The confidence, the composure, the sheer bearing Jiang Chen carried on his face—even someone as seasoned as Elder Zhuo couldn't spot a single flaw.
Moreover, what Elder Zhuo saw in Jiang Chen's eyes wasn't just confidence and calm. Deep within that gaze, he caught a thread of genuine sincerity.
By contrast, Elder Zhuo had never liked the alchemist at Wei Tiantong's side. That man, though he spoke little, always had a flicker of cunning and venom in his eyes.
It was exactly the sort of feeling that Elder Zhuo—a man of upright spirit—found deeply repugnant. If he hadn't needed something from Wei Tiantong, he would never have wanted anything to do with that kind of person.
Wei Jie was quick-witted. Seeing that Elder Zhuo was wavering, he knew this was the moment to press his advantage. "Elder Zhuo, there are things you may not yet be aware of. The last time I left the estate, I was ambushed by a traitor within the clan and poisoned with Nine Laughing Golden Buddha Powder. No alchemist anywhere could cure it. In the end, it was Brother Zhen who pulled me back from the brink of death. The one who poisoned me—that was the alchemist at Wei Tiantong's side."
"What?" Such a secret was naturally unknown to Elder Zhuo. His expression turned to shock, his face a picture of disbelief. "Jie'er, is this true?"
Wei Jie didn't hesitate. "If I speak a single lie, may I be judged by Heaven and Earth and die."
The moment a Heaven-and-Earth Oath left his lips, how could Elder Zhuo disbelieve it? For a time, the old man sat stunned. He had known Wei Tiantong harbored ambitions to seize the patriarch's seat, but he never imagined the man would actually move against his own kin.
Intra-clan struggle was one thing—everyone competing on merit and cunning, that was within bounds. But resorting to poison to kill one's own clan members? That crossed an unforgivable line. It was something Elder Zhuo could never accept, no matter the circumstances.
His lips trembled faintly, his mind reeling from the revelation. The old man couldn't help but think: if Wei Tiantong was truly this ruthless, could he really lead the Wei clan to prosperity once he held power? Would there even be a place left for anyone else?
It was then that Jiang Chen spoke. "It seems Elder Zhuo has been kept completely in the dark. You may believe that because he can help Young Master Mo with his problem, you owe him a debt and have no choice but to stand on his side. But you don't know—the whole thing was orchestrated by Wei Tiantong himself."
At these words, Elder Zhuo was truly stupefied. "What do you mean?"
Jiang Chen smiled faintly. "Young Master Mo's talent on the martial path is extraordinary, and the Wei clan has an excellent foundation. His chances of breaking through to the fourth level of the Saint realm were already very high. So why did problems suddenly arise?"
"Why?" Following Jiang Chen's lead, Elder Zhuo drew a blank. Wei Mo's talent was indisputably among the top three in the entire Wei clan. Under normal circumstances, he shouldn't have hit a fatal bottleneck at the Earth Saint level.
"Simple. Because that wicked alchemist tampered with him," Jiang Chen said calmly.
Elder Zhuo shook his head vigorously. "Impossible. I didn't know about Jie'er being poisoned, I'll grant you that. But my Mo'er absolutely was not poisoned—I'm certain of that."
Elder Zhuo didn't doubt the story about Wei Jie. But this claim about Wei Mo made him skeptical. He thought Jiang Chen was being an alarmist.
Jiang Chen chuckled. "Elder Zhuo, I never said Young Master Mo was poisoned."
"Then what?" Elder Zhuo blinked.
"The technique Young Master Mo cultivates follows an extremely yang, intensely fiery path. His internal yang energy was already running strong. All that person did was apply a few substances to stimulate yang energy on Young Master Mo's body. Put simply, this substance isn't even a poison—how could any test detect it? Young Master Mo's yang energy was already in excess, and he had no marriage to temper it. Add something on top that further stimulates yang energy—tell me, what would happen? Young Master Mo, don't you feel scorching heat throughout your body every day, unable to quiet the demons in your heart? Your mind constantly wandering, unable to focus?"
Wei Mo's face flushed with embarrassment, his youthful cheeks turning red, but he gave a small nod.
Jiang Chen was secretly amused, because Wei Mo's symptoms were exactly the most common problem young men faced—pent-up desire.
For most people, this wouldn't be considered a serious matter. But for Wei Mo, who cultivated an extremely yang technique, it was like pouring oil on a fire.
It was similar to how Jiang Chen had once diagnosed Elder Ye Chonglou's mount. The Fengjiao Five-Winged Beast's ailment was actually quite comparable to Wei Mo's condition.
The difference was that the Fengjiao Five-Winged Beast's problem was a natural physiological issue, while Wei Mo's natural physiological issue had been deliberately amplified by someone with malicious intent.
In the martial world, many cultivators held a misconception—that intimate relations between men and women would corrupt the pure yang energy within their bodies and deplete their vital essence.
This wasn't necessarily wrong, but the so-called "pure yang energy" referred specifically to those born with an Innate Pure Yang Physique.
A martial artist born with an Innate Pure Yang Physique appeared perhaps once in hundreds of millions.
An ordinary martial artist, even one who cultivated an extremely yang technique, didn't necessarily have to abstain from all relations with women.
In someone like Wei Mo's case, there was absolutely no need for it.
When martial cultivation reached its ultimate realm, the Great Dao was truly simple—follow the natural course.
Wei Mo had already reached the appropriate age, and his cultivation of yang techniques meant his blood and vital energy were far more vigorous than most people's. His physiological needs were naturally intense.
On top of that, someone had maliciously amplified those needs. What should have been a cup's worth of demand suddenly became a bucket's worth. How could problems not arise?
If this continued, forget breaking through to the Earth Saint level—over time, even his dantian and sea of energy might collapse entirely.
Elder Zhuo's expression shifted between light and dark. Seeing that Jiang Chen had diagnosed Wei Mo's symptoms with a single remark, he found himself torn. Part of him desperately hoped this young man could truly solve Wei Mo's problem. Another part feared that Jiang Chen was talking nonsense and would ruin Wei Mo's future.