The Three Poisons: Greed, Anger, and Ignorance

Li Xiuwen said, "Please enlighten me, Master." Huang Sihai said, "These three parts of medicinal poison are called greed, anger, and ignorance! The more this toxicity accumulates, the more insatiably greedy, unpredictable, foolish, and ignorant one's temperament becomes... You might feel fine now, but once you can no longer suppress it down the road, it will be disastrous. That's only one aspect; a warped temperament can still be suppressed with martial willpower. Of course, if you disregard the consequences entirely and choose to be one of those demonic fiends, leaving it unsuppressed won't hurt, either. It's just that such people sooner or later offend someone stronger and get beaten to death. The most terrifying side effect of medicinal poison is that it reduces your success rate in future gate-crossing challenges! "That is why geniuses blessed with exceptional physiques exercise extreme restraint when taking medicine! They would rather advance a bit slower and make steady, solid progress, all to gain an extra shred of success when facing gate-crossing challenges later on! When I first gave you fish balls to help you achieve entry into stake training, it was because I knew your innate physique wasn't particularly good. You desperately needed a boost to become a trained fighter quickly so your family would keep supporting your martial arts training. But I never intended to turn you into a medicine pot. That's why I set a limit of twenty-four fish balls a year—I didn't want any of you straying down the wrong path." Understanding Huang Sihai's good intentions, Li Xiuwen nodded and said gratefully, "I understand, Master." The Three Poisons of greed, anger, and ignorance truly were a problem. No wonder he had sensed that some martial artists had erratic, wicked personalities and terrible temperaments; beyond innate disposition, medicinal toxicity was likely at work as well. Yet so far, he hadn't felt any such effect. Perhaps his martial willpower was stronger? As for lowering the success rate of gate-crossing challenges? To others, that was indeed fatal. But to him... did that even count as a price? With the incense burner, his breakthroughs always came naturally when the time was ripe, guaranteed to succeed! "As long as you understand the pros and cons, that's enough. Pack your things and prepare to move," Huang Sihai said, appealing to both emotion and reason, assuming Li Xiuwen had turned over a new leaf. "Master, is there any hope of purging medicinal poison?" Li Xiuwen asked. "Certainly. Rumor has it that certain heavenly treasures can cleanse marrow and bone to purge medicinal poison, but they're exceedingly rare. Most people are poisoned to death before ever finding one," Huang Sihai said. Pausing, Huang Sihai sighed. "Truth be told, only secret medicines refined from the flesh and blood of rare birds, exotic beasts, and extraordinary fish carry the Three Poisons of greed, anger, and ignorance... In ancient times, heavenly treasures and spirit elixirs did contain medicinal toxicity, but it was negligible and hardly affected one's cultivation. Unfortunately, times have changed. Under endless plunder, those treasures without side effects have practically gone extinct." *** That night, at Chen's Noodle Factory. Li Xiuwen told his uncle about the moving plan. "Near Four Seas Martial Arts Hall? Isn't the rent expensive around there?" his uncle asked with concern. Li Xiuwen said, "It's definitely expensive, but don't worry about the money. I can handle it." Property values in the Walled City had three premium zones: first, homes along the outer edge with good sunlight; second, homes near the Central District; and third, homes near the major martial arts halls and Changle triad branches. Strong experts lived in these areas, so ordinary ruffians and street punks kept their distance of their own accord, not daring to approach. Li Xiuwen had looked into apartments near Four Seas Martial Arts Hall before. One large enough for a family of three rented for over nine hundred a month; counting miscellaneous expenses, it would run over ten thousand a year, considerably more than his monthly training fee. On Longjin Road, a place of the same size went for just a hundred. But considering the security, that nine hundred was well worth it. Wealthy people flocked to buy up property there, and few ever put places up for rent. Now that Huang Sihai was helping arrange it, they had to move even if they had to scrape together every last cent. His aunt said with some guilt, "Ah Wen, we're giving you so much trouble. That's