four great families, and the sect she belonged to was the number one sect in the world established by the four great families to eliminate demons and evil—the Wu Xiang Sect.

Her family was one of the four great families, her father was the current head of the Wu Xiang Sect, and she was also gifted and naturally beautiful. Before Lu Wu Jiu joined the sect, Lian Qiao was the well-deserved leader of the immortal sect.

Others said she had a good life, but after Lu Wu Jiu appeared, Lian Qiao finally understood what it meant to have people beyond people.

Lu Wu Jiu also came from one of the four great families, and was also from the current royal family—the Tian Yu Lu family.

He was established as the crown prince from birth, so he should just be a good emperor.

But he just wouldn’t.

It is said that he could recite poems at the age of three, and had mastered the Four Books and Five Classics at the age of five. By the age of eight, he had read all the books in the palace library. Perhaps he felt that being an emperor was not challenging enough, so he had the whim to try it out during the Wu Xiang Sect’s opening trial, and as a result, he blew up the sect’s town spirit stone that had been there since its founding.

It turned out that this person was even more talented in the way of immortal cultivation, and even the town spirit stone could not detect how deep his spiritual veins were.

After this incident, others always said that he was unfathomable, but Lian Qiao felt that the reason why the damn town spirit stone shattered was purely because this guy’s mouth was too venomous.

She learned this lesson with blood and tears over the next ten years.

At that time, although Lu Wu Jiu’s talent stole her limelight, after all, they were fellow disciples, Lian Qiao was still polite to Lu Wu Jiu at first, but Lu Wu Jiu was not polite to her at all.

Lian Qiao still remembers the first day she met Lu Wu Jiu. She smiled and gave him half of the ginseng fruit she had won in her first martial arts competition.

She had been lovely and likeable since she was a child, and everyone loved her, but this crown prince with a stinky face was not only unappreciative, but also exceptionally cold: “Food? I only drink rootless water, and only eat terrestrial fruits. I don’t touch anything made from things that don’t come from these two places.”

Lian Qiao almost dropped her jaw.

Who told him to be the son of the emperor? He must have been raised like gold and jade.

Alright, Lian Qiao endured it.

Then she took out a bead and handed it over generously: “Then this is for you. This is a Tongbi bead. You are just starting out and have no foundation. Wearing this bead can help you gather the spiritual energy of the mountains during cultivation, guide the Qi into your body, and establish your foundation as soon as possible.”

Lu Wu Jiu was still indifferent, with a hint of incomprehension in his indifference: “Establishing a foundation still requires cultivation? Isn’t it done after sleeping?”

Lian Qiao was shocked, and touched his wrist, only to realize that this guy had already successfully established his foundation, and she even faintly sensed the inner core.

This was only the first day of entry!

Lian Qiao almost broke her handkerchief, but she tried to act as if nothing had happened, so as not to appear so unworldly.

“Oh, that’s also possible. I… I also slept once, no, twice. Junior brother really has good talent, but I entered the sect a few years earlier than you, so I have more experience than you. If you have anything you don’t understand or encounter any trouble, just ask me, your senior sister.”

How elegant and considerate these words were. Lian Qiao swore she had never spoken so nicely to her father.

However, Lu Wu Jiu frowned: “What should I call you… Senior Sister?”

Lian Qiao tried to stand on her toes, trying not to look too short compared to him: “What’s wrong? Is there something inappropriate?”

Lu Wu Jiu said lightly: “I forgot to say, this morning Sword Saint has already accepted me as a closed disciple. In terms of seniority, you seem to have to call me Little Uncle-Master.”

Listen, is this human speech?

How many years has the Sword Saint not left seclusion? But Lu Wu Jiu just came, and Senior Sword Saint left seclusion and accepted his first disciple!

Lian Qiao couldn’t remember how she replied to Lu Wu Jiu at the time. She only remembered that she was crying for the first time and threw herself into her father’s arms.

But this is nothing.

In the years that followed, she belatedly realized that the first day of entry was already the time when Lu Wu Jiu was in the best mood.

However, this person was born with a good face, exceptionally handsome, coupled with the dignified royal demeanor around him.

When Lian Qiao jumped on the stone table and angrily accused this guy’s crimes to her peers, those little girls were immersed in Lu Wu Jiu’s face, which could be called great, and didn’t believe her grievances at all.

Until the days passed, everyone gradually dealt with this guy, and only then did they discover that what Lian Qiao said was true, and even somewhat restrained.

It turned out that Lu Wu Jiu was not targeting Lian Qiao, but was equally cold to everyone.

Lian Qiao couldn’t remember how many little girls who had been obsessed with beauty had been angered by Lu Wu Jiu over the years.

However, the more indifferent he was, the more love letters he received, even more than she did.

The more Lian Qiao thought about it, the more angry she became, and she couldn’t help but glare at Lu Wu Jiu.

At this time, the love Gu acted up. She looked at Lu Wu Jiu, and although she didn’t want to admit it, she actually tasted a trace of… good-looking?

Although Lu Wu Jiu was arrogant and indifferent, he still had one advantage, that was – his face.

There was really not a single flaw that could be found in this face. His nose was like a hanging gall bladder, his eyebrows were like swords, and his eyes were like stars. What was even more hateful was that every part of him grew in line with Lian Qiao’s aesthetic…

Unconsciously, she started to feel hot again, and casually picked up a glass of water to her lips to suppress it.

As soon as she drank it, Lu Wu Jiu suddenly said quietly: “You took the wrong one. This glass of water is what I just drank.”

Lian Qiao instantly choked on a mouthful of water.