Ye Shuangluo kept pondering over how to deal with the bandits in the Tian Nan Mountain Range.
First of all, a frontal assault was out of the question. His current combat strength wasn’t sufficient, and if he got caught in a swarm of enemies, he would be dragged to his death.
So, he had to outsmart them. Ye Shuangluo’s mind raced as he simulated various strategies.
Finally, a flash of inspiration struck him—poison.
With this idea in mind, he couldn’t wait to ask Lin Xingchen, who was nearby.
“You mentioned taking a detour earlier. Where to?”
Lin Xingchen sighed in relief. The young bodyguard had just asked about the situation in the Tian Nan Mountain Range.
He had feared that the young man, driven by a sense of justice, wanted to charge into the mountains to eradicate the bandits.
It seemed the young man wasn’t foolish and knew his limits, avoiding unnecessary risks.
Thinking this, Lin Xingchen immediately took out a map from his pack, spread it on the ground, and pointed it out to Ye Shuangluo.
“Sir, we are here now. If we want to avoid the Tian Nan Mountain Range, we have to detour to the west.”
Lin Xingchen’s finger moved across various points on the map.
Suddenly, Ye Shuangluo’s finger jabbed at a specific spot on the map, and he asked, “If we detour to the west, there’s a small town nearby, right?”
“Yes, there’s a small town. If we set off early tomorrow and don’t rest along the way, we should reach it by dusk. We can rest there.”
Ye Shuangluo nodded and waved his hand, signaling Lin Xingchen to step back.
Lin Xingchen was more than happy to comply and immediately went to rest.
After some time, Ye Shuangluo heard faint snoring from Lin Xingchen. He sighed inwardly. This was the downside of having strong perception and keen senses.
He couldn’t sleep, not because of the noise, but because his mind was restless.
The night was long, destined to be a sleepless one for him.
Eventually, the night passed.
Lin Xingchen opened his eyes and immediately saw the young man leaning against a tree, staring directly at him.
“Good morning. You woke up quite early.”
Ye Shuangluo didn’t correct him or mention that he hadn’t slept all night. He mounted Lin Xingchen’s horse and simply said, “Follow me.”
Lin Xingchen didn’t say much, taking over the role of the driver and leading the carriage with the twins inside.
Ye Shuangluo galloped ahead, finally reaching the small town by dusk.
Lin Xingchen and the twins in the carriage were left far behind.
Despite losing sight of them, Ye Shuangluo wasn’t worried.
Lin Xingchen was a smart man with family and responsibilities. Escorting the twins was the least he could do.
With that thought, Ye Shuangluo stopped worrying about when they would catch up and focused on his task.
He found a random passerby and asked for the location of the most famous pharmacy in town. After getting directions, he thanked the person and headed there.
Soon, he arrived at a pharmacy named Changshengtang.
Upon entering, he was greeted by the scent of herbs. Strangely, the smell wasn’t overpowering or bitter but rather refreshing.
“You look healthy, young man. Are you here to get medicine for a family member or friend?”
The speaker was a middle-aged man in his thirties, dressed in a long robe, with a kind smile that made people lower their guard.
Ye Shuangluo got straight to the point, “Do you have any poison here?”
The middle-aged man frowned slightly, clearly displeased, “What do you mean by that?”
“Exactly what it sounds like. Do you have any poison that can kill someone instantly?”
“Hmph!”
The man snorted coldly, his face darkening.
“This place is for healing, not for selling poison. I may not be a renowned doctor, but I won’t sell harmful substances. Please leave!”
Ye Shuangluo could sense the man’s suppressed anger, like a powder keg ready to explode.
“Healing, huh? How many people can you save in a day?”
The man’s face grew even darker, and he replied coldly, “I may not be highly skilled, but I have a healer’s heart. If possible, I’d hope no one ever needs my services. How could I count how many people I save daily?”
Clearly, the man didn’t want to answer.
Ye Shuangluo chuckled, looking him in the eye, “Do you know the Tian Nan Mountain Range nearby? It’s filled with thousands of bandits.”
“I’ve been running this shop for years. Of course, I know about the bandits. What are you trying to say?”
Seeing the man’s impatience, Ye Shuangluo sneered, “Then you must know that every one of them deserves to die. Shouldn’t they?”
The man was taken aback but then nodded firmly, “Absolutely. Their crimes are so heinous that even ten deaths would be too lenient.”
Hearing this, Ye Shuangluo’s lips curled into a smile, “Do you know the saying, ‘Killing to protect life, cutting off evil to save people’?”
“The bandits in the Tian Nan Mountain Range deserve death. If they live, many more will die because of them. If I kill them, wouldn’t I be saving lives?”
Ye Shuangluo’s words left the man speechless.
Seeing his hesitation, Ye Shuangluo pressed on, “Have you considered that your town is so close to the Tian Nan Mountain Range? What if one day, the people you saved are killed by the bandits? What would you do then?”
This was the final straw. The man’s face changed dramatically as he pondered.
After a while, he seemed to make up his mind. He closed the pharmacy door and gestured for Ye Shuangluo to follow him inside.
“Please, come in. Let’s talk inside.”
Ye Shuangluo gladly accepted. Inside, the man scrutinized him, as if trying to see through him.
Ye Shuangluo met his gaze without fear.
After a long silence, the man finally looked away and spoke slowly, “I don’t have any poison that kills instantly, but…”
He opened a medicine chest and carefully took out a packet of powder.
“This is an anesthetic I developed. A normal person who inhales it will feel weak and limp. In large doses, it can cause unconsciousness or even death. Even martial arts experts can only resist it briefly.”
He handed the powder to Ye Shuangluo but held on tightly, not letting go.
“I’ve lived for forty-six years and met many people, but I can’t see through you. I only ask one thing—kill as many bandits as you can.”
With that, he released the powder. Detailed information about it appeared before Ye Shuangluo’s eyes.
…
[Xue Nanxing’s Special Anesthetic]
[Effect: Causes immediate unconsciousness if Constitution is below 6; causes weakness and loss of resistance if Constitution is below 8; immune if Inner Strength is above 2000]
[Description: Developed by Xue Nanxing, owner of Changshengtang, initially to reduce patients’ pain. However, in large doses, it can be lethal. Dosage control is crucial.]
“Doctor Xue, I have a request too. May I?”
“Please, go ahead.”
“Give me all the powder you have.”
Leave a Reply