Martial Saint through Reading

Shao Pengshu’s expression changed abruptly, but before he could react, Luu Xian and Guan Chong at the table also began to writhe in pain.

Immediately after, Ning Hao and Liang Yuan followed suit.

In just a moment, the five of them were howling in agony.

Hou Wuchun’s mouth was stuffed with food. Seeing the misery of the five, he froze, not knowing what to do.

"Peh, peh, peh—"

The next instant, as if snapping out of it, he frantically spat out the food in his mouth.

But it was too late. Before he could finish spitting, pain twisted his abdomen, and dizziness followed quickly.

"Master..."

Shao Pengshu had just steadied Feng Yuan when people around him collapsed one after another.

The situation was almost the same; Chu Ming let out a cry and joined the others in agony.

"Chu Ming!" Shao Pengshu’s face turned ghastly pale. Just as he was about to help Chu Ming, a wave of dizziness surged suddenly in his head.

He quickly forced his Qi and Blood Power to fight off the dizziness.

Feng Yuan, Luu Xian and the others’ abdomens bloated, their skin above the neck turned red, and soon after, they fainted one by one.

Hou Wuchun, having practiced martial arts, did not pass out; but his cries were the most miserable.

Chu Ming put on a show for a bit, then decided to faint as well.

Shao Pengshu, channeling his Qi Blood, suppressed the dizziness and rushed out to call for help.

He had barely made it outside when explosive news rocked the academy.

Baiyuan County’s classics officials, Criminal Defense Bureau’s Criminal Captain, Chu Ming, Ning Hao and others were all poisoned and unconscious in the academy dining hall!

Captains and Arresting Captains from the Criminal Defense Bureau, who had been secretly protecting Baiyuan Academy, immediately surrounded the dining hall. No one could enter, and certainly no one could leave.

Moreover, more constables from the Criminal Defense Bureau were rushing in, seemingly about to seal off the entire academy.

Right now, in a private room on the second floor of the dining hall, several doctors wore tense expressions as they checked the pulses of Feng Yuan, Chu Ming, and the others.

At the doorway, Baiyuan County Magistrate Fu Chang and County Magistrate Liu Sitong were anxiously waiting.

Moments later, some doctors’ faces relaxed a bit as they stood up, bowed deeply to Fu Chang and Liu Sitong:

"Report to the officials, Lord Feng, Lord Shao, and all the junior examinees—they’ve been poisoned by arsenic powder." An elderly doctor said in a somber tone.

"Arsenic powder?" Fu Chang and Liu Sitong’s faces changed instantly at the words.

Both knew well how lethal arsenic powder could be; enough dosage could kill.

"Is there an antidote? Save them, quick!" Fu Chang said anxiously.

Feng Yuan must not fall, and Chu Ming even less so!

Yet the old doctor calmly said, "No antidote is needed, just drink water, my lord."

He picked up the longan tea on the table. "The amount of arsenic powder mistakenly consumed by both officials and the junior examinees is very small; it shouldn’t have caused much effect. But because they drank longan tea as well, it triggered symptoms like abdominal pain and dizziness."

"Longan tea can activate the toxicity of arsenic powder, but it also acts as a strong antidote to it."

"As long as they keep drinking water, the toxicity will dissipate on its own."

"For martial artists like Lord Shao, at worst he’ll feel dizzy for a while, and soon he’ll be fine."

When he finished, the other doctors nodded in agreement.

Seeing this, Fu Chang and Liu Sitong finally breathed a sigh of relief.

The doctors present were already the best in Baiyuan County; there shouldn’t be any major issues.

Still, they weren’t entirely at ease, so they looked at Shao Pengshu, whose condition had markedly improved. "Judicial Officer Shao, how do you feel?"

Shao Pengshu gulped water, nodded, and said, "It must be the reaction between arsenic powder and longan tea. Lord Feng, Chu Ming and the others will be fine, just sleep it off."

Martial artists had to understand medicinal substances, and as the Criminal Defense Bureau’s Criminal Captain, Shao Pengshu knew even more.

Fu Chang and Liu Sitong were finally reassured.

"Where’s Chu Ming?!"

At that moment, a voice desperate and urgent rang out from outside.

Shen Yu!

Fu Chang and Liu Sitong’s faces changed slightly. They waved at someone nearby, "Let them pass!"

"Yes." The person hurried downstairs.

Soon, a gray-haired elder rushed up anxiously.

