Chapter 194: Leave it with her
Chapter 194: Leave it with her
That porcelain bottle had the very own Perplexing Butterfly Illusion connected to Long Feiye. It was a poison that concerned his entire life and contained a earthshaking secret. Tang Li knew that Long Feiye had brought Han Yunxi with him this time to test whether this woman was worth fostering by his side. Han Yunxi’s performance had truly proved that she was, but he never thought Long Feiye would directly toss her such an important item for study.
After all, no one else besides him and Chu Xifeng had ever seen this item.
In the past, Chu Xifeng had constantly given reminders that Han Yunxi was a mysterious woman. She seemed like a completely different person from the previous useless trash of the Han family and was highly suspicious. Additionally, her mother’s origins were unknown beyond having some connections with the medical academy.
In other words, this woman wasn’t someone simple. Neither was she safe.
Tang Li wanted to stop him, but Long Feiye barred the way with his swift glare. It was also difficult for him to say too much with Han Yunxi present, so he could only shut his mouth resentfully. Han Yunxi was puzzled as soon as she caught the little porcelain bottle. Usually when there was poison nearby, she’d knew right away. But she’d already opened up the bottle and sniffed it a few times without finding any poison. Even the poison pond in Medicine Forest had given her a reaction when she couldn’t recognize the toxins. But the transparent liquid in this bottle was unfathomable.
Weird!
Is this really poison? Han Yunxi looked doubtfully at Long Feiye and asked, “What’s this called and where’s it from?”
Tang Li immediately turned vigilant, while Long Feiye remained calm. “Once you figure out what it is, just tell your lordship.” The meaning behind the words was that she didn’t need to know so many details.
“What do you want to know?” Han Yunxi asked again.
“Toxicity, make-up, antidote, as well as how long it’s been in that bottle,” Long Feiye said seriously.
A complicated look flitted past Han Yunxi’s eyes before she asked, “How are you sure this thing is poison?”
Unexpectedly, Long Feiye took a bit of the liquid and dripped it onto the body of the female poison master. Immediately, the venom spread to corrode the skin, flesh, and bones of the body. A complete corpse vanished into thin air just like that, leaving nothing behind but wisps of greenish-blue smoke that gave off a strange and delicate scent. Soon enough, the smoke and fragrance both disappeared. After witnessing such a horrific sight, Han Yunxi backed up a few steps as she felt a chill all over. This thing was 100 times more potent than high concentrations of modern day sulphuric acids!
Poison, this had to be the most horrific poison she’d ever seen!
By now, Long Feiye had taken out another sample of poisonous liquid and had Tang Li bring in a different corpse. Han Yunxi watched silently as the liquid touched the body and melted through the clothes, skin, and flesh to pieces, leaving nothing but white bones behind. They too, gave off a delicate fragrance, but it was a completely different scent than the smoke from before.
“This is the poison created by that female poison master, called…” Before Long Feiye could finish, Han Yunxi could already guess his intentions. She cut him off mid-sentence.
“This is Bone Fragrance, it can melt through skin, flesh, and hair and only leave the bones behind. This type of poison is very cruel and rarely seen, but though it looks similar to the poison in your bottle, they’re actually completely different!”
After witnessing Han Yunxi’s professional skills, Long Feiye didn’t find her words curious. His deep eyes flashed with relief; at the very least, the death of the female poison master wasn’t a complete waste today. Since the two poisons were completely different, they wouldn’t have gotten much information from the poison master’s mouth anyways. Giving the Perplexing Butterfly Illusion to Han Yunxi shouldn’t be a bad choice.
But Tang Li raised an eyebrow as he surveyed Han Yunxi. “You’re sure they’re different? Don’t they both melt things away?” He’d long heard of Han Yunxi’s poison skills, but he’d never seen them in person.
Han Yunxi didn’t answer him, but took out a few small bottles from her medical pouch and applied them in proper order on the corpse, explaining as she demonstrated.
“This is specially used for melting away hair.”
“This is specially used for melting away skin.”
“This is specially used for melting away bone.”
… …
By the time she finished, the corpse had turned into something unspeakable. Han Yunxi’s face was full of sincerity before she took out another bottle. “I have Bone Fragrance too!” So speaking, she poured some on the corpse, who reacted in the same way it had before.
Han Yunxi laid out her bottles on the table in a straight line as she explained the various types of poisons and its effects on the corpse. She showed thorough familiarity with the subject as she expounded on poison efficacy, makeup, color, and scents in detail. Long Feiye listened intently, while Tang Li had long been left staring tongue-tied. A scene like this could terrify a man, to say nothing of a woman. But Han Yunxi was single-heartedly absorbed, serious, and earnest, possessing a charm that made it hard for people to look away.
Tang Li had always looked down on women, but now he finally realized how much he’d underestimated this one. Finally, he understood that she wasn’t someone you could offend easily. Just think, how fearsome was the woman who could could take out a slew of fatal poisons capable of melting a live person into nothing but broken bits?
“All of these poisons have corrosive properties, but they leave behind sediment in their wake, even the one for hair. Moreover, the poison effects wouldn’t spread to encompass the entire body, but only take effect on the place of application. But your bottle didn’t leave any traces behind; additionally, a single drop expanded outwards to completely destroy an entire corpse. The poison’s reaction method and efficacy are completely different, so its make-up must differ as well. Thus, the two types of poisons you previously brought up are completely incomparable.”
