“Not necessarily,” Lei Xiuming replied. “Everything has its strengths and weaknesses. While the Five Poison Palm is immediately toxic and has severe after-effects, it has three main weaknesses.”
“First, it’s vulnerable against opponents with higher cultivation who are prepared. If such an opponent is struck, they can use their superior inner force to repel the poison, turning it back on the attacker.”
“Second, it loses effectiveness if the specific poisons used become known. Once the secret is out, the Five Poison Palm loses half its potency, becoming just an ordinary palm technique.”
“I remember years ago, Nie Hengcheng’s second disciple, Chen Shu, made a name for himself by ambushing several renowned righteous martial artists over several months. He didn’t aim to kill outright but struck each with a single palm before retreating, leaving his victims to suffer and eventually die.”
Cai Zhao listened intently, “What happened then? Did all those heroes die?”
“If they had, your brother Chang Ning wouldn’t be here,” Lei Xiuming smiled. “Chang Haosheng was among those victims. He was young then, not even married when he fell prey to the ambush.”
Cai Zhao turned to look at Chang Ning, “How did they recover?”
“It was your aunt who intervened,” Lei Xiuming seemed lost in memories. “After Chang Haosheng was poisoned, she was desperate. Within three days, she raided ten Evil Sect branches and posted notices everywhere, challenging Chen Shu to a one-on-one duel. She vowed to continue disrupting the Evil Sect’s operations until Chen Shu appeared. During that time, even low-ranking Evil Sect members got headaches at the mere mention of the name ‘Cai’.”
“Wasn’t Aunt afraid of retaliation against Luoying Valley?” Cai Zhao felt worried in retrospect.
Chang Ning smiled, “First, it wasn’t as lively as your Luoying Town. Second, there weren’t many people in Luoying Valley then. If the Evil Sect wanted to cause trouble, they could at most burn down some houses and trees, which your aunt could easily rebuild. The Evil Sect, on the other hand, had branches that Nie Hengcheng had painstakingly established over decades, each hiding considerable wealth.”
Cai Zhao chuckled awkwardly.
Lei Xiuming continued, “But a cunning person like Chen Shu wouldn’t agree to a fair fight. He openly accepted the challenge while secretly setting traps at the meeting place. Little did he know, your aunt was counting on this. She had people lying in ambush around the area, catching Chen Shu and his group as they were setting up their traps. A fierce battle ensued.”
“During the fight, your aunt deliberately let herself be hit by the Five Poison Palm, using her inner force to repel the poison at the moment of impact. It was a risky move since she had never faced Chen Shu before and didn’t know their relative strengths. Fortunately, your aunt’s power slightly surpassed his. When Chen Shu was poisoned, he urgently tried to detoxify himself, lowering his guard. This allowed your aunt to identify the five poisons used. Afterward, I assisted the monk Fahai in quickly concocting an antidote, saving everyone’s lives.”
Imagining Cai Pingsu’s heroic and righteous demeanor back then, Cai Zhao felt exhilarated, “Aunt was truly remarkable.”
“Of course, why else would so many people follow her lead?” Lei Xiuming glanced at her. “When your mother learned of your aunt’s risky actions, she cried enough to nearly flood Changchun Temple.”
He paused, then added, “That year, your aunt wasn’t even seventeen. She accomplished what many senior righteous martial artists couldn’t. When Master Yin Dai heard about it, he kept muttering ‘the young are formidable’ for days.” Yin Dai had also said to himself, “A daughter should be like Cai Pingsu,” which made the Yin sisters deeply resent Cai Pingsu from then on.
“What happened to Chen Shu afterward?” Chang Ning suddenly asked.
Lei Xiuming snapped out of his reverie and replied scornfully, “Once the Five Poison Palm is mastered, its toxins can’t be changed. Since everyone could now create antidotes to counter the poisonous palm, the technique became useless. It was too late for him to master new skills. Later, he died at the hands of Elder Brother Zhou Zhizhen, becoming the first of Nie Hengcheng’s four main disciples to perish.”
“Uncle Lei, you mentioned three weaknesses of the Five Poison Palm. What’s the third?” Cai Zhao suddenly remembered.
Lei Xiuming smiled, “The third weakness is its cost. When cultivating with deadly poisons, you must first protect your own life. The training requires many rare and expensive medicines to shield your heart and meridians from the toxins. Therefore, those without money should never attempt to learn the Five Poison Palm.”
Chang Ning frowned, “From what you’ve said, Senior, both Nie Hengcheng and Chen Shu abandoned the Five Poison Palm midway—one for a different technique, the other because his secret was exposed. I’m curious, if one were to continue practicing the Five Poison Palm to its ultimate level, how powerful could it become? Could it poison opponents without even touching them?”
Lei Xiuming’s expression turned serious, “I’ve only heard rumors about this. It’s said that a hundred years ago in Yunnan, there was a master who perfected the Five Poison Palm to such a degree that even the wind from his palm strikes carried poison. In a duel, if the fight lasted more than a moment, the opponent would die from inhaling the toxic air—but no one has ever witnessed this firsthand.”
Chang Ning remained silent for a long while, then bowed deeply, “Thank you, Senior Lei, for enlightening me. Moving forward, I plan to cultivate and heal on my own, to see if there’s any improvement.”
With that, he thanked Lei Xiuming again and beckoned Cai Zhao to leave. Outside the Medicine Pavilion, he stood waiting, gazing at the sky lost in thought.
Watching their retreating figures, Lei Xiuming said softly, “Why didn’t you ask how to cultivate and heal?”
Cai Zhao smiled, “My aunt used to say, that if you trust someone, there must be a reason they don’t tell you everything. If you don’t trust someone, whatever they say is likely a fabricated lie—so what’s the point in asking? Uncle Lei, why didn’t you ask?”
Lei Xiuming hesitated, “Chang Haosheng was once struck by the Five Poison Palm. I was wondering if he might have left behind some secret technique to counter it?”
“That sounds plausible, but it would be a Chang family secret. We shouldn’t pry,” Cai Zhao said with a cryptic smile.
Lei Xiuming frowned, “Fine, protect that boy if you must. I hope Chang Haosheng’s spirit in heaven will help his son recover soon, so I don’t have to keep brewing detoxifying soups every day.”
“You know, Uncle Lei, food can be more nourishing than medicine. Instead of brewing detox soups, why not make some duck porridge? I saw those lively ducklings in the corner when I arrived. Why not use them for the porridge?”
Lei Xiuming: ??!!
“…Get out of here!”