Chapter 12: Turning Conflict into Peace

Jun Liuyi looked behind the open cabinet on the right, her eyes filled with a hint of wonder.

The space behind it was clearly a pharmacy, with various kinds of medicinal herbs arranged neatly, including quite a few rare specimens.

"I presume the Saintess will have plenty of time to prepare them now?" Ye Geyue's voice drifted over faintly. "Five different channels require five corresponding poisons; for the Saintess, it shouldn't be difficult."

"The herbs and materials are here, but I wonder how I shall compete with the Gu Saint?" she asked, inspecting the medicinal ingredients without lifting her head.

Ye Geyue lifted a smile, his gaze softening slightly as he said, "As long as you can block them for half a quarter of an hour, you shall be considered the winner."

Hearing his words, Jun Liuyi's willow brows twitched slightly.

Half a quarter of an hour?! This Ye Geyue was far too conceited. Although she did not enjoy competing with others, her pride would not allow her to lose to such a provocation.

"Then please wait a moment, Gu Saint," Jun Liuyi said to Ye Geyue. She then turned to meet Shangguan Jun's gaze, nodding with a faint smile.

After tinkering in the pharmacy for a long time, Jun Liuyi finally placed the five prepared poisons onto the five-colored stone paths respectively. With a smile as bright as a flower, she said, "Gu Saint, please."

Seeing Jun Liuyi's calm expression, Ye Geyue's inquisitive gaze continued to scan her body incessantly.

She was clearly neither arrogant nor impetuous, yet she gave off the feeling of having victory firmly in her grasp. How exactly did this woman radiate such an aura?

Steadying his mind, Ye Geyue swept his finger across each stone path, and immediately, one Gu insect after another began crawling along the paths directly toward Jun Liuyi's position.

Shangguan Jun watched the rapidly crawling insects on the five stone paths with bated breath, yet his face still held that same wicked smile, showing not a single trace of emotion.

On the leftmost stone path, a transparent Gu insect rushed forward fiercely. Upon reaching the poison powder Jun Liuyi had scattered, it suddenly flipped violently onto its back. As its transparent body came into contact with the powder, it flashed between red and white. After rolling several times, the insect still attempted to crawl forward, but after several failed attempts, it began to tremble violently and eventually crawled back toward Ye Geyue.

*Just as I thought!* Jun Liuyi thought to herself. Based on logical deduction, the red stone path should represent the Fire path among Metal, Wood, Water, Fire, and Earth. Although she was not an expert in Gu poisons, she understood this simple principle. The insects of the Fire path possessed a dry and hot constitution; the mutual restraint of Water and Fire was indisputable. This path required medicinal powders composed of Coptis, Phellodendron, Anemarrhena, and Gypsum, which acted exactly like poison to these insects.

Since the principles were interconnected, there was no need to worry about the Water path of the third channel. Jun Liuyi shifted her gaze to the Metal path. Sure enough, the Metal path, which had been infused with Aconite, Dried Ginger, and Cinnamon, was just like the first path—it successfully blocked the insects' progress without any suspense.

Wood overcomes Earth, Metal overcomes Wood, and Earth overcomes Water. The remaining three paths were the most uncertain. Jun Liuyi's heart remained heavy with apprehension.

Whether it was the Water path or the Earth path, there were too many varieties of Gu insects that could pass through. She could not use overly aggressive medicines, yet it was difficult to predict which specific type would be best, so she could only cast a wide net.

Precisely because of this, the medicinal agents she used for these three paths were excessively complex. If the emphasis was uneven, there would be loopholes. She could only rely on her judgment to increase the concentration of certain agents.

She did not know if her judgment was right or wrong!

Her eyes remained fixed on the other three stone paths. She saw that after the insects touched the medicinal powder, they stopped abruptly, only to move forward again as if testing the waters.

After several repetitions of this, Jun Liuyi's heart finally settled slightly.

In the main seat, a flicker of surprise flashed in Ye Geyue's eyes. Regarding the other two paths, the moment she broke the Fire path, he understood that the Water path would be easily handled by Jun Liuyi.

However! He had been confident about the remaining three paths. He had not expected this result. As time ticked away, the hourglass before them determined the victor.

Ye Geyue, who had been sitting upright, suddenly stood up. With a wave of his sleeve, the Gu insects rushed toward him and finally vanished from sight.

"The Saintess truly possesses a heart of exquisite intelligence. This Saint accepts defeat." Unable to hide his frustration, Ye Geyue's eyes were filled with regret and loss.

He had always been very confident in his Gu arts, yet he never expected that today, even with the advantage, he would lose to a woman who was not skilled in using Gu.

"Actually, in today's contest, Liuyi was merely fortunate," Jun Liuyi spoke softly, her eyes still peaceful as she looked at the Gu Saint.

Before Ye Geyue could speak, Jun Liuyi smiled faintly and said, "If the Gu Saint had not lent me his pharmacy, today's wager might not have resulted in my victory."

"My pharmacy?" Ye Geyue frowned in confusion.

Jun Liuyi nodded with a light smile and continued, "The Gu Saint's pharmacy was used to research how to strengthen Gu insects so they would not be blocked by medicinal effects during their set control time, was it not?"

Her words caused a flash of astonishment in Ye Geyue's eyes, which was quickly replaced by realization.

"What does that have to do with the medicinal powders you made?" For a moment, Ye Geyue could not grasp the connection, even if she had seen through him; he couldn't understand how it related to this contest.

"Master once told me that everyone has their own preferences and habits, especially those who use Gu," Jun Liuyi paused. "There are thousands upon thousands of types of Gu insects; even knowing their attributes is like searching for a needle in a haystack. However, after seeing that certain medicinal herbs occupied the vast majority of the inventory, it was not difficult to make a guess."

*So that's how it is!* Ye Geyue realized. Since the pharmacy was used to develop powders that would prevent Gu insects from being blocked—in order to cultivate their adaptability—he had to repeatedly refine and mix them. The large quantities of certain herbs inevitably exposed the nature and category of the Gu insects he preferred.

The admiration in Ye Geyue's eyes as he looked at Jun Liuyi grew even deeper.

"To have such an insight in such a short amount of time, this victory is well-deserved." This time, the praise from Ye Geyue was truly from the heart. "If we were truly fighting one another, the Saintess would not merely defend without attacking."

"If a real conflict were to occur, the Gu Saint might not be unable to contend," Jun Liuyi shook her head. "Just now in the hall, the Gu Saint clearly could have controlled the Gu insects to attack again, could he not?"

"Haha, it seems the Spirit Sect's decision to take a risk to root out the traitor was indeed justified." Ye Geyue laughed loudly, his smile like a warm spring breeze. The previous sense of aloofness—that of someone who could be observed from afar but not approached—was gone, replaced by a sense of approachability and handsomeness.

Shangguan Jun naturally understood his meaning. The contest with Liuyi was due to Ye Geyue's conceit and interest, but it was also a way to test the Spirit Sect's resolve. As the ancients said, only by knowing oneself and the enemy can one remain invincible. Choosing to take a risk even when knowing the match was evenly matched proved their intolerance for traitors.

And for the Gu Saint, an upright person would naturally be unable to tolerate such people. However, he also needed to determine one thing: whether the information provided by the traitor was true or false!

"I presume the person attempting to bribe the Spirit Sect is not someone the Gu Saint would approve of, either?" Shangguan Jun's words caused Ye Geyue to withdraw his smile.