Chapter 182: Poison
In the private room upstairs, Zhong Min saw her Ruyi, who was being held in Ning Zhiyuan's arms and teased. However, looking at Ruyi's expression, she seemed a little impatient.
The table of food and wine looked extremely sumptuous, but Zhong Min had no appetite at all. She didn't even say a few words of politeness. Seeing that Ning Zhiyuan had no intention of returning Ruyi to her immediately, she simply asked why Ruyi was in his hands.
But Ning Zhiyuan just smiled without answering. He handed the Ruyi in his hand to the servant beside him, washed his hands, and said that the food was just the right temperature and they could talk about it after dinner.
"Sir, just tell me what you want. This isn't the first time we've dealt with each other. There's no need for these empty promises, is there?" Zhong Min didn't even touch her chopsticks, wanting to quickly get everything out of the way and leave. Some people's food is easy to eat, but others' isn't. Of course, she wasn't worried about Ning Zhiyuan poisoning her. After all, a powerful figure like him wouldn't resort to such underhanded tactics against a minor figure like her.
"Whether it's real or fake, everyone still has to eat. Isn't it lunch time now? Nothing is more important than eating." He said as he picked up some dishes and put them into the bowl in front of Zhong Min.
Seeing this, Zhong Min knew that there was no point in being anxious at the moment, so he had to suppress his temper and finish the meal first.
"I'll do it myself!" She quickly picked up the bowl and chopsticks, avoiding the food Ning Zhiyuan brought over, and said without any gratitude: "Your Excellency, there is no need to be so polite. Zhong Min is unworthy of it."
After that, she started eating. Well, if that was the case, she would finish it first. It was just a meal, and she, Zhong Min, was not someone who couldn't handle the occasion. She ignored Ning Zhiyuan's reaction and ate at a very fast pace, not caring about her preferences. She picked up whatever was closest to her, as if she wanted to finish the meal quickly.
Seeing this, Ning Zhiyuan smiled and said, "This is really rare. I've never seen anyone eat as fast as if they were fighting a war, but still not lose their image at all. Min'er is really a great treasure. I can discover new advantages in her all the time."
"Your Excellency, thank you for your compliment." After swallowing the last bite of Zuicheng's food, Zhong Min put down his bowl and chopsticks, took another sip of tea to clear his mouth, and then said, "I'm done. Your Excellency, is it time to get down to business now?"
"Business? Doesn't Min'er think that having a meal is a business? I promised to treat Min'er to a meal last time, and I've been waiting for a long time. Min'er's behavior really hurts me." Ning Zhiyuan pretended to be hit hard and said to Zhong Min, "Is there really nothing to talk about between us?"
Zhong Min couldn't help but laugh, thinking to herself, "Brother, could you be a little more hypocritical? If it was really just for a meal, why would they go to such great lengths? Even a small person like her, Zhong Min, has precious time, let alone someone like Ning Zhiyuan."
"What are you laughing at? Do you think what I said is funny? Or do you simply don't believe that I really want to see you?" Zhiyuan was not angry. There was a faint smile on his face. He looked at Zhong Min as if he was looking at a child, without a trace of concern.
"What do you think, my lord? If Ning Xiang's food is so delicious, I'm afraid people will step on it and sell it to you." Zhong Min had already figured out Ning Zhiyuan's temper, so there was no need for him to be so cautious: "I have arrived on time and have finished my meal. If Ning Xiang has nothing else to do, please return Ruyi to me. I have something else to do and I have to leave first."
She was too lazy to ask why Ruyi ended up in his hands. With Ning Zhiyuan's ability, it was not difficult for him to do this. As for what he wanted to do, he would naturally tell her before returning Ruyi to her.
Seeing this, Ning Zhiyuan also put down his bowl and chopsticks and glanced at the attendant beside him. Soon, the attendant handed the Ruyi back to Ning Zhiyuan and took the initiative to withdraw, leaving the space alone with Ning Zhiyuan and Zhong Min.
"It seems that Min'er really likes this cat. I heard that this cat was given to you by Prince Mu, right?" Ning Zhiyuan touched Ruyi in his arms, still looking unhurried.
"I guess it's a gift from him. Ruyi is likable to begin with. She'll naturally like her after spending so much time with her." Zhong Min didn't know why Ning Zhiyuan would ask this question even though she already knew the answer. Could it be that calling her out today really had something to do with Ruyi? "Why are you asking this, sir? It has nothing to do with you anyway."
"We'll know whether it matters or not in a moment." Ning Zhiyuan smiled, stood up, and walked towards Zhong Min holding Ruyi. "But since Min'er can't wait any longer, I'll naturally return it to you first. You better hold it tightly."
