Chapter 460: When Do the Pagoda Tree Flowers Bloom

Sister Mu's mastery of poison has reached a profound and unfathomable level.

Qin Mu couldn't help but praise her. Mu Yingxue's attainments in the path of poison had truly surpassed his own; she possessed extraordinary comprehension in this field, developing unique methods through her study of poison arts. After their previous duel, she must have absorbed some of the Apothecary's concepts and forged her own path, which allowed her to defeat Yu Qingchan so effortlessly. The Apothecary's mastery of poison was remarkable, but Qin Mu primarily focused on healing and saving lives, so it was natural for Mu Yingxue to surpass him in poison arts, as he hadn't studied them extensively.

If he had been the one to duel Yu Qingchan, Qin Mu would have needed to use the Creation Art from the Great Dao of the Heavenly Devil Scripture to alter the poisons' properties. While his underlying concept was similar to Mu Yingxue's, his mastery of the "spirit of all things" wasn't as high, so it would have taken him considerably longer. He could have defeated Yu Qingchan, but certainly not as effortlessly as Mu Yingxue had.

Of course, Qin Mu practiced both medicine and poison arts, and using his medical skills to complement his poison arts yielded unexpectedly remarkable effects. If it came down to a true life-or-death struggle, it would be hard to say who would emerge victorious between him and Mu Yingxue.

Mu Yingxue leaped down from the arena, but she didn't touch the ground. A green vine automatically sprouted, and a large leaf from it supported her body. The young woman extended her hand to Qin Mu. He took it, and she pulled him onto the vine leaf.

The green vine beneath them grew taller and taller, lifting them high into the air. Mu Yingxue waved to the crowd below the arena, filled with joy and pride. "See," she exclaimed, "even those of us who refine poisons can find our ideal partners! My little man, the Heavenly Devil Cult Master from the Central Plains, is incredibly formidable!"

A cheer erupted from below.

A girl laughed loudly, "Poison Master, you found your beloved after just one trip to the Central Plains! When will you take us there too?"

Mu Yingxue excitedly replied, "Once my little man's business is finished, I'll take you to the Central Plains to steal the men of the Central Plains women!"

Another girl below added, "I hear the Central Plains is male-dominated, truly a backward region. Let's go correct them!"

"Yes! Let's correct them!"

Another girl laughed, "The Poison Master finally found her beloved after so much effort! We must celebrate!"

Laughter from many girls filled the air. Suddenly, a group of young women rushed out from an unknown direction, beating waist drums, stepping to the rhythm, singing and dancing.

Mount Thunder City instantly became lively. Many young men and women held hands, walked shoulder to shoulder in the streets, and sang folk songs from the West. Some divine arts practitioners activated Western divine arts, causing green vines, poisonous flowers, and herbs to grow wildly throughout the city. Some men and women who cultivated poison arts strolled among the flowers and plants, singing call-and-response mountain songs, while others stood on rising vine leaves, dancing with the person they admired across from them.

Below, drums and gongs clanged loudly, and a clear singing voice pierced the sky. Qin Mu stood on the vine leaf and looked down to see a giant green frog with a white belly walking from the end of the street, filling its entire width. A group of large-eared opossums followed behind the giant frog, raising the metallic-sheened scales on their bodies, accompanied by many frog spirits making "guha guha" sounds. The frog spirits rapidly extended their tongues, hitting the opossums' scales and producing crisp "dang dang" sounds. Many other frog spirits danced excitedly, beating gongs and drums, while some quickly played flutes with their four fingers. A few large centipedes twisted their bodies, tapping their legs on the ground. Occasionally, a centipede would kick a frog spirit's bulging cheek, causing the frog spirit to croak in response.

On top of the giant green frog, a vibrant young woman slowly stood up. Her black skirt twirled as she sang loudly: "On the high mountain, oh, there's a locust tree, oh dear. Leaning on the railing, oh, I wait for my love, oh dear. Mother asks her daughter, 'What are you looking for, oh dear?' 'I'm looking at the locust blossoms, oh dear, when will they bloom, oh dear?' The earth's light is like unwarming rain, scattered hearts dot the world. The locust blossoms awaken early. The daughter asks her mother, 'What are you asking for, oh dear?' Shy like the locust blossoms, oh dear, words are hard to speak, oh dear—"

Qin Mu listened, captivated. Although the green vine had risen very high, this magnificent scene of the entire city rejoicing still filled his vision, and the wondrous melodies and soaring songs still reached his ears. The passion of the Western women surged like a powerful wave, enveloping him completely and flowing into his heart.

