Chapter 247 The Poison of Unrequited Love
Hong Shaoling had no time to react before he tasted an unusual sweetness in his mouth.
He was terrified and dared not swallow—but what was poured in was just a stream of sweet water that went straight down his throat, and even if he wanted to spit it out, he couldn't.
·
The many onlookers present were all stunned, not expecting Zhong Cai to do such a thing.
Even the cultivators who had considered the possibility of conflict only thought that it would be a physical conflict.
Some cultivators even predicted that there might be some bloodshed.
But now...
Without exchanging a single polite word, the two lovers directly ordered the puppet to entangle the Nirvana Protector and then used the opportunity to force-feed the young master Shaoling medicine.
Force-feed...medicine?
Why would they force-feed the medicine?!
What kind of medicine is that?
·
Among the countless onlookers, a handsome, spoiled young master's expression changed. He cautiously and quickly pulled the middle-aged man beside him and hurriedly said, "Run!"
Commander Li was prepared and was already awaiting instructions.
At that moment, he acted decisively. While everyone else was focused on the fight, he pushed Duan Xingchen down and made him squat down with him under the stone seat.
In an instant, he activated the teleportation talisman!
Commander Li then took Duan Xingchen and left the place in an instant.
There will definitely be a lot of trouble here afterward, so the farther they go and the less attention they attract, the better.
·
Duan Xingchen thought that he would have to talk to his father about this when he got back.
After all, White Fish Island had sent many soldiers to help find the person. Hong Shaoling had suffered a great loss this time, and he might use the Hong family's influence to find out the relationship between White Fish Island and Young Master Zhong.
But this isn't a big problem.
After all, on the surface they only escorted Young Master Zhong to Tianhe City and did not accompany him afterward, which was not much different from many small and medium-sized forces in Haiyue Continent who had received favors from Young Master Wu.
Even if the Hong family really sends someone over, they will at most ask some questions. They won't do anything to White Fish Island just because of this trivial matter—even if they are angry, they won't go too far—otherwise, would the Hong family really lower themselves to target a small force that is merely "giving back a favor"? That would be truly shameless.
After all, they are a force in the sea; at worst, they can only ask the major island lord in the central sea area to make decisions for them.
The island lord is a powerful figure with extraordinary abilities. He can mediate many matters in the sea, as well as many relationships with mainland forces. His own faction, and even the island lord himself, can do so.
·
As he was being teleported, Duan Xingchen continued to think that if he could buy the treasure that could extend his mother's life, then even taking a risk was worthwhile.
But we can't wake Mother up immediately; we have to wait a little longer.
As things develop further, we'll see how things go... If there are any more disturbances with the Hong family, we'll need to reconsider the matter of giving Mother the pills, and try to mislead them into believing they were obtained from other sources...
Anyway, Young Master Zhong is quite thoughtful; White Fish Island must keep this further transaction relationship a secret.
·
At this moment, seeing that the young master he was protecting had been given an unknown substance, Protector Zhang dared not give up struggling. He even immediately used a secret technique to burn a large amount of his essence blood, and his attack power suddenly surged!
The encirclement of the puppets was suddenly hit hard—but since it was the combined force of six puppets, it was still quite stable and not easy to break through.
Zhong Cai happily shook the bottle in her hand and patted her husband's shoulder with a smug look on her face.
Wu Shaogan understood and immediately gave a whistle.
The numerous puppets immediately obeyed, with two of them first protecting their two masters, while the remaining four simply loosened their grip slightly, taking advantage of the force of Zhang Protector's charge, allowing Zhang Protector to break through a gap and head straight for Hong Shaoling!
Zhong Cai casually tossed the bottle aside and then crisply said, "Old Wu!"
Wu Shaogan understood again.
Before anyone knew it, a very complex array plate appeared in his hand.
It consists of three layers, each inlaid with many different quality black stones, shimmering with dazzling light.
The moment the array was taken out, Wu Shaogan and Zhong Cai waved together.
The numerous puppets seemed to transform into streaks of light, each entering one of the two men's sleeves.
