Jiangshan Fengwuzhi

Chapter 253 Strange Land
The boy was picking medicine from the medicine shelf when he suddenly heard a gentle voice behind him.

"These two are poisoned by viper venom. Won't using them to make pills kill us?"

Turning around, I saw Hu Jingnan walking over.

Since it was a beautiful woman asking, the boy replied, "Don't worry, during the alchemy process, we will first force out all the impurities and toxins from their bodies, forming blood particles on their skin, which are not edible. Once the pill is condensed, it will be very clean and will not be poisonous."

Upon hearing this, Hu Jingnan pondered for a moment and then said, "But I've also been poisoned by the viper."

"Is that so?" The boy turned around. "Let me take his pulse."

He was clearly still very young, yet his eyes revealed an incongruous lecherous look.

Hu Jingnan hesitated for a moment before raising her hand to let him take her pulse.

Her fair wrist was placed before him, her slender fingers hanging down. The boy's expression shifted, and he grabbed her wrist, placing two fingers together. He then tried to touch Hu Jingnan's forearm, but she pulled away.

"If I'm poisoned by a viper, would I lie to you?"

"Weird."

The boy shook his head and said, "The venom is extremely potent; any beast that smells it will die instantly. It's already remarkable that those two managed to survive until now. But you were poisoned by the venom, yet you were able to expel it slowly. That's quite strange."

Hu Jingnan said, "I am indeed poisoned. Is it treatable?"

The boy was overjoyed and rubbed his hands together, saying, "Since you are my wife, I will naturally save you."

After saying that, he took out several herbs from the medicine shelf, put them in a medicine pot with water, and boiled them.

Hu Jingnan examined the herbs carefully, confirming that they were all antidotes, then glanced at Gu Jingnian and quietly nodded.

Gu Jingnian remained silent, waiting for the medicine to be decocted before snatching it and giving it to Yan Da and A Meng.

Just then, a light suddenly appeared on the wall.

The light was like the surface of water, rippling when touched.

"Oh no!" the boy exclaimed in alarm. "My master is back!"

"so what?"

"If he finds out that I stole his alchemy furnace, he will surely be furious again."

"Then take us out."

As Gu Jingnian spoke, he stepped forward, picked up the medicine pot that was still boiling over the fire, and without fear of getting burned, directly gave the medicine to Yan Da and A Meng.

Seeing this, the boy asked, "What do you mean? Don't you want to refine them?"

“If we drag this out, they’ll die, and then how will we refine them?” Gu Jingnian said. “You’ll reap the benefits, too.”

The boy was so anxious that he didn't have time to argue with him. He said, "We can't get out. Let's hide quickly."

Having said that, he pulled open the stove and said, "Hide!"

After a while, the boy shouted again, "Why aren't any of you coming in?!"

"We're not stupid enough to let you trick us into refining us in the furnace."

“I’m not lying to you,” the boy said. “Master is coming soon, and there’s no time to get out. We have to hide inside.”

Gu Jingnian and Hu Jingnan exchanged a glance, clearly neither of them believed him.

The boy had no choice but to say, "I'll go in first, then you'll believe me, right?"

"You can go in and use teleportation to escape."

"No, it's true that you can't transmit images inside the alchemy hall and the furnace."

No matter how much the boy pleaded with them, they simply refused to go into the furnace.

The boy was helpless and extremely anxious.

Finally, seeing that the light on the wall was getting brighter and brighter, he had no choice but to say, "Then you should come with me and hide here."

As he spoke, he walked to a wall, reached out and touched it, and a door appeared in the wall.

"quick."

Then everyone slipped inside the door.

Inside, however, was a study with more than ten rows of bookshelves filled with scrolls.

Gu Jingnian casually picked up a scroll and unfolded it. It contained records of alchemy. The alchemy involved a herb-gathering boy who had a keen sense of smell and was immune to all poisons. He was fed fresh fruit and raised until he was fifty-seven years old. However, he accidentally put poison in the tea leaves and was thus refined. After being carefully roasted in the furnace for seven days, three blood-clotting pills were produced.

After reading it, Gu Jingnian understood why the boy had been so nervous.

Turning my head again, I found myself in the study, able to vaguely see through the wall to the stove outside.

Presumably, the owner sometimes kept records here, needing to observe the stove at any time.

The boy was nervously staring outside.

Before long, a figure appeared inside the hall.

Upon seeing this, the boy exclaimed "Eh?" and asked, "Why isn't it the master who came?"

No one answered, afraid that someone outside would overhear.

The boy then said, "Don't worry, no one outside can hear us talking."

Gu Jingnian remained silent, his gaze fixed on the newcomer. He had already recognized him as Liu Yuchuan.

Liu Yuchuan's injuries had healed, and he strolled leisurely into the hall. He sniffed, presumably smelling the medicine, and looked around, muttering to himself, "An antidote for viper poison?" With that, he shook his head and chuckled softly.

