Soul-Bewildering Powder

Gao Xian studied it for a long while but still couldn't figure out where this sudden increase in Humanity Aura had come from.

Could it have come from Zhu Qiniang?

It wasn't impossible. Maybe Sister Qiniang was savoring the afterglow.

Gao Xian put away the Wind and Moon Mirror, then picked up the Mysterious Truth Prescription.

It contained nine recipes. If he could master one more, it would greatly benefit his Alchemy Art.

Alchemy Art couldn't be leveled up with points, but once he understood these Yellow-Red Arts, he could spend points to improve them. That was the fundamental difference between the two.

The recipes recorded in the Mysterious Truth Prescription were all rather crude, but they were still a form of Alchemy Art.

The techniques for preparing the medicines were all much the same.

"Soul-Bewildering Powder. It can make people feel dizzy and intoxicated..."

When Gao Xian came across the Soul-Bewildering Powder, his eyes suddenly lit up. This was good stuff.

He was an honest man and had no intention of doing anything bad. He just thought this would be excellent for protecting himself.

Back in the day, Lord Wei had roamed the martial world relying on three treasures: knockout drugs, daggers, and body armor.

The knockout drugs, in particular, had taken down all sorts of martial-world bigwigs and won him several wives.

As he studied the recipe for Soul-Bewildering Powder, Gao Xian began to understand.

After Deer Antler Powder reached the Grandmaster level, his alchemy skills had improved by leaps and bounds. Now, when he looked at a recipe's ingredients, proportions, and preparation method, he could run simple simulations in his mind.

Gao Xian took out the Wind and Moon Mirror and checked. Sure enough, another entry had appeared on the back.

Soul-Bewildering Powder: Its fragrance is strong and can make people fall unconscious and sleep. (Beginner 1/10)

He spent fifty points of Humanity Aura, and Soul-Bewildering Powder rose straight to the Master level.

The description for Master-level Soul-Bewildering Powder had changed too.

Soul-Bewildering Powder: Fine as dust, its fragrance faint and elusive. Those who inhale it become confused in mind and spirit, their bodies limp and their bones weak. (Master 1/50)

He had only a little more than twenty points of Humanity Aura left, not enough to level up Soul-Bewildering Powder.

Still, Master-level Soul-Bewildering Powder should already be quite potent.

The main ingredient for making Soul-Bewildering Powder was Purple Datura Flower, an uncommon low-grade medicinal plant.

Gao Xian remembered clearly that he didn't have any Purple Datura Flowers in his medicine room.

The flower was hardy and had few requirements for its growing conditions. There were bound to be some in the mountains. If he went for a walk in the hills, perhaps he could find it.

Gao Xian dismissed the idea as soon as it occurred to him. With his pathetic abilities, going into the mountains would be asking for death.

Risking his life for a few Purple Datura Flowers simply wasn't worth it.

Old Wang next door often went into the mountains to hunt. He could just ask him to pick a few.

Thinking of Old Wang naturally reminded Gao Xian of the bottle of Deer Antler Powder he'd sold him.

Grandmaster-level Deer Antler Powder was a divine elixir no middle-aged or elderly man could resist!

The old man would be back to see him in a few days. Gao Xian was certain of it.

As long as he sold all the Deer Antler Powder he had on hand, he could use the money to buy medicinal ingredients and make up for the White Dew Pills the original owner had sold off.

The problem was that Flying Horse Market had only one medicine shop. If he wanted to buy ingredients, he could only buy them from Shopkeeper Zhu...

Buying a large quantity of alchemy ingredients would definitely draw Shopkeeper Zhu's attention.

Over the past couple of days, Gao Xian had come to realize that the matter wasn't actually all that serious.

Shopkeeper Zhu was after money. Killing him would bring her no profit at all; she'd only lose a large sum.

She'd also offend his master and inevitably have to pay a hefty sum of Spirit Stones in compensation.

If all else failed, he could just explain everything to Shopkeeper Zhu.

Of course, that was the last resort.

Given Shopkeeper Zhu's nature, if he admitted his mistake, she'd certainly use the opportunity to threaten and extort him.

Gao Xian sighed. It was so hard to get by in this world. He wanted to go home!

He took out the Wind and Moon Mirror and looked at Sister Lan, whose smile was charming and whose eyes sparkled with affection. His mood immediately lifted.

At some point, he had entered Sister Lan's boudoir. Everything felt so real.

Although Sister Lan didn't speak, she hummed and sang softly, her voice enough to melt his bones and ensnare his soul.

As Gao Xian held Sister Lan, he suddenly recalled something Brother Chan had said: This place was so wild and fun, you enjoyed it so much you didn't want to go home!

The next day, as Gao Xian was steaming medicinal ingredients, Old Wang next door climbed over the wall again, looking like a thief.