Immediately afterwards, Wu Shaogan rotated the innermost layer of the array plate.
In an instant, a surge of array power enveloped Zhong Cai and Wu Shaogan.
In the blink of an eye, the two figures disappeared.
—From administering the medicine to being transported away, it was actually very quick, taking only one or two breaths.
Zhang Hufa had just managed to get close to Hong Shaoling and observe his situation.
The other onlookers and cultivators were still immersed in the shock of "Zhong Cai administering medicine" and hadn't reacted at all.
Faintly, everyone seemed to hear a burst of cheerful laughter.
"Let's go!"
Everyone: "..."
·
The area around the battlefield was almost deathly silent.
Things happened way too fast, especially the master and servant of the Hong family. They were both severely retaliated against in the blink of an eye!
Now, it's unclear what kind of drug Hong Shaoling was given, and Protector Zhang is also seriously injured.
It's really... hard to explain in a few words.
The more familiar onlookers exchanged glances, and then none of them dared to linger.
They all "slipped away".
·
Hong Shaoling was filled with shock and anger.
The "sweet water" went into his stomach, but there was no immediate reaction—which, instead of making him feel relieved, made him even more uneasy.
If there is no immediate reaction, how do we make a judgment?
Seeing that Hong Shaoling seemed normal, Protector Zhang quickly took out a pill and took it.
Several more of Hong Shaoling's subordinates rushed over, all with worried expressions, but none of them dared to say a word.
Protector Zhang was much older and more experienced, and he immediately picked up the empty bottle that Zhong Cai had dropped.
The room was now completely empty. Protector Zhang sniffed around and found no scent at all, which made his heart tighten.
However, he still carefully put the medicine bottle away, thinking that perhaps there was still some residue on the bottle... He might as well take it back now and let the pharmacists, doctors, and alchemists trained by the Hong family examine it so that they could make a judgment.
Seeing Zhang Hufa's actions, Hong Shaoling's furious heart calmed down temporarily.
Protector Zhang reassured him, "That young man deliberately left the bottle behind; it's probably not something deadly... Young Master, we should return to the Hong family as soon as possible to avoid any accidents."
At this point, Protector Zhang paused.
"Perhaps, we could find a skilled alchemist nearby..."
Hong Shaoling didn't say much, only said in a deep voice, "Let's go first."
The pride of the Hong family in this generation, accompanied by the Nirvana Protector, suffered such a great loss at the hands of a young man who was only at the Fusion and Illumination realms, and was even unable to accurately react to his own condition—
What are we still doing here? Are we just here to make a fool of ourselves?
Even though they would inevitably be discussed by countless cultivators afterward, they still had to avoid being humiliated in person.
Even if Hong Shaoling wanted to silence public opinion, he was ultimately just deceiving himself...
·
After leading everyone away, Hong Shaoling did not stay in Tianhe City to seek medical treatment, but he also did not necessarily have to wait until he returned to the Hong family to resolve the issue.
Carried by the Nirvana Protector, the remaining members of the Hong family traveled as quickly as possible to the nearest level-three city and swiftly found the most renowned level-seven alchemist.
Although this alchemist is not considered top-tier among the many seventh-level alchemists, he is already a figure of considerable status in Haiyue Continent, a central continent—in fact, if it weren't for the fact that Nirvana came to his door and the Hong family had great influence, this alchemist Qiu would not have received him easily.
However……
After carefully examining Hong Shaoling's situation, Master Qiu fell into deep thought.
Hong Shaoling was somewhat anxious, but he forced himself to remain calm and did not pressure him.
After a long while, just as Hong Shaoling was about to slam his fist on the table in anger, Master Qiu said with a hint of certainty, "It's poisoning."
Hong Shaoling awaits further instructions.
However, Master Qiu only said "poisoning" and did not continue.
Hong Shaoling's face darkened.
Isn't this a level seven alchemist? Is this all the level seven alchemists in the Central Continent are capable of?
Master Qiu seemed somewhat embarrassed, but among alchemists, his comprehension was indeed not very high, so he could only state the conclusions he had drawn one by one.
