Rush to the top of the cumulative point leaderboard, begging for votes! －－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－－ “Hahaha, everyone present can dismiss what I, Li Hong, just said as a joke. However, let me be clear from the start: the fact that I dare utter such words means I possess absolute certainty of victory. If any of the Ten Great Guilds disagree and end up being wiped out, don't blame me, Li Hong, for failing to issue a prior warning.”

Li Hong’s sharp eyes narrowed slightly. He drew a folding fan from his sleeve and snapped it open with a sharp pa, his gaze slowly sweeping over the high-ranking leaders of the other nine guilds in the hall.

More than ten figures from the Medicine King Guild—the Vice Guild Master, Elders, and Hall Masters—all stood up, their faces grim. Each man had a hand resting on his sword or saber, forming a protective cordon around Li Hong, ready for battle at any moment. Their expressions made it clear that Li Hong’s words were no jest, but a meticulously planned operation long in the making.

The atmosphere in the auction hall finally congealed from its previous uproar of laughter.

The senior leadership of the Fire Cloud Guild, the Canal River Guild, the Dongyang Salt Guild, the Black Iron Guild, the Treasure Guild, and the Nine Shepherds Guild all rose abruptly, one by one. Their expressions were grave as they gripped the weapons they carried, effectively sealing every exit of the trading hall.

Within this auction hall, the manpower of the nine guilds far outnumbered that of the Medicine King Guild.

With matters having reached this juncture, there was no room left for maneuver, not even for a smooth de-escalation. Only one method remained to resolve this standoff—slaughter!

In the Jianghu, one must be accountable for every word uttered. Daring to speak so presumptuously and recklessly demands a price paid in blood, ensuring the lesson is burned into the minds of those who follow. Li Hong of the Medicine King Guild had cast the harsh die; now he had to withstand the counterattack from the other nine guilds.

Were any of the ten guild leaders attending this auction not men whose existence was forged by licking the blood off (the blade’s edge), who had slaughtered countless others to ascend to their positions? Would they be intimidated by the mere threat of the Medicine King Guild Master?

And among these leaders, three figures implicitly formed the core.

Tie Yuyang, the Guild Master of the Fire Cloud Guild, possessed a robust physique, a steady aura, and extraordinary strategic depth. He had been renowned as an unparalleled master throughout Pingzhou two decades prior. Now in his early fifties, he was in his prime, his power unfathomably deep—he was universally acknowledged as the foremost peerless expert in the Jianghu.

Wei Yuan, the Guild Master of the Black Iron Guild, had white hair and a white beard. Though short in stature and nearly ninety years old, he remained vigorous and spirited, arguably the oldest and most senior peerless master in the current Pingzhou Jianghu. His prestige in the martial world was second only to Tie Yuyang.

Xiao Qiu, the Chief Consecrated of the Dongyang Salt Guild, was about sixty years old, broad and powerfully built, wielding a heavy Black Iron Cudgel weighing two hundred and fifty jin. He presented a dull, almost vacant appearance, earning him the moniker “Peerless Martial Fool” in the Jianghu. This man was the biological brother of the Dongyang Salt Guild Master, Xiao Xia. His martial talent was exceptionally outstanding, yet tragically, he was an imbecile who knew nothing outside of martial practice. Despite his usual dim-witted demeanor, his body-hardening martial power was astonishingly formidable, and with his treasured cudgel, he was unmatched throughout Pingzhou. Even Tie Yuyang and Wei Yuan were reluctant to engage this martial fool in combat. He was counted among the select few peerless masters in Pingzhou.

These three were undoubtedly the most powerful martial artists present. Once the fighting erupted, they would play the decisive role. And the attitude of Tie Yuyang, Master of the Fire Cloud Guild—the premier guild of Pingzhou—would directly determine how this confrontation commenced.

“Good!”

Tie Yuyang stepped forward from the crowd, his gait steady, an aura of command naturally emanating from him. Even the other guild masters of the Ten Great Guilds felt a subtle pressure beneath his presence.