The green vine suddenly swooped down with him and Mu Yingxue, passing through street after street. All around them were dancing people, strange imps, and poisonous creatures. Their flamboyant dance moves, chaotic steps, and raised hands met the outstretched hands of Qin Mu and Mu Yingxue. The melodies filling Mount Thunder City suddenly became high-pitched and impassioned, bright and joyous. He felt as if he had entered a mythical land. The giant green vine carried him and the young woman beside him, weaving through the streets and alleys of this western frontier city, as celebratory people blurred past them.

The green vine carried them back, swirling their bodies and slowly rising. Girls in the trees stepped on green leaves to place garlands around their necks. Other young women lay on treetop branches, their slender calves playfully kicking. Watching Qin Mu and Mu Yingxue rise from below the trees, they cupped their chins and sang heartwarming love songs, while a swarm of flying locusts played tiny gongs beside them, propped on their hind legs.

The green vine extended towards the city center, soaring over the incredibly lively street scenes, flying above the streets and round houses until it reached Mu Yingxue's palace. In the palace's attic, a window opened, and the green vine carried the young man and woman from the leaf into the room.

Qin Mu and Mu Yingxue stood by the window. Below, they saw the boisterous crowd streaming into the streets, continuing to sing and dance, with waves of songs and clanging gongs and drums. They were still celebrating Mount Thunder City's great joyous event: the Poison Master, Mu Yingxue, finally finding her beloved.

"How embarrassing." Mu Yingxue covered her face and spat, "Their celebration makes it seem as if I couldn't find a beloved on my own! They're practically eager to send me off for a 'walking marriage'!"

Qin Mu looked at her. This girl, the foremost poison master of the West, showed no signs of shyness. Instead, she was bold and fiery, any trace of bashfulness in her heart washed away by her passionate enthusiasm. The Western women's enthusiasm was a bit much for him, and this intoxicating morning in Mount Thunder City left him somewhat entranced. He was in a state of emotional intoxication.

The celebration finally subsided in the afternoon. Mu Yingxue still couldn't hide her excitement, leaning against Qin Mu's shoulder and looking utterly content.

Dragon Qilin carefully walked along the streets filled with poisonous flowers and leaves, looking up at the young man and woman still standing at the window. He mumbled softly, "This is how the Patriarch fell in the West back then. That old rogue leaves me behind every year to come to the West…"

Qin Mu finally sobered from the indulgent atmosphere and said, "Sister Mu, we still have important matters to attend to."

Mu Yingxue's face flushed slightly as she fiddled with the corner of her clothes. "Evening is the time for walking marriage," she said. "Why are you so impatient? Can't you wait a little? But even if you're very eager, I… I can't rush either! I can't indulge you; here, women are superior to men, and men must accommodate women!"

Qin Mu blinked, waiting patiently for her to finish. "Sister," he then said, "my purpose in coming to the West this time is to help Xiong Xiyu and her daughter Xiong Qier reclaim their positions as True Heaven Palace Mistresses. That's why I've caused such a stir. This should originally be your West's internal affair, and I shouldn't interfere. However, when Xiong Xiyu was overthrown by the Yu family and so many of the Xiong family died, you also had deep involvement."

Mu Yingxue nodded. She ordered someone to invite Dragon Qilin and Xiong Qier up, then continued to lean close to Qin Mu. "When the Yu family attacked the Xiong family, I did play a significant role," she said. "The Yu family had a 'Ba Gou' whose background was terrifying. I was compelled to agree to their request to poison the Xiong family. However, the poison I administered was not lethal, as you know."

Qin Mu nodded. The poison Mu Yingxue administered was the Entanglement Poison, which crippled one's cultivation but wasn't lethal. When Qin Mu met Xiong Xiyu, she was suffering from this poison; her cultivation was severely damaged, and she was being miserably hunted by Yu Bochuan and his followers.

Mu Yingxue's face darkened as she said, "I didn't expect the Yu family to be so ruthless, uprooting the entire Xiong family, eradicating them completely… However, even if I had known the Yu family would resort to deadly measures, I would still have had no choice but to poison the Xiong family."

Qin Mu looked puzzled.

