Chapter 11: Killing to Silence

Wan Dongyang had never seen his elder brother so restless and anxious. He dared not delay and went to the alchemy room to fetch that third-grade superior detoxification pill.

Detoxification pills are universal antidotes, capable of curing any poison, but their efficacy depends on the specific poison the victim has been subjected to.

For common poisons, detoxification pills almost always work instantly, making them one of the most widely used and versatile pills.

In Ye Yuan's eyes, detoxification pills were low-grade pills, available at every grade. That is, there were first-grade, second-grade, up to fifth-grade detoxification pills. For poisons above the fifth grade, detoxification pills were essentially useless, because such poisons were either unique techniques or extremely rare, and the pills could do little to counteract them.

The detoxification pill refined by Wan Donghai was naturally no ordinary item in the State of Qin; it was a third-grade superior detoxification pill, a masterpiece of his lifetime. A pill of this grade was something even Ye Hang could not refine.

Even among great alchemists, each had their specialty. Ye Yuan knew that in the use and treatment of poisons, his father Ye Hang was far inferior to Wan Donghai. This was why Ye Hang had only given Ye Yuan a third-grade inferior detoxification pill, while Wan Donghai could produce a third-grade superior one now.

This detoxification pill essentially represented the pinnacle of Qin's achievement in this field. Even that imperial uncle was probably no match for Wan Donghai in this regard.

When Wan Dongyang handed the pill to Wan Donghai, his face twitched. Using this pill on a lackey like Liu An was an utter waste of a divine treasure.

Wan Donghai took the pill and snorted coldly at Ye Yuan. Regardless of the outcome today, he had already been bested by this junior.

Ye Yuan, however, sat calmly watching Wan Donghai perform his art, looking as if it had nothing to do with him.

Wan Donghai swept his sleeve, and Liu An involuntarily sat up. Then, Wan Donghai's fingers darted toward Liu An at lightning speed. The crowd saw only a blur of finger shadows, followed by a series of "puffing" sounds.

With each finger strike, Liu An groaned in pain. After the final strike, Liu An opened his mouth in agony. Without hesitation, Wan Donghai quickly tossed the detoxification pill into his mouth.

After swallowing the pill, Wan Donghai ceased his actions. Losing support, Liu An collapsed again.

"Slap... slap... slap."

At this moment, slow and unhurried applause sounded. Ye Yuan smiled in admiration and said, "I've long heard that Pavilion Master Wan's Profound Nether Finger technique is marvelously exquisite, capable of bringing the dead back to life and also making life worse than death. Seeing it today, it truly is extraordinary. Your nephew's horizons have been broadened."

Wan Donghai was panting slightly, clearly the previous exertion had not been easy for him. Hearing Ye Yuan's mocking praise, he felt a sudden urge to kill.

"Hmph! No matter what poison it is, under my Profound Nether Finger and the detoxification pill I refined, it can be restored to its original state."

It wasn't that Wan Donghai was arrogant; in the Qin Kingdom, he had yet to encounter anything he couldn't handle.

"That's best. Look at this friend, reduced to such a state. I too hope he can recover unscathed!" Ye Yuan sighed.

Ye Yuan's words sounded very sincere, as if Liu An was an old friend of his. But to Wan Donghai's ears, they carried a vague premonition of trouble.

As if to confirm his thoughts, a few moments later, Liu An suddenly spat out a mouthful of blood with a "wa."

Wan Donghai's expression changed. He supported Liu An and asked, "Are you alright?"

"P-Pavilion Master... pain... ah... it's killing me!" After saying this, Liu An's symptoms, which had slightly eased, flared up again, and he writhed in pain from the bed to the floor.

Clearly, Wan Donghai's efforts had not neutralized the poison on him; instead, they had stimulated the toxins in his body, causing him even greater agony.

"H-how can this be?"

Wan Donghai was also stunned. The previous display seemed unremarkable, but it had actually been his limit. Unexpectedly, not only had it failed to cure Liu An's poison, but it seemed to have worsened it.

Liu An writhed on the ground in unbearable pain, but no one went to help him up.

"Oh? Pavilion Master Wan, it seems your Profound Nether Finger and detoxification pill didn't work; instead, they aggravated this friend's injuries. Look at how much he's suffering. I really feel sorry for him. Does Pavilion Master Wan have no way to alleviate his pain? Drunken Star Tower is known as the best in the imperial city!" Ye Yuan said, feigning confusion.

