"My master left something in the Kunlun Sect?" Yu Meixian asked, her eyes narrowing with surprise.
The Poison Queen calmly nodded. "Yes."
"Why in the Kunlun Sect?"
The Poison Queen smiled faintly, almost as if she had expected that question.
"So, she never told you about her birthplace. Typical of her."
Yu Meixian stared at the Poison Queen with a dumbfounded expression. For all the years she had followed her master, there were still parts of that woman's past that remained completely unknown to her.
The Poison Queen leaned back slightly.
"Well, your master was born in a small village in Qinghai. She grew up in that village as a normal village girl. But one day, her village was destroyed by demonic martial artists."
Her expression became solemn.
"Everyone in that village was slaughtered, but she survived."
Yu Meixian's eyes slowly hardened.
"There was a secret tomb in that village. I don't know whose tomb it was, but the martial arts you practice come from that tomb's lineage."
Yu Meixian's fingers twitched slightly.
The Poison Queen continued, "She found and slaughtered all the demonic martial artists who came for that tomb. But she was consumed by hatred. She was on the verge of Qi deviation when a Kunlun Sect Taoist helped stabilize her dantian."
The room fell quiet.
"That was the first time she found kindness."
Yu Meixian listened without interrupting.
"After that, she became a guest disciple of the Kunlun Sect. I don't know the reason she only became a guest disciple, but from the Kunlun Sect, she entered the Central Plains and made a name for herself."
A nostalgic light appeared in the Poison Queen's eyes.
"Then she revoked her status as a Kunlun Sect guest disciple and later became the Sword Queen."
The Poison Queen paused.
"That's all she told me about her backstory when we were comrades during the post-war chaos."
She looked directly at Yu Meixian.
"And then she told me, 'If my disciple ever wants to go to the Kunlun Sect, tell her that there is something she needs to retrieve from the Kunlun Sect.'"
Yu Meixian remained silent for several breaths.
The revelation weighed heavily on her heart. Her master—the woman she had followed, admired, and learned the sword from—had carried a past Yu Meixian had barely known.
"Did Master say anything else?" Yu Meixian asked.
The Poison Queen opened her mouth as though she were about to say something.
But she stopped.
A mysterious smile appeared on her face.
"That's all. You know her personality."
Yu Meixian stared at her for a moment before standing. She joined her hands, one fist covered by the opposite palm, and bowed respectfully.
"Thank you for passing on my master's message."
"No need to be so formal."
The Poison Queen picked up the teapot and poured tea into a cup before handing it to Yu Meixian.
"Now, tell me about the situation in Chongqing."
Yu Meixian accepted the cup and took a small sip.
"Bad, I'd say."
The Poison Queen's expression immediately became curious.
Yu Meixian continued, "I think Chongqing is going to become the new unorthodox territory of the Hundred Weapon Sect."
The Poison Queen's eyes narrowed.
"Can you tell me exactly what you saw in Chongqing?"
Yu Meixian began telling her about all the events she had experienced in Chongqing.
───
Meanwhile, Rin reached the entrance of the Tang Clan garden.
Two Tang Clan guards stood at the entrance, maintaining a vigilant watch over the path beyond.
The moment they noticed a beautiful man approaching them, however, both guards became completely smitten by his appearance.
Rin approached them and greeted them.
Neither responded immediately.
They simply stared.
One guard finally snapped back to reality and coughed loudly, causing the other guard to wake from her daze as well.
"You can't enter this garden," the guard said. "This place is only for Tang Clan members."
Rin calmly took out the Matriarch's token and showed it to them.
"I have permission to enter the garden."
The guards inspected the token.
Their expressions immediately changed.
It was real.
The two exchanged troubled glances.
They were now in a prickly situation. With the token, they had to let him enter the garden.
But for a man, this place was extremely dangerous.
One guard returned the token to Rin.
"Are you sure you want to enter? This place is dangerous. There are many poisonous plants and animals inside."
Rin accepted the token.
"Don't worry. I'll make sure to be extra careful, so please let me enter."
The guards hesitated for another moment before finally stepping aside.
Rin entered.
The so-called garden was nothing like an ordinary garden.
It was more like a forest.
Towering trees stretched high above him, their enormous branches blocking much of the sunlight. Strange vines twisted around ancient trunks, while unfamiliar flowers and herbs grew beneath the shadows.
The moment Rin stepped deeper inside, the relaxed expression disappeared from his face.
The first thing he did was heighten his senses.
His breathing became controlled.
His footsteps became lighter.
His eyes carefully scanned the surrounding forest for unknown dangers as he moved forward, hoping to find some valuable treasure.
After traveling deeper into the garden, Rin suddenly noticed a faint glow.
"Hm?"
He stopped.
Through the vegetation, a mysterious purple radiance flickered.
Rin carefully approached it.
Upon closer observation, his eyes widened.
"Purple Cloud Ganoderma?"
Surprise appeared across his face.
"I heard from an elder once that it is a special mushroom that can increase Qi."
Rin approached the Purple Cloud Ganoderma.
But just as he drew closer—
A massive shadow moved above him.
Rin's pupils contracted.
A gigantic serpent descended from the tree.
Its enormous body was covered in shiny scales radiating seven different colors, while a pair of chilling blue eyes fixed themselves directly upon Rin.
The serpent was enormous.
Its mouth looked large enough to swallow Rin whole.
Rin immediately took a defensive position.
"I'm not here to take anything."
He forced a smile.
"I'm just here to look."
The serpent continued staring at him.
"Hissss—!"
Without warning, it attacked.
Its speed was terrifying.
Rin barely reacted in time.
At the last possible moment, he jumped upward, narrowly dodging the strike as the serpent shot beneath him.
Rin drew his sword.
"You started it, you dumb snake!"
His Qi surged through the blade.
"Third Form of the Special Crane Sword Art—Double Swift!"
His sword flashed.
Two swift sword strikes tore through the air, aiming to cut the serpent in two.
But—
CLANG!
Rin's eyes widened.
The serpent's skin was as hard as iron.
His entire attack was deflected.
"What?!"
Before Rin could recover, the serpent twisted its enormous body.
Its tail struck him.
Rin immediately raised his sword to block.
BOOM!
The overwhelming force sent him flying backward.
His body slammed violently into a tree.
Rin grimaced as he forced himself back onto his feet.
He looked toward the serpent, his expression becoming grim.
"Damn it. This is no ordinary serpent."
His grip tightened around his sword.
"It's stronger than me. I can't defeat it at my current level."
The serpent attacked again.
Rin dodged.
But this time, the serpent's tail suddenly changed direction.
Rin's eyes widened.
The tail caught him.
In an instant, the serpent's massive body wrapped around Rin.
"Ugh—!"
The coils tightened.
Rin struggled, but the difference in strength was overwhelming.
The serpent began strangling him.
His breathing became increasingly difficult.
His face slowly lost its color as the pressure around his body grew stronger.
Rin struggled desperately, but he was utterly powerless.
His vision started becoming blurry.
The surrounding forest began fading into darkness.
Then—
A woman's voice echoed through the garden.
"Xiao Cai, that's enough."
The serpent immediately stopped.
Its coils loosened.
Rin fell free as the serpent unwrapped itself from around him.
"Haah… haah…!"
Rin dropped down, breathing heavily as air finally rushed back into his lungs.
The woman's voice came again.
"Don't you know? Since ancient times, wherever there is treasure, there must be a guardian."
Rin slowly raised his head.
His blurred vision gradually cleared.
Through the ancient trees and strange medicinal plants, he saw an old woman approaching him.