Bizarre Cultivation: Starting from Being Beaten Up by Reality

Chapter 75 Poisoner

Hearing Lin Fan say this, Duanmu Yu immediately breathed a sigh of relief. "Young friend Lin, actually, Master Yang and I both think highly of you. Master Yang even wanted to take you as his disciple, and I agreed to that. It's a pity we suddenly couldn't find you. Master Yang and I searched everywhere, but we couldn't find you. Old Yang can witness this for me."

Old Chen is a cunning man; he's always eyeing those few coins and is jealous of those more talented than him. That's why I said he was most likely the one who did it.

Lin Fan nodded. "Does the dean know where Fatty Chen lives?"

Duanmu Yu quickly waved his hand, "No, no, young friend Lin, please stay at the academy starting tomorrow. Let him apologize to you for what happened to Old Chen."

Swish!

Lin Fan drew his black knife and held it to Duanmu Yu's neck. "Dean, he killed my man. You have to help me with this. Besides, you're also responsible. The medicine in the pharmacy wasn't locked properly, and he stole it."

Duanmu Yu looked at the black knife covered in blood and flesh, her voice trembling, "Yes, yes, it was my carelessness. He stole the medicine and poisoned your snacks. He lives nearby; I'll take him to his house."

Lin Fan didn't put down the knife. Instead, he whispered in his ear in a sinister tone, "Dean Duanmu, why aren't you surprised at all when I say I was harmed? And I never said that Master Chen poisoned the snacks. It seems like Dean Duanmu has always known. Although Master Chen is mercenary, he still advised me to leave the academy as soon as possible. If he wanted to poison me, there's no need for him to be so unfriendly in driving me away."

Duanmu Yu felt a chill run down her spine, realizing that she had said something unnecessary in her drunken nervousness. This Lin Fan was truly cunning; he had tricked her from the start by suggesting that the murderer was Master Chen, thus ensnaring her in his scheme.

Duanmu Yu was about to explain when, with a clang, the black knife fell to the ground. Lin Fan's body went limp, and he leaned one hand on Duanmu Yu.

Duanmu Yu brushed his hand away and chuckled, "If you were certain from the beginning that I was the murderer, you shouldn't have wasted your time trying to trick me. Perhaps you don't know my reputation as the Poison Master, which is why you dare to boast in front of me."

Lin Fan looked at him resentfully, "You! When did you drug me?"

Duanmu Yu straightened the hem of his long robe. "Of course, I carry my poison with me at all times."

He then showed the gourd with its mechanism, "Of course, the antidote is also included. Don't worry, this medicine is just a muscle relaxant; it won't kill you."

Duanmu Yu picked up the black knife from the ground and said, "Actually, I rarely use a knife to kill people. Please forgive me if I can't give you a quick death."

The knife aimed at Lin Fan's heart was blocked by Lin Fan's hand. He was clearly out of strength and could only watch the blade slowly approach him.

It turns out that Duanmu Yu really had never practiced martial arts, and his strength was only slightly greater than Lin Fan's at the moment.

"Stop struggling, the medicine isn't strong enough. You won't even be able to lift your hand in a moment."

Lin Fan gritted his teeth and said, "Finally, I hope the dean will tell me why he wanted to kill me?"

Duanmu Yu sneered, "Why? If our Shenmu Academy used a book copied by someone like you, we'd be laughed at. What do you think it is? Why would I bother scheming against someone like you? It's just a small favor."

"You heartless bastard who disregards human life!" Lin Fan roared, his strength suddenly surging as he snatched the black knife and stabbed it into Duanmu Yu's heart.

Lin Fan seemed completely unaffected by the muscle-relaxing powder. He jumped up, covered Duanmu Yu's mouth to prevent him from making a sound, and whispered in his ear, "Dean Duanmu, to be honest, I almost fell for your trick. If you had used a deadly poison, I might have been finished."

