"How could it be him?" Li Yue Shu's eyes widened. "This... this wasn't in the original book!"
In the original book, the Poison King of Pang Shan was merely a legend, never making an appearance. How could he be connected to the female lead, Li Xiang Ru?
Qin Mo Yuan didn't know much about the original plot. Even with his intelligence, he couldn't fathom the reason behind this.
"Could it be the plot messing things up again?" Li Yue Shu frowned. "One divine physician, Ji Mo Bai, isn't enough, and now we have the Poison King of Pang Shan as well?"
Qin Mo Yuan looked at her in surprise. "Was Ji Mo Bai also one of Li Xiang Ru's people in the original book?"
Li Yue Shu nodded and briefly recounted the plot points concerning Ji Mo Bai from the original book.
Upon hearing this, Qin Mo Yuan suddenly understood why she had been so insistent on keeping Ji Mo Bai in Tong Mu County.
He embraced the person in his arms and pondered for a moment. "A Shu, you don't need to worry. Ji Mo Bai absolutely cannot serve the same master as the Poison King of Pang Shan."
"Huh?" Li Yue Shu was momentarily bewildered.
Qin Mo Yuan explained, "Everyone knows the divine physician Ji Mo Bai is skilled in medicine, but they don't know he was actually a disciple of the Poison King of Pang Shan."
"What?!" Even the composed Li Yue Shu couldn't help but be startled.
How could these two be connected?
Qin Mo Yuan leaned back lazily against Li Yue Shu. "The Poison King of Pang Shan favored using living people to refine poisons, especially infants."
"Ji Mo Bai was the only child, besides Ah Yi, who survived under his hands."
"The information I received stated that the Poison King of Pang Shan annihilated Ji Mo Bai's entire family in his pursuit of him. These two have no reason to coexist harmoniously."
Li Yue Shu was very surprised. "I feel like the entire plot has gone haywire."
"It hasn't completely." Qin Mo Yuan said. "Earlier, when Father Li was injured, Li Xiang Ru went to Tong Mu County and saved Ji Mo Bai's life on her way back to Chong Zhou."
Li Yue Shu was surprised.
Why hadn't Hong Dai discovered something so important?
Sensing her shock, Qin Mo Yuan explained, "Ji Mo Bai's whereabouts have always been mysterious. If I hadn't been sending people to keep an eye on Li Xiang Ru, I might not have found out about this."
Knowing that A Shu and her sister were at odds, he had people monitoring Li Xiang Ru's every move to be informed in advance.
"At that time, Li Xiang Ru suggested Ji Mo Bai accompany her to Chong Zhou, but Ji Mo Bai refused. He even gifted her a medicinal pill that could save a life at a crucial moment in return."
Speaking of this, Qin Mo Yuan's lips curved slightly. "The divine physician Ji Mo Bai's medicinal pills are priceless. He was thanking Li Xiang Ru for saving his life, so they were even. Even if the plot forced these two to meet, it wouldn't make Ji Mo Bai become Li Xiang Ru's person."
Qin Mo Yuan chuckled. "A Shu, Ji Mo Bai's change is definitely because of you. Perhaps our fate doesn't have to be controlled by that Heavenly Dao anymore."
Li Yue Shu's eyes brightened. "You mean, this might be the price the plot had to pay after attacking us at Da Geng Mountain?"
Qin Mo Yuan considered it but wasn't entirely sure. "It should be. Although Wei Zi Miao became Qin Ye Xiu's subordinate, he is now influencing Qin Ye Xiu not to be my enemy."
"The grievances between Ji Mo Bai and the Poison King of Pang Shan run deep. Li Xiang Ru harboring the Poison King of Pang Shan is essentially pushing Ji Mo Bai away."
He paused, then added, "It seems that the protagonists, Qin Ye Xiu and Li Xiang Ru, have the upper hand, but we haven't suffered any losses."
Li Yue Shu wasn't foolish and naturally understood the logic in his words.
After thinking for a moment, she said, "Keep a close watch on Li Xiang Ru. She saved the Poison King of Pang Shan, so she'll surely have a use for him."
And the Poison King of Pang Shan's greatest skill was harming people with poison, which was the most difficult to guard against.
Qin Mo Yuan nodded. "Don't worry, I've got it under control."
As dusk deepened, Qin Mo Yuan should have been heading back to rest.
But now, leaning in his embrace, Li Yue Shu felt a reluctance to part.
Never mind, just a little more intimacy.
Li Yue Shu then brought up another matter. "How did your assessment of Zhou Chen and the others go today?"
"A Shu always has a good eye." Qin Mo Yuan praised her without reservation. "Although those twelve people don't have high innate talent, they are diligent and haven't slacked off their training during this time."
Li Yue Shu was very satisfied with this. After all, they were people she had chosen. If they lacked perseverance, it would have been a waste of her effort to rescue them from Qing Yong Mountain.
Seeing her slightly proud expression, Qin Mo Yuan couldn't resist reaching out and pinching her cheek.
"Is A Shu planning to train them into hidden guards?"
Li Yue Shu shook her head. "I just want to cultivate a group of trump cards that I can use at any time. My only requirement is their loyalty to me."
Qin Mo Yuan knew she had always been a person with her own opinions and wasn't surprised.
"A Shu's training methods for them are indeed good, but to cultivate a force that can be called a trump card, they need more practical combat experience."
Li Yue Shu nodded. She naturally understood this but hadn't found a suitable place for them yet.
Since Qin Mo Yuan brought it up, he had naturally thought of a solution.
He looked at the person in his arms with gentle eyes. "If A Shu is willing, entrust them to me. Within half a year, I will give you the strongest trump card."
As the renowned God of War, Qin Mo Yuan had this confidence.
Li Yue Shu didn't refuse directly, but looked at him and asked, "What is your plan?"
Qin Mo Yuan finally released her from his embrace, but his large hand still held her soft palm. "Besides the military camp, the martial world is another excellent place to train people."
"Has A Shu heard of my Protectorate Army?"
Li Yue Shu nodded.
The name Protectorate Army was mentioned in the original book, but only in passing, generally praising it as the strongest force in the Chen Nan Kingdom.
However, Li Yue Shu had learned the specific details from Hong Dai.
It was said that the Protectorate Army originally had only a few thousand men and no name. These few thousand men were all salvaged by Qin Mo Yuan from the battlefield.
Later, when the Emperor ascended the throne, he incorporated some scattered troops and bestowed them upon Qin Mo Yuan, naming them the Protectorate Army, meaning the army that guards Qin Mo Yuan.
This also became the first private army in history to be personally recognized by a country's emperor!
Under Qin Mo Yuan's command, the army of a few thousand men grew into the current grand army of 860,000, becoming a force that no one in the world dared to underestimate.
From this perspective, Li Yue Shu truly admired Qin Mo Yuan.
"You want to send Zhou Chen and the others to the Protectorate Army for training?"
Qin Mo Yuan nodded.
Seeing this, Li Yue Shu agreed with the idea. "The military camp is indeed a place that trains people well, but it's not suitable for Zhou Chen and the others."
People who came from the military camp possessed a special aura that familiar people could discern at a glance.
She wanted Zhou Chen and the others to be a presence with their own unique qualities, whose very reputation would instill fear. The military camp was somewhat unsuitable for that.
Qin Mo Yuan looked at the person in front of him and guessed her thoughts.
After a moment of hesitation, he said, "Besides the military camp, there is one other place suitable for them."