"The poison that Young Master Hong suffered from is extremely complex, seemingly made with very complicated medicinal materials and skillfully balanced. This poison is not found in any of the many elixirs, prescriptions, or strange drugs that I know of... It must be a poison created by the alchemist in a moment of inspiration."
"However, its level is not high. It should be from a fifth-level alchemist. But this alchemist's talent is truly outstanding. The inspiration he flashes is difficult for other alchemists to capture. And there are countless possibilities for the types, proportions, processing and refining methods of fifth-level medicinal materials. If you try to deduce without a definite direction, it is not easy to complete."
"Furthermore, the efficacy of the drug is still uncertain."
As Qiu Danshi spoke, he became embarrassed and unconsciously stroked his beard.
He wasn't trying to fool people; he was very cautious. But that's how alchemy works. It contains a vast amount of knowledge, and it's impossible for someone who has reached level seven to think they know everything. Even level nine alchemists are still learning, let alone him.
Moreover, this poison is indeed extremely sophisticated.
It's unclear how that alchemist came to this realization, but the fusion of the poisonous and medicinal properties made it almost impossible to perceive the aura of any single herb; they were all integrated into one, and one could only sense their considerable complexity, with miracles occurring in their interactions.
With his dignified level seven skill, he could not disrupt the balance of medicinal properties without harming Hong Shaoling, thus preventing the characteristics of some medicinal herbs from being revealed.
If the properties of medicinal materials are not revealed, it is impossible to deduce the medicinal materials needed to refine poisons—not even one or two.
Master Qiu used all his investigative methods, but could only deduce the information Hong Shaoling was talking about based on his own cultivation level and a few unusual things about his flesh and blood. He really couldn't give any more answers.
He frowned and said solemnly, "My alchemy skills are limited. I can only confirm that the medicine is indeed harmful to Young Master Hong. Its effects are still latent and can only be confirmed after it truly manifests. Therefore, I call it poison."
·
Master Qiu spoke at length, and Hong Shaoling patiently listened to it all.
But after hearing it, his anger burned even more fiercely.
It's all nonsense!
It's completely useless!
Hong Shaoling was restless at this moment, and finally could not bear it any longer, so he turned and left.
After giving Master Qiu some money for the "consultation," Protector Zhang quickly followed Hong Shaoling away.
The other subordinates of the Hong family bowed respectfully to Master Qiu, expressing their apologies for the damage done to Hong Shaoling, and then left.
After the person left, Master Qiu stroked his beard, not seeming to care much.
He didn't even properly diagnose a level-five poison, so it's normal for the patient to be dissatisfied.
What Master Qiu is more concerned about now is the level 5 poison itself.
This formula is amazing! I wonder which top-tier alchemist it came from... There must be many things we can learn from the techniques of such a genius alchemist.
What a pity.
If Hong Shaoling were not a member of the Hong family, he could take the opportunity to extract some blood for research.
By then, he might be able to figure it out gradually.
·
Since a seventh-level alchemist was useless, Hong Shaoling didn't delay any longer and went straight to the Hong family.
The Hong family has several seventh-level alchemists, but the Hong family itself does not have any eighth-level alchemists... Now he can only go back and ask a few alchemist patriarchs to take a look.
And perhaps the younger uncles and grand-uncles of the Hong family, those at level five or six, could also lend a hand...
We need to figure this out as soon as possible, in any case.
Hong Shaoling was filled with anxiety.
This poison, whose consequences he could never fully understand, only made his suffering worse!
·
Protector Zhang brought Hong Shaoling back to the Hong family as quickly as possible.
Whether it was pre-arranged or for some other reason, Hong Shaoling discovered the problem as soon as he started cultivating on the day he returned.
Pain, extreme pain.
A sharp, stinging pain shot through his limbs and bones, spreading throughout his entire body, making him feel as if he were being burned by fire!
Hong Shaoling couldn't help but let out a miserable scream.
After Zhang Hufa returned, he no longer stayed by Hong Shaoling's side all the time. Instead, he quickly went to report to the family head and many elders about the various things that had happened and how the Hong family had suffered losses.
