Chapter 291: Chapter 291: Heart-Breaking Powder
"Poisoned?"
"Impossible!"
The reactions of Qi Quanjin and his wife, alongside Yin Cheng, were almost simultaneous.
Yin Cheng was somewhat agitated: "Absolutely impossible! I, I don’t feel any signs of poisoning in my body."
Qi Quanjin also said, "Mr. Yin eats and drinks the same as we do every day, does that mean we’re also poisoned?"
This suspicion made Qi Quanjin’s heart skip a beat.
However, Qin Minglang said, "Everyone else is fine; only Senior Brother’s body carries the poison. I only discovered it yesterday when I checked Senior Brother’s pulse. The poison isn’t deep, likely administered recently, and in very small quantities."
"How, how is this possible? I feel nothing at all!"
Yin Cheng still wore an expression of disbelief, even placing his right hand on the pulse of his left wrist.
With this action, Yin Cheng’s face instantly froze.
He was indeed poisoned!
Qin Minglang advised, "Senior Brother, a doctor cannot treat themselves, so it’s normal not to detect it without regularly checking your pulse. The person who poisoned probably knows our identities, so they were cautious with the dosage and didn’t go overboard."
Yi Meng suddenly asked, "Can you determine what kind of poison it is?"
"Heart-Breaking Powder."
The two doctors almost said these three words simultaneously.
Yi Meng and Qi Quanjin exchanged a look and then turned to these two.
Apparently, neither of them knew what this poison was.
Yin Cheng coughed a few times, and Qin Minglang immediately stepped forward to pat his back and ease his breathing, while explaining, "Heart-Breaking Powder, if consumed in small amounts, affects the consumer’s mind and emotions. Once accumulated to a certain extent, it can cause them to lose reason, plunging them into madness."
After a pause, Qin Minglang added, "Once reason is lost and madness sets in, it’s, it’s incurable."
"What kind of person has such malicious intentions!"
Qi Quanjin was so furious he punched the edge of the kang beside him, instantly causing a pit to form.
Yi Meng grabbed Qi Quanjin’s wrist and asked Qin Minglang, "Is there still any hope now?"
"Given its small quantity, it probably hasn’t been administered many times, so as long as the antidote is formulated, it can be resolved."
Qin Minglang furrowed his brows tightly, "Right now, the medicinal ingredients at home are insufficient, and several necessary ingredients can be found at the pharmacies in town. But..."
"But how?"
Qi Quanjin hurriedly asked.
Qin Minglang shook his head, "But among them, we need Lingzhi and ginseng of considerable age, even if available in town, the cost won’t be cheap."
At this, tears glimmered in Qin Minglang’s eyes, "If it weren’t for my heartless disciple, given my and Senior Brother’s financial situation, seeking those medicinal ingredients wouldn’t have been impossible, but now..."
"As soon as it’s daylight, I’ll head to town to find what specific age is required."
Qi Quanjin was no longer angry over Yin Cheng’s treatment towards the children.
Being poisoned, especially with such a toxin affecting emotional fluctuations, wasn’t something Yin Cheng actively wanted.
A more pressing matter than pursuing Yin Cheng would be to find the person who poisoned him.
Yi Meng saw both doctors looking very grim but refusing to specify the age requirements for the ginseng and Lingzhi, and felt anxious.
"Just tell us! We’ll do our best to find, ideally we find, if not, we’ll switch to a nurturing prescription."
Yi Meng said, "We can’t let a person remain poisoned indefinitely. Moreover, Mr. Yin now not only needs to nurture himself healthily, to live well, but also to think about who might have poisoned him."
"If the poison can be resolved, it’s necessary, but if it can’t be, then nurturing becomes essential."
"But the individual who poisoned must be found. Today, Mr. Yin is the victim, but who can guarantee that no one else will suffer such a plight in future?"
Yi Meng’s words revitalized Qin Minglang: "Fourth sister-in-law is right. This matter can’t be settled just like this. Please wait, I’ll write down the specific medicinal ingredients needed now."
Yin Cheng also perked up now, earnestly saying: "Fourth Brother, Fourth Sister-in-law, for this matter, guide the investigation as you see fit, I shall cooperate."
"Alright, Mr. Yin, rest for now. When dawn arrives, I’ll inform our parents, and we’ll sit down to thoroughly recall events from recent times."
Having finished speaking, Yi Meng turned to Qi Quanjin.
Qi Quanjin understood, and with some words of caution, the two left.
On the way back, Yi Meng told Qi Quanjin, "Brother Jin, once you enter the city today, urge Brother Liu about questioning Chen Xiaomei, especially to ensure her safety until the truth is found."
"Wife, you suspect Chen Xiaomei might be connected to the poisoning of Mr. Yin?"
Qi Quanjin asked.
Yi Meng neither nodded nor shook her head, only calmly said, "Until the truth is found, everyone linked to this matter is a suspect, not just Chen Xiaomei, but others in our village, even the workers."
"Alright."
Qi Quanjin agreed decisively, "I’ll go to town to find Brother Liu shortly."
Unexpectedly, Yi Meng reminded, "Don’t tell the family about this for now."
"Wife, do you suspect someone in our family..."
Qi Quanjin didn’t finish his sentence, but the implication was clear.
Yi Meng bitterly smiled and shook her head, "Naturally, I don’t suspect anyone in our family of poisoning, but we draw too much attention in the village. If the family learns about this, do you think they’d react as genuinely to yesterday’s events as before?"
"If someone with ulterior motives discovers we’ve uncovered Mr. Yin’s poisoning, could they employ other tactics? We’re in the light, they’re in the dark, if they resort to sneaky tricks, our family has the elderly and the young, making it hard to guard against."
This reasoning made Qi Quanjin realize, quickly agreeing.
Just upon reaching the backyard, they saw Qi Quanyin pacing in circles in the courtyard, looking very anxious.
"Fifth Brother?"
Qi Quanjin called out.
Qi Quanyin stopped pacing, immediately looking at Qi Quanjin and Yi Meng, "Fourth Brother, Fourth Sister-in-law, did you find anything out?"
He had heard the footsteps earlier, and if not for their father preventing him from rushing in, he’d likely have stormed into Yin Cheng’s room to demand answers.
Qi Quanjin and Yi Meng exchanged a look, then Qi Quanjin said, "Mr. Yin is very weak right now, it took a great effort for him to take some medicine. It’s still too early. My fourth sister-in-law and I decided to find Brother Liu in the morning. He’s an official, it’s most appropriate for him to handle the questioning."
"Huh? Did you find nothing?"
Qi Quanyin looked disappointed.
Qi Quanjin walked forward, placed an arm around Qi Quanyin’s shoulder, and guided him towards his room, saying, "This matter, my fourth sister-in-law, and I have a handle on. Rest assured, we’ll certainly seek justice for the two children."
Looking back at Yi Meng walking towards the old lady’s room, Qi Quanjin muttered softly: "Fifth Brother, although Manbao isn’t our biological daughter, she’s a child from your sister-in-law’s relative family. Moreover, Xiao Shi is my dear nephew, as his fourth uncle, no matter how rebellious I might be, I can’t let the villain who nearly harmed my kin roam freely."