"Looks like they're still not giving up; they've gone looking for the Nine-Headed Serpent."

Gu Jingnian watched this scene and wondered who Liu Yuchuan was waiting for.

Sure enough, after a while, ripples appeared in the light screen, and another person entered the hall.

This was a purple-haired man, also dressed in a purple robe. He was slender, with a cold and arrogant demeanor, and looked to be only in his thirties.

What makes him most unique is his eyes, which convey a sense of utter boredom after having enjoyed all the riches and honors.

Upon seeing the purple-haired man, the boy couldn't help but shudder; this must be his master.

"Senior Zi Cang." Liu Yuchuan bowed respectfully, unusually so, and said, "We have long admired each other, and it is an honor to meet you today."

The purple-haired man, known as Zi Cang, nodded and said calmly, "So you are Liu Yuchuan?"

"Yes."

"real name?"

Liu Yuchuan paused slightly, then answered frankly, "No."

"really."

Zi Cang casually mentioned it, without even asking Liu Yuchuan's real name, perhaps because he already knew it.

He held a small folding fan in his hand, and with a casual gesture, he indicated that Liu Yuchuan should sit down. A chair immediately appeared behind Liu Yuchuan.

Then he sat down, but there was no chair behind him.

Just as Zi Cang was about to fall to the ground, a gilded chair covered with thick animal hides appeared under his buttocks.

This person seems to have everything they want within easy reach.

Gu Jingnian recalled Qu Jizhi's words: there was someone in the realm who wanted to become the ruler of Zhongzhou, and that must be him. Liu Yuchuan was secretly cooperating with this person, no wonder he could find the realm. As for having Womin introduce him before, that was probably a lie. The truth was that Zi Cang had already betrayed Womin to Liu Yuchuan.

“I prefer face-to-face conversation to spiritual connection,” Zi Cang said. “It has been a long time since anyone worthy of my attention has come to visit.”

Liu Yuchuan said, "Yes, I didn't get to express myself fully before, so it would be better to learn from you in person today."

"You are so young, yet your cultivation is so high," Zi Cang praised, and remarked with admiration, "The Central Continent has produced many talented individuals in the last hundred years."

Liu Yuchuan said, "In the end, only the Realm is the most suitable place for cultivation in the Central Plains."

"But you messed it up. Now you can't join the realm, and you're even considered an enemy."

"I am ashamed," Liu Yuchuan said. "The Xiong Hui is, after all, an ancient divine beast, and I am no match for it. The Wo Min also fled too quickly. I beg you, senior, to allow me to cultivate in this realm."

Zi Cang said, "These are all illusory places, what's so good about them? The human world is the true paradise."

Liu Yuchuan hurriedly said, "I am willing to help you become the ruler of Zhongzhou."

Zi Cang remained silent, his eyes indifferent.

Liu Yuchuan continued, "Given your status and strength, once you cross the boundary, the extraordinary beings of Zhongzhou will surely submit to your command, and all living beings will be subservient. The only concern is that the realm lord may not allow it..."

“Of course she won’t allow it,” Zi Cang said. “In her eyes, the only thing we do in life is to guard the Seven Star Formation.”

"I only regret that my strength is too weak to help you, senior, to rule the world."

"so what?"

Liu Yuchuan said, "There are countless realms. Senior, you must be able to keep it a secret from people in other realms and allow me to cultivate in one of them."

Zi Cang said, "Once your strength has improved further, I will refine the Womin for you, how about that?"

"If that day ever comes, I will surely be a foot soldier for my predecessors."

"I won't believe you just because of that one sentence."

Liu Yuchuan immediately replied, "I am willing to dedicate my heart and soul to serving you, senior."

Zi Cang finally seemed a little surprised and asked, "Have you thought it through?"

“Yes,” Liu Yuchuan said. “Senior is a man of his word, and I trust you.”

"Alright, let's cut out the heart."

The people hiding in the study at the back held their breath. Although they knew that the people in the hall could not hear their voices, they looked over and saw Liu Yuchuan kneeling on the ground, taking out a dagger and cutting open his own chest. He was half-lying up when Zi Cang walked up to him and cut open his chest in the same way.

Drops of heart's blood fell into Liu Yuchuan's beating heart.

Liu Yuchuan was clearly in great pain, with veins throbbing on his forehead.

Zi Cang said, "From now on, you will be my servant."

"Yes, Master."

"With this, you can find the place you need to go. That is the boundary that most resembles the Yihai. No one but me has ever found it. When you come out of it, your strength will be incomparable to what it was before."

"Thank you, Master."

"I have something to do, you go ahead."

Zi Cang waved Liu Yuchuan away, then turned to look towards the study.

Even though there was a wall between them, Gu Jingnian felt as if she had made eye contact with him.

(End of this chapter)