Chapter 785: Wind and Water Take Turns Turning

Zu An's heart skipped a beat. He said in a deep voice, "I don't understand what you're saying. Minister Ma, are you suffering from delusions?" At the same time, his eyes scanned the surroundings, and his muscles subtly tensed, ready to strike at any moment.

Ma An smiled. "Minister Eleven, are you preparing to silence me? That's right, for you Embroidered Envoys, you have the authority to execute first and report later."

Zu An's voice also turned cold. "Did you come to my room just to say a bunch of inexplicable things?"

"Of course, I came here to confirm your relationship with Gold Medal Eleven," Ma An said. "At first, I wasn't entirely sure, but after seeing your reaction, it's now absolutely certain."

Zu An's eyes narrowed. "Minister Ma seems quite fearless. Are you really not afraid of any accidents happening here?"

Although the other party was a chief imperial physician, the Imperial Medical Institute was not known for its cultivation. Judging by his vital energy fluctuations, he was only at the initial stage of the sixth rank. Since he knew Zu An was Gold Medal Eleven, where did he get the audacity to come alone?

"We in the Imperial Medical Institute never engage in fighting and killing. As the saying goes, medicine and poison are inseparable; since we are skilled at healing, naturally, we are also skilled at poisoning," Ma An said, glancing at the candle on the table. "Are you feeling weak all over, with your vital energy empty?"

Zu An's expression changed. He hastily rushed out, but halfway through his flight, he plummeted heavily from the air and fell to the ground. "You... you actually poisoned me, despicable!"

Seeing his shocked and angry expression, Mi Li, who was secretly observing, couldn't help but sigh. If she hadn't known he was already immune to all poisons, she would have truly been fooled by his reaction. This guy was a natural actor.

Ma An naturally couldn't know the truth. Seeing his reaction, a smile appeared on his face. "Both are killing; you kill with swords, I kill with poison. How is that despicable? Humans are superior to animals because they are good at using tools and using their brains." As he spoke, he tapped his temple with his finger, the derision in his tone evident.

Zu An "weakly" asked, "What kind of poison is this? Why is it so potent?"

When it came to his moment of pride, Ma An immediately perked up. He pulled a dark porcelain bottle from his robes. "This poison is called Ice Heart Snow Soul. I obtained it years ago during a near-death adventure. Once poisoned, the body feels as if it's in a world of ice and snow. Limb movement and vital energy circulation, and eventually even the heart and soul will be frozen, unable to move."

"Even a Grandmaster who falls victim to this poison would likely not survive, let alone someone with your current level of cultivation," Ma An said, a hint of pain appearing on his face as he carefully put the porcelain bottle back into his robes. "To die from a miraculous poison that even Grandmasters cannot resist, you can consider it a worthwhile death."

Zu An was secretly alarmed. Hearing him describe the poison as so potent, he wondered if the immunity to all poisons granted by his Primordial Chaos Sutra could withstand it. He quietly circulated some vital energy and indeed felt a faint chill permeating his limbs and bones. However, it was quickly neutralized automatically by the Primordial Chaos True Qi within him. There were no significant abnormalities overall.

Only then did he breathe a sigh of relief, and then seized the opportunity to ask, "We have no grievances or enmities between us. Why do you want to harm me like this?"

"No grievances?" Hearing this phrase, Ma An's expression suddenly became twisted. "Twenty years ago, my brother died at the hands of a Gold Medal Embroidered Envoy. Every time I see one of you Gold Medal Embroidered Envoys, I wish I could get rid of you quickly. How can you say we have no grievances!"

Feeling his strong resentment, Zu An couldn't help but complain inwardly. How did they conduct political background checks for people in the palace to recruit such a problematic person into the Imperial Medical Institute, who then even became the chief imperial physician?

"But it wasn't me who harmed your brother. I haven't been in the capital for very long; I'm just here to make up the numbers," Zu An tentatively tried to clear his name. Otherwise, fighting to the death with someone for such an absurd reason would be too depressing.

"Shut up! All you Embroidered Envoys deserve to die!" Ma An said, his eyes a bit red. "It's a pity that Cheng Xiong was too useless. Last time he came to the Imperial Medical Institute to inquire about various medicine disbursements, I even hinted that there was an issue with Gold Medal Eleven collecting soul-healing medicine. But he not only failed to kill you but was killed by you instead."

Zu An suddenly realized. No wonder Cheng Xiong coincidentally managed to investigate him that time, and why Zhuxie Chixin also grew suspicious of him. So it was this guy pulling strings behind the scenes.

