Chapter 257 Research on Deadly Poisons
Zhong Cai pondered for a moment and said, "To cure the poison, I must use whatever is available on the spot, from every blade of grass and tree to every hair and flesh, but this will not harm the townspeople themselves. If you see me acting strangely, please don't be surprised."
The middle-aged man and the others all said, "We understand."
Zhong Cai stopped talking, tugged at Wu Shaogan, and was about to turn her head with him.
The middle-aged man quickly reminded him again, "Please note, young master, three hours have already passed since the 'opening of the thesis'!"
Zhong Cai said, "Thank you for the reminder." He paused, then added, "The words of the evil poison master are not to be trusted. We alchemists will do our best."
The middle-aged man agreed, "Young master is right."
Then, the two parted ways.
·
After everyone left, the other cultivators said to the middle-aged man, "Brother Zhou, what do you think of this alchemist? Could he—"
At this point, they all fell silent.
This is a wicked poison master who's made it onto the Heavenly Ranking!
The problem he posed was not something that could be solved simply by meeting a level 5 alchemist on the road.
Since the other party is willing to take the risk, they should explain the situation more thoroughly and try to let the other party know the whole story.
To be honest, I didn't really place my hopes on the other person.
The middle-aged man, Zhou Ang, walked up to the only fusion cultivator. Just as he was about to ask something, he noticed that the other man's gaze was fixed on the direction the two had left, and he was taken aback.
The cultivator who had merged with him noticed his expression and understood his thoughts, and said, "Perhaps it's not entirely impossible."
Zhou Ang blurted out, "How do you know?"
The cultivator who had merged with the sect said, "Although Brother Zhou can't see the Sky Ranking yet, there are high-level cultivators in your family. You must know that after the Sky Ranking was updated this month, a third-ranked Dou Wang named 'Wu Shaogan' was parachuted in."
Zhou Ang subconsciously replied, "Yes, I know..." He suddenly realized and exclaimed in surprise, "Brother Huo means that the martial arts cultivator who hadn't spoken up just now was—"
Huo Ying said, "It is him."
Zhou Ang suddenly realized why Huo Ying said it wasn't entirely impossible—a fifth-level alchemist who could win the affections of a third-level Dou Wang and become his Daoist partner could not possibly be a good-for-nothing.
If the other party seems somewhat confident, then there is a "possibility" of resolving the problem.
Huo Ying then reminded him, "This is a pill master who has surpassed his level."
Zhou Ang's attention was originally focused on the fragrance of the pills surrounding the other party, but now he suddenly realized and couldn't help but say, "That young master's realm is the same as mine, the Suspended Illumination Realm."
A fifth-level alchemist in the Suspended Illumination Realm is practically a higher-level alchemist, isn't he?
Alchemists who surpass their level are all exceptionally talented, which undoubtedly proves that their attainments in alchemy are by no means weak!
Zhou Ang couldn't help but say, "Young Master Wu is already a top figure on the Sky Ranking. His devoted partner might also have abilities approaching the Sky Ranking." He paused, "Perhaps his alchemy skills are no less than those of the Sky Ranking's Pill Kings, but he's too young, hasn't fully digested the inherited alchemy knowledge, and lacks the foundation for the fifth level..."
But in any case, it is indeed a glimmer of hope.
The other party's talent, after he has observed enough "materials", might give him a glimmer of inspiration!
Zhou Ang's mood eased slightly at this moment.
·
The other cultivators also overheard the conversation between the two, and their moods improved as well.
At least it's not too heavy.
The top continent is too vast. There are a total of 100 alchemists on the fifth-level Sky Ranking. If we exclude the five evil poison masters and then exclude the other evil alchemists whose number is uncertain, we can only count 90 remaining.
Even if we include those alchemists whose strength is similar to that of those at the bottom of the list, it wouldn't add much more.
These level-five alchemists are scattered across an incredibly vast area. They all have no other commitments, no other research to do, are interested in this matter, and are not too far away, able to arrive within a day or two...
Given all these restrictions, how many of the Sky Ranking Alchemists will actually be able to make it across?
