Chapter 509: Innocent spectators suffer as well
Translator: Sparrow Translations Editor: Sparrow Translations
Killing! Couldn't they stab them in the front?
The Southern Region messengers were furious.
The Seven Star Lane fell silent as Fang Zhengzhi's eyes turned to look at the Southern Region messengers.
"I'm sorry. I forgot all about you lot. You should know, once a person is concentrating on one thing, they tend to ignore everything that is unimportant around them." Fang Zhengzhi explained.
"Fang Zhengzhi, you..."
"Odorless and tasteless. White Dew Frost."
The Southern Region messengers were about to curse and swear. However, their expressions changed when they were interrupted by Fang Zhengzhi.
Fang Zhengzhi smiled as he looked at the messengers. He sat down and poured himself a glass of wine.
"White Dew Frost. Even a Rebirth State cultivator would be paralyzed and lose all energy within 15 minutes. For people below the Rebirth State, this effect would last for about an hour. Most importantly, once the effects wear off, everything goes back to normal and there is no trace of it. I must say that it is a good choice for a poison."
Fang Zhengzhi drank the wine and explained.
"What did he say?"
"White Dew Frost?"
"I heard that it is extremely rare. It is sold by the drop on the black market. I heard that it costs about one gold per drop, and even then, supply is limited! Have we been poisoned by White Dew Frost?"
"But... how does he know all these?"
The crowd was stunned when they heard what Fang Zhengzhi said. They knew what Fang Zhengzhi meant, but they had no idea how Fang Zhengzhi knew all these.
Most importantly, Fang Zhengzhi had drunk the wine despite knowing that it had been spiked with White Dew Frost?
What was he thinking?
The crowd and the Southern Region messengers stared at Fang Zhengzhi, their eyeballs nearly popping out of their sockets. They had no idea what Fang Zhengzhi was trying to do.
"Mm, not bad. It is quite soothing." Fang Zhengzhi smiled after drinking the glass of spiked wine.
"Soothing?"
"Is he drinking it as though it's tea?"
"What is he doing?"
They looked at Fang Zhengzhi in disbelief. How could someone possibly be that arrogant?
The faces of the Southern Region messengers darkened.
"Go to hell!"
They were not willing to wait any longer. They didn't even care about why Yan Xiu, Ping Yang, and Fang Zhengzhi were unaffected. The only thing on their minds...
Kill Fang Zhengzhi!
Rays of light shone through their bodies and the heavy rattan armor shuddered. They didn't underestimate their opponents.
Their opponents were powerful.
But they were still confident.
Of the eight of them, one was a nascent Rebirth State cultivator whilst the other seven were pinnacle Supernatural State cultivators. What was there to fear?
Furthermore, they didn't actually have to defeat Yan Xiu. All they had to do was distract him long enough so that they could grab Fang Zhengzhi.
"So impatient?" Fang Zhengzhi was slightly disappointed to see the rays of light. His lips twitched, "poison... really isn't your forte!"
"Forte? What do you mean?" The messengers were stunned.
Initially, they didn't understand what Fang Zhengzhi meant by forte, but they could guess soon enough.
Because...
Right after Fang Zhengzhi said that...
A thick mist began to fill the Seven Star Lane. This was a grey mist that approached from all directions. The smell was extremely strong.
It filled the room in moments.
"I don't know why you all love to buy those expensive odorless and tasteless poison. Sometimes, the cheap ones are good too." Fang Zhengzhi's voice echoed through the room.
The faces of the crowd inside the Seven Star Lane turned from pale to purple.
Poison?
Is he using poison in the Seven Star Lane? He is doing it so openly and without hesitation! He was poisoning an innocent crowd!
The crowd was furious!
They still couldn't move. That meant that there was no way they could cover their orifices. How could they possibly stand up to this poisonous mist?
The only way was to hold their breath.
But...
How long could they hold it for?
"No, I don't want to die!"
"Quick, help me out! I don't want to die here."
"Ah... what is that smell? Why does it reek so bad? Quick, somebody save me! I am still young! I have my whole life ahead of me!"
The crowd began to scream and try to hide, but there was nowhere to hide. They tried to hold their breath, but they couldn't. They resorted to screaming.
The more they screamed, the more grey mist entered their body. It was a vicious cycle.
Ninth Prince Lin Yun didn't scream. He held his breath.
Then, an exquisite mask appeared in front of him.
"Brother, wear this and you'll be fine." Ping Yang's voice rang out. Then, she realized something, "Oh yes, you're paralyzed."
As she spoke, she helped Ninth Prince Lin Yun put on the mask. Then, she blinked.
"Sister, can't you give me the antidote for the White Dew Frost?" Ninth Prince Lin Yun asked.
"I don't have it." Ping Yang blinked.
"What do you mean?" Ninth Prince Lin Yun was confused.
"We only had three doses. Wen Dabao didn't get one either. Look... he's still on the floor." Ping Yang pointed to Wen Dabao.
Wen Dabao felt extremely humiliated and embarrassed.
It wasn't because Ping Yang didn't give him the antidote. It was because Ping Yang didn't even offer him a mask.
"Your Highness, mask... mask..." Wen Dabao didn't want to shout for fear that more of the grey mist would enter his body.
