System: I Can Open Martial Arts Chests

Chapter 146 - 106: Poison

Chu Qing held onto Gentle with one hand, sensing the opponent’s palm wind hitting his face, accompanied by a pungent stench in his nose.

There’s poison in the palm!

With a swift change of thought, he hurled a punch.

The force of the punch seemed almost tangible, flying off the fist and striking the opponent’s hand.

The man’s face changed, his arm opened, dissipating the gang wind, and starting from the palm, a wave of cold spread, instantly covering the entire arm.

"Extreme Cold True Qi!"

The man uttered in a low voice, using the force to fly backward, landing beyond the eaves.

Chu Qing chased forward with Gentle in tow, but the person had already disappeared under the eaves.

Only traces of blood and an iced-over arm remained on the ground.

"...He severed his arm to survive?"

Chu Qing furrowed his eyebrows, wanting to follow the blood trail to pursue, but with Gentle still unconscious, he dared not leave easily.

In his dilemma, he heard footsteps behind him, turning to see Bian City arriving:

"What’s going on? I heard sounds of fighting on the rooftop, why is it you?"

Chu Qing pushed Gentle over:

"You take care of him first, I wounded that person, I’m going to pursue."

Bian City quickly supported Gentle’s arm, and before he could look up again, Chu Qing had vanished.

"What’s happening?"

He checked Gentle’s breath and pulse, his face changing:

"Poisoned..."

He dared not delay, found a bottle of elixir from his pocket, and placed one in Gentle’s mouth, then took her back.

...

...

The man’s arm was self-severed, but since he was hit by the Celestial Frost Fist, the injury was frozen; aside from the initial blood, the rest was contained within the ice.

Chu Qing wished to trace the blood to pursue, but it was not too easy.

Fortunately, he was adept in tracking techniques; following the ground marks, he quickly pursued out of the town.

Ahead lay a small grove, where Chu Qing exercised the Mingyu Scripture, enhancing his senses to their fullest before stepping inside.

Entering a forest is indeed dangerous.

Primarily due to the unique terrain, with trees for cover, making it easy to hide soldiers for ambushes.

Chu Qing opened his senses, capturing all surrounding sounds.

Within three yards, no breathing or heartbeat escaped his ears, allowing him to detect if anyone was hiding.

Tonight, he must apprehend this person.

Earlier, seeing Gentle unconscious, he instinctively assumed it was some narcotics.

But the person’s attack was clearly a poisonous palm, with no direct evidence yet, he couldn’t dismiss the possibility of their skill in using poison.

Thus, Chu Qing was cautious, unwilling to gamble Gentle’s life.

Catching up to that person and forcing out the antidote ensured utmost safety.

Quickly moving forward, Chu Qing soon detected a slightly chaotic breathing entering his hearing.

Following the sound, he soon saw a black-clad figure sitting cross-legged beneath a tree.

The man’s brow furrowed, his face contorted with pain, his left arm severed, the injury grotesque.

Covered in ice, battling between melting and freezing states.

"He’s channeling energy to expel the cold."

Chu Qing squinted slightly, not rushing forward.

The man was cornered, eager to dispel the chilling energy, reasonable enough.

But sitting so openly, he might be skilled in poisoning; Chu Qing hesitated to approach, fearing traps set around that might be inadvertently stepped into, ruining a good position.

In the martial world, high martial arts indeed offer advantages.

But recklessness brings a hefty price.

Chu Qing observed carefully, soon spotting a sign.

Around the one-yard radius surrounding the man, the leaves appeared yellower than elsewhere.

However, it being autumn, with more fallen leaves, the difference isn’t immediately apparent, but a closer look reveals the discrepancy.

The overall hue seemed incongruous.

"Poison on the ground... a powder poison?"

"Blown up, adhering to the body, awareness comes too late to reverse."

With rapid thinking, Chu Qing flipped his palm, sending it outwards.

Cyan Void Palm!

The Cyan Void Palm was grand, its palm wind solid like a wall.

If it truly were poison powder, it would be swept clean, even possibly causing the opponent contamination.

A howl of wind was heard; around them, fallen leaves, rocks, grass, soil, all pushed forward by Chu Qing’s palm.

The man, in the midst of channeling energy, suddenly opened his eyes, full of panic and bewilderment.

He struggled to rise and leap.

Yet, he’d lost one arm, exhausted from the run, lost equilibrium in inner strength; just circulating inner strength to dispel cold had drained him greatly.

Though he leapt with effort, as soon as airborne, he was caught by Chu Qing’s Cyan Void Palm.

The person immediately flew backward, slamming into a tree.

Landing, he hadn’t spoken before spitting a mouthful of blood.

But it wasn’t over; his complexion turned dark, a black line appeared from his forehead, rapidly snaking downward!

Frantic and desperate, he used his only arm to take out a bottle, intending to pour it into his mouth.

Yet, in the next moment, the bottle was gone from his hand, he looked up in confusion, seeing it spinning above Chu Qing’s palm.

Neither falling into his palm, nor thrown away.

"Give it back..."