With his Youxin Tong (Mind-Reading), Li Muzhan found he didn't need coercion when questioning. Though he couldn't clearly project the opponent's thoughts, by asking question after question, he could catch the fluctuations in their mind and glean the answers he needed.

The elder roared with laughter several times: "Truly self-clever, utterly laughable! Utterly laughable!"

"Is that so?" Li Muzhan smiled faintly, showing no anger, merely fixing him with a deep look.

Wang Yingjie glanced at the elder, then at Li Muzhan, and finally at Wang Shuangfeng, unsure whom to trust. Though intelligent, he was young, lacking in cunning and worldly experience. He could not truly read hearts.

Wang Shuangfeng stared intently at the elder, her slender eyebrows slightly furrowed, her eyes like clear autumn water, deep in thought.

The elder burst into laughter again, turned his head away, and refused to acknowledge Li Muzhan any further.

Li Muzhan said no more, turning instead to Wang Shuangfeng: "Miss Feng'er, the Gongsun family bears a grudge against you, correct?"

Wang Shuangfeng nodded: "Yes, we have frequent conflicts."

Li Muzhan mused: "The Gongsun family's reputation isn't great. Their medicinal herbs are exorbitant; people endure it just to survive. If they aren't afraid of inciting popular anger... there must be some method to their madness. You must be careful."

"Yes, thank you for the guidance, Martial Uncle." Wang Shuangfeng nodded.

As they spoke, Wang Yuanchu and the other three emerged from the woods, their faces grim, cursing that those four scoundrels were slippery and inhumane.

Wang Yingjie flew forward to meet them: "Uncle, shall we kill them?"

Wang Yuanchu stopped, his face darkening, and he snorted: "Kill what? We didn't catch a single one!"

Wang Yingjie looked astonished. Those four were clearly cornered dogs; with Uncle's skills, they should have been stopped. How did not a single one get apprehended?

Wang Yuanchu's expression grew colder, as if coated in frost. He huffed: "They turned into rats and escaped through an underground tunnel! Can you believe such audacity? Unacceptable!"

Wang Yingjie gasped: "What? A tunnel?!"

Wang Yuanchu glared at him, displeased: "What's the big fuss about! What happened to you? Why did you vanish halfway?"

Wang Yingjie knew his uncle had a habit of taking anger out on others, so he forced a bitter smile: "Uncle, that old man ambushed Sister Feng, so I..."

Wang Yuanchu slapped his forehead in exasperation: "Ah, I was careless, nearly falling for a diversionary tactic. Feng'er wasn't hurt, was she?"

"Thankfully, Martial Uncle was here," Wang Yingjie murmured, shaking his head.

Wang Yuanchu laughed: "Haha, right! Brother Li is here too!"

He looked up and saw the elder sitting there. He strode over with long, purposeful steps, cupped his hands, and said: "Brother Li, we owe you greatly! No words can express my gratitude!"

A chill of fear ran through him. If it hadn't been for Zhanran, if even one hair on Feng'er's head had been harmed, the Old Ancestor would never have forgiven him. Even though Feng'er had been with the Old Ancestor since childhood and possessed profound martial arts, her experience was still shallow. It was easy to dodge an open spear, but difficult to guard against a hidden dart. He should have been more vigilant.

Li Muzhan smiled and returned the salute: "Eldest Young Master, no need for such formalities. It was my duty."

The elder remained seated on a stool, his pressure points sealed by Li Muzhan, looking up at the sky with disdain, paying no heed to anyone.

Wang Yuanchu approached him, looking down, staring hard for a long moment before coldly saying: "Old fellow, who sent you? Speak now!"

Wang Yingjie quickly interjected: "Drawn out, Martial Uncle. Brother Li said it was the Gongsun family."

Wang Yuanchu turned to look at Li Muzhan: "Oh," he said, "Brother Li, was it truly the Gongsun family?"

Li Muzhan nodded: "It should be accurate."

"A fine Gongsun family!" Wang Yuanchu ground his teeth, stomping his foot in hatred: "I will settle this score with them sooner or later!"

Wang Yingjie opened his mouth, but a glance from Wang Shuangfeng silenced him, daring not to say more.

Li Muzhan said: "Eldest Young Master, there will likely be more obstacles on the road ahead. We must proceed with caution."

"Indeed!" Wang Yuanchu nodded, then scoffed: "I just hope they show up! If one comes, we kill one; if two come, we kill a pair!"

Li Muzhan said no more. Gestures and pointing were irritating, and good intentions often earned only resentment. He understood human nature well and would not make that mistake.

The group dared not drink tea. They drew cool water from the well, each taking a bowl, and then set off. Before leaving, Wang Yuanchu killed the elder with a single sword stroke.

Wang Shuangfeng’s delicate eyebrows furrowed slightly, her lips pressed tight. She turned away, unable to watch, a look of pained reluctance on her face.

Li Muzhan sighed: "Feng'er, in the Jianghu, one's actions are often beyond their control. The martial world is cruel—it's either you die or I die. There is no room for even a shred of mercy... These seniors Wang must have told you all this, haven't they?"

Wang Shuangfeng nodded lightly, saying nothing.

Li Muzhan noticed that this Wang Shuangfeng spoke very little, comparable to Gong Qingyun, yet her temperament was softer, her demeanor dignified and graceful—possessing the bearing of high birth.

Li Muzhan felt a budding admiration for her talent. If he had the chance, he would offer her a few pointers, hoping to be of some small help so she might avoid some detours. For those in the martial world, one wrong step could easily cost one's life.

They traveled until dusk before reaching a large city, Yanghua.

