Li Qingling tipped an ink green pill from the porcelain bottle and flicked it straight into the snarling Blood Spirit Corpse's mouth. With two fingers pressed to its chest, he guided the pill down its throat.
Within moments, the medicinal potency took effect. The savage glint in the corpse's eyes faded, replaced by dazed awareness.
"I... I... Who am I?"
The Blood Spirit Corpse—now regaining consciousness—spoke haltingly, its memories still fragmented.
"The antidote gradually neutralizes the Blood Corpse Poison," Li Qingling explained calmly. "Within half a month, it will fully recover."
With a surge of elemental qi, he sliced through the corpse's shackles like a blade. Though its gaze remained vacant, the creature no longer attacked—only muttering confused questions like "Where am I?"
"Hah! It actually worked!"
Sun Gongming stroked his beard, grinning broadly. "Lay Practitioner Li's medical skills are truly exceptional. The poison has clearly been neutralized."
Jin Weide stepped forward, checking the revived man's pulse, tongue, and pupils before nodding. "Indeed. His vitals are normal. Once the residual poison clears, his mind will fully recover."
"Well?" Li Qingling arched a brow at Ling Feng, smug. "Care to verify my antidote’s efficacy yourself, young friend?"
"No need," Ling Feng said dryly, rubbing his nose. The man was clearly gloating over their last encounter, desperate to prove his superiority.
Little did he know—Ling Feng had already perfected the antidote days ago. This entire charade was meant to lure out the real mastermind.
Yet while Li Qingling had appeared, his connection to the Blood Sword Heavenly Lord remained unclear.
"Brilliant work!" Sun Gongming beamed, ever the diplomat. "Though Young Hero Ling is equally skilled, experience does count for something, eh?"
Li Qingling waved modestly. "Nonsense. With his talent, Ling Feng will surpass me in no time."
His magnanimous act earned Sun Gongming’s admiration.
What a performance. Ling Feng barely suppressed a scoff. The man’s acting was impeccable—no wonder he’d spied under Elder Hei Yu for years undetected.
"Now, the real challenge begins," Sun Gongming sighed. "Mass-producing these pills for millions of infected across sixteen cities will require staggering resources."
"The recipe itself is simple—any fire-attribute martial artist can brew it," Li Qingling offered eagerly. "The bottleneck is ingredients. Fortunately..." He leaned in. "Eight hundred li west lies an oasis teeming with Moonshadow Silken Herb—the antidote’s key component."
"Oh?" Sun Gongming’s eyes lit up. "Outstanding! Lay Practitioner li, you’re a godsend!"
"Merely doing my duty as a physician." Li Qingling turned to Ling Feng with a smile. "The oasis also harbors rare herbs. Would you care to join me, young friend Ling Feng?"
"Why not?" Ling Feng matched his tone. "Holding grudges would be petty of me."
“Heh, I'm glad to hear that, young friend Ling Feng.”
Li Qingling let out a hearty laugh, though inwardly he sneered: Still just an inexperienced brat! Ling Feng, oh Ling Feng... before long, you’ll be one of the fiercest generals under my command!
After finalizing plans with Sun Gongming, it was decided: At noon the next day, 200 soldiers from each city would escort Li Qingling to harvest herbs. Sun Gongming himself would lead the expedition.
True to his decisive nature, the general immediately dispatched fifteen scouts with mobilization orders.
Alright, that’s all for today. I appreciate everyone’s efforts."
Sun Gongming then turned to Physician Jin and chuckled, "Since you and Lay Practitioner Li both studied under Evergreen Hall, I’m sure you have a lot to catch up on. I’ll leave him in your care for now. Later tonight, I intend to personally toast Lay Practitioner Li in thanks! Once we return from gathering herbs, we’ll drink until we drop!"
"Not at all," Li Qingling replied with a calm smile before following Jin Weide out of the command tent.
"General Sun, we’ll take our leave as well," Ling Feng said, offering a respectful fist-and-palm salute. He then exited the tent alongside Tuoba Yan and the others.
But just before leaving, Ling Feng used Covert Sound Transmission to discreetly warn Sun Gongming: Be careful of Li Qingling!
Sun Gongming’s expression shifted ever so slightly as he watched them leave.
He muttered under his breath, "What did Ling Feng mean by that...?"
Back in their tent, Tuoba Yan finally exploded. "You can’t possibly trust that snake, Li Qingling!"
Ling Feng motioned for silence, then set up a soundproof barrier around them before speaking quietly, "Be careful—walls have ears."
"Huh?" Jiang Xiaofan blinked. "What’s going on, Big Brother?"
"Li Qingling’s up to no good." Ling Feng’s fingers drummed against his arm. Offering the antidote recipe was one thing—but personally guiding troops to some remote oasis? That reeked of treachery.
If his hunch was right, that "oasis" was a death trap designed to annihilate the army. Without those soldiers, not only would the Blood Spirit Corpse plague rage unchecked—the entire western frontier would be left defenseless.