These Purple Sun Sect disciples in the Xuanling District clearly all took their cues from Guo Ren. Hearing Guo Ren's words, they chimed in one after another, offering their suggestions.
Some advocated secretly beating Jiang Chen up.
Some suggested poisoning him to cripple his cultivation.
Others proposed using material rewards to bribe Jiang Chen into going easy—deliberately throwing a few matches. After all, there were no eternal enemies, only eternal benefits. With enough profit on the table, surely he'd buckle.
And of course, some suggested bribing the people around Jiang Chen—getting to him through his companions.
There was no shortage of schemes. But upon closer scrutiny, hardly a single one was actually viable.
Beating him up secretly? Not a bad idea in theory, but they'd need to be able to take him first.
Poisoning him to destroy his cultivation? Sounds decent enough, but who would they send? If it failed and word got out, every single person involved would be finished.
As for bribing him, that seemed feasible on the surface, but how large a sum would it take to make that guy bend? None of them had a clue. And honestly—they were second- and third-rate figures within the sect. What wealth could they possibly offer?
Bribing people around him? That was just nonsense. That freak only had one person he ran around with—another mortal cultivator, the second-ranked one. And that guy's temper was even worse than the freak's. Bribe him? Forget it.
Just then, a fair-faced, smooth-skinned pretty boy let out a sly chuckle and spoke up: "Senior Brother Guo, I have an idea that might work."
"What is it?" Guo Ren glanced at the man dismissively. This guy was a womanizer through and through, always looking to slack off—what good idea could he possibly have? So Guo Ren showed little enthusiasm for his volunteering.
The fellow seemed to know Guo Ren didn't think much of him, but he didn't take offense. He smiled fawningly and said: "If we're talking about comparing martial strength, I, Yu, certainly can't hold a candle to any of you. But this time, I really do have a plan."
With that, he opened his palm, and a small medicine bottle appeared in it.
"Senior Brother Guo, this is a stimulant I normally use during my cultivation through dual cultivation techniques. This powder is colorless and odorless—the finest grade I've recently acquired. Once activated, it produces an intensely yang, almost body-bursting effect. Without three or five women nearby, it absolutely cannot be used carelessly. This drug can cause the yang energy inside the body to surge violently in a short time, pushing a person into a nearly insane state. If that energy isn't discharged through dual cultivation in time, the blood vessels will rupture—death by bodily explosion is entirely possible."
Guo Ren listened to his rambling with a furrowed brow, initially finding it crude and undignified. But as he kept listening, he began to catch on to something.
It could make the yang energy inside the body surge violently in a short time!
That was the key!
If this aphrodisiac was so potent, what would happen if that guy accidentally inhaled it?
The Xuanling District—where would one find women to discharge such an effect in a pinch? It wasn't as if there weren't any; there were plenty of female disciples from the Flowing Cloud Sect in the area. But even if that fellow was reckless, would he dare openly seek out a woman for that?
That would be straight-up suicide!
And if the energy couldn't be discharged, the yang would rage unchecked, the blood vessels would rupture, perhaps even leading to death by bodily explosion…
A sinister smile slowly crept onto Guo Ren's face.
"Not bad, Xiao Yu. That's a decent plan. But to pull it off, someone would need to get close to him—and earn his trust at that. Easier said than done."
Guo Ren thought it over carefully. The plan itself was excellent, but executing it would be extremely difficult.
Young Yu, having received Guo Ren's preliminary approval, was thrilled. A sleazy grin spread across his face: "Senior Brother Guo, the beauty of this powder is that it's colorless and odorless. You just sprinkle a tiny bit where he's bound to pass, and unless he stops breathing, once he inhales even a trace, he'll be in serious trouble."
"Oh? What exactly is this stuff? Such an outrageous effect?" Guo Ren perked up immediately.
"The drug is called 'Heavenly Fairy's Laugh.' They say even an immortal who takes it would have a hard time holding back. It's made from nine types of supremely yang substances, each one a potent aphrodisiac."
"Mm, even so, martial artists cultivate with extremely strong defenses. If you sprinkle it at his door, there's bound to be some trace left behind." Guo Ren thought about it—scattering powder at the entrance would inevitably leave some evidence, and at that guy's level of cultivation, he might not miss it.
In truth, no drug that claimed to be truly colorless and odorless was ever completely so. And the perception of a martial artist was far beyond that of an ordinary person. Even the slightest trace could be discovered. It wasn't that they feared exposure, but if the attempt was found out, it would only make him more vigilant—making any future plots against him that much harder.
"Everyone, think—what method can we use so he has absolutely no reason to be on guard?" Guo Ren swept his gaze around the room, encouraging everyone to put their heads together.
Suddenly, Cheng Lan spoke up: "Senior Brother Guo, if you want him completely off his guard, I think the only way is to start with that second-ranked mortal cultivator. That guy has decent strength, but he's nowhere near as monstrous as that freak. Those two are inseparable—if we can work something through that mortal second-ranked cultivator…"
This suggestion sparked a sudden inspiration in Guo Ren.
He slapped his thigh, his eyes lighting up: "Yes! Cheng Lan, that's a great suggestion. If this powder catches the second-ranked one, and he starts reacting, he'll have no idea what's happening and will naturally turn to his companion for help. All the freak has to do is step forward to check on him, and before he knows it, the powder will have entered his body too. Then those two grown men might just end up rolling around naked together in bed—ha ha ha ha!"
The thought of the depravity made even Guo Ren himself unable to hold back his laughter.