C38 Golden Pistil Needle

"What?"

Jiao Lexin stared at Wang Sibo, his disbelief palpable.

What in the world was happening?

So Zhou Jibo might have a powerful backer, but he was still just a kid. Was I really going to be thrown out just for criticizing him?

"Our Jiao family has had dealings with the Myriad Treasure Auction House for years, and we've known Master Wang for just as long. Are we truly inferior to someone like Zhou Jibo, with his murky origins and background? Can a small place like Icefair really connect with such a powerful force? Is he truly that valuable?"

As Jiao Lexin spoke, he turned his gaze back to Yan Yuanlu and Wang Sibo, hoping against hope that he could persuade them to weigh the significance of the Jiao family against Zhou Jibo.

But Wang Sibo's expression was resolute. He gestured dismissively and declared, "Jiao Lexin, if it weren't for my past acquaintance with your family, I'd do more than just send you away today. You've insulted Young Master Zhou and brought trouble upon the Jiao family."

"You heard what Young Master Zhou said. Your family might boast four Innate Warriors, but you're still out of your league trying to take him on!"

Jiao Lexin's anger flared. He had been furious when Zhou Jibo first made those remarks, but now Wang Sibo was openly dismissing him to his face, leaving him utterly humiliated.

Do you really take me for a spoiled fool? How dare you underestimate me?

With a roar, Jiao Lexin bellowed, "The Zhou family is nothing but a minor clan in a small town, without a single Innate Warrior among them. I refuse to believe they have any significant backing!"

No sooner had he spoken than his palm flipped, revealing a glittering golden flower from his sleeve, aimed directly at Zhou Jibo.

"You scoundrel!" Wang Sibo exclaimed, leaping to his feet in alarm.

Jiao Lexin, having opted for a surprise attack, was ready for Yan Yuanlu and Wang Sibo's counter. The moment he brandished the golden flower, he triggered its mechanism with a surge of vitality. Beams of golden light burst forth, streaking straight toward Zhou Jibo.

Jiao Lexin's move was swift. Zhou Jibo, spotting the golden flower, dodged just in time. The golden light grazed past his face, narrowly missing him by mere inches.

Almost in the blink of an eye, a cry of pain echoed through the air. Zheng Fanshuang clutched her shoulder and collapsed to the ground, while Jiao Lexin was firmly seized by Wang Sibo, rendered immobile.

"Jiao Lexin, have you lost your mind?" Wang Sibo bellowed.

Jiao Lexin retorted, "It's you who's gone mad, Wang Sibo! Sure, Zhou Jibo has some talent, but does he hold a candle to the Jiao family? You, a Soul Separation Stage Warrior and a Forgemaster, are treating him as if he were the Holy Son of the Holy Land. You're utterly senile!"

Wang Sibo didn't bother to counter the accusation. He simply stated, "You're so shortsighted. It's your actions that could bring the Jiao family to ruin."

With that, Wang Sibo channeled his true essence into Jiao Lexin's body, effectively imprisoning his vitality.

"Young Master Zhou, this man is of no consequence to us. Please, handle him as you see fit."

Zhou Jibo nodded for Wang Sibo to keep Jiao Lexin under control and then turned his attention to Zheng Fanshuang. Her shoulder had been struck by a streak of golden light, and now black blood seeped through her clothing, her lips pale as death.

"Is this poison?"

Zhou Jibo addressed Yan Yuanlu and Wang Sibo, "Do either of you carry any antidotes? Serpent gall, Lysimachia christinae Hance, endive, bezoar—any such remedies would do."

He was well aware, with his Xu's Medical Book now at the fourth layer, that these antidotes could only gradually neutralize toxins and were not suitable for immediate crises.

Nevertheless, Zheng Fanshuang had placed her life in his hands, and he had vowed to save her. In this critical moment, he had no choice but to use his attribute points to enhance the efficacy of an antidote to preserve her life.

Yan Yuanlu hastily produced a small packet and offered it, "Young Master Zhou, this Detoxification Powder is what I carry for unforeseen emergencies."

Zhou Jibo accepted the powder and gently lifted the now-unconscious Zheng Fanshuang. He strode swiftly towards a private room, clearly intent on treating her wounds and purging the poison.

Wang Xuelan snapped out of her daze and yelled at Jiao Lexin, "What's wrong with you? Did you really coat your hidden weapon with poison?"

Jiao Lexin's face was a picture of misery as he remained seated, frozen in place.

Wang Sibo observed Jiao Lexin with a slight shake of his head. Zhou Jibo was of extremely high status, and Jiao Lexin's actions were tantamount to digging his own grave, dragging the Jiao family down with him.

Sibo had previously urged him to leave in an attempt to defuse Zhou Jibo's anger on behalf of the Jiao family. But Jiao Lexin's stubbornness to strike at Zhou Jibo, and with such ferocity, meant that now no one could save him.

Yan Yuanlu asked in a low voice, "Master Wang, does Xuelan stand a chance?"

Wang Sibo, reflecting on the earlier exchange of jokes between Zhou Jibo and Wang Xuelan, felt a glimmer of hope. Maybe she did have a chance?

Jiao Lexin, however, was filled with trepidation at the thought of Zhou Jibo's potential connections, and the reality that behind each of the two minor families in Icefair City stood a Holy Land.

With the influence of two great Holy Lands, a city or a sect could be wiped out. Was being caught in this massive maelstrom really a good thing for him?

He didn't voice his thoughts but instead diverted the conversation. "That was the Golden Pistil Needle, wasn't it? What poison was used on it?"

Yan Yuanlu gazed toward Basinpond with a sense of loss, "The Jiao family, a renowned Family of Forgemasters allied with the Myriad Treasure Auction House for years, is in jeopardy. Regardless of the poison, even if Young Master Zhou's maid survives, the family's fate hangs by a thread."

Jiao Lexin shuddered at these words, struggling to maintain his composure.

"You're being alarmist. Does Zhou Jibo really possess such power?"

Yan Yuanlu, seeing his continued denial of the inevitable, shook his head and sighed, "Fool!"

Inside the private room, Zhou Jibo pressed his palm onto the detoxification powder. With a thousand attribute points added, the powder transformed first into a premium detoxification powder and then into a first-grade detoxification pill, capable of neutralizing a hundred poisons.

Given Jiao Lexin's proficiency at the Acquired Stage, the poison he selected likely wouldn't surpass what a Detoxification Pill could handle, right?

Zhou Jibo then tore open Zheng Fanshuang's blouse, revealing a darkened wound on her pale shoulder.

At the center of the wound was a slender golden needle embedded deep within her flesh—one of the golden rays that had burst from the flower earlier.

The needle was poisoned and the attack nearly a sneak assault. Zhou Jibo's expression turned icy; this wasn't mere jealousy driving Jiao Lexin—it was a genuine attempt at murder.

Carefully using the torn fabric, Zhou Jibo extracted the needle. He pressed on the wound, causing trickles of black blood to ooze out.

Zheng Fanshuang let out a soft groan, coming to consciousness.

"Jibo, am I dying?"

"You're not going to die," Zhou Jibo assured her.

"It might be better if I did," Zheng Fanshuang murmured, seemingly oblivious to Zhou Jibo's reassurances. "I've been so foolish. I failed to save my brother and even divulged the Zheng family's secrets to you. They're going to want me dead. Even if I stay with you, I'll be nothing more than a maid."

"I might as well be dead."