The Poison of Calculation

“Haha! Here it is, I found it! I knew the junior师妹 would keep it on her person, and sure enough, it’s true!” Senior Brother Lu exclaimed, his voice brimming with ecstatic glee as he fished a small red wooden box out of the pile of scattered items.

The lid had been flipped open, but due to his angle, Han Li couldn’t see what was inside. His curiosity grew stronger, but he didn’t dare make a single rash move.

After all, the man across from him was so vicious he would even turn on his own female companion. If he, this “junior brother,” were discovered, the outcome would be certain: silencing him permanently, an endless feud until death.

Moreover, he had personally witnessed the power of the man’s wind-attribute spells, which were incredibly sharp both offensively and defensively. This was far beyond the reach of his own paltry, half-baked spellwork. On top of that, the other man’s magical power was far superior to his own, hovering around the mid-stage of the twelfth layer. With such a gap, both in spell technique and pure magical power, he was at a complete disadvantage. It seemed he had little hope of victory.

However, Han Li still believed that if he truly went all out, he could still contend with the opponent. After all, the magic tools he already had, combined with the new one he’d acquired, were nothing to sneeze at. When it came down to a real fight, it was still anyone’s guess who would be killing whom.

But Han Li had no interest in risking his own life to play this sort of hero-rescuing-beauty game. That “Junior Sister Chen” had no relation to him whatsoever. She had been the one with poor judgment, stubbornly treating a wolf in sheep’s clothing as her lover and walking right into the trap herself. Who was there to blame? Han Li didn’t have such lofty principles that he would risk his life for someone he didn’t know, with no benefit in sight.

So he decided to quietly watch this good show to its end, and then go his separate way, each minding their own business. Of course, he would have to be even more wary of this “Senior Brother Lu” in the future. After all, this was the first time he had ever seen someone so vicious and ruthless; he could only concede defeat when it came to this level of heartlessness.

With this thought, he secretly activated the Qi Concealment Technique he had recently learned, afraid that the other man might accidentally sense his presence and force him into a deadly confrontation.

At this moment, “Senior Brother Lu” put the wooden box into his storage pouch, let out a few lascivious chuckles, and sidled up to “Junior Sister Chen” once more.

Excitement bubbling within him, he continued tearing at her clothes, muttering all of his inner thoughts to himself as he did so. The words he spoke sent a chill of disgust down Han Li’s spine as he listened from his hiding spot.

“Junior Sister, don’t blame me for this! I had no choice in this matter, you see. That spoiled brat Dong Nizi said it herself: she would only ask our esteemed Ancestral Aunt, the Great Uncle-Master Hongfu, to take me as a personal disciple and impart her earth-shattering divine powers to me if I completely severed ties with you and, after Foundation Establishment, engaged in dual cultivation with her. This is a heaven-sent opportunity to soar to the skies! Senior Brother I simply could not bear to let it slip by, so I had no choice but to let you, Junior Sister, suffer a little.”

On the ground, “Junior Sister Chen,” who had been shooting flames from her eyes, trembled with fury upon hearing these heartless words. She wished she could sit up right now and rush over to bite this ungrateful man a few times to vent her hatred.

But unfortunately, this faithless lover had already bound her entire body with the “Wind Binding Technique.” She couldn’t move an inch, nor could she even open her mouth to curse. She could only let him have his way with her.

But the next words from this heartless man made her hands and feet go cold, nearly taking her breath away.

“Tch! If you weren’t the sole daughter of the Chen family patriarch, I might have let you off the hook. The truth is, I’m afraid that your love will turn to hate, and that you’ll use the Chen family’s power to retaliate against me and spread this matter everywhere, ruining the reputation I’ve worked so hard to build. And I’ve heard that the Great Uncle-Master Hongfu despises fickle and ungrateful men above all else. So, for the sake of my good fortune and my reputation, it’s best for you, Junior Sister, to simply disappear from this world! No one will suspect me, I’m sure. After all, we were once so deeply in love!” Senior Brother Lu said with a hypocritical sigh, but his hands never stopped moving. In an instant, “Junior Sister Chen” was stripped of her robes, completely naked.

