Chapter 102: The Old Man Within the Body

Page (1/3)

Yun Hao casually pulled a bottle from his bosom and handed it to Yuan Tiangang.

“What is this?” Yuan Tiangang took the bottle with suspicion, carefully refraining from opening it.

“In the martial world, this is known as a knockout drug—a substance that causes unconsciousness upon ingestion. I’m not too familiar with the recipe, but two of my friends told me it’s not difficult to concoct. With the influence of your Taoist sect, tracing the source of this drug should be no trouble.”

“A knockout drug?” Yuan Tiangang was puzzled. He knew about such drugs—they were nothing more than anesthetics that didn’t really require a secret formula. Within the Taoist school, there was a sect called the Danding Sect, specialized in all kinds of elixirs. Beyond elixirs, they had even dabbled a bit in other areas. For them, a knockout drug was hardly worth mentioning!

“You mean… you fed the fish the knockout drug?” Being a prodigy of the younger generation in the Taoist sect, his mind worked unusually fast.

“Smart! Last night, I ordered men to throw a large quantity of beans soaked in the knockout drug into the Fen River…”

“Then the fish were drugged and paralyzed. When the sun set and the drug wore off, naturally the fish would awaken. Brother Yun! That’s a clever trick!” Yuan Tiangang ground his teeth in anger, glaring at Yun Hao with clenched teeth. Usually, someone who fancied themselves clever would wear such an expression after being deceived.

“Smart! That’s why talking to smart people is so enjoyable. Actually, we’re just small fry compared to you Taoists. Don’t think I don’t know many of your sect’s tricks. You still coat yellow paper with sulfur and phosphorus powder? That stuff’s firelight is off—I have something even better…” Yun Hao spoke with a cocky grin. However, Yuan Tiangang’s face instantly twisted into a grimace of extreme displeasure.

“You brat is a genius. Don’t force me to silence you!” Yuan Tiangang issued his deadliest threat coldly. If Wu Chen were here, Yun Hao would already be a corpse.

“You won’t. I just got married—I’m not planning on dying young! Look at the people outside—if you dare to harm me, many secrets of your Taoist sect will be exposed to the world. I won’t survive, but neither will you. Think carefully, this isn’t a matter of you living and me dying, but both of us being ruined. You won’t trade the destiny of the entire Taoist sect for the life of one child, will you?” Yun Hao took a sip of tea and spoke calmly. The tea at the estate wasn’t good; Yun Hao despised it and spat out the tea leaves.

“Fine! But if I hear even a whisper leaking from your mouth, not a single member of the Yun family will survive.” Yuan Tiangang knew the powerless fear the powerful. Even if he killed Yun Hao, he couldn’t eliminate everyone in the estate. And even if he did, would he dare to go after Marquis Tang? The Taoist sect’s mission was to cultivate the Way, not to rebel!

Page (2/3)

“You won’t lose either. Once you master this art of revival, your Taoist sect’s followers will increase massively. By the way, here’s a piece of bad news for you—Buddhism seems to be about to perform a miracle: a statue of Buddha will reportedly emerge automatically from underground. With your art of revival, at least you’ll hold your own.”

“In that case, I should thank you!” Yuan Tiangang ground his teeth almost to pieces. It was obvious that the Buddhist tactic was also taught by Yun Hao. This guy sure knew how to keep things balanced—Buddhism teaches one thing, Taoism another. No one gets offended! So young, yet already a fox—he wondered how his elders raised him.

“You’re welcome!” Yun Hao ignored Yuan Tiangang’s sullen face, smiling politely.

“The money is outside. This time, we’re square—goods for cash. Farewell!” Yuan Tiangang didn’t want to stay a second longer. Taoism emphasized peace of mind and natural Dao; after spending a moment with Yun Hao, Yuan felt as if his chest was burning with charcoal. If it went on, he feared he might strangle the brat.

“Done?” Zhang Miaoke looked at Yuan Tiangang leaving the Yun estate, resting her hand on Yun Hao’s shoulder.

“Done! But we’ve also caught the attention of the Taoist sect! It can’t be helped—no matter whose child gets thrown into the fire, to me, that’s a sin. We want to save him but can’t afford to offend the Taoist sect completely, so this is the only way!” Yun Hao sighed deeply, his voice filled with weariness and helplessness.

“You’re too young for such weariness. Sometimes I really think there’s an old man living inside your body.” Zhang Miaoke rubbed Yun Hao’s head, then cupped his small face to study it. Her eyes, like black gemstones, swayed from side to side, staring straight into his.

Yun Hao and Zhang Miaoke were deeply in love, but Wu Yuanshuang was living a life worse than death.

There was no going home. Wu Shihui issued a warning: if Wu Yuanshuang stepped foot inside the Wu family mansion again, his legs would be broken. Wu Yuanshuang had no doubt that his father could and would carry out this threat. This time things were serious. Even Wu Shihui felt the pressure of public opinion bearing down. The accusation of colluding with the Turks was a heavy burden. Wu Shihui understood its weight fully.

Wandering idly through Jinyang City, he longed to leave but couldn’t bear to part from Zhang Miaoke. In recent days, he had sneaked near the Yun estate several times, hoping to run into her by chance. He firmly believed his cousin still liked him. A flower of a girl like her could never love an eight-year-old child. Once he revealed his feelings, Zhang Miaoke would surely change her heart and elope with him.

The Crown Prince’s tutor Li Gang was his teacher, and he had a place at the National Academy. Whether in Chang’an or Luoyang, Wu Yuanshuang had a place to stay.

Page (3/3)

The homeless wandering life was miserable, but he had a few rascally friends. Everyday expenses were not a problem. Today, a familiar brother invited him for drinks. As the wine flowed and warmth spread, another friend suggested going to the Lanwan Club.

Hearing the name Lanwan Club, Wu Yuanshuang’s head ached. Although he didn’t know who left that mess that day, the blame was squarely pinned on him. That incident had enraged his father, but considering Wu Yuanshuang’s usually decent behavior, he only received a few lashes.

“Gentlemen, I heard the Lanwan Club recently got some Persian dancers. Their hair is golden, eyes blue, and skin completely white…”

“Completely white? Have you seen them?”

“Truly pure white, and each one has white tigers—soft, delicate…”

At the mention of the Lanwan Club, a group of lecherous men’s eyes gleamed. One vividly described the scene, causing a chorus of wolfish howling. Seeing beauties and not making a move was unthinkable—no true man would pass up such an opportunity. One of the lechers left the tavern, and the others followed in a grand procession, rushing to the Lanwan Club.

Wu Yuanshuang, dazed and confused, was swept along. Just as he was boarding the carriage, a mischievous friend quietly nodded at Hou Junji, who was lurking by the tavern door.