Mu Yingxue sighed, "The lives of my Mu family and Mount Thunder City depend on me. If I had refused, the Yu family would have attacked my Mu family and Mount Thunder City. As a Poison Master, I needed to consider my family's welfare. Nai Kui hates me very much, doesn't she?" She showed a hint of guilt, then quickly hid it, reverting to her usual indifferent expression. "There's nothing I can do if she hates me," she said. "I couldn't possibly risk my life and family's existence for her."

Qin Mu said, "Sister, you should know why I came here this time, right?"

Mu Yingxue was, after all, the Mu family's clan head and well-informed. She nodded and said, "I know. From the moment you stepped into the West and True Heaven Palace issued a bounty for you, I understood your intentions. The Heavenly Devil Cult Master has lofty ambitions; you wouldn't risk coming all the way to the West just for personal affections. You didn't come for me, nor for a walking marriage. You came to accomplish something significant."

Her demeanor suddenly changed, becoming sharp. "You want to turn the West upside down, to change its very heavens!" she declared. "Your ambition is to bring the West under the rule of Yan Kang Kingdom! And the quickest shortcut to achieve this goal is to support Xiong Xiyu in becoming the True Heaven Palace Mistress! Xiong Xiyu has nothing and bears a deep blood feud, so she would have no choice but to agree to your terms, to the Yan Kang Emperor's conditions. Once she becomes Palace Mistress again, True Heaven Palace will announce its incorporation into Yan Kang."

Qin Mu couldn't help but sigh with emotion. Since arriving in the West, he had met many extraordinary women: the poised yet shrewd He Yiyi, and the cunning mother and daughter of the Liu family. All of them were exceptionally brilliant, with extraordinary vision and insight. And the Mu Yingxue before him was just as outstanding.

Mu Yingxue said, "I do owe the Xiong family a great deal, but I absolutely cannot owe them to the point of risking my Mu family's lives and existence! You haven't seen Ba Gou, so you don't know how formidable he is, but I do. I know how terrifying he is. I also know that True Heaven Palace has a living deity. No matter how powerful you are, or how many Western masters you gather, you cannot win; it will only be a suicidal attempt!"

Qin Mu stood up, his expression dim. "I shouldn't have come here," he said.

Mu Yingxue's heart trembled. She stood up and said, "I want you to stay; you don't have to go to your death. However, if you insist on leaving, I won't stop you. Women of the West don't try to keep a man who is determined to leave!"

Qin Mu bowed. "Sister Mu, I bid you farewell," he said, then turned and walked downstairs.

"You!" Mu Yingxue gritted her teeth and exclaimed loudly, "You'll die, do you know that?"

Qin Mu looked back and smiled. "When I saved the mother and daughter, I knew that acting rashly to rescue them might lead to my death, but I still did it," he said. "Sister, I won't hold you hostage or make you do anything for me."

Mu Yingxue was greatly agitated. She stomped her foot and said, "Even if you die, I won't miss you!"

Qin Mu laughed heartily, meeting Dragon Qilin and Xiong Qier, who were coming upstairs. "This haven of tenderness, I have visited," he said. "Fatty Dragon, let's go!"

Dragon Qilin was puzzled but still ran downstairs, carrying them towards the city exit.

"Brother-in-law?" A girl on the street looked up, gazing blankly at Qin Mu's departing figure.

Qin Mu tossed a sachet to the girl and recited loudly: "Three thousand merits must reach completion, when the nine-turn elixir ascends. Amidst busy years, busy deeds are dispatched, my nature, though foolish, remains unchanged! Sister, let it be as if I never came!"

Mu Yingxue stared blankly as he walked out of Mount Thunder City, until his figure disappeared. She walked downstairs. Mount Thunder City was a mess, with traces of the morning's celebration everywhere. Some frog spirits were tidying up the streets, dragging away drunken residents.

At the street corner, a few girls looked at her. One young woman bravely spoke, "Sister, brother-in-law, he…"

"He's gone." Mu Yingxue heard herself speak in an unfamiliar tone, "He probably won't be coming back…" She touched her face. Unbeknownst to her, her cheeks were wet.

"Brother-in-law just gave this to me; it should be yours, Sister." The girl Qin Mu had met walked over, holding a sachet embroidered with mandarin ducks in gold thread.

Mu Yingxue opened the sachet. Inside were a handful of bright red love seeds.