The blade slashed forward, cutting through the skin on Yang Tie's neck, and a thin line of blood slowly slid down.
"If you can't explain it, I'll hang your head on the city wall tonight."
Yang Tie's Adam's apple bobbed.
Instead of backing away, he reached into the lining of his sheepskin coat and pulled out a porcelain bottle about the size of a thumb.
Chisang's gaze remained fixed on the porcelain bottle, the tip of his knife still on it.
"This is the elixir of immortality you were talking about?"
"General Chisang."
Yang Tie's voice was hoarse, but his tone was very steady.
"Ordinary people, of course, cannot recognize the wonders of nature. In the Great Yan of Dayan, one of these red pills can sell for three hundred taels of gold."
He paused deliberately at this point.
Chisang didn't urge him, but just stared at the porcelain bottle in his hand.
Yang Tie had already realized that what the leader was truly interested in was not the elixir itself, but the power behind it.
He gripped the bottle's mouth tightly, then suddenly raised his hand and smashed the porcelain bottle into the brazier.
The porcelain shards shattered, and a dozen or so red pills rolled into the charcoal fire.
Flames suddenly shot up, and bluish-green smoke spread along the ground.
The sweet aroma was mingled with the spicy, bloody scent, and the air in the stone chamber immediately became sticky.
The guard closest to the brazier swallowed hard, the veins on the back of his hand bulging.
The second person frowned and rubbed his temples.
The third man gripped the knife tighter and tighter, his knuckles turning white.
The last person kept his head down, and his nostrils twitched slightly.
Chisang took half a step back.
He didn't inhale much smoke, but he could already sense the old, dormant internal energy in his dantian stirring.
My chest felt tight, and I heard a few soft cracking sounds from my knuckles.
"Sheathe your sword."
He raised his hand to restrain the guards behind him.
Yang Tie saw his reaction and a slight smile appeared on his lips.
"General, the shaman is right."
These things are indeed poisonous.
Chisang narrowed his eyes.
Yang Tie continued, "But medicine can save lives, and it can also kill. It all depends on who controls it. You've seen the effects; this is only the first stage. Give me some more time, and I'll definitely surprise you."
"What would you like?"
"A quiet room."
Yang Tie held up three fingers.
"And the best medicinal herbs, and ten women of pure health."
The stone chamber fell silent.
Chisang's gaze towards him changed.
Do you know what you're saying?
"I know," Yang Tie replied. "The true trump card that the Great Yan royal family has in suppressing all sides has never been those armored soldiers."
He looked up at Chisang and began to spout nonsense.
"It's the Pure Yang Blood Baleful Method left behind by the founding emperor."
"Using the heart's blood of a pure virgin as a guide, combined with snow lotus from the snow mountain and century-old ginseng, it is refined into an elixir. After taking it, one's bones and muscles become strong, pain sensation is dulled, and one's strength can be sustained for several hours."
Chisang's fingers slowly tightened around the hilt of the sword.
You're saying the Great Yan royal family has such a thing?
"Whether the royal family exists or not, the commander-in-chief will naturally find out in the future," Yang Tie replied. "If I'm lying, you can skin me alive then."
Chisang stared at him for a moment, then suddenly laughed.
"You're talking like a madman more than Lalong."
He sheathed his sword.
"But I like madmen."
Chisang turned around and ordered his guards, "Take him to the pharmacy. Search him thoroughly; leave no bottles or jars on him."
"Archers will be stationed outside the stone chamber. Half the medicinal herbs will be given to him first. Ten assassins will be assigned to keep watch on him."
He looked at Yang Tie again.
If you can't produce what I want, I'll personally skin you alive and make a saddle for you.
Yang Tie bowed respectfully.
"This humble subject thanks the General for the generous reward."
Half an hour later, a fire was lit in the stone chamber of the inner fortress of Silver City.
A bronze medicine cauldron was placed over the fire, and inside the cauldron was animal blood that had already cooled.
Yang Tie held a small steel knife in his hand.