Wan Donghai could no longer maintain his composure. He pointed at Ye Yuan and roared, "You brat, what did you give him? Trying to frame our Drunken Star Tower? You're not qualified!"

Ye Yuan feigned surprise. "Master Wan, what do you mean by that? As the saying goes, saving a life is better than building a seven-story pagoda. Are you suggesting I should have ignored this friend's suffering? Or is Drunken Star Tower merely living on its reputation, unable even to diagnose what poison this friend has taken?"

"You!" If not for the last shred of reason, Wan Donghai would have lost his temper.

Ye Yuan put on a pained expression, bent down to Liu An, and said, "My friend, I've done my best. In the imperial city, if even Master Wan can't save you, then I truly am powerless. When you're gone, don't blame me."

Liu An, who had been half-dead, seemed to have a flicker of life at Ye Yuan's words. His previously vacant eyes gained a trace of light.

"Tower... Master! Save... save me! I've sold... sold for you..." Liu An forced out a few words through clenched teeth, enduring the pain.

Liu An was merely driven by the instinct to survive, stirred by Ye Yuan. But those half-spoken words struck Wan Donghai like a thunderbolt. Wan Donghai's fury toward Ye Yuan was suddenly doused by cold water, chilling him from head to toe.

Before Liu An could finish, Wan Donghai quickly bent down and said to him, "Don't worry. No matter what, I will save you."

Wan Donghai's eyes were sincere now, completely different from Ye Yuan's feigned sincerity. To Liu An, it felt like a bond of life and death.

At that moment, the unease that Ye Yuan had stirred in Liu An subsided, replaced by a sense of peace.

"Tower... Master, he... he said this poison... is called Inch Heart Flame." After speaking, Liu An again went limp like a deflated ball, motionless.

"Inch Heart Flame... Inch Heart Flame..." Wan Donghai mulled over the name, his brow furrowing tighter.

He repeated the name several times, the more he thought, the more it seemed familiar.

"Inch Heart Flame? Inch Heart Flame! It's actually Inch Heart Flame! This... how could this kid have Inch Heart Flame?" Shock flashed in Wan Donghai's eyes.

Wan Donghai finally remembered where he had heard that name before—it was during his early years of study, when his master had once mentioned it!

Recalling it now, his master had also said that this poison was extraordinarily vicious and utterly incurable. Cunxin Lie was no high-grade pill; on the contrary, it was merely a first-grade superior pill. Yet his teacher, who was a fourth-grade alchemy king, had declared it incurable—this showed how terrifying the poison truly was.

How could Ye Yuan possibly have concocted such a terrifying poison? Could it be Ye Hang's doing?

Wan Donghai could not dwell on it any longer. He was astonished for only a brief moment before realizing that no matter what he did today, he could not save Liu An.

That being the case, he could only sacrifice Liu An!

His own reputation was certainly important, but the exposure of the undercover beast hunter would clearly deal a greater blow to Drunken Star Tower. Liu An's half-spoken words had already made it obvious: if Wan Donghai could not save him, he would surely reveal Drunken Star Tower's secrets in front of so many people, and the consequences would be unimaginable.

Of two evils, choose the lesser.

Wan Donghai took a deep breath and sighed, "This poison is indeed exceptionally vicious. I, Wan, am unskilled and have only one last resort."

With that, he ordered someone to help Liu An sit up. With a sweep of his sleeve, he once again executed the Xuanming Finger technique. Only this time, the momentum of the Xuanming Finger was far greater than before.

His entire body swept around Liu An like a phantom, stirring up a gust of wind that made it hard for the onlookers to keep their eyes open.

Ye Yuan watched Wan Donghai's earnest performance with a cold sneer on his lips. Although the Xuanming Finger was a martial technique, it fell within the realm of alchemy. In Ye Yuan's eyes, it was utterly unrefined, yet he understood a thing or two about this finger technique.

This technique could save lives, but it could also take them, and when it harmed, it was the most insidious. The technique acted on the body's acupoints to stimulate the body. What Wan Donghai was now executing was precisely the harmful version of the technique.

However, Ye Yuan had no intention of exposing Wan Donghai. Since he was willing to ruin his own reputation, Ye Yuan was happy to go along with it. Moreover, given Ye Yuan's current strength, he could not possibly overthrow Wan Donghai—he was too weak.

Sure enough, as Wan Donghai's finger technique ceased, Liu An lost his breath and slowly fell to the ground, dead.

"Tower Master Wan is truly impressive. With a set of finger techniques, you've directly healed a man to death. Admirable, admirable!" Ye Yuan said, still wearing a full smile.