Yao Lao really wanted to ask Xiao Man what kind of poisons were inside, but asking would make him seem ignorant, so he looked inquiringly at the nine small porcelain bottles. His gaze finally settled on a bottle of bright red liquid. This one seemed to have a medicinal scent, but he couldn't identify the herb.
The old man reached out to take it, but Xiao Man slapped his hand away. She then dipped a finger into the liquid and continued to needle Shui Lu. Shui Lu's face was pale, and large beads of sweat rolled down his forehead. His long eyelashes trembled, and he gritted his teeth, doing his best not to let out a groan.
After finishing the needling, Xiao Man put away the small porcelain bottle. The old man had wanted to examine it, but he had no opportunity. At this moment, Xiao Man took out the Yellow Springs Flower. She first dropped in a petal. The once purplish-red medicinal liquid instantly turned bright red and churned, looking particularly terrifying.
Shui Lu's originally fair and jade-like skin instantly turned pink, and even his complexion flushed. He looked like a boiled shrimp, a truly horrifying sight.
"Lu'er, are you alright?"
Shui Lu wanted to smile, but his entire body felt as if it were burning, incinerating his flesh and blood. He was in extreme pain; let alone smiling, he didn't even have the strength to open his eyes.
"You little brat, will Lu'er be alright?"
Xiao Man frowned slightly. The medicinal effects of the Yellow Springs Flower were too potent. An ordinary person might not be able to endure it. If they couldn't endure it, there was only death.
"Shui Lu, hold on. Think of what you like most, what you most want to do, your unfulfilled dreams. Only by enduring will there be hope."
Shui Lu wanted to speak, but he was in too much pain. As soon as he opened his mouth, Xiao Man stuffed a towel into it to prevent him from biting his tongue out of extreme agony.
Yao Lao was stunned by Xiao Man's skillful movements. Looking at the contorted face of Shui Lu, he was still quite worried.
"Will he be alright?" Yao Lao asked worriedly.
"We've done all we can; the rest is up to fate," Xiao Man said calmly. "I've done everything I can. It's up to him now. That's why I said I only had a thirty percent chance of success; the rest depends on him."
Xiao Man sat to the side, calmly observing Shui Lu's expression.
The old man paced back and forth in the room, looking at Xiao Man, then at Shui Lu, hesitating to speak several times before ultimately choosing silence.
"It's still early. You should sit down and rest, old sir," Xiao Man said gently, glancing at Yao Lao. "There's no rush. Have some tea."
"How can I be in the mood for tea!" the old man said, but he obediently sat down beside her. He took the tea Xiao Man offered, took a sip, and then set it down, his eyes never leaving Shui Lu.
Gradually, Shui Lu's complexion stopped being red and turned black. This startled Yao Lao, who jumped up from his stool. "He's... he's turned black!"
"I see it," Xiao Man said very calmly.
"Will this be alright?"
"It's just a sign of poisoning."
"Oh, oh." The old man breathed a sigh of relief, but before he could fully relax, he reacted and glared at Xiao Man. "Poisoning!"
Xiao Man nodded. Of course, it was poisoning. She then added a few more herbs and even pulled out Zhu Qing. When Zhu Qing was pulled out, its eyes lit up, and it immediately jumped into the medicinal bath, swimming around cheerfully.
Yao Lao watched, dumbfounded. He pointed at the snake in the tub, then at Xiao Man. "This... this is a banded krait, isn't it?"
"The Banded Krait King."
Upon hearing this, Yao Lao reached out to grab Zhu Qing from the medicinal soup, but Xiao Man stopped him. "Senior, are you tired of living?"
"This thing is incredibly poisonous. Lu'er's body is weak; how can he withstand its torment..." Before he could finish, the old man realized. Xiao Man was using the method of using poison to combat poison, turning Shui Lu into a poisonous person so that Shui Lu would no longer fear the eruption of the poison within him and thus claim his life.
Yao Lao dejectedly withdrew his hand, his expression somewhat listless. He wanted Shui Lu to live like a normal person, not to become a poisonous person and be shunned by the world thereafter.
"Senior, you should wait outside," Xiao Man said after a moment of silence, pushing the old man out. She had thought the old man would be steady, but concern made him flustered. To avoid interference, she decided to ask him to leave.
Yao Lao also knew that if he stayed, he would not only be unable to help but would also be a hindrance. He did not insist on staying and went to wait outside the door.
Xin Chou saw his master come out and quickly went to greet him. "Master, how is young master?"
The old man shook his head and sat down at the door, his expression unreadable. "Xin Chou, if... if Lu'er becomes a poisonous person in the future, will you still serve him?"
"Master, as long as young master is alive, it doesn't matter who he becomes. He will always be young master."
The old man's expression was slightly surprised. Yes, even if Shui Lu became a poisonous person, he would still be his grandson, and nothing would change. As long as he was alive, as long as he was still alive, it was a great fortune!
"I was too narrow-minded," the old man sighed. "You understand it better than I do."
"Master, will young master be alright?"
"He will be alright. He will definitely be alright!" the old man said calmly, as if trying to convince himself. At this moment, he had no other choice but to trust Xiao Man.
"Ah..." A piercing scream came from inside the house. The old man was alarmed and immediately wanted to go in, but Xiao Man had locked the door from the inside.
"You little brat, what's going on?"
"Normal reaction. Don't disturb me," Xiao Man's indifferent voice came from inside. "If you still want me to treat him, wait quietly outside."
The old man was defiant and wanted to bang on the door again, but Xin Chou quickly held him back and pulled him away. "Master, impatience leads to ruin. Young master's life is important."
The old man gritted his teeth. "I am a master alchemist, after all. Surely I can help in some way!"
"Did you help?" Xin Chou asked curiously.
The old man choked. Recalling everything that had happened from the beginning, he seemed to have not helped at all, but he couldn't admit it. "Of course, I helped."
"Helped with what?" Xin Chou asked curiously.
The old man thought for a moment. "Helped find medicine."
"What medicine was it?"
"Why ask so many questions? It's medicine you wouldn't be able to find!" The old man's expression relaxed, but his eyes still held worry. His clouded eyes looked at the closed door, and his palms had begun to sweat. Shui Lu's screams made him uneasy.
The screams lasted for a full hour. Shui Lu's voice had become hoarse, as if he could no longer scream from extreme pain. Yet, at this moment, the sound of a heavy object falling came from inside the house, and then the room fell into deathly silence.