Chapter 102: A Kind Face, a Vicious Heart, a Poison Beyond Compare

Luo Jinhua’s words were a ray of light in the darkness. Qin Haoxuan’s despairing eyes suddenly lit up with hope. The Jade Bamboo Hall was renowned for its alchemy; they would surely be able to identify the poison. And once they knew what it was, they could formulate an antidote. Little Gold could be saved. And Chang Jizi was a renowned pill-maniac; if anyone could save him, it was him.

“Thank you, Senior Sister!” Qin Haoxuan said, standing up in his excitement. The room was crowded, and in his haste, he bumped into the table that had been moved to the bedside. He stumbled, and a single, high-grade ruined pill from the Immortal-Slaying Poison Valley tumbled from his robes, rolling across the floor until it came to rest against Little Gold’s body.

“Time is short, I’m going now,” Luo Jinhua said, her expression serious. Helping this monkey was, indirectly, helping Xu Yu. Though she had little interest in helping Qin Haoxuan, she was more than happy to help her junior sister.

After she left, Qin Haoxuan sat back down, his eyes fixed on the ruined pill. No one else had noticed it fall. Even if it was from the valley, a ruined pill was just a dull, black lump. No one could tell its true value from its appearance. But he had noticed it, because the moment it had touched Little Gold’s body, it had given off a faint, almost imperceptible pulse of light.

What’s going on? he wondered. Ruined pills have no spiritual energy or luster. How could it suddenly flash with light? He was astonished, but it was his secret, so he kept his questions to himself. He watched it for a moment, but it didn’t flash again.

He began to think he had imagined it. But as he reached down to pick it up, he noticed something else: the poisonous aura around Little Gold seemed to have weakened slightly. The swelling had not worsened, and the purple-black color of its skin had faded just a little. The change was so subtle, it was almost invisible.

His heart pounded. He looked again at the pill and decided to investigate with his Spiritual Sense. He cleared his mind and sent a thread of the golden mist into the area around the monkey and the pill.

He could see the black poison gas that saturated the monkey’s body. But now, instead of spreading, it was flowing in a single direction. He followed the flow and saw, to his amazement, that the ruined pill was actively absorbing the poison from Little Gold’s body. The process was slow, but it was working.

What kind of pill is this, that it can absorb poison? he wondered, a mixture of joy and bewilderment flooding his heart. Little Gold was saved. But what was this mysterious pill from the valley? He tried to probe its interior, but was met with an impenetrable fog.

This was, without a doubt, the most powerful ruined pill he had ever encountered. I’ll have to study this later, he resolved. He withdrew his Spiritual Sense, the despair in his heart finally lifting.

Just then, there was a commotion outside. It was now dark, and a dim oil lamp filled the small room with the scent of pine. Who could be visiting now?

“Junior Brother Qin, Junior Sister Xu,” a voice called out. “I heard what happened to your Little Gold and rushed over. I hope I’m not disturbing you.”

It was Li Jing. He entered, his face a mask of anxiety. Seeing the motionless monkey on the bed, he strode over, his expression one of profound grief. “You poor thing,” he said, his voice choked with emotion. “So clever and so capable. Who could be so cruel as to do this to you?”

Behind him, Murong Chao, who had been trying to figure out who the poisoner could be, watched the prince’s performance with a cynical, knowing look.

“Don’t worry, Junior Brother Qin,” Li Jing said. “My guide, Senior Brother Shi, is from the Jade Bamboo Hall and is an expert in alchemy. I’ve brought him to take a look.” At his cue, Shi Junjie stepped forward. He pried open Little Gold’s swollen eyelids, revealing bloodshot eyes clouded with black, poisonous energy.

He then put on a show of examining the rest of the monkey’s body, stroking his chin thoughtfully before finally saying, “There are no other wounds. It must have been poisoned through its food.”

A look of disappointment flashed across Xu Yu’s face. They didn’t need an expert alchemist to tell them that.

“How is he, Senior Brother?” Li Jing asked, his voice filled with false hope. “Is there any way to save him?”

His performance was flawless. Shi Junjie, knowing his own acting skills were far inferior, kept his head bowed to hide his guilty conscience. “The symptoms are very strange,” he mumbled. “I can’t identify the cause right now.”

Li Jing sighed, his disappointment looking utterly convincing, as if the monkey were his own. Inwardly, he was ecstatic. That Yan Dong is quite capable, he thought. The poison is so potent. It won’t be long now.

He was about to offer a few more words of hollow comfort when he caught Murong Chao’s sharp, knowing gaze. He felt a jolt of alarm. Murong Chao had grown up with him; he knew his ways. If he overplayed his hand, he might be found out.

“Junior Brother Qin,” he said, making a hasty retreat, “I’ve already sent someone to ask Senior Brother Chang Jizi for help. He’s a renowned pill-maniac. Perhaps he can identify the poison. I’ll go and ask around elsewhere for an antidote now.” With that, he hurried away.

Qin Haoxuan watched him go, finding his sudden appearance a little strange, but he didn’t give it much thought. Li Jing had been trying to win them over for a while now. After a moment, his thoughts returned to Little Gold. The swelling and the purple color were now noticeably reduced. The stone in his heart lifted a little, only to be replaced by a cold, burning rage.

A dead silence fell over the room.

“I want to know,” Qin Haoxuan said, his voice low and seething, “who did this to my Little Gold.” His calm face was a mask, but a murderous intent flickered in his eyes.

Pu Hanzhong and Xu Yu exchanged a worried look. They had rarely seen him like this.

It was Murong Chao who broke the silence. “Don’t you all think Li Jing was acting strange?” he said in a low voice. “I don’t think he can be separated from this matter.”

The other three turned to stare at him. “I grew up with him,” he continued. “I know very well how thoroughly he has mastered the art of royal court intrigue.”

“That’s impossible,” Xu Yu said. “He’s been on good terms with us. And if he wanted to target someone, it would be Brother Haoxuan. Why would he poison Little Gold?”

“Exactly,” Qin Haoxuan added. “We even sold him five packets of powder that helped him break through to the Fourth-Leaf. Why would he harm us?”

Murong Chao just smiled. They had come from simple backgrounds; they had no concept of the kind of scheming that went on in a royal family. “The Zhang cousins fight with open swords and spears,” he explained.

“Their methods are direct, even crude. But Li Jing is different. Royalty either doesn’t make a move, or when they do, it is with deep calculation. They never act themselves. They use proxies, so that even if the one who does the deed is caught, the trail never leads back to them.”

“But how do you know he’s connected to this?”

(End of Chapter)