Diligence System: From Servant to Martial King

Li Jinkui was demoted to a Ten-men Commander. The Wolf Head Army cannot be leaderless, and for now, it is temporarily managed by a woman in a green skirt, named ’Luya’. Among the four close maidens of Princess An Yang, Qingyao stands out with the best appearance, and her demeanor and grace are exceptional. Huang Su is proud, Hong Luo is hot-tempered, while Luya is serene. Luya is tall, but her looks are only fairly good, not very conspicuous among the four, yet she is highly capable, managing the Wolf Head Army in an orderly fashion. She is quite the female general.

Li Xian was forced to go undercover. Along with other comrades in difficulty, he was transported into a mansion. They were not allowed to speak, nor to gaze at each other. Later, they were separated and detained, each in a narrow, cramped room.

The room only had a wooden bed and a candlestick. No windows or breeze, it was dim and suffocatingly hot. Li Xian’s Black Armor was removed, but as an "undercover agent," his face was not easily revealed, so he continued wearing a mask. He sat cross-legged, calmly in place, accepting his circumstances, perfectly composed.

"This Princess An Yang is by no means a benevolent person; she forced me to infiltrate Jade City. This is a deep grudge, which must be avenged if given the opportunity. But for her to dare use strangers like us to infiltrate Jade City, she must have some means to control us!"

After waiting for half an hour, the door of the narrow room was knocked. A panel in the middle was pushed open, and a bowl of purple soup was passed through. Qingyao said, "If you want to serve the Commandery Princess, you must first drink this soup."

Li Xian raised the bowl and sniffed lightly, detecting the scent of hundreds of herbs. This was a bowl of poisonous soup, concocted with ninety-seven kinds of poisons. Once consumed, it adheres like maggots to bones, extremely difficult to dissolve. Only with the antidote can the poison be neutralized.

However, concocting the antidote requires knowledge of each of the "ninety-seven kinds" of poison’s toxicity. It also requires knowledge of the order of adding the poisons; any mistake intensifies the complexity of the toxicity.

Li Xian thought to himself: "Such a vicious mind, and such decisive means! Even with my Pure Yang Body, which can resist poison erosion, this poison is uniquely complex and fierce. If ingested, my life would truly be in the hands of the Commandery Princess. Once the poison acts, only the antidote she grants can provide some relief."

He knew the effects of taking the poison. Each night, for an hour, his body would suffer pain, alternately hot and cold, the whole body itching, bones like being bitten by ants, unbearably painful. The Commandery Princess had thought it through, choosing "night" for the poison to act, because at night, one is already at rest, with no one around.

No need to reveal flaws due to the poison’s onset, it also keeps one constantly alert, shrouded in fear. Ever since planning her grand scheme, Princess An Yang has secretly recruited poison masters to develop this unusual poison. Recently, she acquired a capable assistant, deeply versed in poisons, making her use of poison even more peculiar.

Li Xian surveyed the room, his vision extremely keen, knowing that despite the darkness, there were mechanisms hidden in the corners of the narrow room. They could project the room’s scenes onto a certain mirror. The Commandery Princess and others were surely observing from the shadows; if he disobeyed, his life would be forfeit.

After deliberating for a moment, he drank the poisoned soup in one gulp. It was spicy to taste, the flavors of dozens of poisons and nearly a hundred auxiliary medicines flooding his mouth. The poison took effect instantly, his body burning with sweat, followed by itchiness and pain.

Li Xian, with his Pure Yang Body, had great endurance. Though in severe pain and itching, he could still maintain a calm demeanor. Yet he knew that Princess An Yang must be observing from the shadows, and if she discovered his strong poison resistance, she would surely add more strange poisons to test him.

So, after enduring briefly, he feigned wailing, rolling on the bed, as if in unbearable agony. Such tragedy occurred in many other narrow rooms, lasting for half an hour before gradually subsiding, leaving him soaking wet, lying down on the bed to sleep.

In the main hall of the mansion. Before Princess An Yang, a copper mirror was set up, with purple smoke curling around the mirror surface, reflecting scenes from the various rooms. Princess An Yang nodded and said, "This poison is excellent. If Xu Cheng drinks this poison, even if he has tenfold courage, he wouldn’t dare to rebel. Poison Madame’s talents are remarkable, reward her with wine."

Ho Qing-She, wearing a black robe, sat in the hall below. Her once handsome appearance was no more, her cheeks sunken, her complexion sallow, looking withered, with gray hair. Occasionally coughing softly, she exuded a completely sickly demeanor.

It turned out...

One day, Ho Qing-She had a chance encounter with Wen Caishang. Though not killed by a single palm strike, her skin was peeled in several layers, flesh torn in several places. Her injuries were extremely severe, and even immediate usage of rare celestial treasures and miraculous medicines couldn’t fully heal her.

Wen Caishang’s Palm Qi was mighty, with immense residual strength. After leaving, the palm strike continued to evolve endlessly, tormenting her daily, causing unbearable suffering. Ho Qing-She was tormented into exhaustion, but was completely helpless. She excelled in poisoning, but not in healing. To counteract the evolving palm strike required Martial Arts depth, insight, strength... all far beyond her reach.

At that time, she thought: "Ah... I, Ho Qing-She, I must still die under this palm." Groggy day after day, languishing with palm wounds. Just when she was at a loss, she overheard that a major figure was recruiting poison masters.

Ho Qing-She thought: "This injury, relying solely on myself, can’t possibly be resolved. Rather than cling to life so narrowly, serving others might offer a slim chance for survival." Thus, she followed the trail.

When she finally met the major figure, she discovered it was "Princess An Yang," a blood relative of the Great Wu Dynasty. Ho Qing-She immediately talked terms, willing to serve the Commandery Princess, but requiring the Commandery Princess to rid her of this injury.

Princess An Yang did not respond, first commanding Ho Qing-She to demonstrate her poison skills. Ho Qing-She’s character was eccentric, never followed norms, she used to arbitrarily capture people for poison practice in the Flower Cage Sect, promises and commitments... she adhered to none. Seeing Princess An Yang so lofty, she really wanted to just walk away. But under the threat of life, her disposition shifted again.

If she had to show her poison skills, she excelled in tormenting Martial Arts, perfectly aligning with Princess An Yang’s interests. She was immediately recruited for her use, and someone was sent to examine her injuries. Upon this examination, Princess An Yang exclaimed, "Who did you offend? Your injuries are so severe, your attacker is no simple person!"