Suspicion of Gu Poison, Imitation Pills

The person behind him seemed to have walked right out of Pharmacist Lin's painting from that day, their appearance identical. However, the meaning conveyed in their words surprised Su Mu, allowing him to recognize the identity of the person before him.

A few days ago, he was a medicinal farmer in Qingshui Town. The first time they met was in the dense forest behind the Black Mountain Rebel Army.

Back then, to avoid unnecessary trouble, Su Mu had directly denied his identity when they met in Qingshui Town. At that time, Su Mu had also examined the medicinal farmer up close. Su Mu was certain he hadn't misidentified him; the medicinal farmer's face showed no abnormalities, at least none that he could detect.

If someone with Su Mu's eyesight, far surpassing that of ordinary people, couldn't tell up close, then ordinary people certainly couldn't discern any flaws.

The Art of Disguise?

"What a masterful Art of Disguise!"

Su Mu muttered to himself, his mind also filled with another question: how did Pharmacist Lin recognize him at a glance after their brief, masked encounter?

The world is vast and full of wonders. This Pharmacist Lin is truly an extraordinary person.

Noticing the flicker in Su Mu's eyes, Pharmacist Lin knew that Su Mu had recognized him. He pondered for a moment and then called out.

"Xiao Yue, Xiao Yue."

A sound of light footsteps approached.

"Xiao Yue, please invite the patients waiting outside the courtyard into the clinic first, then hang up a wooden sign. Tell them their master is feeling unwell and the clinic will be closed for the day."

"Young friend, please follow me."

After Pharmacist Lin gave his instructions, Xiao Yue, the Young Physician, responded. As she was about to leave, a look of confusion crossed her face, and she mumbled, "Young friend..." I haven't even introduced this young man to Master yet, and he's never met Master before, so how do they seem to know each other already?

Her footsteps halted, and the Young Physician turned around.

"Master, this young man is..."

"Mm, I know. I've met young friend here a few times."

This made the Young Physician even more bewildered. When Master returned that day, he clearly said he hadn't met him. Why was he changing his story today? However, despite her confusion, the Young Physician decided to first complete the task her Master had assigned her and find an opportunity to ask later.

The Young Physician, now running, reached the study first. As Su Mu walked past with the Old Physician, Su Mu's peripheral vision caught sight of the Young Physician hunched over her desk, brush in hand, writing the words "Clinic Closed Today" on a wooden plaque.

Su Mu was slightly taken aback. Although the characters on the wooden plaque were delicate, the brushstrokes were practiced and skilled. He had initially thought the writing was by Pharmacist Lin, but he hadn't expected it to be the Young Physician's work.

"Xiao Yue isn't very keen on Medical Skill, but her fine brushwork in calligraphy and painting is quite good."

They arrived at the ward. Pharmacist Lin asked Su Mu to lie down. "Young friend, I need to see the Gu Poison within you with my own eyes first."

Pharmacist Lin unfurled a roll of silver needles. His usually gentle demeanor shifted, and his every movement exuded the presence of a seasoned physician. Su Mu felt a surge of joy, his anticipation for detoxification growing.

Pharmacist Lin's needle insertion appeared unhurried, but in reality, it was precise and swift, his movements clean and efficient, with no wasted motion. A single needle was enough to demonstrate his profound Medical Skill.

Su Mu marveled. If the Young Physician hadn't been the one treating him back then, even with another half a month or more, he probably wouldn't have been able to learn even a fraction of the techniques.

Is the Young Physician... deliberately slowing down?

At that moment, such a thought crossed Su Mu's mind. But then he dismissed it, thinking it was likely just his good luck, like a blind cat stumbling upon a dead mouse.

Soon, Su Mu noticed that the acupoints Pharmacist Lin was needling were not entirely the same as those the Young Physician had used in the past few days. However, these subtle changes in just a few acupoints made Su Mu feel a sudden tightness in his chest.

This sensation was not unfamiliar to Su Mu. Previously, it only appeared after the Young Physician had applied pressure, but now, under Pharmacist Lin's hands, this step was completely omitted. The effect was achieved directly through the silver needles.

Medical Skill, like Martial Arts, is a boundless Great Dao... Perhaps what I learned those few days was merely the superficial layer of the superficial!

The young man sighed inwardly. At this moment, he didn't feel discouraged; instead, his eyes lit up, and he developed a deep interest in Medical Skill.

"Young friend, sit up quickly. I will expel some of your poisoned blood first."

"Alright."

Su Mu complied. Soon, poisoned blood flowed gurgling into the stone basin, and another silver needle was rendered useless. Pharmacist Lin had already heard from Xiao Yue that the Gu Poison within Su Mu could corrode silver needles, but seeing it with his own eyes still caused his expression to change.

"Such potent toxicity... It is truly the fiercest I have ever encountered."

Pharmacist Lin took the basin of poisoned blood. "I will examine your body further, young friend."

After taking his pulse, Pharmacist Lin's brows furrowed, yet a hint of shock also appeared. He had just gauged Su Mu's bone age, which appeared to be around fourteen or fifteen years old.

From Su Mu's daring to infiltrate the two armies alone that day, Pharmacist Lin had some idea of his Martial Arts prowess.