Long Feiye nodded thoughtfully as he listened. Han Yunxi paused for a bit before calmly speaking the truth. “Your Highness, if you hadn’t brought it up, I wouldn’t have been able to tell that this thing had poison. I don’t know anything about it, so if you’re in a hurry to find answers, I can’t give them.”
This was the first time Han Yunxi had encountered a completely foreign poison. She really wanted to keep it for herself for further study, but she would only admit her skills for what they were without exaggeration. It seemed like this was no small matter to Long Feiye, so she had to make things clear from the start. Unexpectedly, Long Feiye suddenly broke into soft laughter. “Hehe, I’ll just leave it with you. Your lordship isn’t in a rush.”
Han Yunxi was caught off-guard, not by Long Feiye’s words, but by his laugh. If she remembered correctly, this should be her first time seeing such an honest smile on his face. All the smiles before it had been sneers or coldly taunting.
When ice from a millenia melted in an instant and brought Spring to the lands for life to flourish, was it just as beautiful as this? Just as warm?
So even this Giant Iceberg knew how to smile, too.
—
When they left, Han Yunxi spotted the Poison Human corpses at the gates and asked Long Feiye if they were subordinates of Northern Li’s Duke of Kang, to which he nodded.
“This man is too dangerous. Exactly what does he want to do?” Han Yunxi asked.
He nurtured Poison Humans, Poison Corpses, and Poison Gu. Though Poison Humans were the most basic level of poison nurturers, to be able to make so many wasn’t an easy task! If you asked Han Yunxi to make her own right now, she wouldn’t have the skills, because she didn’t know how to nurture poisons despite having them on hand. She felt faintly uneasy. Northern Li’s Duke of Kang had to have a plot on hand, a big one.
Han Yunxi’s worries were precisely Long Feiye’s thoughts. He turned to looked at the corpse strewn mountain village and raised his sword, carving a symbol of his status onto the door with a cold tone. “This time, your lordship refuses to believe that I can’t force him out!”
They were very close to Medicine City from here, so this was probably one of the Duke of Kang’s hidden base of operations. That female poison master was one of his competent assistants as well. After Long Feiye had used a night’s work to assassinate the village, he didn’t believe that the Duke of Kang could endure things without taking the initiative for a counterattack! He dared to keep spies in Tianning and hit the woman that belonged to him. Jun Yixie, your lordship wants you to feel too late to repent!
When Han Yunxi saw the bloodthirsty curve of Long Feiye’s cold lips, she felt an involuntary chill. The bright smile she saw on him before must have been a mistake. This fellow was icy down to his very bones. How could he ever be warm?
Tang Li followed them all the way to the outskirts of the capital city. Han Yunxi could clearly feel that he felt less disdain for her than before. At the very least, he’d stopped making sarcastic comments. Tang Li wasn’t planning on entering the city, but tossed Han Yunxi a bag of things before he left. Han Yunxi hurriedly caught it, only to feel a substantial weight. When she opened it up, she found a big pile of needles in all sorts of patterns and styles. The material was extremely first-rate, much better than the ones Tang Li had tossed onto the stone table before!
“For me?” Han Yunxi was surprised.
“Not bad with the Pear Blossom Rain Needles. You didn’t lose face for this young master, so it’s your reward,” Tang Li said arrogantly.
Despite his haughty attitude, he was still praising her. The Tang Clan’s assassination weapons weren’t just available to anyone. Even if two weapons had the same pattern and style, the ones from the Tang Clan make would be far more meticulous, fine, and easy to use.
Han Yunxi skipped all the niceties and said, “Thanks.”
“If you dip the weapons in poison, it can make up for any lack of accuracy and protect you temporarily,” Tang Li added.
This matched perfectly with Han Yunxi’s views. Delighted, she spoke whatever came into her head. “Stay a few days in the capital, you can teach me how to use these things on the side.”
At her words, Long Feiye looked down from his position on the horse, his eyebrows furrowing. Han Yunxi was completely oblivious, still in the midst of her happiness. Tang Li was stunned. Long Feiye said he’d teach her how to use needles as weapons if she made it back alive. It was rare for the high and mighty His Highness Duke of Qin to personally instruct someone. How many women in the world dreamed of such a chance? Han Yunxi, your memory’s a little too bad like this, isn’t it?
When he saw Long Feiye’s icy face again, Tang Li couldn’t help but shiver. He immediately turned around his horse and waved before beating it out of there. He thought that Chu Xifeng’s suspicions had some merit. Long Feiye really seemed to have “taken a fancy” to this woman.
Seeing Tang Li leave without a word, Han Yunxi only felt baffled. She collected the big bag of needles before realizing that Long Feiye had spent a long time silent behind her. That’s right, this fellow said he’d teach her how to use these needles before. Unconsciously, Han Yunxi turned back, only to see those deep, fathomless eyes staring at her coldly.
“Your Highness…” Han Yunxi felt that she needed to explain things, but she couldn’t say the words.
Long Feiye didn’t speak, but raised his head to look straight ahead. Instead of switching to a carriage, he rode their horse directly into the city. Right now it was afternoon, the most lively time of day. A fine horse was already an attractive sight, but the man and woman atop it drew everyone’s gazes to them as well. He possessed the looks of a handsome Immortal from the Heavens, while she had beauty to rival an entire city, teeming with elegance and intellectual brilliance. Those who didn’t recognize them them could only marvel at the Heaven-matched pair, while those who did were utterly amazed.
The rumors were true!
Han Yunxi really was favored. She could even ride on the same horse as the Duke of Qin. Heavens, did this count as His Highness Duke of Qin publicly recognizing this esteemed wangfei?