Moreover, although the evil poison master did provoke them, the alchemists on the Sky Ranking might not be willing to respond. After all, once a ranking is established, the order is already determined. If they come over and fail to resolve the issue, wouldn't that only make the evil poison master more smug?
Some alchemists also need to prepare defensive items that can ward off poison, such as high-grade natural treasures that can completely eliminate level 5 poisons and have antidotes.
It also requires time and effort.
·
Zhou Ang and the others had been very worried.
Qingyu Town is a small town under the jurisdiction of a nearby level-five city. That level-five city will not abandon Qingyu Town, but they don't have many good things to offer. Even if they manage to put together something, would they be able to catch the eye of a Pill King on the Sky Ranking? Ordinary level-five pill masters might not even be interested!
Therefore, this problem is essentially free for the alchemists on the Sky Ranking.
They were powerless to entice them with benefits.
Everything truly depends on the interests of the Pill Kings on the Sky Ranking.
Zhou Ang and the others understood all of this and had always felt powerless.
But now, at least one decent level 5 alchemist has arrived, which brings them some hope.
This also relieved some of their pressure...
·
Without further ado, Zhong Cai, having not been able to stand by and watch, and having obtained the consent of the people in the nearby cities, no longer hesitated and prepared to act decisively.
Wu Shaogan naturally supported it.
Zhong Cai knew that Wu Shaogan was worried about him, but this highly toxic environment was said to be unsuitable for seven consecutive days. If it was truly an insurmountable danger, he wouldn't feel comfortable letting Lao Wu accompany him.
Both of them carried antidotes, which could shield them from most of the poison.
Secondly, if they arrive at a place filled with poisonous clouds and the remaining poison after the antidote stone has been used to expel it is still difficult to deal with, Wu Shaogan can take out the Wind Chime Orchids and let them absorb the remaining poison.
Then, they both carried higher-level rare and precious herbs that could remove any poison—if they were still unfortunately poisoned after taking the previous defensive measures, then taking these herbs would solve everything.
...However, this treasure is not much, enough for at most three to five people, and cannot help the townspeople.
We still need to study how to detoxify.
·
Zhong Cai approached a zombie, wearing a pair of special gloves, and touched a tuft of hair that had spontaneously stood up.
The gloves were very sensitive and did not impede Zhong Cai's sense of touch at all; they simply blocked harmful substances. Therefore, the moment Zhong Cai touched the hair, she could also intuitively perceive that the hair was very dry and tough.
It's just like a real rope.
Zhong Cai separated a single stalk from a clump, and with some effort, pulled it out. She then handed it to Wu Shaogan, who put it in a box with compartments of varying sizes, the material of which was difficult to discern.
Next, Zhong Cai took blood from the living corpse—from the brow, from the scalp connected to the tuft of hair, from the heart, from the fingertips, and from the ordinary blood.
They were all stored separately in the same box.
Then there was some skin tissue and some carefully removed bits of flesh.
·
Zhong Cai's movements were swift and gentle, causing little damage to the zombies.
Even so, Zhong Cai still muttered to herself:
"You have to think of the worst possible outcome for someone like the Poison Master."
"Old Wu, let me tell you, I was almost scared to death when I was collecting the materials. I was afraid that thing would try something! Even if I was careful, the zombie would still break a little bit of its skin when I was taking its blood and bits of flesh, right? If the skin broke and the poison mist clashed with the poison inside the zombie or something happened, the zombie would just... well, that's how it is. We haven't even done any research yet, and one of them has already died!"
"Thankfully not... It's impossible for that thing to have a change of heart; it's probably just too arrogant, thinking that setting such a question is enough to slap the faces of us proper alchemists?"
Wu Shaogan listened silently, occasionally echoing his words.
Upon hearing this, he shook his head slightly inwardly.
Ah Cai is right, the evil poison master is absolutely heartless. If he can make this problem more difficult, he will definitely do it! The evil poison master may be arrogant as Ah Cai said, but in his opinion, the more likely scenario is that... the evil poison master simply cannot do it.
