NOVEL NEXT WORLD Chapter 49:
Chapter 49:
The wine was poisoned?
Everyone was utterly terrified. Some spat out the wine in their mouths, while others, who had already swallowed it, desperately stuck their fingers down their throats to induce vomiting.
The second-floor dining hall of the inn descended into chaos.
“BOOM!”
The Law Enforcement Elder, Lei Lie, slammed his palm onto the table, shattering it into pieces. Plates of food and cups of wine clattered to the floor.
“Outrageous!”
Lei Lie’s thunderous voice shook the entire inn, reverberating like a storm. His anger surged, causing the air to quiver around him.
Xiao Zhanshan and his wife turned pale with fright, their faces drained of all color.
The disciples around them cowered in fear.
Only Xiao Yang remained calm. Sitting at his table, he picked up his chopsticks and resumed eating, as though none of this concerned him.
Fortunately, he wasn’t seated at the same table as the Law Enforcement Elder, or he wouldn’t have had anything left to eat.
“…”
The onlookers were speechless, watching Xiao Yang eat without a care. Didn’t he worry the food might also be poisoned?
Aside from Xiao Yang, Lin Wangchuan continued devouring meat and gulping down wine. Their sheer audacity left everyone stunned.
“Who served the wine just now?”
Lei Lie’s fiery gaze swept across the room. Sparks of electricity danced in his eyes, and his clenched fists radiated an aura of destructive power.
The atmosphere grew heavy. Even breathing felt difficult under his intense pressure.
Xiao Zhanshan, his wife, and the surrounding disciples quickly stepped back, trembling.
No wonder Lei Lie was furious. They had just left the mountain, still within the Azure Sun Sect’s territory, yet someone dared to attempt poisoning the sect’s disciples—specifically targeting the sect’s Holy Son.
This was intolerable.
Soon, it was confirmed that the poison was only in Xiao Yang’s cup. The rest of the wine was clean.
The perpetrator’s target was not everyone—it was specifically Xiao Yang.
“Great Elder, this has nothing to do with me!”
Pang Hu, the plump manager of Nanshi Town, collapsed to his knees, trembling uncontrollably.
As the sect’s appointed steward of this town, Pang Hu never imagined such a disaster would occur under his jurisdiction. Attempting to poison the Holy Son? This was akin to toppling the heavens.
“Who served the wine to the Holy Son? Step forward!”
Pang Hu glared at his subordinates.
At that moment, a figure bolted toward the window, trying to escape.
“Trying to flee in my presence?”
Lei Lie’s eyes flashed, sparks dancing in his gaze. A terrifying aura of destruction erupted from his body, making him seem like a god of thunder.
The sheer intensity of his power made everyone’s hearts pound.
Lei Lie extended his right hand, and lightning crackled from his palm, forming a massive hand of electricity. The fleeing figure was snatched mid-air and slammed to the ground with a thunderous crash.
The person was dressed in the uniform of an Outer Sect disciple, with a single small sword embroidered on the collar.
A One-Sword Outer Sect Disciple?
“Who ordered you to poison him?”
Lei Lie’s eyes burned with fury as he interrogated the disciple.
The man sneered defiantly but said nothing. Blood trickled from the corners of his mouth, his body convulsed briefly, and then he lay still.
“He… he killed himself?”
Lei Lie’s anger was palpable, his fists trembling.
The onlookers were shocked into silence, their gazes shifting between the lifeless body and Lei Lie.
Only Xiao Yang and Lin Wangchuan remained unfazed, eating and drinking without interruption.
“Brother Holy Son, that guy’s dead,” Lin Wangchuan said through a mouthful of roasted meat, glancing at the corpse.
“Oh,” Xiao Yang replied indifferently, not even sparing the body a glance.
“Brother, someone just tried to poison you! Why do you seem so unconcerned?” Xiao Yue asked in disbelief.
The others also turned to Xiao Yang in astonishment.
The poison was so potent it had corroded the wooden floor instantly. Even though Xiao Yang was a powerful martial artist in the Heavenly Martial Realm, ingesting that poison would have spelled certain death. Yet, he seemed utterly indifferent.
“How dare someone use such vile methods against my son!” Xiao Zhanshan finally recovered from his shock, roaring in fury.
“Yang’er, are you okay?” Chen Ruolan, his mother, asked with concern.
Xiao Yang remained silent, sipping from a small bottle of spiritual wine he had brought from the sect.
Chen Ruolan and Xiao Yue felt awkward as their concerns went unanswered.
“Does anyone recognize this man?” Lei Lie asked, his gaze sweeping over Pang Hu and his subordinates.
“Reporting to the Great Elder, this man’s name is Niu Yong. He joined the Outer Sect three years ago. I have no idea why he would attempt to poison the Holy Son,” Pang Hu stammered, cold sweat dripping down his face.
“What?” Lei Lie’s fists clenched tightly. This assassin had been an Outer Sect disciple for three years?
“Does he have any relatives?”
“He… he’s an orphan,” Pang Hu replied cautiously, his voice trembling.
Lei Lie’s anger surged.
A spy planted in the sect for three years, and no one had noticed? It was a blatant failure of oversight.
Xiao Yang watched Lei Lie’s fury but remained calm. He had already deduced who was behind this.
In his past life, a similar incident occurred after they descended the mountain.
In that timeline, under the Transmission Elder’s leadership, the poison attempt took place in a different town to the east.
The details differed, but the patterns remained the same.
Qin Fei’s schemes persisted. If not for Lin Wangchuan’s reckless kick, Qin Fei would likely have leveraged his growing influence to outshine Xiao Yang completely.
Qin Fei’s grudge remained unchanged—he saw Xiao Yang as an obstacle to his ambitions.
Xiao Yang smirked faintly, impressed by Qin Fei’s persistent ruthlessness.
“Search the body! Look for any clues!” Lei Lie barked at Pang Hu.
“Y-yes, Great Elder!” Pang Hu scrambled to his feet, donned gloves, and began a thorough search of the corpse.
The search yielded little—a few low-grade spirit stones and nothing else of note.
But when Pang Hu removed the man’s right shoe and sock, everyone gasped.
Tattooed on the sole of his foot was a black lotus.
“A Black Lotus… a remnant of the Demonic Sect?”
Lei Lie stared at the tattoo in disbelief.