The young man looked at Lin Taichu, a smug smile at the corner of his mouth. "Physician Lin, aren't your medical skills supposed to be miraculous? Hurry up and treat this boy. If even you can't cure him, then everything you claimed before was just bragging."
Lin Taichu did not act immediately. He first had the boy extend his hand and took his pulse. While doing so, he deliberately pressed on the boy's fingernails and found that there was no darkening beneath them, only a layer of black substance on the surface.
He then picked up the boy's hand and sniffed his fingertips, catching a faint herbal scent.
Lin Taichu had figured it out. He stood and said to everyone, "This boy was not poisoned. Someone applied medicinal herbs to his skin to create the illusion of poisoning."
The young man's expression changed as he shouted, "Nonsense! He's clearly running a fever. How could it be fake?"
Lin Taichu ignored him and said to Old Man Zhou, "Hall Master Zhou, please have someone bring a basin of clean water and a bar of soap."
Old Man Zhou immediately had someone prepare them. Before long, the water and soap were brought over. Lin Taichu placed the soap in the water and stirred it evenly, then dipped a cloth into the soapy water and wiped the boy's face.
After only a few wipes, the black color on the boy's face gradually faded, revealing his original complexion.
Everyone stared in stunned silence, while the young man's face turned deathly pale. Lin Taichu then took the boy's hand and wiped it the same way, making the black stains on his fingertips disappear as well.
"This black substance was made by mixing fleeceflower root, ink, and blue vitriol. It is difficult to wash off once