As he said that, he stood in front of Zhong Min and handed Ruyi to her. Seeing this, Zhong Min hurriedly stood up and wanted to take Ruyi. However, Ruyi, who had always been clinging to her, obedient and understanding, seemed not to recognize Zhong Min in an instant. When she left Ning Zhiyuan's arms, she jumped up by herself and ran over directly. She did not rush into Zhong Min's arms as usual.
"Ruyi!" Zhong Min was obviously not expecting this and was shocked by Ruyi's reaction. She said to Fayi, who was squatting on the ground beside her, "Come here quickly, Ruyi!"
But Ruyi not only did not listen to Zhong Min's words, but instead seemed to be frightened. She quickly ran to the corner and hid beside the chair, ignoring Zhong Min's call.
Seeing this, Zhong Min had no choice but to take a few steps forward, squat down and try to hug Ruyi, but Ruyi suddenly meowed angrily and started running around, trying to avoid being caught by Zhong Min.
"What on earth did you do to it?" Zhong Min was immediately furious. She stood up and questioned Ning Zhiyuan, "It's just a cat. It can't possibly bother you in the slightest. What on earth did you do to it to make it like this?"
Zhong Min's questioning caused Ning Zhiyuan to sigh slightly, a faint sense of loss evident in his expression. He shook his head and said innocently, "I didn't do anything to it. It's just the way it was."
"You're talking nonsense! Ruyi has always liked to stick to me and can understand what I say. She is very smart. How could she be like this for no reason!" Zhong Min didn't believe it. Ruyi, who was still acting coquettishly in her arms the day before yesterday, now treated her as a stranger, even like an enemy. It would be strange for her to believe Ning Zhiyuan's words.
Seeing this, Ning Zhiyuan did not rush to explain anything. Instead, he walked to Ruyi, squatted down, picked up Ruyi very easily, and then returned to the chair and sat down.
"Cats are naturally very docile animals. Normally, they won't show any hostility towards people, even if they've never seen one before. Look at how it reacts to me now, it's clearly a natural reaction. It wasn't used to me holding it earlier, but now, while I wouldn't say it's particularly nice to me, it definitely isn't hiding or avoiding me."
"What do you mean?" Zhong Min was even more confused now. Seeing this, she had to suppress her anger and sat down, waiting for Ning Zhiyuan to explain. She believed that Ning Zhiyuan must have something to say to her.
"Min'er, have you ever heard of something called 'Ming'?" Ning Zhiyuan asked calmly.
Zhong Min shook his head: "No, please speak directly if you have anything to say, sir."
"The 'ming' I'm talking about is actually a kind of Gu. There's a special group of people in Western Xinjiang who have made a living by raising Gu for generations. They implant these Gu into people's bodies and control them with some extremely strange spells, thus controlling them to do their bidding."
Ning Zhiyuan slowly explained, "And 'Ming' is an extremely special poison. It doesn't need to be implanted directly into a person's body. The person who casts the poison only needs to know the birth date of the person they want to control, and then use another animal, such as a cat or a dog, as a carrier. Finally, the carrier, which has been implanted with the poison, is delivered to the person they want to control. The closer the relationship between the person and the carrier, the more pronounced the effect. In other words, this is an indirect poison."
Hearing this, Zhong Min couldn't help but get goosebumps all over her body. However, she didn't believe it, so she said with a hint of sarcasm, "Your Excellency, are you trying to say that Ruyi is the carrier of the poison, and I am the one the poisoner wants to control? If that's the case, then you will probably be disappointed, because I know very well that my consciousness is completely my own and has never been controlled by anyone!"
Ning Zhiyuan ignored Zhong Min's sarcasm and continued calmly, "Once an animal is implanted with the 'Ming' Gu, it will display extraordinary intelligence, especially with an indescribable intimacy and dependence on the person it controls. Even if it's your first meeting, it will feel like they've been raising the animal for decades. It can even understand your words and sense your emotional changes. That kind of intelligence is simply not something that ordinary animals can possess."
As soon as these words were spoken, Zhong Min's expression suddenly changed. She subconsciously glanced at the Ruyi that was still in Ning Zhiyuan's hand, and recalled the scene when Xiao Mingzheng had just brought the cat back to see her. That feeling was indeed exactly the same as what Ning Zhiyuan said.
Ning Zhiyuan naturally saw her transformation, but he didn't rush to do anything. Instead, he continued, "Besides that, this poison called 'Ming' has another very special feature: it's highly controllable. In other words, unless the person who poisoned her activates it and formally controls the person, the person who has been poisoned will be completely normal and won't show any abnormalities. Furthermore, this poison doesn't cause any harm to the human body."
Ning Zhiyuan paused at this point, looked at Zhong Min, smiled slightly, and said mysteriously: "The only anomaly is..."
PS: Thanks to Lingyunyun for the reward:)
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