"Where’s Chu Ming, where’s Chu Ming?" Shen Yu’s wrinkled face was tense, eyes furious as he glared at Fu Chang and Liu Sitong.

Neither dared block the way, stepping aside to let Shen Yu into the room.

Fu Chang and Liu Sitong frowned. They couldn’t understand why this person was so worried about Chu Ming.

"Chu Ming’s fine."

At this point, Shao Pengshu’s dizziness had largely faded. After saying so, his gaze locked onto the dishes on the table, and he asked the doctors, "Could you please identify which dish contains the arsenic powder?"

Then he bowed to Fu Chang, Liu Sitong, and Shen Yu, quickly left the room with the Arresting Captain, and rounded up everyone in the dining hall—especially the cooks and waiters responsible for preparing and serving the food.

He was determined to investigate this thoroughly.

An upright Criminal Captain of the Criminal Defense Bureau, poisoned in Baiyuan Academy’s dining hall—if he didn’t find out exactly what happened, he might as well give up his Flying Fish Suit.

No matter who did the poisoning, nor who the target was, anyone related to this incident wouldn’t escape.

More constables from the Criminal Defense Bureau continued to arrive, moving swiftly, sealing off the academy from inside and out.

Leading them was the seething Prison Defense Instructor, Lin Zhenwu.

...

First floor, dining hall.

Lin Zhenwu and Shao Pengshu’s faces were icy cold, surrounded by blade-wielding Arresting Captains.

In their midst, kneeling in rows, were the dining hall’s waiters, cooks, and others.

They pressed their foreheads to the ground, trembling all over.

"Speak up, save yourselves some suffering. Otherwise, you’ll all be thrown into the dungeons. The Criminal Defense Bureau has ten thousand tortures—if we must, we’ll pry your mouths open!"

Shao Pengshu’s voice was sharp as a sword, piercing right through them.

"Him, it was him! While cooking, I saw him put something in the food!" cried one waiter, face in tears.

"I...I..." The accused was revealed, and instantly blanched, shaking like a leaf. "It was Steward Zhang! Steward Zhang put me up to it!"

"No, not me! Someone gave me ten taels of silver..." Steward Zhang suddenly knocked his head on the floor.

"..."

...

Though night had fallen, the poisoned dining hall incident at Baiyuan Academy had made such a commotion, it spread swiftly throughout Baiyuan County.

From Baiyuan Academy to West City, from West City to East City...

East City Chu Family, deep within the mansion loft.

"Madam, bad news! The poisoning has been found out."

Wu Tian knelt before the curtains, speaking in panic.

Inside, Madam Chu leaned against the couch, face cold as ice, silent.

The maidservant nearby was also kneeling, not daring to move a muscle.

The atmosphere in the loft was suffocating.

"Wu Tian."

Finally, Madam Chu’s voice came from behind the curtain, completely devoid of emotion.

"How long have you served me?"

"Almost...almost twenty years now," Wu Tian’s heart shuddered.

"That long..." Madam Chu’s voice was so cold it made one shiver. "Housekeeper Wu, I’ve always treated you well, haven’t I?"

"Given you property, let you marry and raise children. Oh, and how’s Wu Fei?"

"Ma...Madam..."

Wu Tian had already realized.

His face flickered with unease, then suddenly transformed into fierce resolve:

"Please rest assured, Madam. The poisoning at Baiyuan Academy’s dining hall was done by me alone—Madam and the Chu Mansion had nothing to do with it!"

He paused, raising his head slightly. "I beg you, spare Fei."

There was a moment of silence behind the curtain.

Then, a faint sigh: "Go."

"Thank you, Madam."

Wu Tian departed in a daze.

Inside, Madam Chu sat reclined on her couch, her formerly noble face now twisted with a venomous malice unseen by others.

Even with Wu Tian taking the blame, there was no way the Criminal Defense Bureau would neglect to investigate the Chu Family.

If they did...

The madam sat up and kicked the kneeling maid hard. The maid rolled several times but didn’t dare utter a sound.

"Tell Zheng Xiguan—the Chu Family faces catastrophe, the Young Master is in trouble, he must act!"

"Ye-yes...." The little maid bowed and left.

...

The next day.

"Heh, the Chu Family thinks sending a servant to take the blame will clear them?"

Lin Zhenwu and Shao Pengshu stared at the man before them, their voices harsh: "Wu Tian, I know you were ordered. Tell us: Who made you poison? Who was the target? Otherwise..."