Chapter 23: The True Face

Inside the room, Chen Xuan was originally in the midst of bitter practice of the Five Poisons Heart Sutra when suddenly, a green light flickered before his eyes.

Popularity +30

"Huh?"

Chen Xuan's eyelids twitched. He snapped out of his meditation, his heart filling with joy. Another wave of popularity points acquired? This was too easy to come by! He was simply sitting at home when 'popularity' arrived from the heavens. He opened his panel and saw that his popularity status had changed to "New to the Jianghu (89/140)," and his Luck value had subsequently risen to 19. At this rate, it didn't seem like such a difficult task to accumulate 40 points of Luck. He was so delighted he nearly cheered out loud.

Just then, a knock sounded at the door, and Wu Jiang’s voice came through: "Junior Brother Chen, the Master wants to see you."

Chen Xuan frowned, jumped off the bed, and opened the door. "What happened?" he asked.

Wu Jiang’s gaze was filled with shock and suspicion as he looked Chen Xuan over. His tone had become significantly more respectful than before. "It seems to be about that Cui clan powerhouse you killed earlier."

"Oh?" Chen Xuan was puzzled. "Alright, lead the way."

Wu Jiang immediately escorted Chen Xuan outside. Soon, they reached the plaza. Everyone in the square turned their gazes toward Chen Xuan in unison, their eyes flashing with strange expressions. Chen Xuan frowned, feeling even more confused. What had happened? Where did those 30 popularity points come from?

"The 'Hand of the Childless,' you are the 'Hand of the Childless'?" Elder Zhao exclaimed, comparing Chen Xuan to the portrait on the wanted poster.

Chen Xuan’s face darkened. *You’re the 'Hand of the Childless'! Your whole family is the 'Hand of the Childless'!* He had gone to such great lengths to give himself the nickname "Young Master Ironblood" to build an image, so how the hell was everyone still calling him the "Hand of the Childless"?

"Chen Xuan, come over here," He Yun said, his face blossoming into a smile like a blooming daisy.

Chen Xuan walked over, keeping his head down.

"Chen Xuan, did you kill some important figure from the Cui clan earlier?" He Yun asked with a chuckle.

"Important figure?" Chen Xuan frowned, rubbing his chin. "Oh, right, there was one, they called him the Young Master."

"The Young Master? Cui Qingzheng? The only son of the current head of the Cui clan!" the Fourth Elder exclaimed.

The other elders’ eyelids twitched as they realized the implications.

"That's right, who else but him would be called the Young Master? You killed him?"

"Good lad! No wonder the three righteous families have gone mad. Well killed!"

"You actually took out Cui Qingzheng! Now Cui Xionghai has no heir left. Hahaha, good lad, you truly deserve the name 'Hand of the Childless'!"

The elders present all burst into laughter. Chen Xuan’s face darkened again.

"Seniors, my actual nickname is 'Young Master Ironblood,'" Chen Xuan corrected them. A fluttering white robe and a sword coming from the west—that was his life goal. What "Hand of the Childless"? That nickname was tacky and unpleasant; how could it possibly have anything to do with him?

"Junior Nephew Chen, don't bother arguing. Brother He has already let the cat out of the bag. 'Young Master Ironblood' is just a name you gave yourself; your real nickname is 'Hand of the Childless'," an elder said, shaking his head with a laugh.

*MMP (Motherf***er).* Chen Xuan cursed inwardly. What kind of ghost nickname was this?

"Actually, the Second Elder is mistaken too. I really am 'Young Master Ironblood'," Chen Xuan insisted earnestly.

"Enough, say no more. Gentlemen, the three families have already made their move; we cannot wait. He who strikes first wins, he who strikes later suffers. Let us discuss how we shall act now," Second Elder He Yun declared. The other unorthodox elders nodded in agreement.

The group headed toward the main hall of the Taoist temple, leaving the disciples waiting outside. Chen Xuan felt utterly depressed. It was over; this "Hand of the Childless" nickname was truly going to spread. He felt like pulling his hair out. *No, I must escape the Five Poisons Sect, change my identity, and shake off this wretched nickname.*

Time passed quickly. After several hours, He Yun, Tao Haigong, Fang Wuhei, and the other elders finally emerged with grim expressions. They gathered everyone to issue orders.

"Everyone, the three righteous families have joined forces with dozens of sects in Yun Province to wipe us out. We are not to be trifled with! As the saying goes, 'no poison, no man.' Since they dare to come, we will stop at nothing to eliminate them!" Second Elder He Yun said with a sinister grin. "I have brought thirteen bottles of high-concentration Five Poisons Water. Starting tonight, we will poison the water sources around Mount Qingxia. Prepare five days' worth of water for yourselves. Within five days, I want to ensure there is not a single living thing within a hundred miles of Mount Qingxia!"