The elders of the Hong family were naturally dissatisfied with Hong Shaoling—after meticulous preparations, they hadn't even managed to protect their family's wealth. They had been retaliated against in such a way, yet they had no idea what the other party had done. This trip had consumed many resources, but it had all become someone else's spoils.
Hong Shaoling's trip was a complete failure.
Of the several Hong family geniuses who set off at the same time, none were more of a failure than Hong Shaoling.
So far, only Hong Shaoling has returned halfway. Among the other young masters of the Hong family, some remain unknown, while one or two have already gained some fame and can be reported back to the Hong family.
Just as many of the elders of the Hong family were showing displeasure, a dark figure quickly flashed in, knelt on one knee, and reported.
"Young Master Hong's body is showing signs of abnormality!"
In just a few words, Protector Zhang suddenly understood: "Could it be that the poison has taken effect? Young Master Shaoling—"
The figure in black, a hidden guard dressed in black, answered truthfully: "The pain of burning is unbearable and unbearable."
Protector Zhang's pupils contracted as he recalled the tragic fate of the eighteen gatekeepers whose souls had been scorched by the arrow light.
Many elders of the Hong family frowned.
They immediately gave a few instructions to summon several alchemists and physicians from the Hong family to check the situation. They had already heard that the seventh-level alchemists in other places were powerless, so they naturally couldn't be careless and it would be more appropriate to send more skilled people.
As a result, many people went to Hong Shaoling's residence.
·
Hong Shaoling remained seated cross-legged.
But if you look closely, you'll see that he's covered in sweat, as if he's just been pulled out of the water. On his forehead, the back of his hands, and other exposed skin, there are clearly visible blue veins that bulge out and move around like little dragons.
His face flushed red, and his skin also turned red as the veins bulged.
Her whole being seemed to be burning like Yan Xiaoshan.
Hong Shaoling was trying his best to control and endure it; otherwise, he would probably have collapsed and rolled around in pain.
Everyone immediately understood that he had been diligently cultivating since his return, but the poison had taken effect, causing him to become like this.
The cause of the attack, whether there are any other effects besides pain, and whether it will actually burn... all need to be diagnosed as soon as possible.
At that moment, the alchemists and physicians of the Hong family all stepped forward to investigate.
With this genuine reaction, it became relatively easier for them to uncover some clues during their investigation...
However, all they can do for now is define a range—which medicinal herbs, after interacting with each other, could cause cultivators to experience reactions similar to Hong Shaoling's.
There are so many kinds.
More accurate judgments require more assistance.
Protector Zhang took out the bottle, which might still contain some poison, and carefully handed it to the most skilled alchemist in the Hong family.
After examining everything, the numerous alchemists and physicians exchanged glances and offered their suggestions.
"Even with caution, this amount of venom probably won't be enough..."
"In my opinion, we should still extract some of Shaoling's blood for research."
"It's not just the blood from when the poison is acting up now; we have to wait and see if Shaoling's attacks are constant or intermittent... If he has a brief recovery, we should also draw some blood from that time for comparison and judgment."
"That makes sense... By the way, since Shaoling's condition suddenly flared up during cultivation, we need to compare his blood and physical condition when he's cultivating versus when he's not..."
“During this period, we also went to the Medicine King's Residence to conduct research together. Shaoling stayed with us so that we could make timely judgments based on his condition…”
After a brief explanation from the many alchemists and physicians of the Hong family, a decision was made.
If Hong Shaoling still wants to solve his health problem, he has no choice but to follow the suggestions of the others.
The head of the Hong family and the elders had no objections.
In particular, the elders of Hong Shaoling's lineage, who had been instrumental in including Hong Shaoling in the "Cultivating Reputation" genius list, were even more in favor of it—Hong Shaoling had already embarrassed himself enough, and his health problems needed to be addressed as soon as possible.
The longer they delay, the more disgraceful their lineage will become.
·
The power of that advanced teleportation array is quite terrifying.
