Yan Shouyi felt at ease with Old Man Han taking care of Han San.
Under pressure, he walked with Old Jin to a corner of the courtyard, maintaining the furthest possible distance from Xu Shengnan, and began their discussion.
"That son of a bitch Hu Chai is like a sow wearing a bra, always having some new trick up his sleeve!"
Yan Shouyi immediately voiced his displeasure. He said coldly, "I'm starting to regret leaving my heart demon at Hanshan Temple. If it were still here, I would have dealt with Hu Chai earlier."
When one person was impulsive, the other inevitably became more rational.
Old Jin, showing a rare display of maturity for his age, comforted Yan Shouyi:
"We still need to go to Changbai Mountain. If we clash with Hu Chai now, our journey ahead will become exceptionally difficult. You also need to return early to accompany Zitong in giving birth. We must consider the bigger picture."
Yan Shouyi understood the logic, but seeing Han San's miserable state genuinely pained him.
After taking a few deep breaths, Yan Shouyi calmed down. "Old Jin, do you have confidence in what's to come?"
"It's hard to say," Old Jin shook his head. "Hu Chai is no easy opponent. He's constantly probing us. With every bit of understanding he gains about us, he immediately alters his methods to deal with us. I can be certain that the next poison, whether I use my pulse-finding techniques or the Tian Xuan Fu Huo method, will be ineffective."
Given Hu Chai's personality, his decision to compromise clearly indicated that he intended for Han San to pay an even more agonizing price.
The upcoming poison would be far more difficult to handle than the previous two combined.
Yan Shouyi said with a headache, "Hu Chai asking me to treat Han San is deliberately trying to torment me. I shouldn't have taught Hu Chai the tactic of killing with a thousand cuts to the heart, but he's now using that trick on me."
Old Jin nodded. "Indeed... Damn it, that son of a bitch Hu Chai! Why don't you just chop him up when he gets back?"
"Cough, cough, don't get agitated. I'm still anxious to get back and be with Zitong for the birth. I can't get into a direct conflict with Hu Chai."
"Fortunately, you have a certain medical background. If Hu Chai had ordered Ren Xiaolong to act, Han San would have been truly done for," Old Jin said with a sigh of relief.
Although these words were a great insult to Long Feicheng, the truth of them was undeniable. Besides, Long Feicheng couldn't overhear their conversation.
"From now on, we can only adapt to whatever comes our way, responding to moves as they are made."
Both of them felt immense pressure, and the burden on their shoulders was heavy.
However, Yan Shouyi never fought a battle unprepared.
After a brief conversation with Old Jin, he glanced at Xu Shengnan.
This true tough woman was Hu Chai's confidante; perhaps she could be of some use.
...
Half an hour later, Hu Chai returned.
He carried two bottles of Erguotou and a jin of beef. Unfortunately, they were not for entertaining guests but for his own enjoyment.
It seemed the man was ready to enjoy a good show.
"How is Han San resting?" Hu Chai asked.
Han San, lying on the ground, had his neck bandaged, his wound stable. As for his mental state... he deliberately maintained a blank expression, lest Xu Shengnan become suspicious.
"He's doing quite well," the dog-like Taoist said, getting up and casually picking up Han San.
"Oh, he's doing well, isn't he? He can even stand up now!" Hu Chai chuckled. "But you'll be lying down again soon, lying down forever."
Hu Chai brushed past Han San and walked up to Yan Shouyi, saying cheerfully, "President Yan is truly skilled at tormenting people. Knowing Han San is doomed, he still agreed to this wager, allowing Han San to endure three more rounds of inhuman torture before death! You truly are my idol!"
*Your idol really wants to kill you, you son of a bitch!*
Yan Shouyi thought to himself but maintained a smiling facade.
He still couldn't figure out if Hu Chai was truly mad or just pretending to be. Therefore, when Hu Chai smiled at him, he responded with a fake smile, playing along with Hu Chai's charade.
"I'm taking Han San away. Don't worry, it won't be long. I'll be back in two minutes!"
With that, Hu Chai winked at Xu Shengnan. Xu Shengnan, pulling the chain, led Han San away, following Hu Chai out of the courtyard.
Everyone in the courtyard waited silently for two minutes.
Soon, the three returned.
Hu Chai looked satisfied, as if he had administered a concoction he was quite pleased with to Han San. Xu Shengnan remained her usual expressionless self.
What drew everyone's attention the most was Han San's condition.
Han San was trembling uncontrollably, his facial muscles twitching incessantly. He couldn't even walk properly.
As soon as he crossed the threshold, he collapsed onto the ground.
Hu Chai returned to the earthen stove, drank his wine, and ate his beef, confidently stating, "The time is three hours. Let the timer begin."
Even with the extended time, no one let down their guard.
Everyone rushed forward, but then they remembered that in this third round, no one except Yan Shouyi was allowed to touch Han San.
So they stopped, watching Yan Shouyi approach alone.
Yan Shouyi quickly went to Han San's side, while Old Jin's voice sounded in his ear:
"First, find something to stuff into his mouth. In his current state of convulsions, Han San might bite off his tongue or even swallow a foreign object, leading to suffocation!"
"Understood."
Yan Shouyi deftly took off his shoes and socks, then rolled them into a ball, preparing to stuff them into Han San's mouth.
Han San seemed to retain some consciousness. Seeing Yan Shouyi about to stuff his smelly socks into his mouth, he looked utterly horrified and stammered, "No no no no no no... no no no no don't don't don't don't!"
Yan Shouyi paused, seemingly surprised that Han San could still speak.
"I I I I I... I'm just just just just so excited, I can't can't can't can't control trol trol trol myself!"
As Han San spoke, he even managed a few laughs.
This peculiar behavior left Yan Shouyi completely bewildered.
*Is this the poison?*
It didn't seem particularly potent, just causing convulsions and stuttering. It didn't appear to be fatal.
However, Old Jin didn't let his guard down. He frowned and muttered to himself:
"Excited... convulsions... stuttering?"
Many poisons could cause excitement and convulsions, but stuttering was a peculiar symptom.
The causes of stuttering included genetic factors, developmental factors, environmental factors, psychological factors, and so on.
But none of these causes seemed relevant to Han San, as he hadn't stuttered before. Yet, after only two minutes away, he returned as a stutterer.
Therefore, there was only one possibility—neurophysiological factors!
Damage to the auditory system, paralysis of the motor areas of the brain by toxins, overactivity of the central nervous system's dopaminergic system...
Overactivity of the dopaminergic system could also lead to excessive excitement and convulsions!
Old Jin's eyes lit up. The cause had been found!
But then he frowned again.
This third poison was supposed to be much harder to cure than the previous two, yet he had diagnosed the cause simply by observation. This was not in line with Hu Chai's personality.
Could there be a hidden trap he was unaware of?