"Elder He is right. In addition to poisoning the water, my Blood Blade Sect will be responsible for burning the mountain. After tonight, disciples of the Blood Blade Sect must have all gunpowder and sulfur ready. Once Elder He finishes poisoning the water, we will set the fire immediately. After that, move quickly to find cover. If anyone is unfortunate enough to be burned to death, don't blame me for not warning you!" Fang Wuhei of the Blood Blade Sect said coldly.

"Hehe, poisoned water and spreading flames—I don't believe those righteous fools won't get thirsty. Once they touch even a drop of the water, they will meet their end in an instant. Even if the poison doesn't kill them, the fire will!" Tao Haigong of the Seven Kills Palace sneered.

The other elders and elite disciples let out strange, eerie laughs, and a cold, murderous aura radiated from them. Chen Xuan, standing in the crowd, felt a shiver run down his spine. For the first time, he felt a chilling sensation. *So this is the true face of the evil path!* All the previous joking and camaraderie had merely been a facade. Once that mask was stripped away, the bloody cruelty and terror were revealed... *No wonder the Second Elder warned me earlier.*

"Alright, everyone, listen to your orders!" He Yun’s tone turned cold as he began to call out names. Anyone called stepped forward immediately. The disciples were quickly divided into over a dozen groups, each assigned different tasks.

Chen Xuan was placed in a group with Tan Bao, Hao Shengyi, Wang Qing, Zhao Hai, Wu Tian, and three others, tasked with poisoning the water source to the west. Other groups were assigned to the north, south, and east. Everyone in Chen Xuan's group was at least at the sixth layer of Qi Accumulation! Aside from Chen Xuan, the "pseudo-expert," everyone else was a young talent who had already made a name for themselves.

Wu Tian and Zhao Hai had even challenged the Human Ranking multiple times, only losing by a single move; both were powerhouses at the eighth layer of Qi Accumulation. Tan Bao went without saying—the successor of the Phantom Yin Finger, his strength was unfathomable!

However, Chen Xuan could clearly see that He Yun was deliberately favoring him. Their group had been given four bottles of Five Poisons Water, and three of them were in his possession, with only one held by Tan Bao. He understood immediately that the Second Elder didn't trust the others, which was why he had entrusted him with the bulk of the poison.

"Move out immediately, no delays!" He Yun shouted.

The group responded with a shout and quickly dispersed. Chen Xuan followed Tan Bao, Hao Shengyi, and Wu Tian. To be honest, poisoning a water source was something he never would have dared to imagine before. If successful, no living creature would exist for dozens of miles for decades to come. This was the terror of the Five Poisons Water!

At his core, he was still a modern man, and doing something like this left him with an indescribable feeling. But there was no room for hesitation now; he had to take it one step at a time.

"Giddy up!"

In the middle of the night, horses neighed as they charged out of the temple, galloping into the distance.

...

The moon was bright and the stars were sparse. The mountains were high and the forests dense. After galloping for several hours, the night grew deeper and a deathly silence fell. Wu Tian, Zhao Hai, Tan Bao, and Hao Shengyi unconsciously slowed their horses, their expressions cold as they moved slowly along a forest path.

Chen Xuan, riding behind them, sensed something wrong. *Why did they suddenly slow down? Are they planning to deal with me?* The Second Elder's earlier words echoed in his mind, making him uneasy. Chen Xuan forced himself to stay calm, maintaining high vigilance, riding slowly behind them without saying a word.

The atmosphere was bizarre. Aside from the clip-clop of hooves, none of the eight men spoke. The silence was terrifying. Chen Xuan could keenly sense that Hao Shengyi and Wu Tian were casting glances toward him.

*This is bad, this is very bad...* Chen Xuan thought to himself. They looked more and more suspicious; they were likely planning to kill him.

"Ahem, brothers, why don't we split up here? You go ahead to collect water from the source, and I'll go to the side to handle the poisoning. If we divide the work, we'll be faster!" Chen Xuan said with a smile.

He turned his horse to charge in another direction. But the moment he turned, Wang Qing, a disciple of the Iron Vest Tower, blocked his path.

"Junior Brother Chen, we agreed to act together. Why leave halfway?" Wang Qing said coldly.

The others behind him also looked at him with indifference, turning their horses to block Chen Xuan from all sides. Seven horses had him surrounded.

"I heard that the Five Poisons Water is one of the ten great poisons in the world. Once consumed, even the strongest expert cannot neutralize it. I wonder if that's true?" Wu Tian said, his voice ice-cold.