Chapter 787: Are you a descendant of the Poison Sect too? (1/2)

The moon was bright and the stars were scarce.

It was already a quiet night, but the depths of the Poison Sect’s forbidden grounds were silent to the point that nothing but the mountain breeze remained. Bai Yuqiao still couldn’t figure out why they were here even after they stopped by the edge of the Poison Sect’s Skypit. If they were tracing things back to the source, then the Hundred Poisons Sect could count as one of the Poison Sect’s branch factions. But in her memories, master had never mentioned this place, much less take her here.

Senior brother Jun Yixie had come before to seek out the poison beast, but left without results. She remembered that master had only smiled after hearing about the news without saying a word. In every case, members of the poison community all yearned for this spot because its mountains were filled with poisonous plants. Meanwhile, the Skypit at their feet once imprisoned the poison beast, making it especially alluring. There was a hypnotizing effect to the abyss of the Skypit that made Bai Yuqiao want to dive down and explore its depths. She waited excitedly for a long time, assuming that master would take her down, but he simply stood by the edge and stared at the darkness.

After a while, he turned and said, “Yu lass, let’s go back.”

Go back?

“Master, we’re already here...we’re not going down to take a look?” Bai Yuqiao asked, confused.

“It’s already ruined down there, so there’s nothing worth seeing,” Bai Yanqing intoned.

“Then...then what did we come here for?” Bai Yuqiao was curious.

Bai Yanqing laughed. “Yu lass, don’t you think the wind has a certain flavor here?”

Bai Yuqiao lifted her head and sniffed at the breeze. “It smells like mud.”

“No, it’s the smell of poison! Even the air in this place has been touched by toxins,” Bai Yanqing sighed with feeling. “Smelling it once in a while can remind one of one’s origins.”

Bai Yuqiao was even more puzzled and tried to sound him out. “Master’s...been here before?”

She might have been raised by her master as a foster daughter, but most of her time was spent in the Hundred Poisons Sect. She didn’t follow him often and her childhood memories were full of master’s frequent travels elsewhere. Neither her nor her senior brother ever knew where he went. Only recently had she gotten the chance to stay by his side, serve him, and understand him better.

Bai Yanqing looked up at the moon and stroked his beard with a smile. “Of course. This is the origin of the poison world, and your master’s roots!”

Bai Yuqiao’s heart suddenly skipped a beat. “Master...Master is a descendant of the Poison Sect too?”

She regretted her words as soon as she said them, because her lightning quick mind was already analyzing the possibilities. If master is a descendant of the Poison Sect, then what’s his relationship with Han Yunxi? Why doesn’t he let senior brother bother Han Yunxi while secretly scheming against her himself? What does this contradiction mean?

And also, why does master hide so many things from senior brother?

Bai Yuqiao felt a keen sense of danger as she followed her train of thought. Anyone who knew too much would have a bad end. The hands hidden in her sleeves were clenched tightly and soaked with sweat. She didn’t dare to meet her master’s eyes, afraid that he’d realize she knew too much. But instead, all she heard was a laugh.

“Yu lass, aren’t you a descendant of the Poison Sect too? Anyone who learns the poison arts is a descendant of the Poison Sect! None of them should forget their origins!”

Bai Yuqiao abruptly looked up and only saw her master’s cheerful face. It was identical to her childhood memories, kindly and amiable.

So that’s what master meant!

She had no time to wonder if he meant it, but only hastened to cover up her tension by feigning happiness. “Master, Yu’er thought you’d be really mad, but now I finally know why you’re so happy.”

“Happy? Heheh, then why don’t you tell me the reason.” Bai Yanqing was indeed in good spirits.

“Because the Poison Sect’s regained its innocence. Our Hundred Poisons Sect won’t be a wicked, crooked sect anymore!” Bai Yuqiao said with a smile.

“Mm,” Bai Yanqing nodded perfunctorily. To him, both Jun Yixie and the Hundred Poisons Sect were simply tools in his hands. How could either of them compare to this stretch of land? He glanced back at the Skypit again as a trace of nostalgia rose in his eyes. He had lived here for years and stood outside of the Skypit multiple times. He had also looked up at that same moon many times without ever stepping inside its depths.

By the time Bai Yanqing and his disciple returned to their quarters, a message from Northern Li had already arrived. Originally, the Northern Li emperor had been venting his anger on Jun Yixie thanks to the crown prince’s death. He had stopped all duties in Jun Yixie’s hands and even put him under secret house arrest at the palace. But now the emperor had to use Jun Yixie again, because the second imperial prince had suddenly stopped all communications from the Wintercrow Clan. There were no other suitable candidates to serve as a diplomatic envoy, so the emperor could only place all his hopes on Jun Yixie instead.