Chapter 206 Fang Shijie's Desire
Night had fallen, but a quiet courtyard at the end of an alley in the east of the capital was still lit up.
The candlelight flickered, illuminating Fang Shijie's slightly pale face.
A trusted aide was carefully cleaning and bandaging the snake venom wound on his calf. Although most of the venom had been sucked out by Jiang Ling, the area around the wound was still red and swollen.
"Young master, you have suffered this time."
Upon seeing this, the old butler, who had been waiting there, hurriedly stepped forward, his eyes filled with worry.
He skillfully took out the first-aid kit and began cleaning Fang Shijie's wounds, reapplying medicine and bandaging them.
Fang Shijie leaned back in his chair, letting the butler do as he pleased, but a barely perceptible smile played on his lips. He murmured to himself, as if responding to the butler's concern:
"What's a little physical pain compared to getting in touch with Jiang Ling?"
The "line" he was referring to was naturally Jiang Ling.
After leaving the Song family's cloth shop that day, his spies in the capital brought him back some unexpected news.
It turns out that Jiang Ling is the Jiang Goddess who was all the rage in Beijing not long ago!
She is the Goddess Jiang, who donated a large amount of miraculous medicine during the flood disaster in Ping'an County half a year ago, and single-handedly saved thousands of people and controlled the spread of the epidemic!
He had heard the rumor before and had been searching for it for a while.
However, the Daewoo Dynasty government released too many smokescreens regarding this matter, and each investigation ended in failure.
He once thought that this was just a character created out of thin air by the Great Yu Dynasty in order to stabilize public sentiment.
However, those "miracle drugs" that can save lives with just one pill do exist.
The Daewoo Dynasty court kept a close watch on this matter. Although he failed to obtain it, he personally investigated many surviving villagers and confirmed that the medicine did exist.
Just when he was about to give up on this lead, the truth was revealed to him in such an unexpected way.
The key figure he had been searching for, who held the life-saving resources, was actually right under his nose!
Jiang Ling possessed not only novel goods, but also life-saving elixirs and food.
This is far more precious than the arrival of a mere supply of toilet water!
Now that the two countries are at war, the Great Yu Dynasty is short of food and medicine, and the Great Sheng Dynasty is no different.
Thinking of this, Fang Shijie's eyes became deep and burning.
By this time, the old butler had carefully bandaged his wound, then carefully picked up two items from the side and respectfully handed them to Fang Shijie:
"Young master, this was found in a corner of the alley during the cleanup today. It should be something left behind by that Miss Jiang."
Fang Shijie's gaze sharpened, and he reached out to take it.
It was the same short, black metal rod, about the length of a palm, cold to the touch, made of neither gold nor iron, with a texture he had never seen before.
The other item was a small oil paper packet containing some white powder.
"This powder has been secretly tested by someone. It is a highly potent and almost odorless sleeping potion, far superior to the sleeping potions commonly found in the martial arts world."
"But this iron rod... forgive my ignorance, I cannot identify what it is. However, according to the report from the men in black who were present at the time, one of them was instantly knocked down by this thing," the steward added.
Fang Shijie first picked up the short black stick, his fingertips gently stroking its smooth and cold surface. The handle had anti-slip texture, and the stick was inlaid with a glass bead.
How could something that looks like just a special iron rod have such destructive power?
"Has the person who was knocked down by this thing woken up?" he asked without looking up.
"Young master, he has woken up, but he is still somewhat listless," the steward replied.
"Tell him to come see me."
A quarter of an hour later, the guard who had been knocked unconscious by Jiang Ling with an electric baton was helped in by two people, walking unsteadily with a pale face still showing signs of lingering fear.
Fang Shijie leaned back on the soft pillows, his voice calm, "Tell me, how were you injured? What were you feeling before you fainted? Please tell me in detail."
The guard tried hard to recall, reporting everything in great detail:
"When I saw the woman dodge, I thought I'd knock her unconscious. But before I could do it, I suddenly felt a hard object touch my waist and abdomen... and then, then it felt like... like I'd been struck by lightning!"
A flicker of fear crossed his eyes. “My muscles spasmed and stiffened instantly, and an extremely intense stinging and numbness spread throughout my body. Everything went black, and I knew nothing more. When I woke up, I still felt weak all over and my hands and feet were limp.”
"You fainted after just one application?" Fang Shijie pressed, "Without any warning?"
"No! I lost consciousness in at most three breaths."
Fang Shijie was shocked to hear this.
He originally thought it might be some kind of ingenious hidden weapon or a needle case laced with deadly poison, but he never expected it to have such a bizarre and powerful effect!
No bloodshed, no complicated procedures—simply touch this unassuming black iron rod to a person's body, and in just three breaths, a well-trained strongman can be completely subdued!
He looked down at the small stun gun in his hand again, his gaze now completely different.
But how was this done?
He didn't feel any power when he held it in his hand.
The steward stepped forward at the opportune moment: "Young master, before you returned, this old servant had someone test this item. First a large tree, then a chicken, a pig, and finally even a person. All of them were unharmed and suffered no injury."
Fang Shijie was even more puzzled.
"Could it be that this thing needs some kind of key to open or close? Or does it recognize its owner? Can it only work when it's in Jiang Ling's hands?"
"This old servant is dull-witted and truly cannot fathom the mystery within," the steward said, bowing his head.
"So you not only possess life-saving elixirs, but also ruthless methods capable of easily taking lives..."
Fang Shijie muttered to himself, gaining a deeper understanding of Jiang Ling's mystery and value.
She is like a vast treasure trove hidden in the mist; with each encounter, new treasures are discovered.
He pondered for a long time, his fingers tapping lightly on the table.
The original plan had to be adjusted.
The supply of floral water was insignificant at this moment. What he really wanted was Jiang Ling herself, as well as the unfathomable secrets and resources behind her!
If we can bring her back to Dasheng, what is there to worry about in achieving our great cause?
Although the supply of floral water can be temporarily disregarded, the plan to stir up trouble in the Great Yu Dynasty cannot be stopped.
A chaotic and corrupt world, where officials fight amongst themselves, is more in the interest of the Great Sheng Dynasty.
He suddenly remembered the argument he had witnessed between Zhou Zhongliang and Su Wenxuan on the street earlier that day.
Cheating and impersonation in the imperial examinations were major events that could shake the foundations of the nation and easily cause upheaval among scholars.
"Go," Fang Shijie raised his head, a glint of shrewdness in his eyes, and ordered the old butler.
"Investigate carefully this year's spring examination to see if there was any cheating or impersonation. Focus on Su Wenxuan and Zhou Zhongliang. The Su family prides themselves on being upright civil officials. If we can find solid evidence to bring them down, it will surely cause quite a stir in the court."
He sneered inwardly. Helping Zhou Zhongliang clear his name would not only bring him closer to Jiang Ling, but also give him the opportunity to strike at the bureaucratic system of the Dayu Dynasty. It was a double win.
He would naturally spare no effort to make such a win-win situation happen.
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