another huge expense." Li Xiuwen nodded. "Let's just sleep there tonight. I'll move the machinery." Ah Wen had clearly become the backbone of the household. His uncle nodded in agreement and said in a heavy voice, "We'll do whatever you say." Li Xiuwen smiled. "Uncle, I told you, once I make something of myself, my only duty is to take good care of you both. All right, let's move." "We must also show proper gratitude to Master Huang. He really did us a huge favor this time," his aunt said, holding Li Xiuwen's hand in heartfelt thanks. *** Before long, Old Huang settled their accommodations—the top floor of an old tenement building barely a hundred paces from Four Seas Martial Arts Hall. It was much closer to the rooftop, which Li Xiuwen liked, as it made practicing his martial arts convenient. The neighbors on this floor belonged to the Walled City's wealthier upper-middle class and were well-mannered. The family moved overnight without telling their neighbors on the street. His aunt asked, "Ah Wen, now that we've moved, what about the folks back on Longjin Road...?" His uncle sighed. "We aren't gods. How could we manage so much? It's good enough that we can keep ourselves safe." After a night of bustling about, the move was complete. Li Xiuwen lay in bed and drifted swiftly into a dream. *** The Illusionary Realm of the Great Void. Upon the bamboo scaffolding. The ghost-faced man stood there. Though his expression remained hidden, a terrifying, savage aura radiated from him. Li Xiuwen murmured, "This guy is definitely a core member of a major gang; he's killed plenty of people... Let me see who he actually is." He crooked a finger. The ghost-faced man kicked aside the bamboo ladder and charged forward, throwing an unadorned straight punch wrapped in a swirling gale. Li Xiuwen's frame tightened and snapped loose, gathering his full force into his right palm. Startled Shark Fleeting Shadow—detonating on contact! *Boom!* Fist clashed against palm, and a shockwave of white air blasted through the veil of rain. Li Xiuwen stumbled back a dozen paces before barely steadying himself. A burning pain flared through his arms; the skin membrane ruptured, exposing raw flesh as blood gushed out. *With and without hard qigong, the difference is night and day. When that man kicked me during the day, I was completely fine.* *In sheer qi and blood cultivation alone, this ghost-faced man seems even stronger than Gaojiao Qi. He's older, having ground his way up over years of building up qi and blood.* *But in terms of technique, he falls far short. His comprehension clearly isn't great; his basic fighting techniques haven't reached perfection yet, barely stronger than mine.* *When Gaojiao Qi and that Xiao Laba unleash their momentum, I can faintly see a sky-shrouding waterbird parting vast marshes, or a golden lion-headed Buddha radiating dazzling light.* *All things considered, this ghost-faced man's raw prowess might not even match Gaojiao Qi when he first crossed into the second rank... Such is the gap between an ordinary fighter and a young prodigy.* As they traded blows, Li Xiuwen analyzed his opponent's strength. The ghost-faced man's punches, palms, and kicks whipped up howling gales with thunderous momentum. After ten moves, Li Xiuwen was defeated. Yet he clamped tightly onto the ghost-faced man's mask, letting the man shatter his bones and rip out his innards. With the mask torn away, a gaunt face was revealed, with narrow, elongated eyes, faint eyebrows, and thin lips. *This man... I think I've seen him on Guangwang Street. He's the boss of Jinghai Casino. His underlings seem to call him... Ninth Master.* When Li Xiuwen had worked at the hair salon, he had walked past Guangwang Street after every shift. That was where the Leigong Shed branch was based, surrounded by numerous casinos and brothels, all belonging to Leigong Shed. He had caught glimpses of more or less every big boss on that street, and Ninth Master was one of them. The gold-toothed Black Membrane expert who had ambushed him, reeking of tobacco smoke, was very likely one of Ninth Master's men too. The mastermind had surfaced. *Ninth Master is a Straw Sandal of Leigong Shed, and Leigong Shed is a branch of Changle. Logically, killing a few street punks wouldn't concern him. Could he be the protective umbrella behind the Thirteen Taibao?* Li Xiuwen harbored faint suspicions, intending to consult Chen Jia tomorrow and probe him indirectly. Having clarified this much, Li Xiuwen had his target. All he needed now was the right moment to strike. [Flipping Sand Palm proficiency increased by 1%...]