Chapter 1 The First Poison
The first poison was neutralized by Old Jin within a minute.
After taking the first step, Old Jin seemed more confident, his words carrying more conviction.
In contrast, Hu Chai, whether his smiles were genuine or forced, had consistently greeted Yan Shouyi and the others with a pleasant demeanor.
But at this moment, Hu Chai could no longer smile.
It was unclear whether he was upset because his poisoning skills were inferior to Old Jin's, or because he sensed the gap between the Hanshang Sect and the Qihuang Sect.
As the toxicity subsided, Han San gradually stopped his cries of anguish. He lay on the ground powerlessly, his eyes still blankly staring at the sky.
The pain he had just endured had not awakened Han San's reason, but rather intensified his longing for release.
*Crack… crack… crackle!*
At this moment, Hu Chai regained his composure and, with his previous smile, applauded Old Jin.
"As expected of an ancient physician from the Qihuang Sect, you indeed have the right to be arrogant," Hu Chai said with a smile. "This makes me even more eager to obtain your Qihuang Sect's medical techniques."
Old Jin remained unfazed, stating calmly, "Let Han San rest for ten minutes before we proceed to the next round."
"Very well."
...
Han San's physical condition far surpassed that of ordinary people, but recovery still required a certain amount of time.
Ten minutes later, Han San gradually recovered, his complexion looking much better.
Yan Shouyi suddenly noticed that Han San was staring at him.
He immediately leaned down and asked in a low voice, "Han San? Do you recognize me?"
Han San remained silent for a long time.
Just as Yan Shouyi was about to give up, believing Han San had not yet regained his senses, he suddenly heard a faint, weak voice.
"Old Yan… let me die."
It was Han San's reply.
His reason had returned, but consumed by despair, he only wished for death.
Yan Shouyi's eyelids twitched. He gritted his teeth and said, "Hold on for two more rounds, and I will definitely get you out of here."
Han San did not reply.
Yan Shouyi glanced at Han San and saw that he had his eyes closed, his breathing heavy.
He seemed to have made up his mind to struggle one last time.
Seeing Han San like this, Yan Shouyi, though heartbroken, felt a glimmer of hope.
Han San had not completely lost his mind; he simply did not believe he could escape alive and wished to endure less suffering before dying.
But if he could survive, all of this would be worth it.
Yan Shouyi patted Han San's shoulder and comforted him, "As long as you survive, I'll introduce you to some beautiful young ladies."
Han San's lips twitched.
Yan Shouyi smiled, knowing that Han San would persevere.
"Time's up!"
Hu Chai checked his watch, allowing Han San not a single second more of rest.
However, his insistence on punctuality made him appear less confident.
He was afraid that if Han San rested for another second, he might overcome the poison.
In contrast, Old Jin seemed confident.
"Second poison, consume it," Hu Chai flicked a pill towards Han San, which landed in his hand.
Han San looked at the pill, hesitated for a moment, and then put it in his mouth.
Immediately after, Hu Chai lit the first incense stick, "Second round, time limit is two incense sticks."
Although the time was doubled, for Old Jin, it was still a race against the clock.
Everyone rushed to Han San's side to observe his condition.
Less than ten seconds after swallowing the pill, Han San suddenly clutched his throat in pain and then collapsed onto the ground.
His face turned ashen, and each breath became extremely difficult, eventually sounding like bellows, a truly terrifying sight!
"Respiratory failure!"
Old Jin immediately identified Han San's condition, palpating his pulse while analyzing, "There are many causes of respiratory failure, such as airway obstruction, lung tissue damage, heart disease, pulmonary vascular disease…"
With so many potential causes, Old Jin couldn't make a definitive diagnosis immediately.
But he didn't remain idle.
Old Jin took out a small medicine bottle from his pocket and poured some liquid into his eyes.
The liquid seemed corrosive, causing smoke to rise from Old Jin's eyes!
"Hiss…" The pain made Old Jin gasp.
However, he quickly recovered, holding a willow leaf knife. He made a small incision on Han San's hand, letting blood drip onto Han San's chest.
Then, Old Jin held his hands above Han San's chest, his focus absolute.
The blood immediately began to move, tracing the meridian pathways along Han San's body.
This was one of the ancient physicians' unique skills of the Qihuang Sect – Meridian Seeking!
Yan Shouyi had witnessed this technique before, so he was not surprised, but everyone else showed looks of astonishment.
Hu Chai's reaction was the most pronounced; he even walked over to everyone, observing this masterful technique up close.
Old Jin was not afraid of Hu Chai stealing his technique. After all, the art of Meridian Seeking had many crucial details; merely watching, even for a lifetime, would not allow one to learn it.
Through Meridian Seeking, Old Jin quickly pinpointed the cause of the illness – respiratory muscle atrophy!
This was a manifestation of potassium metabolism disorder!
Due to the disorder of potassium metabolism in the body, the respiratory muscles became weak, fatigued, and paralyzed, leading to decreased respiratory drive, insufficient lung ventilation, and thus respiratory failure!
Old Jin shouted, "Old Yan, quickly go inside, start the fire, and prepare the furnace! I need to refine a pill!!!"
The medical texts of the Qihuang Sect contained methods to counteract this poison, but Old Jin did not have any pre-made pills with him, so he had to refine one on the spot!
Yan Shouyi, having some experience with pill refining, ran into the house to start the fire and prepare the furnace.
Seeing that Old Jin had identified the cause, Long Feicheng laughed heartily, "Dafu Hu, it looks like we'll win the second round again!"
But this time, Hu Chai was unhurried, appearing confident of victory.
Hu Chai chuckled, "Young man, pay attention to the time."
Long Feicheng looked towards the incense burner and saw that the first incense stick lit by Hu Chai had burned down by a third.
He suddenly realized the problem.
The time was too short!
Normally, refining a batch of pills took days, and even if this detoxification pill was easier to refine, it would still require at least two hours.
But Hu Chai had only given two incense sticks – how could that possibly be enough?!
Yet, Old Jin did not seem to have given up.
With a swift movement of his willow leaf knife, he made a small incision on Han San's throat and used materials like the white wine bottle on the table to create a simple one-way valve, allowing Han San to breathe temporarily.
He then rushed into the house, shouting, "Kudzu root, ginseng, rehmannia, poria, astragalus… I need these medicinal ingredients!!"
Yan Shouyi, who had just placed the pill refining furnace, turned and rushed to the medicine shelf, joining Old Jin in the search for herbs.
However, Yan Shouyi kept glancing at the continuously shortening incense.
Based on his knowledge of pill refining, he knew that the time was far too short to refine any medicinal pills…
But Old Jin hadn't given up!
And Yan Shouyi certainly wouldn't give up now!
He found all the necessary medicinal ingredients and laid them out before Old Jin, shouting,
"All the ingredients are found! Old Jin, it's up to you!!!"