He did not rush to action. Instead, he spoke in a deep voice, “Seeking the throne of the Pingzhou martial hegemony—that is something I, Tie, dare only dream of, never taking it seriously. For Brother Li to openly declare war against all guilds in Pingzhou, I, Tie, am profoundly impressed. However, since Brother Li dares to speak such harsh words, he must have some means of support.” He glanced around at the others in the hall. “The core high leadership of our Ten Great Guilds are all here tonight. Why don't we lay our trump cards bare and settle everything tonight?”

Li Hong chuckled darkly. “Why not? The trump cards would have to be revealed sooner or later; early or late makes no difference. I will state it plainly now: The reason the Medicine King Guild dares to aim for Pingzhou hegemony is simple: we have utilized an item that the Medicine King Guild excels at creating—Poison! Have none of you felt that you have already been poisoned?”

A small segment of the high-ranking officials from the various guilds in the hall instantly changed color, hurriedly checking their own physical condition. While the Medicine King Guild specialized in pharmaceuticals, poison was certainly also their forte. If the Medicine King Guild used poison against the other nine factions, it was entirely plausible.

Of course, the majority within the hall did not panic because of this.

“Nonsense! I have not touched a single drop of the wine or food served in this tavern. Ever since I entered Zhuqi County, I have been wary of your Medicine King Guild. My Nine Shepherds Guild members are eating provisions brought from Wan’an Prefecture; we have not consumed a single bit of food from the county. How could we possibly be poisoned by the Medicine King Guild? Li Hong, if you’re trying to bluster, at least have some substance to it. Just spouting nonsense—is that your skill? If this is the Medicine King Guild’s trump card, then tonight is the night your guild meets its end!”

Guild Master Zheng of the Nine Shepherds Guild stood up dismissively, laughing wildly as he refuted Li Hong’s brazen claims.

Killing with poison was common in the Pingzhou Jianghu. The Nine Shepherds Guild had taken extreme precautions, refusing the food and drink arranged by the Yongfu Tavern. It was not just them; the other guilds were equally vigilant against poisoning tactics at such banquets. Thus, Li Hong’s claim of poisoning the nine guilds did not frighten many.

Li Hong remained unhurried, speaking with considerable self-satisfaction. “Of course, I anticipated that you would guard against ingesting poison and would not easily touch the county’s wine and food. That is why I long ago infused the poison into hundreds of wells throughout the county, and into the headwaters of the streams within a scope of dozens of li outside the county. You can bring your own provisions, but surely you didn’t transport water from dozens of li away to drink, did you? My poison is called ‘Qi-Sapping Powder,’ and it has two components. One part is added to the water; it is colorless and odorless, undetectable. The other part carries a faint, subtle fragrance that easily attracts attention, so I simply manufactured it into scented red candles and placed them inside lanterns, burning them to diffuse throughout the air. It enters your bodies through respiration. You must have all noticed that since dusk, at least ten thousand specially made lanterns have been hung throughout Zhuqi County, and a unique, faint fragrance permeates every corner of the town.”

“This medicine is specifically designed to corrode internal true qi, continuously depleting the true qi within your bodies. Only medicine specially formulated by the Medicine King Guild can neutralize this toxin. Moreover, this poison has a strange quality: it erodes more slowly if you do not mobilize your true qi; the more you use your true qi, the faster this poison will erode it. By now, at least an hour has passed, meaning you have all been poisoned deeply. I, Li Hong, advise you: if you agree to submit, I can cure you of this poison. If you refuse, hehe—whether you live or die will not be so easily determined.”

This time, the high-ranking leaders of the nine guilds truly changed expression.

Grain could indeed be transported by carriage from elsewhere, but the water consumed by their large entourage—the daily consumption was enormous—could not possibly be shipped from afar; they had drawn it from nearby streams.

The confidence of the nine guilds' leadership wavered; they no longer held absolute certainty about whether they had been poisoned.

Tie Yuyang swiftly circulated his internal arts, inspecting his own Dantian and meridians. He detected a faint corrosive force within, slowly and stubbornly grinding away at his internal true qi. Li Hong’s words were not lies; everyone present, including himself, had likely succumbed to the Qi-Sapping Powder.

His expression flickered, but he quickly realized that the onset of the Qi-Sapping Powder seemed somewhat slow, not yet enough to threaten him, and he immediately regained his composure.