The effects of the highly toxic substance are already numerous, and now a time limit has been added. If a rule of "death upon skin breakage" is also added, the process of making the poison will become even more complicated and it will be more difficult to achieve a specific result.
The evil poison master's abilities may only extend to this.
·
Zhong Cai had no idea what her husband, Lao Wu, was thinking; he was still muttering to himself.
"Believing in this stuff's 'rules' is just being a sucker. Seven days of advertising, and it's really seven days? I think we should try to get it done within six days. If we wait until seven days, we'll fall for it..."
During the process of reciting, Zhong Cai collected a large amount of material.
Materials from the same person are kept together—so during this time, Wu Shaogan had taken out dozens of boxes, all neatly categorized and arranged, ready for Zhong to use at any time.
Zhong Cai collected "materials" from all kinds of people, including men and women, young and old, tall and short, fat and thin... and even within the same type, she would select several people with different conditions.
After collecting materials from the living corpses, Zhong Cai went to collect water from the underground river, well water from the town, corroded stone walls, and plants in the town affected by the poison, etc.
He meticulously researched anything that had reacted with a highly toxic substance, leaving no room for error.
Zhong Cai was busy making preparations.
·
Zhong Cai arrived at a place where the "incense" had been burned, and looked at the traces left by the incense.
After a moment's thought, he searched through the ancient city's resource hall and retrieved a rare medicine that looked very much like a seashell.
Zhong Cai covered the incense burner's mark with the "shell".
After pausing for several breaths, he turned the "shell" over.
Beneath its snow-white base, a thin gray film appeared—this was the remaining, minuscule amount of incense residue, which was extracted by the "shell" and eventually formed.
Afterwards, Zhong Cai can study this thin film to figure out the composition of incense.
Furthermore, by observing the direction in which the incense diffuses, one can collect herbs and other materials that react with the incense. These can all be compared with other materials, and by finding subtle differences, one can deduce the medicinal ingredients used...
Zhong Cai will not waste a single moment.
Wu Shaogan stayed by Zhong Cai's side the whole time, and would tacitly assist him from time to time.
Looking at A-Cai like this, he felt that A-Cai was shining—she was very, very beautiful.
·
While Zhong Cai was busy, many states, counties, and regions outside gradually received the news.
Regardless of whether the fifth-level alchemists on the Sky Ranking were busy or not, other cultivators would bring them the news.
At that moment, several level-five alchemists changed their expressions and immediately began to curse.
Those around them who knew something about the situation also chimed in.
"What a shameless Wei Li! This is a provocation against Senior Wei!"
"Does he even deserve it?"
"If he truly had any self-awareness, he wouldn't have done such a thing!"
"Senior Wei would never do something so outrageous!"
"Lacking in ability but ruthless in heart, he'll stop at nothing to gain fame!"
·
Wei Li and Wei Yan both come from the Wei family.
In every generation of the Wei family, many outstanding alchemists have emerged, and there are always those who can make it onto the Sky Alchemist Ranking.
Therefore, the Wei family is also one of the most famous alchemy forces.
Wei Yan and Wei Li are both members of the Wei family in this generation.
When the Wei family was training their members, they selected Wei Yan as a key candidate for development, while treating Wei Li and other second-tier candidates the same.
Wei Li believed himself to be exceptionally talented and was resentful that he hadn't been chosen, so he caused trouble several times.
Wei Yan, as the cousin, did not hesitate to resolve all these issues and retaliate against them all.
After several exchanges, the Wei family became even more certain that Wei Yan was indeed more outstanding than Wei Li, and that Wei Li's temperament was also not good and needed continuous refinement. However, his will was quite strong, but if he could not settle down, his future achievements would be limited. So they would refine him first, and when he was ready, they could increase their efforts in training him.
However, Wei Li couldn't stand the patience to work on him. Instead, he felt that the Wei family was torturing him, so he defected!
No one knows when he connected with the evil path, but he actually became an evil poison master and his strength improved by leaps and bounds!
If it were merely a defection, the Wei family would still be lenient; perhaps honing one's skills abroad would be beneficial, and one could be groomed for future success.
