Hearing the man's cry for help, coupled with his hatred for the Miao people, A Long decided to lend a hand.
A Long was not from the main Tang family and was not skilled with poisons, but he possessed outstanding internal energy techniques and had picked up some knowledge of蛊 (gu) and poisons from his upbringing.
After roughly identifying the type of蛊 (gu) poison the man had contracted, A Long smacked his lips, finding it troublesome.
He then surveyed his surroundings and dragged a sleepy stray dog from a nearby trash can. He struck the back of the stray dog's head twice, causing it to whine and yelp before it could bare its teeth.
Carried by the howling night wind from the sea, these two whines and barks sounded particularly eerie and mournful.
"Piss for me!" A Long shook the stray dog, and indeed, it urinated in fear.
A Long, holding the dog in one hand and the蛊 (gu)-afflicted man's collar in the other, confirmed that the dog's urine had resolved the man's蛊 (gu) poison. Only then did A Long release his grip, tossing the stray dog far away.
The stray dog rolled a few times, then scrambled to its feet and bolted away, disappearing from sight.
The bluish veins on the face of the man afflicted with the蛊 (gu) poison began to fade and dissipate.
"You're lucky, you scoundrel, to have met me and get to keep your dog's life," A Long sneered, then began to examine the man's clothes and attire. He looked like a wealthy person.
Since he had nowhere to go at the moment, and there were spies lurking within the Tang family, perhaps he could use this wealthy man to find his rightful lord.
With this thought, A Long disdainfully pulled off an jacket from a nearby unconscious person and wiped the man's face and collar. He then slapped him twice, "Wake up!"
These two slaps indeed brought the man back to consciousness.
The world before his eyes blurred and cleared intermittently, his body ached all over, and his mouth tasted bitter and foul.
"What's your name?" A Long's voice was loud, hurting his ears, "I'm asking you!"
"Song Junhan..." Song Junhan reported his name with a frown.
"Meeting me is your good fortune, otherwise you would have bled from all seven orifices and died here tonight!" A Long deliberately exaggerated the consequences to scare Song Junhan, "I really don't know how you offended the plague god of the Miao family to make them go for the kill!"
Upon hearing A Long's words, Song Junhan immediately recalled what had happened before he lost consciousness. The strange feeling, the fear of his body and consciousness being out of his control, made Song Junhan's face turn pale. His knees buckled, and he knelt on the ground, his lips trembling.
"But you are safe for now," A Long said, pulling the man up from the ground by his shoulder. "I've temporarily removed your蛊 (gu), but it will only save your life for a short period. If it's for a longer time..."
"Save me!" Upon hearing A Long, Song Junhan was about to bend his knees to kowtow and beg for help, but A Long pulled him up again halfway.
"What kind of grown man are you to be so spineless?" A Long's tone held a hint of disdain, and he even blamed himself a little, wondering if he had said too much and scared the man silly. "Don't worry, I'll prepare medicine for you. It will take about ten to fifteen days to take effect."
As long as this person was smart enough to find the Tang family's rightful lord within ten to fifteen days, everything would be fine.
"Good, good!" Song Junhan's eyes finally lit up. He didn't want to die. He wanted revenge, to make that bitch Xia Qingtian pay the price, and to make everyone who had looked down on him kneel before him and beg for mercy!
Since his life was at stake, Song Junhan dared not offend A Long. He immediately invited A Long to return with him and treat him as an honored guest.
A Long, who was worried about not having a place to stay, reluctantly agreed.
He then casually woke up the other unconscious people, which left Song Junhan dumbfounded, feeling as though he had encountered a master.
It was only when they finally returned home in the latter half of the night that Song Junhan noticed A Long's rather out-of-place appearance in a hospital gown, with a bandaged head.
A Long paid no attention to Song Junhan's probing gaze and casually surveyed the house, saying with a tsk, "Although it's a bit shabby, it's still habitable."
Song Junhan looked around his 200-square-meter luxury high-rise apartment, his lips twitching slightly. However, seeing that A Long did not seem to be pretending, and considering that he had indeed been saved by A Long, he regarded A Long as an expert and dared not show any disrespect. He only made arrangements for A Long to rest before taking a shower himself, lamenting the terror of his brush with death.
It was just strange that no matter how much he washed, he could always smell a foul, bitter odor.
It wasn't until Song Junhan had scrubbed himself raw that he wearily changed into his pajamas and fell asleep.
The next morning, Song Junhan woke up from a nightmare, still feeling uncomfortable. He got up and splashed cold water on his face. When he looked up, he saw frighteningly clear patterns on his face in the mirror, which seemed to be spreading upwards from his chest.
Song Junhan's scalp tingled with fear. He immediately pulled open his collar and saw, to his horror, that the intricate patterns coiled around his heart were extremely terrifying.
His knees weakened, and he almost collapsed to the ground. He turned and scrambled out, unable to utter a complete sentence, "Save me! Lord Long, save me! I..."
"What's all the racket!" A Long, who had already woken up outside the door, saw Song Junhan rushing out and handed him a bowl of steaming, yellowish-brown liquid. "Drink it."
Song Junhan dared not ask any more questions. He held the bowl and tilted his head to drink. He found it fishy, bitter, and difficult to swallow, and was about to vomit when he heard A Long say coldly, "If you vomit, you'll die!"
"!" Upon hearing this, Song Junhan could only stiffen his neck and swallow it down, his features contorting in pain.
Later, when he looked at himself in the mirror again, the patterns were indeed gone. Song Junhan found it magical, "Lord Long, what medicine is this?"
"It's medicine that can save your life," A Long said vaguely, not wanting to explain too much. "In short, you'll have to rely on this to suppress the toxicity for the next few days. When we find my... when we find my master, she can easily cure your蛊 (gu) poison."
Hearing A Long's words, Song Junhan felt even more that A Long's identity was unusual. If he could get acquainted with A Long's master, wouldn't he be able to navigate the world more smoothly?
However...
Song Junhan looked at the bowl in his hand with disgust. "This medicine is too awful to drink. Is there no alternative?"
"Good medicine tastes bitter," A Long's gaze shifted, and the corners of his lips subtly curved upward before he continued, "If you can find my master, she can lift your蛊 (gu) poison with a mere flick of her finger. If you can't find my master, you'll probably have to drink a bowl of this every day, or you'll die with blood gushing from all seven orifices. The Miao family has always been ruthless and wicked; I really don't know how you offended them."
Hearing A Long's words, Song Junhan felt a surge of bitterness and secretly resented Nie Qingkong.
What terrible luck!