He chopped up several dark brown poisonous herbs, and tore the century-old snow lotus sent by Chisang into thin strips, then added them one by one to the blood.
Three archers stood outside the stone chamber.
They watched Yang Tie's every move through the iron bars, and the quantity of medicinal herbs was counted one by one.
Every time Yang Tie reached out his hand, someone outside would keep a record of it.
He did not show any dissatisfaction.
The more cautious Chisang, the more it showed that the bottle of red pills had already left a mark on his mind.
The medicinal broth in the cauldron began to churn, and the smell of blood gradually overpowered the aroma of the herbs.
Yang Tie lowered his head, concealing his right hand with his sleeve, and took out a tiny oil paper packet from a hidden pocket at his waist.
The paper packet contained a white powder so fine it was almost invisible.
Soul-Severing Agent.
This is something he figured out after half a lifetime of experimentation.
After continuous inhalation in a confined space, a person's sleep will first be disrupted, then they will become irritable, and finally gradually lose their judgment.
The onset time varies from person to person.
Incense is not a cure; it can only temporarily suppress the symptoms.
Therefore, Yang Tie had to take control of the pharmacy, control the dosage, and make Chisang believe that every time things went out of control, it was due to the power of the miraculous medicine.
He poured the white powder into the cauldron.
The aroma of medicine rose...
Three days later, the stone gate opened.
Chisang, accompanied by his deputy, strode into the pharmacy.
The medicine cauldron had been removed, and a Tubo guard who had taken a pill stood in the center of the stone chamber.
That man was named Gehale, and he was the most skilled in hard martial arts among Chisang guards.
He was shirtless, with veins bulging under his skin, bloodshot eyes, and breathing much heavier than usual.
Chisang glanced at Yang Tie.
"Start."
The lieutenant drew his long sword.
Gehale stood still, without dodging.
The back of the blade cleaved his chest.
A muffled thud echoed through the stone chamber.
The muscles in Gele's chest tensed suddenly, the longsword was deflected, leaving a whitish gash on his skin.
There was no sign of pain on his face.
The lieutenant hesitated for a moment, and was about to strike again, Yang Tie suddenly spoke up, "Enough."
Chisang raised his hand to stop the deputy general.
Gele looked down at his chest, seemingly unaware of the injury.
He raised his hand and pushed the back of the knife away, his movement faster than usual.
A trace of blood seeped from the edge of the white mark.
Yang Tie saw it, but didn't warn anyone.
This is not invulnerability to swords and bullets.
The medication simply forced the muscles to tighten, suppressing the pain.
Chisang did not see that thin line of blood.
He only saw Gele standing there, saw the long sword deflected, and saw the fanaticism in the guards' eyes.
"Miracle drug!"
Chisang laughed loudly, the sound so loud that the water accumulated on the stone wall fell down.
"It truly is a miracle drug!"
He strode up to Yang Tie and slapped Yang Tie on the shoulder.
"From this day forward, you are my right-hand man!"
"You want medicinal herbs? I'll give you medicinal herbs. You want women? I'll get you women too."
Yang Tie bowed, his posture so humble that not a trace of sharpness could be seen.
"This humble subject is willing to serve the Commander-in-Chief with utmost loyalty."
He lowered his head, glancing at Gehale out of the corner of his eye.
The guard stood in the firelight, his eyes vacant, his nostrils twitching slightly.
He smelled the incense from Yang Tie's sleeve, and his breathing became steady as he smelled the fragrance.
Yang Tie withdrew his gaze.
The Soul-Severing Agent has already entered Silver City.
As long as Chisang continues to test the drugs, the number of people going out of control will only increase.
Parents, wife, children...
Heaven is helping me!
The chance to avenge you has come so quickly!
[Thanks to: LEC's Xiuer, Xu Li's Milk Tea x4, Tianfa's Update Urging Charm, Summoning, Grass God, Chunfeng's Milk Tea, Zhao Lao's Likes, Xiang Shui's Likes + Flowers x3, Oh Oh's Flowers, and everyone else for their love and support!]