Duanmu Yu was speechless, only inwardly groaning. If that deadly poison had been released into the air, he himself would have died. The fact that there was an antidote for the muscle-softening powder didn't mean there was an antidote for arsenic.

Lin Fan didn't know whether it was the Soul-Suppressing Pearl, the Strength Pill, or the gray pill that made him immune to the Muscle-Weakening Powder. Anyway, he was just dizzy for a while and then he was fine, which made him guess that Duanmu Yu had used the medicine.

After Duanmu Yu breathed his last, Lin Fan put him down, silently reciting to himself, "I promised to avenge you all, now all that's missing is the Smiling Tiger." He wondered if he would ever have the chance to meet him again.

Lin Fan composed himself, began rummaging through drawers and cabinets, and took away some things he thought were still valuable.

It's almost time. We can head towards the city gate and see if we can get out of the city by midnight.

Lin Fan put the ghost mask on his face and pushed open the wooden door with a creak.

Mu Xiaotong took a step back in a panic, almost falling over.

Lin Fan frowned when he saw him. He had a clear conscience about his actions, but what should he do about this kind of child?

With her hair tied in a topknot, Mu Xiaotong was quite bold. She picked up a lantern and scrutinized Lin Fan, whose appearance had drastically changed and who was wearing a ghost mask. She tentatively asked, "Are you Master Lin?"

Did he recognize himself just by his voice?

"Yes. It's been a long time, Young Master Duanmu. When did you get to the door?"

Mu Xiaotong bowed and said, "It's been a while. Master Lin, it's been so long. You've changed so much."

"A lot has happened." Lin Fan scratched his head, unsure of the child's thoughts. "Has Duanmu Yu been treating you badly?"

Mu Xiaotong quickly waved her hand, "No, Grandpa Dean has always been good to me."

Lin Fan remained silent. He couldn't understand how Duanmu Yu, who was not a good person, could be so calm, especially since he was Mu Xiaotong's only relative here.

What if he tried to run away and report to the authorities? Lin Fan knew the simplest solution was to kill him too. However, Lin Fan wouldn't do that; he was simply thinking about how to control him without harming him.

Mu Xiaotong continued, "Master Lin is a good person, and Grandpa Dean is a bad person, right?"

Lin Fan said cautiously, "Whether I'm a good person or not is not for me to say. But Duanmu Yu did do something heinous."

"Can you talk to me?"

"He poisoned my snacks, but by some twist of fate, they were eaten by a few people who were kind to me, and all three of them died from the poison."

Mu Xiaotong nodded.

Lin Fan said, "Aren't you surprised?"

Mu Xiaotong nodded, "I vaguely know something about it; Grandpa Dean has been doing this kind of thing all along."

Lin Fan sensed something was off about him and advised, "No matter what, he's still your family."

Mu Xiaotong gripped the lantern tightly in her small hands, trembling slightly. "It's not like that. Good is good, and bad is bad. Master Lin is a good person, and the Dean is a bad person. Master Lin killed the Dean, so Master Lin did nothing wrong."

Lin Fan was speechless for a moment. He felt that something was not right, but he didn't know how to put it.

"Don't overthink it, I'll be going now."

"Wait a minute." Mu Xiaotong called out to Lin Fan, "Master, are you going out of the city? There are horses in the stables."

Lin Fan shook his head. "I can't ride a horse."

Pat-pat.

A rapid sound of horses' hooves.

Officer Li rode his horse at full speed all the way back to the county government office.

Two red paper lanterns swayed precariously at the entrance of the yamen, and two identical Miaozhuzi stood beneath the gate tower. One wore a Taoist robe that revealed her long, white legs, while the other wore a bellyband that exposed her snow-white shoulders, creating a strange and eerie beauty.

The monk's body was left at the doorway, with blood flowing all over the ground.

Officer Li dismounted and drew a knife from a nearby constable. "Are you Xuanmen plotting a rebellion?"