An Eighth Rank Bone Forging Realm at fourteen or fifteen years old!

Pharmacist Lin was inwardly astonished. He had previously said he had never seen such a monstrous talent, and now he had encountered one. The only pity was that Su Mu's monstrous talent lay in Martial Arts.

"Young friend, do you know when you were poisoned?"

"About two years ago."

Knowing he was poisoned two years ago, why did he wait until now to seek treatment?

The peculiarity of this situation made Pharmacist Lin's heart even more confused. He vaguely felt that this young man, Su Mu, held many secrets. However, in this world, everyone had secrets, so Pharmacist Lin did not press further.

"I heard Xiao Yue mention that when you encounter rainy weather, you feel as if insects are gnawing inside you, and your limbs turn cold. Is that correct?"

"Not a single word is inaccurate."

After speaking, Su Mu took out the last antidote he had. "This is a medicine bestowed upon me by a traveling individual I encountered. When the poison acts up, I take one pill."

"Hmm? Young friend, may I take a look?"

"Certainly."

Su Mu handed over the antidote. Pharmacist Lin gently picked it up, brought it to his nose, and closed his eyes, sniffing. "Blood Ginseng... Angelica... White Peony Root..."

When the first medicinal ingredient was named, Su Mu didn't think much of it. But when seven or eight more were listed consecutively, Su Mu was shocked. These ingredients matched those identified by Physician Xiao in the village.

After a careful sniff, the pharmacist's frown deepened. He hesitated before speaking, "Young friend, may I take some to examine?"

"Please, Pharmacist."

In front of Su Mu, the pharmacist used his fingernail to scrape off a small piece of the pill, placing it into a vessel and grinding it into powder. He then dipped a finger in it and put it in his mouth. Moments later, the pharmacist stared directly at Su Mu.

"Young friend, could you recall again if there was anything else unusual in the past two years?"

"Pharmacist, is there something wrong with this pill?"

The pharmacist quickly shook his head. "There's nothing unusual about this medicine. It's made of nourishing herbs, and the ingredients are extraordinary, all close to fifty years old."

"If such a nourishing medicine can alleviate the onset of the Gu Poison... the Gu Poison in your body might be more troublesome than imagined."

Su Mu was startled. The Physician Xiao in the village had mentioned twenty to thirty years, while the Pharmacist Lin before him spoke of fifty-year-old herbs. Su Mu trusted the Pharmacist Lin more.

"That wandering individual might have had good intentions... but they did a bad thing. This pill isn't a remedy; it's actually nourishing and strengthening the Gu worm in your body step by step."

"The alleviation of the Gu Poison after taking the pill is merely an illusion. It's likely just that the Gu worm, having received sufficient nourishment, has temporarily fallen into a dormant state."

Hearing this, Su Mu's heart trembled, as if clouds had parted to reveal the clear sky!

He had already suspected something when he learned that the antidotes were highly nourishing. Now, after listening to the pharmacist's words, he suddenly understood and immediately had a guess.

The death row inmates who were saved back then were divided into four groups: A, B, C, and D. Groups A and B were taken away first by some gorgeously dressed individuals. Recalling it now, with Su Mu's current perspective, those people were all Ranked Martial Artists, and their cultivation realms were definitely not low!

After Groups A and B came Group C, and only then did they, Group D death row inmates, arrive.

"My initial guess was wrong... not all death row inmates were qualified to be trained as Death Warriors."

"After their bone structures were tested for quality, the four groups had different arrangements... Group D, with the worst bone structure, might have been abandoned from the start. The person in charge didn't have an accident; they were acting according to a predetermined plan."

"Normally, I should be dead by now. This is what they wanted. What would happen after my death... what are those people trying to do, and what kind of Gu worm is in my body?"

The pharmacist waited quietly. In his opinion, even if Su Mu had monstrous martial arts talent, he was still just a fourteen or fifteen-year-old boy. He would need time to digest this information.

The fact that Su Mu could calmly think at this moment already surprised him. This steady disposition was also extraordinary!

After a long while, Su Mu spoke in a deep voice.

"Unusual aspects... Please allow me to think, Pharmacist."

Silence fell in the study. The pharmacist began to examine the poisonous blood. He took a small amount of the dark poisonous blood in a stone dish and added medicinal ingredients to test its potency.

After a long time, Su Mu snapped back to reality and shook his head. He recalled carefully but found no other unusual details.

"It's alright, there's no need to worry if you can't recall it immediately. Everything in the world has its counter. The method to resolve the Gu Poison lies here, but the difficulty also lies here. Detoxification requires continuous trial and error to find a solution, which will take a considerable amount of time. If you remember anything, young friend, please come to the medical hall and inform me. This is crucial for detoxification."

"Okay."

Hearing that it would take a considerable amount of time, Su Mu frowned slightly, but there was nothing else he could do for now.

At dusk, Su Mu interrupted the pharmacist's testing.

"May I ask if the Pharmacist can replicate that pill?"

The pharmacist frowned, then understood Su Mu's intention. He did not approve of this method, but after pondering for a moment, he nodded.

"Replicating that pill shouldn't be difficult. I have a seventy to eighty percent chance of success, but..."