Darknight Flower Poison

At those words, the middle-aged commoner's face turned ashen. He pleaded, "Honored alchemist, could you... could you treat them both together? While you're treating the young master, could you treat my son too? I... he's my only son. I don't want him to die..."

"No!"

Wang Bingyan cut him off at once. "How can he concentrate on treating two patients at once? It's better to treat them separately, one at a time!"

As she spoke, Wang Bingyan cast a contemptuous glance at the commoner boy in his ragged clothes. "A commoner's life is cheap, after all. What does it matter if he dies? My brother's life is precious. Enough nonsense. Hurry up and treat my brother first!"

The Senior Apprentice Alchemist gave the commoner boy a troubled look. Ultimately, he was not a Certified Alchemist and did not dare offend the Wang Family. He could only walk over to the Wang Family's young master on the stretcher and crouch down to examine him.

At the sight, despair crept into the commoner father's eyes.

"Isn't the Wang Family's young lady throwing her weight around to bully people?"

"Exactly. They clearly have the same condition and could be treated together, yet she insists that the alchemist treat her brother alone first. Isn't she leaving that commoner boy to wait for death?"

The people in the hall began murmuring among themselves, casting sympathetic looks at the commoner father and son.

"These symptoms seem to indicate darknight flower poisoning," the Senior Apprentice Alchemist said with a frown after examining the Wang Family's young master.

Wang Bingyan raised her slender brows. "Darknight flower poisoning? Then cure it!"

The Senior Apprentice Alchemist shook his head. "Darknight flower is highly poisonous, and its poison is very difficult to neutralize. I don't know how."

"You don't know how? Does that mean not a single person in your Alchemy Guild does?" Wang Bingyan swept her gaze across the entire Alchemy Guild hall.

The Senior Apprentice Alchemist thought for a moment. "Master Mo may be the only person who can neutralize darknight flower poison."

At the mention of Master Mo, Wang Bingyan reined in her haughty air. "Then go and fetch Master Mo."

The Senior Apprentice Alchemist shook his head. "Master Mo rarely leaves his secluded quarters. How could it be so easy to get him to come out?"

Hearing this, Master Mo could not help stepping forward. "I happen to have some time today. Let me examine them."

"Master Mo!" The Senior Apprentice Alchemist clearly had not expected Master Mo to be right there. He hurriedly stepped back and bowed.

Overbearing as Wang Bingyan was, she still showed Master Mo some respect. She smiled. "Sorry for the trouble, Master Mo."

Master Mo gave Wang Bingyan a cold look. He had never liked this young lady of the Wang Family, and the way she had imperiously forced the alchemist to treat her brother first had only worsened his impression of her.

Still, an alchemist's calling was to save the dying and heal the injured. Master Mo could not simply stand by and refuse to treat patients right before his eyes.

His gaze swept over the Wang Family's young master and the commoner boy. After observing them for a moment, he said, "Their symptoms suggest that both accidentally consumed poisonous darknight flower, and in substantial quantities."

Wang Bingyan hurriedly asked, "Then, Master Mo, can my brother still be saved?"

Master Mo sighed and shook his head. "Both consumed far too much darknight flower, and they were brought here too late. The poison has already spread to their hearts and lungs. Even if we neutralize it now, the poison

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cannot be completely cleared away. There will be serious lingering effects. Their limbs may remain paralyzed for the rest of their lives, leaving them confined to bed."

"How is that possible?" Wang Bingyan could not believe it, her voice suddenly rising to a shrill pitch. "My brother cannot become crippled for life! Master Mo, is there really no way to clear away all the poison?"

Master Mo shook his head. "Lifelong disability is already the best possible outcome. With my abilities, that is as much as I can do. I'm sorry."

"How could this happen?" Wang Bingyan was stunned, her face filled with unwillingness to accept it. Her gaze roamed around the Alchemy Guild hall as she demanded, "Is there really no one who can completely clear away the poison?"

The hall fell silent. Everyone knew that Wang Bingyan was merely indulging in a fool's dream. If even Master Mo could not completely clear away the poison, who else in the Qinghe City Alchemy Guild could?

Just then, however, Master Mo suddenly remembered something. He turned and called toward the back, "Young Master Su, do you have a way to deal with this darknight flower poison?"

Su Chen had been standing far back behind the crowd. Only at those words did he stroll forward, glance at the Wang Family's young master and the commoner boy, and say, "Darknight flower poison isn't difficult to clear away."

"You can do it?" Master Mo's spirits lifted. Su Chen had truly given him far too many surprises.

Su Chen smiled without answering. Darknight flower was a weed found everywhere, yet it contained a deadly poison. Many people could not distinguish it from other weeds and would often gather it to prepare food, poisoning themselves in the process.

Both patients before him had consumed excessive amounts of darknight flower, and the poison had already spread to their hearts and lungs. By the current standards of alchemy in Clear River City, they were beyond saving.

But to the Dust Pill Emperor, these two had merely consumed slightly excessive amounts of darknight flower. Even if they had eaten a full ten jin of it, Su Chen could restore them to perfect health, provided he wished to.

"You?" Wang Bingyan had not noticed Su Chen's presence at first. Only now did she spot him. Her slender brows shot up, and she said with disgust, "Who do you think you are, spouting such outrageous nonsense here? This has nothing to do with you. Get out of the way."

Master Mo urged, "Miss Wang, why not let Young Master Su take a look? His attainments in alchemy are considerable. If he says this, he must be quite confident."

With so many people present, Master Mo could hardly say outright that Su Chen's attainments in alchemy surpassed his own. For one thing, Su Chen wanted to keep a low profile. For another, even if he said it, many people would never believe him.

Thus, Master Mo could only put it tactfully and say that Su Chen's attainments in alchemy were considerable.

An ordinary person might have considered Master Mo's suggestion after hearing that and allowed Su Chen to examine the patients.

Wang Bingyan, however, rolled her eyes dramatically on the spot and answered with a sneer. "Who does your Alchemy Guild think it's fooling? If you look down on our Wang Family, just say so! As guild president, you refuse to neutralize the poison yourself and instead drag out someone who isn't even an alchemy apprentice to treat my brother. Are you trying to kill him?"

Master Mo frowned slightly, displeased. "When have I ever deceived anyone in my entire life? Your brother's condition is getting worse by the moment. I am offering you a well-intentioned suggestion: ask Young Master Su to treat him at once. If you delay, you will regret it."

Wang Bingyan said coldly, "Master Mo, your Alchemy Guild has gone too far in bullying us. Let me make myself clear today. Either you neutralize the poison yourself and guarantee that my brother won't be crippled for life, or I will immediately go outside and tell everyone in Clear River City how the Alchemy Guild treats human lives like weeds and stands by while people die." At those words, the middle-aged commoner's face turned ashen. He pleaded, "Honored alchemist, could you... could you treat them both together? While you're treating the young master, could you treat my son too? I... he's my only son. I don't want him to die..."

Wang Bingyan said coldly, "Master Mo, your Alchemy Guild has gone too far in bullying us. Let me make myself clear today. Either you neutralize the poison yourself and guarantee that my brother won't be crippled for life, or I will immediately go outside and tell everyone in Clear River City how the Alchemy Guild treats human lives like weeds and stands by while people die."