The dicine barrel was poisoned.
This slow-acting poison was difficult to detect. But as luck would have it, Yang Chan knew exactly how to concoct it and was naturally familiar with the properties, effects, and even the dicinal qi of the Soul-Chasing Three-Day Powder.
When he concocted poisons himself, he always chose classic examples, like the instantly lethal Five Poison Powder or the paralytic Qianji Yin. A slow-acting poison like Soul-Chasing Three-Day Powder, on the other hand, was never among his choices.
For Yang Chan, it simply took too long to take effect, and its results weren’t that impressive.
He knew the No-Life Evil Cult had used many poisons in Tan City, like the infamous Profound Yin Poison.
However, the No-Life Evil Cult had never used a slow-acting poison like Soul-Chasing Three-Day Powder before. Clearly, they were deploying a new poison to deal with the people of the Cyan Yuan Sect.
Once he understood, Yang Chan’s expression remained unchanged, betraying nothing. He continued to inspect the remaining dicine barrels. At the sa ti, his gaze locked onto a certain Servant Disciple, because the man had looked incredibly nervous as he’d passed by the seventh barrel.
And after Yang Chan moved on, the man had let out a sigh of relief. The reaction wasn’t obvious, but it couldn’t escape Yang Chan’s notice, as his perceptive abilities were extrely sharp.
He had made a point of being thorough.
After checking the rest of the barrels and confirming that only the seventh one had been tampered with, Yang Chan calmly walked over to Steward He.
Steward He was currently helping Han Bingyu and the Pharmacist’s Assistant, ordering the Servant Disciples to present themselves so the two could conduct a quick inspection.
"I ca to check on things, too. We can’t afford any mistakes,"
Yang Chan said as he approached.
"The seventh barrel has been laced with a slow-acting poison. There’s sothing wrong with one of the servants stoking the fires. Get the Law Enforcent Hall disciples over here to deal with it."
"Don’t look. He’s still watching, and I can’t confirm if he has accomplices nearby."
Yang Chan quickly explained the situation as he walked past Steward He, then turned his attention to the packets for the Qi Nourishing Soup.
"Pharmacist Yang, why don’t you and your assistants take a look around here for a mont. Feel free to call if you have any problems. These n will help you deliver the dicine later."
Steward He’s expression flickered for a mont before returning to normal. After seeing the grave look in Yang Chan’s eyes, he reacted swiftly, speaking in a calm tone.
"Of course. Go on with your work, Steward He,"
Yang Chan said with a nod and a dismissive wave, then turned his gaze to the packets of Qi Nourishing Soup.
These packets hadn’t been prepared by Yang Chan’s team, but by the pharmacists previously stationed at Tan Yun Mansion. For the most part, they were all sealed.
Right now, Han Bingyu and the others were mainly checking the seals. As for inspecting the actual contents, that was still a job for Yang Chan.
"Pharmacist Yang, the seals on these packets all look fine. There shouldn’t be any issues. Should we take them over now?"
Han Bingyu asked as soon as she saw Yang Chan approach.
Her knowledge was limited; even if there were a problem with the contents of a packet, she most likely wouldn’t be able to identify it. Her skills were simply not at that level. Furthermore, she had never been involved in preparing the packets for Qi Nourishing Soup, so she wasn’t very familiar with them.
"There’s no rush. I still need to open them up and have a look."
"I’ve already checked the barrels over there. Get the dicinal herbs ready to be added, so we can start brewing them directly in a bit."
Yang Chan slowly opened a sealed packet. His inspection revealed nothing out of the ordinary.
"Go and fetch ten wooden basins for —the size you’d normally use for washing up is fine. Each of you bring two. I’ll need them later."
Yang Chan instructed the five Servant Disciples.
’These people are strangers to , and potentially dangerous,’ Yang Chan thought. ’I can’t have them standing around . That would be like leaving a ticking ti bomb for myself. It’s best to send them away while I can.’
"Pharmacist Yang, I can—"
Han Bingyu began to speak, but Yang Chan cut her off.
"Just help open the packets."
Yang Chan knew what Han Bingyu was about to say. On their way over, they had seen basins already set out for the dicinal herbs. His command was ant to stop her from pointing that out.
’The situation in Tan City is tense. The Law Enforcent Hall disciples are stationed right outside the courtyards and can provide imdiate backup. It’s best to let them handle these troublemakers first.’
Although he had achieved External Iron Bone Refining, he had no intention of making a move himself. He wanted to watch the Law Enforcent Hall in action. Dangerous business like this was best left to the professionals; that was how a proper division of labor worked.
Han Bingyu didn’t understand Yang Chan’s reasoning, but since he had already given the order, she certainly wasn’t going to argue.
The Pharmacist’s Assistant beside her did the sa, waiting quietly to the side.
They didn’t have to wait long before a commotion erupted in the courtyard. Disciples from the Law Enforcent Hall strode in and moved quickly toward the seventh dicine barrel that Yang Chan had pointed out. Then, they surrounded a few of the Servant Disciples who were stoking the fires.
"Pharmacist Yang, what’s going on?"
Han Bingyu asked, unable to imdiately process the scene before her.
"Soone poisoned the dicine barrel. It must be the work of the No-Life Evil Cult. Be careful from now on, and be wary of any strangers who approach."
Yang Chan didn’t hide the truth, adding a word of caution.
Even though the Servant Disciples in the courtyard supposedly had clean backgrounds, a problem had still occurred. If one person could be compromised, it was entirely possible that others were as well.
At a ti like this, they had to be wary of everyone. After all, the followers of the No-Life Evil Cult were all fanatics. They placed no value on their own lives and would do anything to harm others. They had no moral baseline whatsoever.
"Right. I understand."
Upon hearing his words, Han Bingyu instantly beca more alert. She also finally understood why Yang Chan had sent the other Servant Disciples away—it was to avoid potential trouble in case one of them was also compromised.
After the first group of Law Enforcent Hall disciples entered the courtyard, more followed, surrounding the other Servant Disciples as well.
"Judas! Surrender now!"
As several Law Enforcent Hall disciples surrounded the fire-stoking Servant Disciple that Yang Chan had identified, Steward He roared at the man.
He never would have expected that this man, who always seed so simple and honest, would actually poison the dicine barrels.
When he first heard, his initial reaction had been disbelief. But the grave look in Yang Chan’s eyes told him how serious the situation was. Even the slightest possibility of such a thing had to be investigated rigorously.
"Surrender? The Cyan Yuan Sect has been wreaking havoc in Qing State for so many years! It’s ti for you to pay the price! That pharmacist was a crafty one. He discovered the problem but pretended nothing was wrong. Otherwise, I would have assassinated him on the spot!"
"Mother of No-Life, your humble believer has failed to complete the task you gave ! I am a sinner! Let this sinner make one final contribution to you!"
As Judas spoke, a look of grim finality flashed in his eyes.
When he had received the mission, his primary objective was to poison the barrels. If discovered, he was to assassinate the Pharmacist to complete his task. He just never imagined the Pharmacist would pretend not to notice anything and then go snitch on him. ’Truly despicable!’
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