"So, according to you, it was all Nan Chaoyin's doing?"
The tidbits revealed by Chi Yan led Nan Shiying to suspect Nan Chaoyin's involvement, though it was merely a suspicion at this stage. Verifying it would be simple; she could use Qing Yuan's identity to probe. If the Medicine Venerable truly colluded with Nan Chaoyin, then the current Nan Chaoyin would certainly know, or rather, suspect that she was 'Qing Yuan'.
Although the Medicine Venerable did not know that Feng Luan and Nan Shiying were the same person, his stay at the Prince's estate would inevitably lead him to notice something. At the very least, if Nan Chaoyin inquired about her interactions with Jin Mo, it might arouse his suspicion.
Of course, that wasn't the main point.
The main point was why the Medicine Venerable attacked the old man.
"Speculation, just speculation!" Nan Shiying waved her hand, brushing aside the topic. Although she and Jin Mo had always guarded against the other party's actions, they hadn't anticipated that the other party would target the old man. "Old man, was he trying to capture you alive?"
Nan Shiying asked for details about the previous night.
The Poison Elder recalled for a moment and nodded, "He was, at first."
Initially, he had only intended to catch him with a giant hand, but after being exposed, he wanted to crush him to death.
"Why would he want to capture you? In other words, what value do you hold for him?"
"What, I'm not worth anything?"
What kind of question was that? He was a master of both medicine and poison, and he possessed the Gu King. What value did he have? He was priceless!
Nan Shiying: "...That's not the point!"
"How could this..."
The Poison Elder's insistent voice gradually weakened under Nan Shiying's glare, and he simply fell silent.
"In terms of medicine and poison, he had no reason to capture you. The only reason he wanted to capture you alive seems to be the Gu!"
The Poison Elder blinked.
He thought Nan Shiying was stating the obvious.
"But why?"
"What use is the Gu within you to him?"
After a moment of silence, the Poison Elder slowly spoke, "After he told the story of the Great Yuan Empress's nirvana rebirth, I've been pondering one thing: was the pill the Great Yuan Empress took back then refined with an adult Gu King as the primary ingredient?"
"You mean..."
"Yes, the more I think about it, the stranger it becomes. What in this world can cause someone to be reborn through nirvana?"
"You saw it, the adult form of the Gu worm in your body. Gongzi Xun had far from fully developed its capabilities, otherwise, he wouldn't have died so easily."
"So, you mean he wants the Gu worm in your body, wants to recreate nirvana, and attempt a rebirth?"
The Poison Elder had thought about it all night and believed this was the most likely possibility. He nodded, "Yes."
"How would that be done?"
"Isn't the one inside you a defective product!"
Although that was true, hearing it from him made the Poison Elder feel rather uncomfortable.
"What do you mean defective product?"
He asked.
Nan Shiying quickly corrected herself, "A阉割版 (castrated version), a阉割版 (castrated version), alright!"
The Poison Elder: "..."
"Let's talk about the main issue first. Why are you messing around when we're discussing important matters!"
Nan Shiying quickly steered the conversation and accused the Poison Elder of not prioritizing the overall situation and constantly joking. The Poison Elder's eyes widened in disbelief – how could she say such shamelessly words with a face sculpted by the creator's skill?
"Are you saying that even a defective product can achieve nirvana rebirth?"
Nan Shiying ignored him and inserted herself back into the topic.
The Poison Elder choked for a moment before swallowing the breath that had risen to his throat. He hadn't been killed last night, but he was almost angered to death today. A traitorous disciple, a traitorous disciple!
"How would I know!"
The Poison Elder retorted grumpily, "If I knew, wouldn't I have achieved nirvana rebirth myself?"
Nan Shiying felt that he had a point. He wasn't an encyclopedia, so she couldn't expect him to know everything. If he knew everything, then he would be a living immortal, not just the Poison Elder.
"So, as things stand, the Medicine Venerable is very likely coveting the nirvana in Nan Feng Luan's body, and your master, perhaps..."
Nan Shiying didn't finish her sentence, afraid of provoking the Poison Elder.
If their guess was correct, then the old man's master was likely killed by the Medicine Venerable. And was anyone else from the Medicine King Valley involved in this?
Just speculating was cruel enough for the Poison Elder, and Nan Shiying didn't want to delve deeper into discussing which of his fellow disciples, uncles, or granduncles in the Medicine King Valley might be suspicious.
"It's fine, you don't need to avoid it. I've already come to terms with what I need to understand." The Poison Elder wasn't without hatred; he had long anticipated this. There were only two possibilities for this matter: one, his master coveted nirvana, refined medicinal people, and met his end; another, he was murdered. Of course, there might be a third possibility – his master conspired with someone to strip nirvana from Nan Feng Luan, but internal conflict arose, and he was killed.
Matters he had long understood and thought through, why would he fear others mentioning them? If he had a strong reaction, it would be fake acting.
Nan Shiying nodded, but still didn't continue the topic. There was no need, as everything at the moment was speculation. And speculation, no matter how much discussed, remained speculation.
However, the matter of You Lian was imminent and warranted serious consideration.
"I went to the Nan Mansion last night. Madam Wang indeed died from You Lian." Yesterday, Nan Shiying had brought the specially made medicinal powder from the Poison Elder. The powder had no other effect; it could only detect if the deceased had You Lian in their body. The method was simple, just as Nan Shiying had examined Madam Wang's cause of death yesterday: applying the powder to the nose and lips. If the powder changed color, it indicated the presence of You Lian in the deceased.
The Poison Elder frowned deeply, remaining silent for a moment, as if deep in thought.
Nan Shiying tapped her fingers on the table, making a 'tap-tap-tap' sound. After a long silence, seeing that the old man still didn't speak, Nan Shiying decided to break the quiet atmosphere. "Old man, Madam Wang's death can be discussed later... You should have heard about last night's events, right? I want to ask you a question: what is the incubation period of You Lian? Is it possible for people who were poisoned by You Lian at the same time to... um, I mean, die successively within less than half an hour of each other?"
The Poison Elder snapped back from his thoughts and looked at Nan Shiying with a strange expression. "Let's not mention the incubation period for now. Regarding the latter question, do you still need to ask me about the possibility?"
"Do you think it's possible?"
Being questioned directly, Nan Shiying fell silent for a second. She disdainfully wiped away the saliva the old man had sprayed on her face. Speak if you must, but why spray like that!
"What if?"
Nan Shiying wore a deadpan expression. Was it that big of a deal to ask about a mere possibility?
"There is no 'what if'!"
The Poison Elder stared at Nan Shiying with wide, shocked eyes, as if she had committed a heinous crime. He berated, "You read 'Pharmacology and Dosage' in vain, didn't you!"
Nan Shiying: "..."
Had she read that book?
Never mind, it wasn't important!
"Then it's impossible!"
Nan Shiying pondered.
So why did those people die successively last night?