CHAPTER 841: CAN HE BE SAVED? OR NOT?

"Whoosh!"

"Whoosh!"

"Whoosh!"

The only reply Liu Xuanji received was the sound of crossbow arrows.

Although Liu Xuanji had sobered up for the most part, his body was still in a semi-paralyzed state. The opponent was striking swiftly, and all the projectiles were extremely powerful crossbow arrows.

After dodging several arrows, Liu Xuanji stumbled and tripped over a stone.

As his balance faltered, a crossbow arrow flew straight at him, embedding itself in Liu Xuanji's shoulder.

Caught off guard, Liu Xuanji was thrown backwards.

One misstep led to another.

Soon after, Liu Xuanji was struck by several more arrows, one even hitting his abdomen.

"Who goes there!"

The commotion was loud enough to alert some patrolling Taoists.

Upon hearing the sounds, they quickly rushed towards Liu Xuanji's location.

When they arrived, they found Liu Xuanji already lying in a pool of blood.

"Master Liu!"

The Taoists were shocked and hurriedly picked up Liu Xuanji, rushing him to Zhang Chonglou's residence.

...

That night, Ye Guichen drank himself into a stupor, his head spinning dizzily.

Under normal circumstances, with Ye Guichen's current cultivation, no amount of alcohol should be able to intoxicate him.

However, he was enjoying himself too much to bother expelling the alcohol from his system.

Noticing a foul odor, Ye Guichen opened his eyes, almost feeling nauseous: "Hey, Hua Sheng, why is your foot on my face!"

Ye Guichen quickly sat up, only to find himself sitting on something soft. Looking down, he couldn't help but chuckle.

He was sitting right on Luo Huasheng's face.

But Luo Huasheng seemed completely oblivious, still soundly asleep.

After rubbing his head and stretching, Ye Guichen remarked, "How many years has it been since I had such a great drink?"

Ye Guichen didn't bother waking Luo Huasheng and instead went to wash his face. His gaze lingered momentarily on the bucket of spiritual spring water, marveling at its extraordinary properties.

"Hmm, I'll get my hands on that spiritual spring next time."

With that thought, he was suddenly interrupted by the sound of rowdy shouting from outside.

"Ye, get out here!"

"Come out quickly, or don't blame us for being impolite!"

"Who do you think you are? What did our Fifth Master do to provoke you into becoming an assassin?"

The noises outside grew louder, as if they had already barged into the courtyard.

Confused, Ye Guichen pushed open the door and stepped out, only to find over twenty Taoists standing outside.

Upon seeing Ye Guichen, the Taoists angrily berated him in unison.

One of the Taoists glared at him and shouted, "Ye, hurry up and come with us to see the Master!"

"Yeah, how can you sleep so soundly here? You have some nerve!"

Ye Guichen was utterly perplexed, "What is it? Did you all take gunpowder for breakfast?"

Zhang Chongchen, looking exhausted, pushed his way through the crowd, scolding them to quiet down. He quickly approached Ye Guichen: "Brother Ye, could you come with me for a moment?"

Ye Guichen noticed Zhang Chongchen's unusual expression: "What's going on?"

"Fifth Brother was ambushed," Zhang Chongchen said grimly, studying Ye Guichen's face, as if trying to discern any hint of guilt.

Ye Guichen was incredulous: "Fifth Brother?"

"Yes, the Fifth Brother who challenged you last night, Liu Xuanji." Zhang Chongchen continued, noticing no change in Ye Guichen's expression, "Do you remember?"

Despite being thoroughly drunk, Ye Guichen hadn't forgotten Liu Xuanji's challenge. He nodded, "I remember. You said he was ambushed?"

"Yes, and he still hasn't regained consciousness," Zhang Chongchen's voice was hoarse. "We inspected the scene; the crossbow arrows were poisoned, lethally. It seems the attacker intended to kill Fifth Brother."

Initially dismissive, Ye Guichen furrowed his brows upon hearing this. He looked at the Heavenly Master Tao disciples in the courtyard: "You suspect me?"

Zhang Chongchen knew he couldn't hide it and admitted, "I believe you're not involved, but you and Fifth Brother clashed last night, and now he's injured. Coupled with the poisonous arrows, it's only natural for suspicions to arise. I've come under the Master's orders to invite you over to establish your innocence."

"Haha, suspect me?" Ye Guichen chuckled dryly, "I have no grudges with Liu Xuanji. Why would I resort to assassination? If I wanted him dead, why sneak around?"

Zhang Chongchen smiled wryly, "I understand, but your words alone won't convince everyone. How about coming with me."

"No way! Why should he?" Luo Huasheng emerged quickly, grasping Ye Guichen's arm, "Brother Ye was with me all night; he didn't even leave. How could he have killed anyone? Besides, Brother Ye is an upright person. You can't frame him!"

Zhang Chongchen sighed helplessly, "Master Luo, the Master wishes for you to come too."

Luo Huasheng frowned, "Fine, I'll go and see what your Heavenly Master Tao has to say. Accusing my Brother Ye unjustly—unacceptable."

Luo Huasheng turned to Ye Guichen with a smile, "Brother Ye, no one can frame you. I'll fight anyone who tries!"

Zhang Chongchen sighed again, "Master Luo, I understand your words. Although I haven't interacted much with Brother Ye, given the public opinion, we have no choice. To uncover the truth, we also need to answer to the other members of Heavenly Master Tao. Moreover, these are the Master's orders. I have no alternatives, so please come along."

Ye Guichen also knew that if things weren't cleared up, he would always remain a suspect: "Brother Zhang, don't worry, I'll go with you."

Ye Guichen and Luo Huasheng followed Zhang Chongchen to a side room near the Heavenly Master Tao great hall.

Before entering, a strong scent of blood wafted out.

From afar, Ye Guichen could detect traces of poison mingling with the blood smell.

Upon entering, a simple single bed was present.

The bed was unadorned, quite basic. Lying on it was Liu Xuanji, his face pale, lips purple.

Beside Liu Xuanji, Zhang Chonglou sat on a chair, one hand placed on Liu Xuanji's pulse, seemingly monitoring his condition.

Apart from them, there was an old man Ye Guichen didn't recognize.

This old man was naturally Gongsun Zhi.

"Master, they're here," Zhang Chongchen glanced at Liu Xuanji and whispered softly.

Zhang Chonglou slowly opened his eyes. Without rushing to accuse, he gestured towards Liu Xuanji: "Though I am the Sect Leader of Heavenly Master Tao, my medical skills are limited. He has been poisoned by a rare venom, and I can't determine what it is. Last night, I sealed his meridians to slow the poison's flow, yet I still can't stop his life force from fading. Please see if there's any hope."

Ye Guichen didn't say much either and stepped forward, opening Liu Xuanji's mouth to inspect his tongue, which had turned completely purple. Without taking his pulse, Ye Guichen smiled and asked Zhang Chonglou, "Old Man Zhang, do you want him saved, or not?"