He said in a deep voice, "But Embroidered Envoys all act according to the Emperor's will. Are you going to seek revenge on the Emperor?"

Ma An chuckled. "I'm not stupid; of course, I wouldn't dare seek out the Emperor. I just need to kill you Gold Medal Envoys. This was the vow I made at my brother's grave years ago. Over the years, I've successively eliminated three of them. You are about to become the fourth."

Everyone had boasted about how powerful the Gold Medal Embroidered Envoys were, but they didn't even realize they were being undermined. How embarrassing. Speaking of which, this guy has such intense resentment; is he obsessed with his brother?

He couldn't help but say, "You massacred several Gold Medal Envoys just for this? Do you know this is a grave disaster that could lead to your family's execution?"

"If you die, who will know I did it?" Ma An sneered, clearly not taking it seriously. "However, if you obediently answer a few of my questions, I can make your death a little less painful."

Zu An sighed. "It seems I'm doomed today. Speak, what do you want to ask?" He also wanted to use this opportunity to investigate the intelligence behind the other party. He always felt this matter wasn't so simple. Which of those Gold Medal Embroidered Envoys weren't highly cultivated and astute individuals? How could they be easily ambushed by him?

"Does the Phoenix Nirvana Sutra you presented to the Emperor truly possess the ability to grant immortality?" Ma An looked at him eagerly.

Zu An sneered, "What, even you covet immortality?"

"That's none of your business. Just answer yes or no!" Ma An was getting impatient.

Zu An said in a deep voice, "Of course, it can grant immortality, otherwise, why would the Emperor grant me a title?"

"It's actually true, that's troublesome then," Ma An muttered to himself.

"What does the Emperor's immortality have to do with you? Don't tell me you want to replace him?" Zu An was somewhat confused; given Ma An's cultivation level, he wasn't qualified to be involved at all. A thought suddenly flashed through his mind. "So you have someone behind you."

"Brat, I'm asking the questions now, not you!" Ma An snorted. "Did anything really happen between you and the Crown Princess?"

Zu An looked at him. "Who exactly is behind you? Is it King Qi?"

Ma An became angry. "What right do you have to question me now?"

Even after speaking, he was still furious and directly kicked towards Zu An's waist. Halfway through the kick, he was suddenly startled. "Why is there no frost on your body...?" He hurriedly retreated, but it was too late. The seemingly dying Zu An on the ground suddenly moved and grabbed his ankle.

Ma An instinctively kicked with his other foot, trying to break free from the opponent's grip. At the same time, he tried to pull out a poison from his robes and throw it. Unfortunately, a huge suction force suddenly came from his ankle, and he felt all his vital energy rush towards his ankle like an avalanche.

He was greatly horrified. "What kind of... evil art is this...?" By the end of his sentence, he was already breathless and weak. The feeling of his body being emptied in a short time made him extremely weak.

Zu An used the Taotie Devouring Heaven Art to completely absorb all of Ma An's cultivation. Only then did he release his grip. This feeling of absorbing others' cultivation to strengthen oneself was truly exhilarating; he genuinely feared losing control and accidentally becoming a public enemy of the cultivation world.

"Impossible... impossible... even Grandmasters can't resist Ice Heart Snow Soul, why are you... fine?" Ma An lay by the wall. His previously somewhat lustrous hair was now extremely withered, his entire face had visibly thinned, and his lips were slightly pale. He was now plunged into extreme self-doubt.

Zu An naturally had no time to bother with him. "Minister Ma, you didn't expect the tables to turn so quickly, did you? Now I'm asking you, not the other way around. Speak, who exactly is your master?"

Ma An gave a bitter smile. "As the saying goes, if you walk by the river often, you're bound to get your shoes wet. I actually thought that one day I would fall into the hands of a Gold Medal Envoy. I just didn't expect it to be you, a newcomer. But if you want to extract information from me, I advise you not to be deluded."

"Oh really? In the Embroidered Envoys' dungeon, countless stubborn individuals have entered, yet I've yet to see one who wouldn't speak," Zu An sneered.

Ma An said indifferently, "When I first decided to target Gold Medal Envoys, I knew that this day would come sooner or later. So I had already placed a restriction within my body. Once torture reaches a certain critical point, I will sever my own heart meridian and achieve complete liberation. Don't doubt that I, the esteemed chief imperial physician, can do this."

Zu An frowned. This guy's fearless demeanor suggested he was likely telling the truth. However, he was not worried. "Do you think I'll have no other way just because I don't torture you?"

As he spoke, a white light flashed in the room, and a woman of breathtaking beauty appeared out of thin air.