Can a Scholar Be Called a Villain

Chapter 66: Trap

An old man adorned in pristine white cotton garments stood along a tranquil pathway just beyond the bustling city, his gaze fixed with a sense of gravity upon a weathered wooden warning sign securely planted by the roadside.

“How could my family’s Tang Can even be linked to the death of a prince? How could a shrewd fellow like Tang Can let himself get caught like this?

Hah! Someone must have framed him, see if I don’t catch him and poison him to death!”

He was Tang Can’s master, the Sky Reaching realm expert, the Poisonous Old Ghost.

The moniker ‘Poisonous Old Ghost’ was merely a nickname, yet he relished the derogatory tone it carried. In an unusual twist, he embraced this title and only allowed others to address him by it, preferring it over his actual name.

As a man wholly devoted to the art of poisonous cultivation methods, he had relentlessly driven himself to achieve the cultivation of the Sky Reaching realm with unwavering determination.

This was also why he had accepted Tang Can as his disciple, even despite his relentless persistence in calling himself a member of the Tang sect.

It was because of his talent that was undoubtedly on par, if not better, than his. He firmly believed that Tang Can had the capacity to achieve an even higher level of cultivation than he ever could.

Their connection resembled that of a benevolent master encountering a brilliant disciple, their bond drawing them irresistibly closer together.

Amidst the tragedy unfolding in the valley, he found himself deep within the mountains, diligently gathering herbs required for refining poison. All the while, he made careful preparations for Tang Can’s earthly vessel, well aware of the imminent need for his disciple’s assistance.

Regrettably, the news of the tragedy reached him when it was already too late.

The magnitude of the devastation caught him off guard; he could never have fathomed that a hundred thousand lives would be lost, and most heart-wrenchingly, among them was his dear friend—Tang Can’s father.

While some might be unfamiliar with Tang Tian Hao, how could he not?

Once an illustrious figure towering above all others in the Sky Reaching realm, he found himself reduced to seeking shelter in a secluded, insignificant village—a far cry from his former glory. The stark contrast left him incapable of even caring for his own son.

The reason behind his decision to accept Tang Can as his disciple was also deeply intertwined with his profound connection to Tang Tian Hao.

Having personally witnessed the tragic demise of his own father, he believed that Tang Can was consumed by overwhelming grief and despair.

Filled with urgency and concern for Tang Can’s well-being, the Poisonous Old Ghost hastened his journey to the capital. His primary objective was to locate Tang Can and offer him solace during these trying times, while simultaneously seeking to unveil the perpetrator responsible for Tang Tian Hao’s untimely death.

As he approached the outskirts of the capital, his eyes caught sight of a warning notice planted by the roadside, causing his anxiety to escalate even further.

“Did something happen?”

In the midst of his contemplation, a man came rushing towards him, his voice trembling with urgency. “Master! I implore you, please save me!”

The man, with a pallid complexion bearing a striking resemblance to Tang Can, found himself pursued by two formidable Manifestation realm experts who launched relentless attacks against him.

In a swift and instinctive motion, the Poisonous Old Ghost acted without hesitation. He lunged forward, swiftly shielding Tang Can behind him while channelling his potent poison-infused spiritual power. With precision, he dragged the two pursuing Manifestation realm experts towards him, intent on seeing their faces clearly.

But it wasn’t until they got closer that the Poisonous Old Ghost noticed the smiles on their faces.

It was a mocking sneer.

With a voice dripping with malice, one of them spoke, “You are definitely unaware of how duke Sheng was ambushed.”

The other joined in with a sinister sneer as he taunted, “Clearly, you haven’t observed your disciple closely enough.”

The Poisonous Old Ghost’s expression changed dramatically as he suddenly recalled the ‘Master’ that Tang Can had cried out.

The young brat, Tang Can, had never addressed him as ‘Master,’ opting instead for ‘old man’ whenever they interacted.

His agile form swiftly sidestepped, yet he found himself unable to evade the sneak attack launched by ‘Tang Can’ from behind.

With a sudden strike, a gaping, bloodied cavity appeared at his side, precisely where his liver was located.

“Ahhhhh!” The Poisonous Old Ghost swiftly tapped into his formidable spiritual powers, staunchly halting the bleeding from his wound. In a tactical move, he unleashed a deadly cloud of poisonous gas toward the two Manifestation realm experts standing before him, momentarily forcing them back. Undeterred, he pivoted to confront the ‘Tang Can’ that was lurking behind him.

By this point, even the most naive would have come to the stark realization that the ‘Tang Can’ before them was an imposter, and that they had unwittingly stumbled into a cunningly laid trap.

With a powerful strike, ‘Tang Can’ was sent hurtling through the air, his appearance transforming drastically in mid-flight. His skin and muscles underwent a surreal metamorphosis, oscillating in size and shape, gradually unveiling the visage of an entirely different individual.

In contrast to the simple face-peeling technique utilized for ‘Chamberlain Wan’s’ disguise, the adeptness with which the Manifestation realm experts altered their appearance with their Manifestation transformation, ‘Qing Yi,’ was nothing short of a true exhibition of their exceptional skill.

Only those capable of perceiving the aura of their mortal forms stood a chance of penetrating this beguiling facade; otherwise, no one could see through its deceptive veneer.

