For nearly a hundred years, the war between the Great Xia and the Northern Desert has never truly stopped.
Every time a war began, the Imperial Court would raise taxes and levy grain, making life harder for the common people. It was anyone’s guess where much of the extra tax money even went.
But despite all the fighting, the border remained at a standstill. Meanwhile, the Northern Desert Da Kuo Royal Court and the Southern Barbarian Hundred Races only grew stronger.
The ones who died were always the common soldiers and citizens; the ones who got rich were always the officials and merchants profiteering from the war.
Another young man, who looked like a scholar, suddenly spoke up, his voice clear and bright. "If you ask me, His Majesty is scared!"
Everyone turned to look at him, a little astonished.
The scholar took a sip of his tea and said unhurriedly, "The wars in the north and south are not going well. Although many elite Imperial Guards were dispatched, they were all sent with scant supplies. What kind of war can you fight under those conditions? It’s clear he just wants to hide in his shell, not actually fight the enemy."
The teahouse fell silent. Upon reflection, many people thought he had a point.
The scholar continued, "I actually think what some of you said earlier was right. His Majesty is just putting on a show, and he’s also a little scared. After all, so many Princes and Princesses have met with misfortune recently. Even the Empress and his Chief Wet Nurse are gone. How could His Majesty not be afraid?"
His words were like a stone tossed into a pond, sending out a thousand ripples.
A flurry of discussion broke out. The more people thought about it, the more sense it made, especially with some individuals fanning the flames.
The rumors spread like wildfire.
From teahouses to taverns, from the city streets to private manors, more and more people began to wonder if Emperor Xia had truly been frightened into submission.
Meanwhile, Emperor Xia, deep within the Deep Palace, was completely unaware that he had become the "cowardly emperor" and the "timid emperor" in the mouths of the common folk... an emperor seen as worse than a woman.
He had suffered such a great loss—even his own Empress had been deposed, and his Chief Wet Nurse was dead... yet he was still hiding, not daring to retaliate fiercely. It was an utter disgrace.
However, as the rumors continued to spread, with certain people adding fuel to the fire, it was only a matter of time before they reached Emperor Xia’s ears.
And given Emperor Xia’s temperament, not only Xia Wuyang, but even the Northern Desert Da Kuo Royal Court and the Southern Barbarian Hundred Races were looking forward to seeing what he would do then.
Therefore, in this matter, Xia Wuyang would be cooperating with the Northern Desert Da Kuo Royal Court and the Southern Barbarian Hundred Races through a tacit understanding.
「Wenhua Hall, in the Practice Room.」
「11:45 PM.」 All was deathly silent.
Xia Wuyang sat cross-legged on the Jade Couch, his aura as contained and deep as the ocean.
Four hundred and twenty points of Spiritual Power swirled like a Star River. Many of the points of starlight were exceptionally bright, linking together to form a massive vortex.
Ten days had passed since his last epiphany, and Xia Wuyang was once again on the verge of another one.
At the center of the vortex, countless insights about medicinal herbs, toxicity, pathology, and Pill Formulas violently collided and merged.
This was the culmination of his months of research on the Heart-devouring Poison. It began with piecing together fragments from ancient scrolls, then personally examining the poison in Pan Mo’s body, and followed with countless deductions, trials, errors, and refinements. The painstaking effort of many days and nights, now catalyzed by an epiphany from his Seven-Aperture Exquisite Talent, was finally about to be fully synthesized and bear fruit.
HUMMM...
It was as if ten thousand pill furnaces were roaring in his mind at once. Countless images, too many to number, flashed past.
He pinched a dash of dark-red poison powder between his fingers, sniffing it gently and identifying the seven main ingredients and thirteen auxiliary herbs...
He sent his True Qi into Pan Mo’s heart meridian, sensing how the poison, clinging as stubbornly as a deep-seated ulcer, slowly eroded her life force...
