Chapter 271 — A Pair of Twin Sisters

" she cried hastily. Shen Mu wrote out a pill formula and had the imperial physicians fetch the medicines, then stretched and said with a smile, "I will not fight him. These past days, diagnosing and treating the Emperor and the Imperial Preceptor of Jingping has worn me out.

I am going back to rest.

" The Little Poison King said in a sinister tone, "I am tired too. I am going back to catch up on sleep.

As for the rest, let those quacks at the door handle it. " Ling Yuxiu looked at the Little Poison King, then said, "Cowherd, I will walk you back to the Imperial Academy. " Shen Mu hesitated, then shook his head.

"No need. You have not rested these past two days either.

" Ling Yuxiu said flatly, "I insist.

" Seeing her set on escorting him, Shen Mu could only nod.

The two waited a moment; the imperial physicians brought the medicines, and the Little Poison King sniffed hard at the fragrance of medicine in the air, but they had used too many ingredients these past days, a thousand and one kinds of spirit medicines, and the hall was filled with the mingled scents of every sort of herb, impossible to tell apart.

Shen Mu carried the medicines and walked out. Ling Yuxiu hurried after him, and the Little Poison King also walked out of the hall and followed behind the two of them. When they passed the Jade Belt River within the palace grounds, he suddenly plunged into the water with a splash and did not come up again. Ling Yuxiu looked down and gave a startled cry.

"He has fled through the water. Cowherd, could it be that he is afraid of you? " Shen Mu shook his head.

"He is not afraid of me.

He is afraid of the Empress Dowager.

" Just as he spoke, the Jade Belt River suddenly rose into the air, a great mass of water hanging across the sky, floating in midair like a giant silver-white serpent. Two palace maids came bearing lanterns; they shone the lanterns toward the river, and the flames within shot out countless rays of sword light that hissed into the Jade Belt River. "Reporting to the Empress Dowager, the man is not in the river," the two maids said, putting away their lanterns and saluting the tall building to one side. Shen Mu and Ling Yuxiu hurriedly turned to look at the terrace, where the Empress Dowager stood with several palace maids.

The Empress Dowager held one hand up as if supporting something empty, then lowered it gently. The waters of the Jade Belt River came crashing down at once, filling the channel again.

Shen Mu saluted the terrace, and the Empress Dowager smiled. "Little miracle doctor, is the Emperor's illness cured?

" "It still needs convalescence," Shen Mu said.

"In a few years he will be able to return to his full vigor.

" The Empress Dowager nodded.

"Yuxiu, take these two maids and see the little miracle doctor on his way for me.

" Ling Yuxiu smiled.

"I was just about to go back to the Imperial Academy with him.

" The Empress Dowager went into the building, and the two lantern-bearing maids followed behind Shen Mu and Ling Yuxiu. When they had left the palace, Shen Mu suddenly stopped and said to the two maids, "You can go back.

There is no need for you on the road ahead. " The two maids were twins, identical in appearance, both sharp and quick-witted.

They shook their heads in unison.

"The Empress Dowager instructed us to escort the miracle doctor back to the Imperial Academy.

" Shen Mu frowned slightly and said to Ling Yuxiu, "Little sister, go back with them. " Ling Yuxiu shook her head. "With me at your side, the Little Poison King will not dare make a move against you.

" Shen Mu sighed. "For us pill masters, there is no one we dare not poison to death. I only had to protect myself before; now I have to protect you as well, and I fear it will be a strain. " The two maids tittered.

"The little miracle doctor says such amusing things. You are still at the Five Luminaries realm, while the Little Poison King and we sisters are at the Seven Stars realm. Besides, the Empress Dowager gave us treasures precisely to deal with the Little Poison King. With us sisters here, if the Little Poison King dares come, he will surely be taken down by the two of us!

" Shen Mu shook his head and stopped trying to persuade them to leave.

"Pill masters kill without regard to realm. You are too naive.

I alone can poison several Heaven-Man realm experts to death without breaking a sweat, let alone the Little Poison King. If you insist on following me, then be on your guard; I fear I will not be able to look after you. " The two maids giggled without stopping. The streets were crowded. The two maids carried their lanterns one before and one behind; lanterns in broad daylight were quite conspicuous, but they wore palace attire, and no one came forward to question them.

The Imperial Academy was a good distance from the palace, and they walked six or seven li without incident. Shen Mu refined pills as he walked, refining all the way, using up the several packets of herbs he had been carrying; then he reached his hand into the Taotie Pouch, and one could see only his arm and shoulder trembling faintly, but not what pill-refining technique his hand was performing inside the pouch, nor what pills he was refining there.

The two maids were very alert; along the way, any fly or spider was cut down by the sword light from their lanterns and could not come near them. As they walked, a cool wind suddenly blew up, and the two maids at once stirred their vital essence; the light of the lanterns abruptly blazed bright, forming two great domes of radiance that covered them over and kept the wind out. One of the maids laughed.

"Is this all the Little Poison King has. . .

" She had barely spoken when her delicate face turned black and she toppled straight backward.

The maid behind her also pitched to the ground with a thud, unable to move.

Ling Yuxiu was stunned.

She hurriedly looked around. "Why are we all right.

. .

" Thud.

She fell on her back.

After the three women fell, several dark tentacles crawled out of the ground, bristling with sharp spines; the three had been pricked on the calf by the underground tentacles and so were poisoned.

Shen Mu flicked his fingers, and the tentacles writhed wildly, hissing as they dissolved into puddles of water. The ground shook; something enormous seemed to be hidden beneath it, withdrawing little by little. Shen Mu took out three spirit pills and suppressed the poison in the three women, bringing them back to their senses.

Suddenly a muffled grunt came from afar: "You gave my precious darling a tonic? " Boom!

The earth shook and split; house after house collapsed, and out of the ground burst a monstrous insect more than ten zhang tall and over thirty zhang long, covered in tentacles, a king insect the Little Poison King had raised!

The Little Poison King had just summoned this king insect to his side when Shen Mu's tonic made its body swell and expand beyond all control.

At that moment the Little Poison King was sprawled on the insect's back in utter disarray. "Still not making your move? " Shen Mu said to the two maids beside him.

The two maids were still somewhat dazed, but at his words they stirred all their vital essence into their lanterns, and the lantern light shone like swords upon the king insect; countless rays of sword light pierced it through and through, riddling it like a sieve!

The Little Poison King took several sword strikes and suddenly turned into a wisp of poison smoke that burrowed into the ground. The two maids hurriedly raised their lanterns to shine at the ground, and under the light the earth turned transparent; the lantern light could actually reach dozens of zhang deep.

But the poison in the two maids was not yet cured, only suppressed by Shen Mu, and they soon felt the poison about to flare up again, and did not dare to exert their magic power. "No need to chase him," Shen Mu said.