However, he had no other choice.
Because...
Ping Yang looked like she wasn't prepared to give him a mask.
"I don't have any more." Ping Yang waved Wen Dabao off and pointed to Ninth Prince Lin Yun. "We only had four. We prepared one for you, but... you understand right?"
"I understand..." Wen Dabao looked at the mask on Lin Yun's face helplessly. Even though Ninth Prince Lin Yun was not powerful...
He was still ranked higher than Wen Dabao.
Furthermore, Ping Yang had already made her decision. He was in no position to ask for the mask on Ninth Prince Lin Yun's face.
Of course, even if he did ask for it, Ping Yang would not go and get it.
As such...
The only thing that he could do was suffer in silence. He kept inhaling the smoke until the world around him went dark and he lost consciousness.
The rest of the crowd also began to slip off their seats and lost consciousness on the floor. They were bitter.
But there was nothing they could do about it.
Sometimes even the innocent spectators were not spared.
After about 15 minutes, the smoke began to dissipate. Almost everyone was unconscious and on the floor.
"That's not bad, but do you think that it is enough to defeat us?" The voice of the Southern Region messenger rang out.
They all had a black cloth over their mouth. They were smart enough to wet the cloth. No one knew where they had gotten the water from.
"Oh? So you can defend against poison that way!" Fang Zhengzhi chuckled mockingly as he looked at the messengers.
"Go to hell!"
"Hang on."
"What else do you want to say?"
"Look, everyone has fainted and there is no one else here. Why don't you tell me who you really are?" Fang Zhengzhi replied excitedly.
"Hahaha... Fang Zhengzhi, do you think we are dumb?" The Southern Region messengers chuckled.
"So you guys aren't stupid. However, it doesn't matter if you tell me or not." Fang Zhengzhi nodded as he looked at the seven platforms. "We can begin."
"Begin? What are you talking about?" The Southern Region messengers were stunned.
When the seven stars on their platforms heard Fang Zhengzhi's words, they took off their masks and bowed to Fang Zhengzhi.
"Yes, master!"
"Mas... master?!" The Southern Region messengers were stunned when they heard this. They finally understood what they had gotten themselves into.
Their plan was fine.
Before coming to the Seven Star Lane, they had bribed the servant in charge of the wine at the Seven Star Lane. In order to ensure the success of the mission, they watched him pour the White Dew Frost into the wind.
They even sent a few spies to ensure that Fang Zhengzhi, Yan Xiu, and the others drank the wine before appearing.
This was a perfect plan.
Poison them first, then make an appearance as Southern Region messengers. They would also have a reason to kill Fang Zhengzhi. Furthermore, they would have a crowd of witnesses.
Most importantly, they could still get off scot-free.
It was not easy to find out the identities of Southern Region messengers.
The Great Xia would definitely consider the friendship between the two nations and the Southern Region would deny sending any messengers in the first place.
It was natural that there would be a few messengers loyal to the late Crown Prince who were out for revenge.
Even if the Southern Region denied it all the way, everyone would think that they had done it. As long as they managed to leave the city tonight, they would be in the clear.
However...
They miscalculated one thing.
The Seven Star Lane was Fang Zhengzhi's territory.
As such, their plans were completely dismantled. They tried to poison the master of poisons. So what if a servant spiked the drinks with White Dew Frost?
Once Fang Zhengzhi knew about this, he made the necessary preparations.
Fang Zhengzhi had allowed them to spike the drinks and even drank it without hesitation.
His aim was to bait them in!
"Clang!"
A tune began to fill the air, interrupting the thoughts of the Southern Region messengers.
Drums, Se, Qin...
The seven stars played their instruments concurrently. The music layered over each other and filled the room.
Even though the instruments were different...
But...
The tune they played was the same.
"Ambush!"
This was a tune written for the pipa but could be accompanied by other instruments. It was known as one of the ten most famous pieces of the ancient world. It was extremely well composed.
It was a piece with a domineering aura.
"It's the Dao of Music!"
"It's the Seven Tune Formation!"
"Ambush... the irony!"
The expressions of the Southern Region messengers changed when they heard this tune. They knew that this was no ordinary tune.
They all felt as though they had been struck by lightning. It was almost as though gargantuan stones were smashing onto their heads and hearts.
They had no choice but to fight for their lives.
"So... the Seven Star Lane belongs to Fang Zhengzhi? Did he set up an ambush in advance? I guess... I didn't have to come today."
Ninth Prince Lin Yun looked at the seven stars above him. He had the mask that prevented him from inhaling the poisonous smoke and losing consciousness.
As such...
He was rendered speechless.
Dao of Music...
Exploited on such a deep level.
How could he not be stunned?
Ninth Prince Lin Yun didn't ask any questions, neither did he say why he had come. He simply waited for the White Dew Frost to wear off.
Then...
He would leave quietly.
The music's tempo became faster and faster, almost like a huge mountain crashing down on the Southern Region messengers. They were all pale and in pain.
Ninth Prince Lin Yun looked away from the seven stars and turned to stare at Fang Zhengzhi. Fang Zhengzhi was smiling at the Southern Region messengers.
It had been a little more than one year...
What did this man experience?