CG Chapter 193: Poisoning the White Lotus
It is truly strange how, sometimes, in the most lowly of places, schemes that could reverse the heavens themselves occur, while at other times even the mightiest generals cannot change the hearts of some lowly commoners.
The two men stood in stagnant silence. The short one held a long, rusty butcher's blade that appeared as if it had been grabbed off the side of the road.
The eyes of the man holding the knife were wide as a startled toad as he stared at the actions of the other man. Still, this expression was not out of repulsiveness or fear but rather an appeal as he tried to grasp every action of the other man.
Aretius grabbed the knife from An Ku's trembling hands, a giant empty bucket in front of him. Suddenly, out of nowhere, his right hand flashed as he cut against his wrist.
Gush!
Blood erupted out of his wrist like water breaking through a dam. Peculiarly, this did not seem to affect him or shake him. In a short duration, the bucket was filled with around seven sheng of blood.
To make this clear, the human body holds only five sheng of blood, and losing two sheng would lead most to an early grave.
Even Aretius would have fallen if he had attempted this outlandish experiment. But after he had broken through that wall and regained the fire of life of this previously described husk, his body was able to hold more blood than most.
Not to mention that his blood generation rates had skyrocketed, giving him numerous new abilities. To say it plainly, this act was but an edge of what he could do.
Once the bucket had been filled, Aretius clenched the wound with his other hand; in that moment, he turned his head toward An Ku and started to order, as if he had not been gushing rivers of blood just an instant ago.
Gesturing toward the bucket, he spoke in an apathetic tone: "As I have ordered before, once you have consumed your portion, give the Li Clan my gift."
He stayed silent for a moment, holding his mask. "You finding this bucket out of nowhere would be too suspicious; I am sure you know the ins and outs of the Soul-Sealing Mound. You probably know it more than the Li Clan's men themselves with your usual trips. What do you suggest?"
Aretius, of course, had a million and one thoughts, but he knew that even the mightiest of generals cannot always be present everywhere; thus, he needed a capable soldier who, to some extent, would think on his own. Let alone the fact that this small gesture would create the illusion of being special and an insider amongst his lord's men.
Sure enough, the moment An Ku heard this question, his mind raced, fearing to disappoint his lord. He thought, 'I need to prove myself at this important junction; I would be lower than a dog if I let this chance go away.'
"I am not sure if my lord has heard of the Crimson Marrow Yang Pills of the Li Clan. This pill is issued to the clan's members and servants annually to balance the extreme Death Ki of the valley; after all, even the corpse practitioners are still alive. If the benefits of surpassing Death Ki you told me about were half as good as you told me, then I could set up an inheritance in the Mound."
Hearing the words of An Ku, Aretius' smile under the mask slightly stretched; he knew he had found a capable soldier as he nodded, giving him a chance to continue speaking.
Seeing this, An Ku's excitement grew as he continued to say, "Would it not be interesting if the fall of the White Lotus were at the hand of the ancestors they worship so much? An inheritance being found in a hidden place, a poison covered in honey to release them from their pains and sorrows: they would practically swallow it willingly. This would be the most magnificent scene as I watch them plunge to my lord's own seed."
This scheme appeared as if it had been thought of for a while, yet Aretius did not sense any hatred from An Ku toward the Li Clan. It was as if he simply enjoyed seeing how people twitched from his actions.
To Aretius, out of his two envoys, this new one might carry more weight in the long term.
...
Time quickly passed, and Aretius had decided to make his journey to his next destination. But before he left, he ought to thank the Li Clan for their kind welcome.
His first stop was the patriarch's own quarters, where they exchanged their cups before the patriarch made Aretius promise to play a Go match against him the next time he visited, unaware that he had already stepped on Aretius' board from the very first moment Aretius had met his son.
The second and final stop appeared much more genuine. Under the shining full moon, two robes fluttered with the wind; Aretius' gaze remained unwavering as he stared at the face of the person in front of him.
And standing there was none other than the young princess of the Li Clan, Li Suyin. Noticing Aretius' gaze, she slowly turned her face, and their gazes flickered against each other; her pale, snowy skin turned a couple of shades redder.
Her voice quietened as she said in a mosquito-like voice, "Is my face more interesting to look at than the Mirror's Lake? You know only members of the inner clan get to come near this place."
She quipped, saying in a vexed tone, "Also, don't you think it is unfair that you never showed me your face, yet you can watch so freely?"
Aretius' eyes turned into a crescent shape after hearing what she said. He approached his mask, appearing as if he were about to remove it before resting back.
In a mischievous tone, he said, "I will keep it hidden until I return. Did you not say you wanted to see the world? Consider this as my promise."
As he said that, he turned his head toward the lake, not noticing the moistening eyes of Li Suyin as she mumbled in a quiet voice, "A promise."