Chapter 196: A Contest In the Void
Qin Feng arrived outside the teahouse and frowned as he looked at the convulsing people on the ground.
He didn’t rush forward but instead activated his unique X-Ray ability and scanned the scene.
“Everyone has purple energy flowing in their blood. They must have been poisoned.
There’s no immediate threat to their lives, but their hearts are gradually weakening.
If this continues, these people will die in about the time it takes for an incense stick to burn.”
Because the cause of poisoning in these people was not yet clear, Qin Feng ushered the onlookers away from the street and began questioning the shopkeeper about what happened before these people fell.
His own teahouse was in such a predicament, and the shopkeeper was naturally anxious. He explained everything he had seen in detail.
“The young man in white.” Qin Feng pondered.
According to the shopkeeper, these customers were all fine initially, but after the young man in white left, something happened to the waiter first, followed by the other customers falling one after another.
“It seems the one who poisoned them is the young man in white. But how did he do it?”
Qin Feng activated the Thunderous Righteous Qi within his body, protecting his nose and mouth, then approached the teahouse.
Seeing this, Lan Ningshaung anxiously said, “Young Master.”
“No worries.”
Although he had not yet reached the seventh-rank Righteous Qi realm, achieving immunity to all poisons, he can still be careful by using the Righteous Qi in his body to protect his mouth and nose.
Lan Ningshaung was worried and wanted to follow, but Qin Feng stopped her with a firm tone, “You stay here.”
His tone brooked no argument.
Since the cause of the poisoning was unclear, he naturally did not want Lan Ningshaung to take risks with him.
Approaching the teahouse and getting close to the waiter, Qin Feng noticed scattered copper coins on the ground.
He then looked at the remaining half-cup of tea on the table, combined with what the shopkeeper had said, and roughly guessed the method the young man in white used to poison them.
“The waiter was poisoned, likely related to the copper coins. The others were probably poisoned by the half-cup of tea left by that person.”
Because Bao Medical Hall is not far from here, Qin Feng hurried to this place. The tea was still steaming, emitting a strange fragrance.
He enveloped his palm with Qi, picked up a copper coin, and carefully examined it. Then, he stood up and lifted the tea cup, giving it a gentle sniff.
He immediately understood.
“The poison on the copper coin is from the Water-Thorn Fish. This poison, as long as it touches the skin, can penetrate the body, causing the loss of bodily functions and gradual paralysis of the heart.
As for the peculiar tea fragrance, if I’m not mistaken, it should be the sandalwood of the purple ebony.
This sandalwood is harmless to ordinary people, but if someone who has drunk the tea smells it, they will experience symptoms similar to those infected with the water thorn fish poison, convulsing all over until the heart is paralyzed, leading to death.”
Qin Feng confirmed the two toxins, then turned to the crowd and approached Physician Song. He explained some medicinal herbs and the method of preparation.
Upon hearing this, Physician Song hurriedly rushed back to Bao Medical Hall.
Not long after, someone brought the prepared soup medicine.
Qin Feng helped up the fallen people and had them drink the soup. The symptoms of the people quickly eased.
Seeing this, the onlookers cheered, shouting “Physician Qin” repeatedly.
However, no one noticed a gray-clothed, stooped old man in the crowd.
A cold and sinister smile played on his wrinkled face: “So it’s him.”
In the teahouse, Qin Feng pondered with a lowered head: “With his understanding of poison and the method of poisoning, he could have directly taken the lives of these people more violently. Why did he use the poison of the water thorn fish and purple ebony? Could it be that he wants to torment these people?”
“No, that’s not right. I just investigated, and these people all are from Jinyang City, with no commonalities or connections among them.
The only coincidence is that they all encountered that young man in the teahouse.”
Qin Feng contemplated for a while, then suddenly widened his eyes, thinking of a possibility: “That person isn’t really trying to harm these people. The reason he used the water thorn fish and purple ebony poisons is because these poisons take longer to take effect, allowing the victims to hold on until someone comes to save them.”
