Chapter 78: Detoxification
He Wanyong roared, "Letting a little bastard like you get away back then was my greatest mistake! And now you dare to show yourself again? You're courting death!"
"Fellow Grandmasters, I, He Wanyong, promise you this: I will reward every one of you who lends a hand with a billion afterwards!"
His words reignited the fervor of the Grandmasters who had been on the verge of backing down.
A billion! Even if they sold themselves into servitude as a Tributor for some great family, it would take more than a decade to earn that much. Now, all they had to do was act once.
Seeing the Grandmasters' excited expressions, Kang Ming said coldly, "He Wanyong and the entire He Family have been afflicted by the Purple Spirit Demon Poison! They're all going to die. Even if you help him, you'll never get paid!"
The Grandmasters present were all stunned. 'The Purple Spirit Demon Poison!' No wonder the He Family had been poisoned without anyone realizing it. Even He Wanyong, a master of the Celestial Spirit Realm, had fallen victim.
The common folk were completely bewildered, but one of the knowledgeable Martial Artists explained, "The Purple Spirit Demon Poison is infamous. It's colorless and odorless, and it can even kill an expert in the Celestial Spirit Realm. A great noble family was once wiped out by it, with over three hundred people dying in a single night."
He Wanyong's eyes looked like they could kill as he roared, "So it was you! You're the one who poisoned us!"
Before Kang Ming could answer...
...a resolute voice cut in. "We were the ones who did it."
The Fifteenth and Sixteenth Concubines, who had been sitting quietly all this time, stood up. Tears streamed down their faces, but their expressions were filled with grim resolve.
"Your He Family should have been wiped out long ago!"
"Just as you killed my parents, I hate your He Family to the very bone!"
Each of them must have had her own story. The intent to die was plain on their faces.
Indeed, the same purplish-black markings were visible on their faces. In poisoning the family, they hadn't even spared themselves.
Their resolve moved Chen Dong. He could cure the poison, but he didn't make a move. The two were determined to die. They could have easily avoided poisoning themselves, but they had chosen this path. With their revenge complete, they saw no reason to go on living.
Sure enough, Kang Ming cried out anxiously, "You two..."
The two cut him off, shaking their heads. "We chose this path. Don't worry about us."
Then, they turned to He Wanyong. "We'll be waiting for you in Hell!" With that, they spat out a mouthful of purple blood and collapsed, dead.
They had taken a much heavier dose of the poison themselves!
Their deaths were just the beginning. One by one, members of the He Family began to die.
One, then two, then more and more.
The chubby little boy who had greeted Chen Dong began to show symptoms as well. Chen Dong could stand by and watch the others die, but he couldn't bear to let the boy suffer the same fate.
With a single leap, he was in front of the boy.
This made everyone present wonder, 'What is he doing now?'
Dozens of Silver Needles suddenly appeared in Chen Dong's hands. He moved with blinding speed, piercing the chubby boy's skin. Purple blood immediately trickled out along the needles, and the purplish markings on the boy's face instantly vanished.
It was done with incredible speed and produced immediate results.
The dreaded Purple Spirit Demon Poison... cured, just like that?
This gave the despairing He Wanyong and the rest of the He Family a glimmer of hope.
He Wanyong exclaimed with joyous surprise, "Young friend, please, cure my poison! You can name any reward you wish afterward!"
Zhu Ran leaped into the center of the fray with a haughty expression. She pointed at Chen Dong and snapped, "You are so infuriating! My senior brother worked so hard to create that poison, and you just cured it! I'm warning you, you are forbidden from curing this old man's poison. If you do, I'll kill you!"
Chen Dong snorted but didn't even glance at Zhu Ran. He had no favorable impression of the woman whatsoever.
He Wanyong quickly interjected, "Young friend, don't be intimidated by her! I am a master of the Celestial Spirit Realm. As long as you cure me, no one here will be my match. You have my word."
Kang Ming also fixed Chen Dong with a wary gaze.
Given how quickly Chen Dong could neutralize the poison, all He Wanyong needed was for the other Grandmasters to hold them off for a few seconds. This created a massive flaw in Kang Ming's plan for revenge.
The surviving members of the He Family all fell to their knees before Chen Dong, begging him to cure them.
Before the two women had revealed their story, Chen Dong might have considered curing the He Family for the right price. Now, however, he decided to remain a bystander.
Seeing Chen Dong cross his arms once more, resuming the posture of a mere spectator, Kang Ming breathed a heavy sigh of relief.
Zhu Ran also snorted. "At least you know your place!"
But He Wanyong was panicking. He pleaded again, "Young friend, are you still angry about before? I was wrong to have misjudged you. Please, forgive this old man. I beg you, cure me! From this day forward, the He Family will obey your every command."
This promise made the hearts of the onlookers pound with excitement. 'If the He Family obeyed me, wouldn't I become the uncrowned king of Lower River?' They all stared at Chen Dong with eyes green with envy, wishing they could take his place.
Chen Dong shot He Wanyong a contemptuous look. "Realizing your mistakes now? It's too late! Let me tell you something. The one who poisoned He Kaiyu was this woman."
As he spoke, Chen Dong pointed at Yuan Wenwen.
Yuan Wenwen's face went pale with shock. 'How did I get dragged into this?' She instinctively looked for the Huang father and son to defend her, but they were nowhere to be found.
The Huang father and son had slipped away the moment Kang Ming made his appearance.
With a tearful, panicked expression, Yuan Wenwen could only shake her head. "It wasn't me! I didn't do it!"
Chen Dong walked closer, sniffed the air, and then snatched Yuan Wenwen's purse. He dumped its contents onto the ground. Among the items was a Poison Ring, identical to the one seen earlier.
Chen Dong stated coolly, "The poison on this ring kills the instant it touches blood. It wouldn't wait for a conflict to play out before taking effect. It's obvious the victim was pricked with a poisoned needle on the spot and died instantly."
Seeing she'd been exposed, Yuan Wenwen scrambled to her feet and tried to flee, her high heels clacking as she ran. Chen Dong had no intention of stopping her.
Because he knew someone else would.