While this skill might not be deemed overpowering, within the realm of Yan, only a select few possessed the discernment to unveil it.

Thus, it was virtually inevitable that the wily Poisonous Old Ghost had succumbed to its artifice.

As the Poisonous Old Ghost gradually stabilized the wound at his waist, his seething fury became palpable. “You all are courting death!” he bellowed, “Where is my disciple, Tang Can?”

Fixing his gaze upon the individual masquerading as Tang Can, the Poisonous Old Ghost suspected this person to be the mastermind behind the entire scheme.

Unbeknownst to him, the Poisonous Old Ghost could never have anticipated the sinister smiles that crept across the faces of the two Manifestation realm experts, who were slowly extending their arms.

One of them had a large palm, but stubby fingers.

The other man had fingers as white and delicate as a chicken’s claws.

In a slow, deliberate ascent, they steadily closed in on the Poisonous Old Ghost’s back.

Sky Reaching realm.

They were the recently levelled ‘Flowering Steel Trees’ under Murong Lin’s command.

They had finally broken through to the Sky Reaching realm after ingesting the spiritual medicines from the remnant that Murong Lin had recklessly given them.

And despite how recent it was, it was more than enough to deal with the Poisonous Old Ghost.

With a deathly pale complexion, ‘Tang Can’ stood resolute before the Poisonous Old Ghost, clearly having expended a great deal of his strength to fend off the previous attack.

He spoke slowly, “I, Qing Ying Lou, have lost a total of thirty-seven brothers in my relentless pursuit of your whereabouts and luring you into this trap. You are undoubtedly a troublesome adversary.”

The Poisonous Old Ghost’s countenance subtly shifted as he exuded a confident air, releasing a lethal surge of poisonous gas that permeated swiftly in his surroundings.

This poison possessed such potency that even a peak-level expert in the Manifestation realm would find it arduous to withstand its noxious effects.

But the person before him suddenly vanished.

Before he could react, a formidable surge of energy struck his back with immense force, sending him crashing onto the ground.

“What?”

The Poisonous Old Ghost roared in disbelief.

He first assumed it to be some kind of spiritual artifact or spiritual talisman, but once he had actually realised that the two people flying his way were Sky Reaching realm experts, he was utterly flustered.

Damn it! Damn it!

Tang Can wasn’t Tang Can, and Manifestation realm experts weren’t actually Manifestation realm experts as well!

This was all a trap!

Displaying his cunning nature, the Poisonous Old Ghost swiftly recognized the bizarre nature of the unfolding events and promptly made preparations to flee from the scene.

He was still speculating the identities of the two Sky Reaching realm experts.

But could the ‘Flowering Steel Trees’ lose him that easily?

If they were truly this incompetent, they wouldn’t have been named the ‘Flowering Steel Trees’.

A beautiful, yet rare occurrence to be able to capture the opponent easily.¹

The figure of the Poisonous Old Ghost was instantaneously held back by two fists as they unleashed their Manifestation transformations, the ‘Fingerless Monkey’ and the ‘White-clawed Monkey’.²

In perfect synchronization, the duo harmoniously executed their ultimate move.

Despite being a formidable presence in the Sky Reaching realm, the Poisonous Old Ghost’s prowess was lacking. His expertise primarily lay in refining poisons, and he was overshadowed by Tang Can when it came to raw combat abilities.

In a desperate attempt, he unleashed his own Manifestation transformation, summoning the fearsome ‘Five Poison Shadow Spider.’ However, before his manifestation could even solidify, it was swiftly disintegrated by the overwhelming force of the duo’s attack. Helpless and overpowered, he was mercilessly beaten to the ground

His poison was sufficient to deal with Manifestation realm experts, but it lost its lethality against Sky Reaching realm experts. The only poison he had that could threaten such an expert, he had given to Tang Can to guarantee his safety.

And now, he no longer had any means left to deal with the two of them.

Gasping for breath and bearing a ghastly complexion, the Poisonous Old Ghost fixed his venomous gaze on the two adversaries who effortlessly lifted him up, rendering him utterly defenceless.

“Who exactly are the two of you?”

He asked.

He hadn’t given up just yet.

But it was far too late.

One of them held onto him as the other took out a spiritual pill from their bag of holding.

The spiritual pill exuded a captivating purple hue, accompanied by an enchanting fragrance that irresistibly enticed anyone who caught a whiff of it.

The Poisonous Old Ghost, with his profound knowledge of poisons, saw through the enticing allure of the spiritual pill. He understood the adage that the more fragrant a poison appeared, the more potent and treacherous its effects were likely to be.

“What are the two of you planning on doing!” He struggled.

But the person holding onto him poked at his acupoint, preventing him from using his spiritual power. He was truly defenceless.

With a mere flick of the other person’s finger, the spiritual pill whizzed into the Poisonous Old Ghost’s mouth and swiftly descended into his stomach.

Just as his consciousness faded, he could hear one of them speaking:

“The lower Heaven grade ‘Spirit Puppet Pill’ that the master spent 5 villain value on is squandered on this old man, just like that.”

1. An idiom in Chinese about how nice it would be if someone could catch something effortlessly, the Flowering Steel Trees = a rare yet pleasant occurrence

2. I know the previous chapters mentioned that they had ‘Flowering Steel Trees’ as their manifestation transformation, don’t ask me why, I don’t know either.

Translator’s note

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