Could it be this slight anomaly that alerted Pan Yong?
Or is this guy wanting to improve relations with me now that Shang Xiangyu has left?
Duan Rong couldn’t quite fathom Pan Yong’s intentions at the moment, but he had long since noticed that Pan Yong was someone who wouldn’t get up early if there was nothing to gain. If he’s doing this, he’s definitely got a purpose.
As Duan Rong walked, he extended his Divine Sense, penetrating Pan Yong’s body...
It’s best to be cautious in everything.
Pan Yong led Duan Rong into his cave.
Even though Duan Rong had been there for quite some time, it was his first time entering Pan Yong’s cave.
Upon entering, Duan Rong was slightly taken aback.
The inside of Pan Yong’s cave was surprisingly neat and tidy. He even had just about everything one might need, and on a stone table, there was even a copper mirror.
Duan Rong’s eyes suddenly fixed on something hanging in the cave.
"Is this... a hammock?"
The hammock was a net woven from vines, suspended in the cave with two long nails.
Seeing Duan Rong staring at the hammock, Pan Yong explained, "The stone bed is too hard; I can’t sleep well on it. I made this hammock to sleep more comfortably."
Duan Rong’s eyes scanned the cave, marveling at how this guy could live so exquisitely here.
Pan Yong laughed and said, "Junior Brother, if you like it, I’ll make one for you next time."
Duan Rong replied, "No need. Senior Brother, you’re quite handy."
Pan Yong chuckled, pointed to the stone table beside him, and said, "Junior Brother, please have a seat!"
Duan Rong focused his eyes and saw that on the stone table, there were four white porcelain plates, each covered with a porcelain bowl.
Duan Rong and Pan Yong then sat down in front of the stone table.
Pan Yong picked up the covered bowls one by one, smiling as he said, "Just four dishes to entertain you, Junior Brother, quite humble."
"Senior Brother, you’re too polite."
Duan Rong’s eyes brightened slightly as he caught a whiff of a certain aroma.
Pan Yong took a set of bowls and chopsticks, placing them in front of Duan Rong and himself.
Then, with enthusiasm, he introduced the four dishes on the table to Duan Rong. "This is stir-fried chicken. This is braised rabbit. This one is steamed fish. And this, Junior Brother, is mushrooms I freshly picked from the mountain, blanched, and mixed with ginger strips and minced garlic..."
"Come, Junior Brother, have a taste."
Pan Yong smiled, using his unused chopsticks to serve Duan Rong chicken and mushrooms, before starting to eat heartily himself.
After eating for a while, Pan Yong suddenly looked up, only to see Duan Rong still sitting at the stone table, expressionless, not even picking up his chopsticks.
"Junior Brother, why aren’t you eating? Not to your taste?"
Duan Rong sighed, suddenly saying, "Senior Brother, how did you figure out that I wanted to kill you?"
Pan Yong’s expression froze, then he smiled and said, "Junior Brother, don’t joke around. Why would you want to kill your Senior Brother for no reason?"
Duan Rong glanced at Pan Yong, saying, "Senior Brother, haven’t you noticed the faint mint scent in the air after you uncovered the bowls?"
"Faint mint scent? Is there?" Pan Yong sniffed, indeed picking up a slight mint aroma. "This is..."
Pan Yong looked at Duan Rong with suspicion in his eyes.
Duan Rong said, "There’s no need to look at me like that, Senior Brother. Did you create this scent?"
"I created it?" Pan Yong’s expression became even more confused. "I don’t have any mint here?"
Duan Rong suddenly said, "Senior Brother, do you know that Master Shang has a poison called Aconite Frost?"
The moment the words "Aconite Frost" came out of Duan Rong’s mouth, Pan Yong’s expression finally changed. There was a hint of ferocity in his features and a glint of aversion in his eyes.
"How do you know about Aconite Frost? As far as I know, it’s Master Shang’s unique poison, very few people know about it."
Duan Rong sneered.
He had devoured the many discarded items at Shang Xiangyu’s place over the years, so who could compare to his understanding of Shang Xiangyu?
Duan Rong didn’t answer Pan Yong’s question. "Although you know about Aconite Frost, which is odorless and tasteless with fierce toxicity, making even Martial Artists at the True Qi Realm difficult to suppress it, you, Senior Brother, may not know it has a certain characteristic?"
Pan Yong was moved. "A certain characteristic? What characteristic?"
Pan Yong’s eyes flickered as he looked at Duan Rong, thinking Duan Rong was just bluffing.
Duan Rong glanced at the cold mushroom dish on the stone table, saying, "That is, when Aconite Frost encounters ginger, it emits a faint mint aroma."
Pan Yong’s gaze sharpened. Now that Duan Rong mentioned it, he indeed felt that the mint scent lingering near the cold mushroom dish seemed to be getting stronger.
Originally, he thought Duan Rong was just bluffing, guessing he was poisoning him and intentionally mentioning Aconite Frost to trap him.
However, now he no longer believed that.
There was no mint in his cave, and he hadn’t put any mint in any of the four dishes. But he indeed smelled mint, and it was emanating from the cold mushroom dish.
If what Duan Rong said was true, how did he know about the characteristic of Aconite Frost? Pan Yong, who had been beside Master Shang for so long, didn’t even know about this characteristic. How did Duan Rong know?
Pan Yong looked at Duan Rong with fear in his eyes. Only now did he realize that Duan Rong was far more terrifying than he had imagined!
At this moment, Duan Rong had already stood up. He looked at Pan Yong with a cold expression and said, "Senior Brother, you’re right. I do intend to kill you! I originally planned to wait a few more days. But since you’ve seen through it, let it be now!"
As Duan Rong spoke, with a swish, he drew the Minghong Saber, and with a flash of his figure, he charged at Pan Yong.