But the Wei family still misjudged Wei Li.
Wei Li committed many inhumane acts and was nearly killed several times, but he escaped justice because he was extremely fast.
Wei Yan had been tracking Wei Li for a long time and could often guess Wei Li's whereabouts.
Wei Li had no choice but to hide for a long time before Wei Yan returned to cultivate in seclusion.
Later, Wei Yan became a fifth-level Pill King on the Sky Ranking, and his ranking soared all the way up.
He soon broke through and became a sixth-level Pill King on the Sky Ranking.
At that moment, Wei Li ascended to the fifth level of the Sky Ranking and became the Poison King.
·
After making the list, Wei Li behaved himself and gradually few people paid attention to him.
Only those who care about the Wei family, and even members of the Wei family themselves, will pay attention—watching his ranking climb higher and higher.
Wei Li is the highest-ranked evil poison master on the current Level 5 Sky Ranking.
Ranked twenty-seventh.
When Wei Yan was on the Level 5 list, he was ranked nineteenth; he is currently still on the Level 6 list, and is temporarily at forty-sixth.
If Wei Li achieves "Dao" this time, it will demonstrate that his alchemy skills are terrifying, and his ranking will most likely skyrocket! He might even reach the top 20, surpassing Wei Yan from back then!
He was provoking Wei Yan and trying to overpower him.
Wei Yan was already at level six, so naturally he couldn't solve the problem himself, nor could he compare himself to Wei Li in terms of "level five alchemy skills".
Wei Li's actions are truly disgusting.
At the same time, Wei Yan is the highest-ranked junior alchemist in the Wei family on the Sky Ranking in the past few hundred years. On the current fifth-level ranking, no member of the Wei family is ranked higher than Wei Li.
If Wei Li, the evil poison master who has been expelled from the Wei family, were to surpass Wei Yan in the final ranking of the Level 5 list—even if it's just a jump to the eighteenth place, which is one place higher than Wei Yan—it would still be a slap in the face to the Wei family.
Now we can only hope that another alchemist can solve this problem, at least to stop Wei Li from being so arrogant.
Hopefully, in the judgment of the Sky Ranking, Wei Li's "Dao Proof" test was not outstanding enough to propel him into the top twenty...
·
Wei Li's actions angered many alchemists on the Sky Ranking, but after considering their own tasks, very few were actually able to extricate themselves from the situation.
Indeed, many alchemists had calculated that even if they could make it there, the remaining research time would be very short... but they still didn't hesitate much and decided to go.
We must study this carefully and try our best to find a solution. Even if we can't save everyone in this town, we must try to find an antidote.
Otherwise... if someone like Wei Li gets too cocky this time, he might target other towns again next time, under the guise of "setting up another problem for everyone to solve."
That bastard is absolutely capable of doing something like that!
·
Many level-five alchemists from various places set off, heading straight for Qingyu Town.
Some were confident in their alchemy skills and wanted to give it a try; some wanted to take the opportunity to develop an antidote and try to demonstrate their ability to climb the Heavenly Ranking; others simply couldn't bear the situation in the town and were prepared to do everything they could to resolve the matter...
As time went by, many alchemists arrived successfully one after another.
Meanwhile, in front of the town gate, they met Zhou Ang and other people from various forces in the nearby cities—and explained the current situation to them.
Zhou Ang and the others did not stop any alchemists from entering the town, but each time they would remind them of the potential dangers such as "the seven-day poisoning period is unreliable for evil poison masters".
Many alchemists listened, while others, focused on detoxification, ignored it.
More and more alchemists came into the town.
·
After Zhou Ang sent in another level-five alchemist, his expression became very solemn.
Huo Ying also frowned and said, "Young Master Wu's Daoist partner has been in the town for two days, and there are less than five days left."
Zhou Ang sighed, "This poison is indeed very troublesome." He recalled, "After that young master went in, more than thirty alchemists entered the town one after another. They were all quite confident in themselves and fearless... I hope they can come and go safely."