“Senior Brother Lu,” upon seeing the beautiful sight before him, let a lecherous light blaze in his eyes. His fingers began to slowly glide over her smooth skin, a look of savoring his meal plastered on his face as he continued:

“But what moved me the most was that you, Junior Sister, and I both still have our Foundation Establishment Pills unused. I imagine you were also waiting until you had mastered the foundational technique before consuming them! After all, doing so increases one’s chances of a successful Foundation Establishment.” He clicked his tongue as he spoke.

“However, since you are going to offer your pure body to me anyway, surely you won’t begrudge me this Foundation Establishment Pill! I was a bit worried that relying on just one pill wouldn’t be safe enough for Foundation Establishment. After all, even with a mutated spiritual root, failures are common. But with your pill added to the mix, my Foundation Establishment will be absolutely assured.”

At this point, “Senior Brother Lu” withdrew his hands and took out the wooden box he had just put away, along with another blue porcelain bottle. He looked from one to the other, a smug expression of utter glee on his face.

Hidden behind the rock, eavesdropping on this entire conversation, Han Li’s mind began to churn.

Right before his eyes were “Foundation Establishment Pills,” and not just one, but two! This was too great a temptation.

After all, wasn’t the Blood Forbidden Trial, which he was planning to participate in, all about obtaining the Foundation Establishment Pill? If he could get his hands on one without having to risk such a perilous venture, he would be more than eager to try.

With this thought, Han Li focused his attention on “Senior Brother Lu’s” every move. If the man showed the slightest opening, he would not hesitate to strike immediately, kill the man, and seize both Foundation Establishment Pills.

At that moment, “Junior Sister Chen” began to show abnormal symptoms. The look of venomous hatred on her face was gradually fading, replaced by an intoxicated expression. Her exposed skin was also taking on a pinkish hue, and her rosy lips trembled slightly, but she couldn’t make a sound.

“Hehe! Looks like the Harmony Elixir is taking effect. You must be feeling quite uncomfortable now, Junior Sister. To repay your great kindness to me, I suppose I’ll have to work a little harder and let you experience the sweet torments of pleasure. That should be the least I can do to honor the affection you’ve shown me in the past.”

“Senior Brother Lu” muttered to himself, utterly shameless. He put away the items in his hands and reached for his own belt, as if intending to undress and enjoy himself to the fullest.

Seeing this, Han Li’s heart stirred. If he were to launch an attack while this “Senior Brother Lu” had stripped himself bare, the man would surely be caught off guard and panic, allowing for a single, decisive strike.

The more Han Li thought about it, the more he felt this plan had a high chance of success. He began to watch “Senior Brother Lu” even more closely, even subconsciously glancing a few times at the man’s face.

“Something’s wrong.”

After a few glances, Han Li immediately spotted the problem.

This “Senior Brother Lu” was fumbling with his belt in a fluster, but he was taking far too long. The belt was still securely tied, not a bit loose. Even more suspicious was that, despite wearing a lascivious expression, Senior Brother Lu’s eyes were sharp and clear, with not a hint of confusion, and they even held a trace of a cold, mocking smile.

Han Li’s heart gave a sudden lurch. He felt something was terribly wrong. His wariness kicked into high gear. He quickly opened his spiritual sense to its fullest extent, fished out a “Water Shield Talisman,” and tucked it into his palm.

The moment he finished these preparations, Han Li suddenly sensed something flying towards him from his left, completely silent and undetectable. If it weren’t for his spiritual sense now being active, he probably wouldn’t have noticed it at all. This discovery both shocked and infuriated him.

Without a second thought, Han Li slapped the talisman onto his body. A layer of azure light immediately enveloped him. At the same time, a rope-like object, the color of green bamboo, came flying in and wrapped itself around him, only to be blocked by the light barrier just in time.

“Eh?”

“Hmph!”

“Senior Brother Lu” and Han Li both let out sounds, the one a sound of surprise at the failed ambush, and the other a sound of furious alarm at how close he had come to being ensnared by the other man’s cunning and treachery.

“Good! Good! Such a quick reaction. It seems you’re no ordinary man! But, my good friend, since you’ve been watching for so long, don’t you think it’s time to come out and have a word with this Lu?” “Senior Brother Lu” waved his hand, and the green rope flew back into his grasp. He then spoke coldly, without any sign of panic, towards Han Li’s hiding place, making it clear he had long known of his presence.