Gao Xian hated people like that. There was a door, but instead of using it, he had to climb the wall. Sneaking around like that, he looked like no good could come of him.

Old Wang pressed his ear to the bedroom window and listened. Hearing no movement, a fierce glint flashed in his eyes. He hesitated, then called softly, "Little Gao."

Gao Xian watched him clearly from the side room. The old bastard really was up to no good. A moment ago, he'd looked as fierce as a wolf, but after weighing things up, he hadn't dared make a move.

Gao Xian had never thought much of Old Wang, just an old lecher.

But now he felt a chill in his heart. Old Wang was at the fourth or fifth layer of Qi Refining, far stronger than him.

He often went into the mountains to hunt demonic beasts and had plenty of real combat experience. He was even less comparable to a weakling like Gao Xian.

It was true that the other man was lecherous, but he was an old wolf. If he really decided to make a move, Gao Xian wouldn't be able to put up much of a fight.

He couldn't make Soul-Bewildering Powder just yet, so he could only rely on the few talismans in his possession to protect himself.

Gao Xian tightened his grip on the Golden Body Talisman and called out irritably, "I'm over here!"

Old Wang hurriedly turned around. Though he was old, his body was far from frail. He turned lightly and swiftly, one hand simultaneously gripping his sword hilt.

Gao Xian grew even more wary, but forced himself to look relaxed. "You've finished the medicine already? That was fast..."

At the mention of the medicine, the tension in Old Wang's face eased.

He'd tried plenty of aphrodisiacs, but none worked as well as Gao Xian's Deer Antler Powder. Everyone else who'd tried it had been shocked by its miraculous effects too, and they were all willing to pay a high price for more.

Clearly, Gao Xian's Deer Antler Powder was of far better quality than the other kinds—perhaps it wasn't even the same medicine.

For now, he couldn't afford to offend Gao Xian.

Old Wang chuckled. "Little Gao, do you have any more of that medicine? Give me twenty pills."

"Do you have the money?"

Before Old Wang could reply, Gao Xian added, "No haggling."

Old Wang had meant to bargain, but seeing how firm Gao Xian was, he could only droop his brows. "You're so young, but all you care about is money. That's no good.

"People should value friendship and loyalty."

"Heh..."

Gao Xian smiled. The other man was a customer, after all. He had to maintain a basic relationship.

Twenty pills of Deer Antler Powder for two Low-grade Spirit Stones. Cash on the barrelhead.

Old Wang weighed the medicine bottle in his hand, thought for a moment, then said, "Little Gao, how much of this medicine do you have?"

"As much as you have Spirit Stones to pay for."

"Honestly, your medicine really does work well. How about this? I'll help you sell the Deer Antler Powder. We'll split the money thirty-seventy."

Old Wang tried to entice him. "That way, we can make more money, and you won't have to take any risks."

"Don't trouble yourself." Gao Xian refused outright. The old fellow was unreliable. Working with him would only invite trouble.

Seeing how firm Gao Xian was, Old Wang knew he couldn't talk him into it. He tried another approach. "How about this, then? You sell your Deer Antler Powder exclusively to me. Deal?"

"You want exclusive rights?"

Gao Xian smiled again. "Fine. One Spirit Stone for eight pills of Deer Antler Powder."

"I'm helping you sell your medicine, and you raise the price? Are you even human?"

The old man was a little annoyed. What was wrong with this kid?

"You want to corner the market and make money? You need the capital for that. If you don't want to, forget it."

Gao Xian didn't want to bother with the old bastard anymore. All he thought about was taking advantage of people. He had no business sense, let alone vision.

"What an inconsiderate brat!"

Old Wang had planned to sell Deer Antler Powder exclusively and make a tidy profit. He'd thought it all through, but Gao Xian wouldn't listen, so he cursed him in anger.

Old Wang stalked toward the door, huffing. Gao Xian suddenly called after him, "Old Wang, don't get mad. A deal may fall through, but we can still be friends. There's no need to curse at me."

He continued, "I'm not saying you can't have the exclusive rights to sell Deer Antler Powder. But first, bring me a few Purple Datura Flowers to show you're sincere."

"Purple Datura Flowers?"

Old Wang hunted in the mountains all year round and gathered herbs along the way. He recognized most common medicinal plants, and he had indeed seen Purple Datura Flowers before.

They weren't particularly rare, and they weren't hard to pick.

He turned around and asked Gao Xian, "You mean it?"

"Of course."

Gao Xian waved Old Wang off. "Bring me the Purple Datura Flowers, and then we'll talk."

After sending Old Wang away, Gao Xian took out the Wind and Moon Mirror and glanced at it. To his surprise, his Humanity Aura had increased by another nine points...