Huo Ying, as a Fusion cultivator in a nearby city, held a very high position. He was not very old and was considered a well-known genius... He was even an elite disciple of a level seven power.
Faced with the threat posed by the evil poison master, he was helpless except for anger—he had even sought help from the sixth-level alchemist elder within his own sect.
The elder was unable to help.
Moreover, after the elder's explanation, Huo Ying understood even more how terrifying the evil poison masters who made it onto the Sky Ranking were.
Currently, only two level-five alchemists on the Sky Alchemist Ranking have arrived here, and both are ranked in the 70s or 80s. Compared to the evil poison masters, they are far inferior...
Huo Ying was still a little worried that something might happen to them in the town.
By then, an even bigger storm will likely rage on...
·
After collecting enough materials, Zhong Cai found an empty room and laid them out one by one.
Then he became so engrossed in his research that he paid no attention to what was happening outside.
Wu Shaogan has been keeping an eye on Zhong Cai and protecting her safety.
He did know that some alchemists had recently arrived, along with some martial arts cultivators who were protecting them.
However, when Wu Shaogan discovered that those people were only selecting materials and researching highly toxic substances, he didn't spare much attention for them.
For Wu Shaogan, nothing else mattered as long as he didn't bother A Cai.
·
At this moment, in a small flowerpot next to Zhong Cai, a bellflower is swaying in the wind.
They continuously absorb the small amount of toxic fog around them to create an undisturbed environment.
In front of Zhong Cai was a basin made of a peculiar material, containing many kinds of medicinal herbs.
A fire was burning beneath the basin, simmering the ingredients... Now, they had almost completely blended together, forming a gray liquid.
Next, Zhong Cai carefully took out a drop of poisoned blood from the box next to her and very cautiously dripped it into the liquid in the basin.
In an instant, the gray liquid began to boil!
Zhong Cai was prepared and had already taken out a shield to block in front of him.
A lot of venom splattered from the basin, but not a single drop could penetrate the shield's protection; it could only hit the surface and make a sizzling sound.
Zhong Cai waited for a short while as usual.
Once the basin had completely quieted down, he didn't let his guard down; instead, he remained there for a few more breaths.
Sure enough, a jet of water gushed out of the basin—very intense and powerful, but it all hit the shield!
Zhong Cai then withdrew his shield.
He knew very well that the danger had only just been eliminated.
Inside the basin, only a clump of brown, dried mud remained.
Zhong Cai rummaged through the mud, then compared it with her own medicinal herbs, picked one out and set it aside, saying with a hint of excitement, "That's it, the twenty-ninth herb, I've figured it out!"
Wu Shaogan smiled and praised, "A-Cai is the best! There aren't many left!"
Zhong Cai finally revealed a smug look and said, "That's it. I knew I could do it."
Wu Shaogan had gentle eyes and genuinely believed in his beloved A-Cai.
·
Based on the reactions of various "materials" with different medicinal herbs, Zhong Cai eliminated medicinal herbs with similar effects one by one. No matter how powerful the evil poison master was, the fifth-level poison only used fifth-level medicinal herbs. As long as the alchemist was familiar with these medicinal herbs and analyzed their toxicity effects, he could continuously narrow down the range of medicinal herbs.
It might be difficult for an ordinary alchemist, mainly because insufficient understanding of medicinal materials leads to an inability to accurately use the right materials to counteract the highly toxic substances, causing them to easily oscillate between materials with similar effects. Finding the right materials is also very troublesome, as one must clearly understand which materials can detect a certain component of the highly toxic substance without affecting other components.
Therefore, time is naturally not enough.
Using the wrong medicinal materials and the alchemist's inability to react in time can also damage the alchemist, requiring time to recover.
But Zhong Cai is someone who can use eighty-one kinds of medicinal herbs to make a poison!
For him, the screening process was a bit tedious, but not so tedious that it made him lose patience.
After analyzing the poisonous water, Zhong Cai discovered that its components were... far fewer than eighty-one.
Therefore, the number of possible combinations is much smaller.
Zhong Cai is very confident in herself.
After his busy work, there were indeed not many obstacles, and he was able to handle things quickly...
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