Watching Jiang Chen vanish from sight, a savage killing intent surged through Elder Wuhen's eyes.
This was the first time he had ever faced a mere fifth-level Origin Realm cultivator and felt as though he had exhausted every scheme yet still found the struggle overwhelming.
In the past, a mere fifth-level Origin Realm cultivator would have been nothing more than an ant in Elder Wuhen's eyes—something to crush with a flip of his hand, hardly worth a second thought.
Today, constrained by fear of collateral damage and hamstrung by one failed stratagem after another, none of his plans had borne fruit. In the end, he had no choice but to resort to this arrangement of a mutual agreement, allowing Jiang Chen to walk away with his head held high.
Although Elder Wuhen was fully confident he could track Jiang Chen down, letting the young man depart so composedly was, by his standards, no small humiliation.
Wei Qing's thighs had both been pierced clean through. Once freed, he hastily swallowed several medicinal pills and scattered some topical powders over his wounds.
The medicines were not the kind that could regrow bone or resurrect the dead, but their efficacy was still remarkable. Before long, the injuries on Wei Qing's thighs had improved considerably, barely hindering his movement.
He strode up to Elder Wuhen with a hateful scowl. "Elder, you're really letting that brat go just like that?"
Elder Wuhen rolled his eyes. "And if I didn't let him go, what exactly could you have done about it?"
Elder Wuhen was actually still quite displeased. If Wei Qing hadn't underestimated his enemy, things would never have come to this. The duck had been right at his lips, and just like that, it had flown away.
Though it would eventually return to his mouth, it would now require far greater effort to reclaim.
Wei Qing felt a flash of irritation at Elder Wuhen's retort, along with a sting of humiliation. "I'll go chase him down and kill him."
"Shut your mouth!"
Elder Wuhen bellowed, glaring at Wei Qing. "You're useless at accomplishing anything but excellent at ruining everything. You want to go after him now? Are you trying to bring the judgment of the Heavenly Oath down upon our Soaring Cloud Sect?"
Wei Qing froze, only now remembering that oath, and flushed with deep embarrassment. The words "useless at accomplishing anything but excellent at ruining everything" struck him like a whip lashing his heart, filling him with unbearable shame.
However, no matter how domineering Wei Qing might be, he didn't dare act out in front of Elder Wuhen.
Though Elder Wuhen was not the most powerful elder of the Soaring Cloud Sect, he possessed the greatest talent in the Dao of Alchemy, and his standing within the sect was easily among the top five.
No matter how talented Wei Qing might be, he was still merely a promising genius. In front of the sect's most influential elder, he was still far too green.
Moreover, what had just happened had truly fallen apart because of him. If he hadn't underestimated his opponent and gotten captured, Jiang Chen would never have been able to leave so easily.
However, Wei Qing was an arrogant genius after all, and being scolded like this by Elder Wuhen left a bitter taste in his mouth. He couldn't help but speak up: "This Jiang Chen is truly bizarre. Elder Wuhen, the poison formation you set up didn't affect him at all? Could it be that this kid actually isn't afraid of our Soaring Cloud Sect's poison formations?"
His words seemed like genuine puzzlement about Jiang Chen, but there was actually a fair bit of mockery laced within. So impressive, you are, Elder Wuhen — then why couldn't your poison formations hold onto Jiang Chen?
This question was, in truth, the one that Elder Wuhen himself found hardest to answer.
"Wei Qing, next time you encounter Jiang Chen in a situation like this, I have only one piece of advice for you."
"What is it?" Wei Qing blinked in surprise.
"Turn tail and run," Elder Wuhen said flatly. "Run as far as you can."
Wei Qing's face darkened with frustration, and he raised his voice: "Elder Wuhen, I know I slipped up and got captured just now, and it ruined everything. But there's no need for you to keep taking shots at me. Who hasn't made a mistake in their youth? Who hasn't underestimated an enemy when they were young? If I hadn't been so confident in your poison formations, would I have walked right up to him so easily?"
In truth, Wei Qing had a point. If he hadn't been so trusting of the poison formations, he probably wouldn't have been so easily lured in and captured.
Elder Wuhen smiled faintly. "I was quite surprised myself that the poison formations failed. However, my advice just now wasn't directed specifically at you. Believe it or don't."
Wei Qing was taken aback. "That Jiang Chen is nothing more than a cunning rogue — what makes him worthy of such high regard from you?"
"The kid is cunning, I'll give you that. But his tricks come one after another, and there's no way for you to guard against them. I don't know what methods he has, but I secretly dispatched summoned beasts to launch a sneak attack on him — and he saw through even that. Can you, Wei Qing, match up to an opponent of that caliber for the time being?"
Wei Qing was dumbstruck, unable to utter a single word for a long moment.
"What you're good at is nothing more than poison. Yet even my poison formations couldn't hold him. With your level of poison arts, what use do you think they'd be against him?"
Wei Qing refused to concede. "Even if my poison arts are useless, his martial cultivation is only at the fifth level of the Origin Realm. I can crush him with raw martial power alone."
"If you keep thinking like that, I'm afraid you'll die even faster." Elder Wuhen curled his lip dismissively, then waved his hand. "Fine, think it over yourself. Stop disturbing my train of thought."
Elder Wuhen couldn't be bothered to explain further to Wei Qing. The young man was hot-headed and rash, and after this whole affair, Elder Wuhen's impression of him had taken a sharp turn for the worse.
Wei Qing seethed inwardly. Seeing Elder Wuhen praise Jiang Chen at his expense — it was practically boosting the enemy's morale while crushing his own.
But no matter how indignant he felt, there was no way he would dare challenge Elder Wuhen.
……
Jiang Chen walked for roughly half an hour before stopping. He found a water source, changed out of all his clothes, and gave himself a thorough wash.
“That Elder Wuhen is cunning as a ghost. Though that poison formation couldn’t stump me, the aura within it left a trace on me. This old fox has prepared contingencies every step of the way.”
Jiang Chen circulated his spiritual power, thoroughly purging all traces of the aura from his body. At the same time, he summoned several agile Gold-Munching Mice, instructing them to carry away the clothes he had discarded, scattering in different directions. This way, he not only cleansed himself completely but also left behind numerous false trails for Wuhen and his followers.