The group’s spirits lifted, some of their fatigue vanishing. Upon entering the city, they lodged at the Xinglong Inn, and then headed to a restaurant not far in front of the inn—the Ronghua Restaurant.

Wang Yuanchu stopped before the restaurant, looking up at the sign swaying in the twilight: "This restaurant’s name is good, Ronghua Restaurant. Haha, splendor and wealth—that is what all men desire!"

"Uncle, let's go in," Wang Yingjie said, blushing at the strange looks they were drawing from passersby, and urged softly.

Wang Yuanchu turned to look at him and shook his head: "Yingjie, look at your unpromising demeanor! Let them look if they want to. What is there to be embarrassed about?"

Wang Yingjie quickly countered: "We’re blocking people’s path."

"Let them be blocked! Won't they just walk around?!" Wang Yuanchu snorted.

Wang Yingjie lowered his head, remaining silent, knowing he couldn't win an argument with his uncle, and besides, he didn't want to lose face in front of Sister Feng.

Elder Cheng laughed warmly to smooth things over: "Alright, Eldest Young Master. Young people are thin-skinned; they’ll get used to it. Let’s go inside."

Wang Yuanchu shot a sideways glance at Wang Yingjie, then laughed heartily: "Good! Let's go in and have a good meal. This journey was hard; it’s time we rewarded ourselves!"

The group entered the restaurant and took a table on the second floor, near the window.

Wang Yingjie was initially dejected, but soon perked up, turning back to talk with Wang Shuangfeng. She listened mildly, speaking very little. She was always like that with everyone. Wang Yingjie was used to it and didn't mind her silence; occasionally, when she offered a brief reply, his joy would overflow, and his enthusiasm would surge.

Watching Wang Yingjie’s behavior, Li Muzhan shook his head inwardly. A man deeply in love is utterly obtuse; he hadn't even noticed that Wang Shuangfeng did not care for him.

However, Wang Yuanchu seemed quite fond of Wang Yingjie, constantly guiding him, instructing him earnestly, and continually honing him, as if polishing a piece of raw jade.

The waiter, a fair and delicate youth, brought the wine upon Wang Yuanchu's command—two jars of Shaodaozi. As soon as the seal was broken, a pungent, spicy aroma wafted out.

"Good! Now that has spirit!" Wang Yuanchu picked up a jar and personally poured a full cup for everyone.

Wang Yingjie was quick to seize the moment, picking up his own jar and filling his cup.

Wang Yuanchu set the jar down, raised his large bowl high, and laughed loudly: "To surviving this ordeal, let's drink this bowl!"

"Right, bottoms up!" Wang Yingjie echoed, his eyes shining.

Li Muzhan lifted his bowl, brought it close to his nose to sniff, and then shook his head: "The wine is good, but unfortunately, it's been tampered with. We cannot drink it."

Wang Yuanchu hastily set down his large bowl: "Brother Li, you mean the wine has been drugged?"

Li Muzhan nodded and smiled.

Wang Yuanchu clenched his teeth and cursed: "The Gongsun family’s trickery again!"

The Gongsun family built their reputation on medicine, their skill in concoctions being unmatched under heaven. Poisoning was naturally one of their habitual methods.

Wang Yingjie brought his bowl to his lips and forcefully inhaled, trying to detect any strange odor.

Wang Yuanchu scoffed: "Stupid boy, don't waste your effort! If you could smell it, the Gongsun family wouldn't be called the Gongsun family!"

Wang Yingjie shot a glance at Li Muzhan, unconvinced: "Then how did Brother Li know it was poisoned?"

"Can you compare yourself to Brother Li?!" Wang Yuanchu huffed.

Wang Yingjie opened his mouth but could say nothing, knowing he was far too inferior to this young Martial Uncle; he couldn't possibly defeat him.

Wang Yuanchu declared: "Everyone pretend to drink it, then quietly spit it out—we’ll turn the tables on them!"

Saying this, he raised his bowl, let out a great laugh, covered it with his sleeve, tilted his head back, and drank it down in one go, thoroughly satisfied.

The others followed suit, each covering their faces with their sleeves and pretending to drain the bowl.

"Haha, again!" Wang Yuanchu roared, then refilled everyone's cups. The group again shielded themselves with their sleeves and drank another bowl. Soon, they grew weak and collapsed silently.

After a long while, there was still no movement.

Elder Feng sat up and gave a wry smile: "Eldest Young Master, we were seen through."

Wang Yuanchu sat upright and cursed angrily: "Damn it, these bastards are truly cunning!"

He could guess that his group’s collapse was too sudden; the symptoms didn't match the poison, so they were seen through, and the enemy didn't approach. They hadn't fallen for the trap.

The group felt inexplicably disgruntled, yet had no one to vent their frustration upon.

They hastily finished dinner. Wang Yingjie tasted the food first; finding no poison, the others ate. After finishing the meal, they immediately returned to the inn and booked a small courtyard. Li Muzhan took a room next to Wang Shuangfeng’s.

Halfway back, Wang Yingjie couldn't suppress his curiosity and called out to Li Muzhan, asking how he detected the odd scent in the wine.

Li Muzhan smiled and said his sense of smell surpassed that of ordinary people, and it was nothing extraordinary—just a small trick. His five senses were indeed far keener than average; the strange scent in the wine that others couldn't detect, he perceived clearly and noticed immediately.

At the fourth watch, Li Muzhan suddenly opened his eyes on his couch and let out a long cry that echoed throughout the entire city of Yanghua, shattering the stillness of the night sky.

The others immediately woke up. Li Muzhan flashed out of his room and entered Wang Shuangfeng's chamber. Wang Shuangfeng was already out of bed, standing by the door in the shadow, holding her sword.