Wu Shaogan directly activated the highest-level teleportation array, using high-grade Xuan Stones—and under this teleportation, all six high-grade Xuan Stones would be exhausted at once!
Therefore, its usefulness is naturally very powerful.
This is a non-directional teleportation array that will redirect teleportation several times in succession.
Each teleportation covers a distance of at least a million miles...
After this transmission, Zhong Cai and Wu Shaogan would not be easily found by the Hong family.
Moreover, no matter how "unorienting" the teleportation array is, it still possesses a certain degree of intelligence and can make its own judgments. In other words, after several turns, it might lead them to a dangerous situation far beyond their cultivation level, perhaps not too far from the Hong family or even nearby. However, it would never directly teleport them to any "energy field".
There's always room for maneuver.
·
Zhong Cai lay on Wu Shaogan's back, feeling the wind whistling past her ears, yet also a profound silence, as if time was passing incredibly fast, yet everything seemed to be moving at an extremely slow pace...
But the back he was lying on was real, and it represented the lover he had been missing for so long.
As long as she was working with Wu Shao, Zhong Cai didn't think any of those messy feelings mattered.
·
After several tremors, Zhong Cai and Wu Shaogan appeared in a mountain range.
This is not surprising.
No matter what kind of continent it is, the territory occupied by the human race is very limited, and most of the land is given to rare beasts, savage beasts, etc. There are extremely large mountain ranges and endless seas.
Therefore, the two of them being teleported in such an unpredictable manner would most likely end up in mountainous or marine areas.
We are currently in a mountainous area.
There's no need to immediately think of ways to get ships or summon puppets.
·
Wu Shaogan quickly regained his balance, but still carried Zhong Cai on his back and did not put her down.
Zhong Cai put her arm around Wu Shaogan's neck and said triumphantly, "Old Wu, I've avenged you!"
Wu Shaogan smiled slightly, his expression full of tenderness: "Thank you, A-Cai." He couldn't help but smile even more, "The poison you used?"
Zhong Cai chuckled and said, "Yes! That's it!" He was even more smug. "And I've finally decided what to name it!"
Wu Shaogan raised an eyebrow: "Oh?"
Zhong Cai didn't say it directly, but instead kept him in suspense: "Old Wu, can you guess?"
Wu Shaogan cooperated fully and thought about it carefully...
Then, he offered an answer, tentatively asking, "Could it be that you're going to name it 'Xiangsi' (meaning 'longing')?"
Zhong Cai was taken aback, then became even happier.
"Yes! It's unrequited love!" he shouted. "The pain of unrequited love is like being burned by fire! Too much unrequited love makes it impossible to concentrate on cultivation! Unrequited love is... it's that bastard who insists on preventing us from meeting!"
Wu Shaogan smiled and kept agreeing, "Yes, A-Cai is right..."
·
The poison was concocted by Zhong Cai in his spare time, and the method he used was indeed very complicated, and it was even a result of a flash of inspiration.
The medicinal materials used in it number as many as eighty-one!
The effects of poison... are actually based on some references.
It referenced the poison techniques used by that Poison King when he harmed the Wu family, and also his master's idea of using eighty-one kinds of poisons to concoct a life-extending elixir...
Moreover, the final effect is not just pain.
·
The poison of lovesickness is like a carbuncle clinging to the bone, persistent and painful, penetrating to the marrow and difficult to eradicate.
Those who are poisoned are restless and unable to sit or stand still.
The faster one progresses during cultivation, the more intense the pain becomes.
The torment is like being burned by a raging fire, like the agony of unrequited love.
Longing for someone can make you emaciated, and no matter how hard you force yourself to take care of yourself, it will never make up for it...
·
In short, this poison has two effects.
One is that any cultivation practice will be extremely painful.
Another issue is that even if one endures the pain and persists in cultivation, it's as if a large hole has appeared in one's primordial soul, making it impossible to continue merging with the accompanying treasure—thus, one can no longer improve one's realm.
Unless an antidote can be found.
Otherwise, Hong Shaoling would forever remain in the early stages of fusion.
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