He stood before the Pill Furnace, trying again and again, failing and starting over, the furnace fire reflecting off his focused and determined profile...
All these scattered insights were now being drawn together, converged, and sublimated by an invisible force... they were becoming one.
An unknown amount of time passed before a complete antidote for the Heart-devouring Poison slowly took shape in Xia Wuyang’s mind, along with solutions for many similar types of poisons.
It wasn’t just a single Pill Formula, but a complete theory of detoxification that covered a large number of related poisons and incapacitating drugs.
The Heart-devouring Poison was difficult to cure because its toxicity was not fixed. It constantly changed along with the host’s Qi Blood circulation, as if it were a living thing.
Ordinary antidotes could often only neutralize the poison temporarily. Once the poison changed, the antidote would become ineffective and could even trigger a toxic backlash, leading to even more severe consequences.
Such poisons were not uncommon, and every one of them was extremely difficult to deal with.
The solution Xia Wuyang had deduced was divided into three steps.
The first step was to lock the poison. This involved using Thousand-year Cold Jade to suppress the heart meridian and slow the poison’s spread, which would treat the symptoms.
The second step was to trace its origin. This used a Secret Technique to track the poison’s pattern of change and deduce its original form, thus finding its root cause.
The third step was to transform the poison. A special Pill Formula would be used for Refining the Heart-Protecting Pill. This pill did not directly neutralize the poison. Instead, it would merge into the host’s Qi Blood and adapt alongside the poison’s changes, following it like a shadow. It would gradually neutralize and convert the Heart-devouring Poison into non-toxic Essence Qi, which would then nourish the host and bring benefits. This was why it was called "Heart-Protecting."
This method was incomparably ingenious, a truly unprecedented approach with effects that surpassed all imagination.
What surprised Xia Wuyang even more was that in the process of deducing the antidote, his understanding of medicinal properties, pathology, and the Alchemy Dao had also advanced by leaps and bounds.
His Companion Talent, Alchemy Genius, complemented his Supreme Talent, Seven-Aperture Exquisite. Together, they allowed him to faintly grasp the deeper mysteries of the Alchemy Dao. It was not just about Alchemy, but a deeper understanding of life and the world itself. This would have an extraordinary effect on the future improvement of his Alchemy Skill.
Reaching Middle Level Spirit Pill Master, High Level Spirit Pill Master... and even Top Level Spirit Pill Master no longer seemed to have any major obstacles for him. He just needed to advance step by step.
’So that’s how it is. I understand...’
Xia Wuyang slowly opened his eyes. A glazed, colored light swirled within them, revealing an indescribable depth and ancient wisdom.
He opened his palm, and with a slight thought, a wisp of pale green energy rose from it. It slowly condensed in the air, forming the illusory shape of a Heart-devouring Grass.
The leaves of the grass swayed, its poison glands slightly open. It was astonishingly lifelike.
This was a toxicity model he had simulated with his Spiritual Power. He could manipulate its changes at will to verify his detoxification theories, and the effect was quite good.
"It’s done," Xia Wuyang murmured to himself, the corners of his mouth finally curving into a long-awaited smile.
Pan Mo could be saved. She wouldn’t have to suffer anymore. By following these three steps, the Heart-devouring Poison in her body could be completely eradicated in a month at most.
Moreover, because the poison would be converted into Essence Qi during the transformation process, her damaged heart meridian would not only be repaired, but her Cultivation might even improve as a blessing in disguise, bringing her considerable benefits.
He dispelled the model and rose to his feet, walking over to the Pill Furnace.
The ingredients for the Heart-Protecting Pill had long been prepared. There were dozens of them, each one incredibly precious. He had "borrowed" more than half of them from the Imperial Palace Inner Treasury, and some of the herbs were the same as those for the Heart-Opening Pill.
Now that he had completely comprehended the Pill Formula, Refining the pill would be a natural next step, with no particular difficulty.

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