Coercion

"Don't make a sound, or I'll kill you!"

A hoarse voice sounded by his ear, and Li Shiming felt a faint prickling pain at the back of his neck.

He was being held at knifepoint! He had never expected that merely taking a stroll through his own garden behind the Government Office in Nanling Prefecture would end with him being kidnapped.

"Don't do anything foolish. I don't want to hurt you. I only need you to do something for me!" the hoarse voice continued.

Li Shiming did not dare move. As the person behind him drew closer, a heavy Bloody Smell flooded his nostrils.

The man behind him was quite satisfied with Li Shiming's understanding of the times. He had not been carried away by a scholar's hot-blooded recklessness and acted without regard for the consequences. If he had any other option, he would not have threatened the prefect's son.

"What do you need me to do?" Li Shiming asked in a low voice after steadying himself.

"Young Master Li, before you do anything for me, take this pill first!" The man behind him withdrew his weapon as he spoke.

Then, a bloodstained hand brought a black pill up beside Li Shiming's head.

Hearing the man behind him call his name, Li Shiming's heart jolted. The other party dared to abduct him despite knowing his identity; he was either a desperado or had absolute confidence.

Although the prickling pain at the back of his neck had vanished, he still did not dare resist. This body was merely that of a fifteen-year-old Xiucai. Across two lives, apart from the calisthenics he had learned in school in his Previous Life, he had never studied any martial arts forms.

He took the pill from the bloody hand and swallowed it without examining it closely.

Of course, he could not possibly obediently consume a pill of unknown purpose. The instant he swallowed it, a flicker of consciousness allowed him to store it inside the Server Room Space.

The Server Room Space was a space that had crossed over with him.

Three days ago, when he discovered that he had transmigrated, he also discovered that the server room from his university library in his Previous Life had come to coexist with him in some bizarre manner.

Whenever Li Shiming thought of the Server Room Space, his consciousness would enter it.

At the core of the entire Server Room Space stood an IBMz15 Mainframe made up of four server racks. Beside it was a dedicated Uninterruptible Power Supply, while the tool cabinet on the other side contained maintenance tools.

With the Uninterruptible Power Supply drained of power, the IBMz15 Mainframe had become nothing more than a display piece.

However, he had discovered that the Server Room Space could be used as storage. He could store any items he Came into Contact With within it.

Seeing Li Shiming swallow the pill, the person behind him could not help but let out a breath of relief.

Li Shiming's identity made him far too convenient to use. If anyone else bought the things he wanted, they might arouse suspicion, but no one would suspect Li Shiming no matter what he purchased.

"Young Master, the pill you took is called the Three Days Soul Severing Pill. If you do not take the antidote within three days, your entire body will rot, and you will die. Don't even think of seeking a physician. Even if you handed the recipe for the Three Days Soul Severing Pill to Nanling Prefecture's finest doctors, they would be unable to produce an antidote within three days!" The sound of a longsword sliding into its sheath came from behind him, followed by that hoarse voice.

"May I turn around? I'm not used to speaking to someone like this," Li Shiming asked in a low voice.

"Young Master, you have courage!" the man behind him praised. After speaking, he stepped back.

Li Shiming turned around and saw a middle-aged man whose left arm had been severed. The stump was still bandaged, with red seeping faintly through it.

Li Shiming quickly recalled the major case Mo Yan had mentioned. Yesterday, a White-robed Man had killed seven escort captains from the Mighty Escort Agency at the Heavenly Fragrance Pavilion. Only Escort Chief Wang had escaped.

More importantly, Escort Chief Wang had lost his left arm to the White-robed Man while fleeing.

"Escort Chief Wang, can you tell me what you need me to do?" Li Shiming asked in a low voice.

Escort Chief Wang showed little surprise at having his identity exposed.

As the prefect's son, it was only natural for him to know something about what had happened to Escort Chief Wang. After all, the case at the Heavenly Fragrance Pavilion had only just occurred.

"I have no grudge against you, Young Master. As long as you help me handle this matter, I swear to Heaven that I will cure your poison. Poisoning you was truly an act of desperation!" Escort Chief Wang said, lowering his head and bowing slightly.

An apologetic expression appeared on his face, as though it came from the bottom of his heart.

Li Shiming was not swayed in the slightest. Having lived two lives, he saw human nature with exceptional clarity.

Whether Escort Chief Wang had acted out of desperation or not, the fact remained that he had poisoned Li Shiming to threaten him.

"This is a prescription. Please help me purchase the medicinal ingredients, brew the medicine, and bring it here. I trust that you are a clever man, Young Master, and will not tamper with the medicine. If anything goes wrong with it, I will know immediately—and then the antidote to the Three Days Soul Severing Pill will be gone!" Seeing how calm Li Shiming was and that his words had not affected him, Escort Chief Wang knew there was no use saying more. He handed Li Shiming a sheet of paper and threatened him.

The paper was extremely old. Besides listing the quantities and ages of various medicinal ingredients, it also detailed requirements for the brewing method.

"The ingredients on this prescription will take some time to acquire. I will do my best to deliver the medicine tonight," Li Shiming said in a low voice after glancing over the prescription.

According to his memories, several of the ingredients listed were extremely precious. Even by drawing on the household's connections, obtaining them would take considerable time.

Though he was not actually threatened by the Three Days Soul Severing Pill, he still had to carry the act through to the end.

"Good. I will wait for you behind the Artificial Hill!" Escort Chief Wang naturally knew that the ingredients on the prescription were difficult to obtain. Otherwise, he would not have gone to such lengths; he could have found just anyone to handle it.

"I hope Escort Chief Wang will keep his oath!" Li Shiming said, putting away the prescription and giving him a deep look.

With that, he turned and left. Escort Chief Wang watched his receding figure, and admiration Flashed in his eyes.

But Escort Chief Wang's admiration quickly turned to killing intent. No matter what, Li Shiming could not be allowed to live. He had thoroughly offended Li Shiming; even if he handed over the antidote, should the prefect learn of this, nine lives would not be enough for him to lose.