“From here, you can see the long line at Bao Medical Hall. That young man is probably testing me.”
With this in mind, Qin Feng walked to the side of Lan Ningshaung, whispered something in her ear, and she, feeling the warm breath, blushed slightly. After receiving the instructions, she nodded slightly and disappeared from view within a few moments.
“If my thoughts are correct, that young man in white is probably lurking nearby, observing the process of detoxification.”
However, after an incense stick’s worth of time, Lan Ningshaung returned outside the teahouse, shaking her head.
Qin Feng frowned when he saw the situation. With Lan Ningshaung’s cultivation at the sixth level of martial arts, it wasn’t difficult for her to find a person.
Unless the other person’s cultivation surpassed that of Ningshaung, or perhaps, the young man in white was simply not nearby.
“Could I have guessed wrong?” Qin Feng muttered to himself.
On the outskirts of the crowd, an old man with a hunched back walked away slowly, sneering, “You’ve got some skills, but that’s about it. Until the job is done, I’ll play with you a bit more.”
In the following days, the atmosphere in Jinyang City was quite unsettled.
Many common people experienced unexplained poisoning, and even members of the Demon Slaying Department were affected.
Fortunately, with Qin Feng’s intervention, most people managed to avert danger, but this situation couldn’t go on indefinitely.
Recently, the city of Jinyang has been filled with panic, discussions about poison were prevalent, and many teahouses and breakfast stalls were out of business. Even the restaurants were affected.
In the Demon Slaying Department, Zhou Kai’s brow furrowed tightly. The official documents on his desk piled up, and he asked, “Recently in the city, someone has been poisoning people indiscriminately. What’s your opinion?”
“The poison used by the mastermind is rare, and I had only read about it in books before encountering it. Moreover, the identities of the perpetrators are always different. Sometimes it’s the young man in white, sometimes the hunched old man, and there have even been cases involving women and children.” Qin Feng said with a serious expression.
“I believe the poisoner is the same person. This individual excels in the art of changing appearance, allowing them to appear with different faces each time. However, I do not know the true identity behind this person.”
“Moreover, someone like this suddenly arriving in Jinyang City is very likely to be related to Bi Fang’s head.” Qin Feng offered his speculation.
Zhou Kai nodded slightly, deep in thought.
“He can shrink bones and draw skin, and is skilled in using poison. It reminds me of a sect.
Over a decade ago, there was unrest in the towns around Luowang City. People in several towns disappeared overnight, turning into blood.
Initially, it was thought to be the work of demons and monsters, but upon investigation, it was discovered to be a sect called the “Deceptive Poison Sect.” In order to refine a certain elixir, they harmed people and melted their blood.
Upon learning the truth, Prince Luo was furious. He dispatched the Demon Slaying Department and soldiers to overthrow the Deceptive Poison Sect, but there might still be fish that slipped through the net.”
As Zhou Kai spoke the last sentence, his tone became heavier.
Qin Feng looked contemplative.
These people are simply insane.
If the mastermind behind the poisoning is really a survivor of the Deceptive Poison Sect, it would make some sense.
After all, such people have no humanity to speak of.
The two continued chatting for a while. When Qin Feng was about to leave, Zhou Kai suddenly sighed, “Since coming to Jinyang City, there hasn’t been a day of rest. When all these things are settled, I must go to the most famous Moonlit Pavilion in the city and have a good meal.”
Qin Feng replied, “At that time, I will certainly entertain Chief Zhou and all the colleagues from the Demon Slaying Department.”
Leaving the Demon Slaying Department, the dark clouds dispersed, and the sky grew dim.
Lan Ningshuang looked up at the sky and murmured, “Brother-in-law, it’s going to rain.”
“Yeah, let’s go. If you have nothing to do, we can go to Moonlit Pavilion to have something to eat.”
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