Jiang Fei couldn’t afford to take this lightly.
If news of Old Man Ye Zhennan’s poisoning got out, the repercussions would be seismic—even a fool could see that.
This was the former head of Jincheng Military District, one of the most revered elder statesmen in the armed forces. Even retired, he remained a national treasure!
Someone had poisoned Ye Zhennan. Not just any poison, but something insidious, calculated to kill him slowly. The motives behind this—the grudges, the stakes—made Jiang Fei’s scalp prickle.
That’s why he’d cleared the room before speaking.
Whoever could slip poison into a high-security military sanatorium had resources and reach. Ears could be anywhere; caution was non-negotiable.
He’d informed Ye Zhennan first. Whether to go public was now the old man’s call.
What gnawed at Jiang Fei was the poison itself.
The name didn’t matter—poisons were legion, many unnamed, untraceable. But its properties…
Undetectable early on, even by advanced equipment. Gentle at first, then vicious. This wasn’t some backyard brew. It outclassed even the deadliest toxins from The Legend of the Condor Heroes.
Ye Zhennan’s face darkened with fury, though his weakened state dulled the effect. “Food poisoning? Don’t insult me.” The words came out icy, the killing intent beneath them unmistakable.
Jiang Fei didn’t need telling—the old lion was pissed.
And why wouldn’t he be? Being murdered in your sickbed wasn’t like fading from illness. Ye Zhennan had made peace with mortality decades ago. But this?
This was an indignity.
“You know who did it?” Jiang Fei asked.
Ye Zhennan shook his head. “No.”
Jiang Fei blinked. That venomous tone had fooled him into thinking the old man had suspects.
“Plenty want me dead,” Ye Zhennan mused, strangely energized by the revelation. “In my youth, I saved lives—and made enemies. Whoever couldn’t wait for nature to take its course… won’t be hard to find.”
His eyes narrowed to slits, glinting like knife-edges. Jiang Fei wisely kept silent. Their “friendship” didn’t extend to stepping into this minefield.
After a long pause, Ye Zhennan sighed. “Jiang Fei, you said I have a week. Is there… any hope?” The unspoken hung heavy: I can accept death. But not like this.
Jiang Fei straightened. “Had I caught it yesterday, 100% certainty. Now…” He hesitated. “The toxin’s spread. No guarantees.”
No sugarcoating. This poison was a slow fuse—today’s symptoms mimicked mild flu, but within 48 hours, Ye Zhennan would be comatose.
With Level 7 medical skills, Jiang Fei was outmatched. He’d need Level 8 to even attempt a cure. But grinding those last 22% proficiency points would take a month.
By then, Ye Zhennan would be ashes.
“So it ends like this,” the old man murmured, reading Jiang Fei’s face. He chuckled, more wry than afraid. “Just when my legs healed too. Don’t blame yourself, boy. You’re a doctor, not a god. At least I won’t die a fool.”
That glint returned to his eyes—a dying lion rallying for one last hunt. Someone would pay before the curtain fell.
“Whoa there,” Jiang Fei raised his hands. “I said uncertain, not impossible. Don’t write your will just yet.”
Pre-Shop System, he’d have admitted defeat. But now…
The Shop’s “Elixirs” section brimmed with antidotes. Nine-Flower Jade Dew Pills from Peach Blossom Island, White Cloud Bear Gall Pills from Hengshan Sect—all potent, though none specialized for this. They might suppress the toxin, not eradicate it.
“Poisoning’s easy. Curing’s the bitch,” Jiang Fei muttered, scrolling through inventory. He’d spend every last System Gold if it meant saving Ye Zhennan.
Not just from duty. Over these months, he’d grown genuinely fond of the old warrior.
“Wait…” Jiang Fei’s fingers froze mid-scroll. “What if we combine two?”
His eyes locked on two items: Bezoar Bloodclot Pill and Jade Dragon Storax Powder—Hu Qingniu’s legendary antidotes from Heaven Sword and Dragon Saber.
When the “Butterfly Valley Miracle Doctor” and his wife ingested the Three Insects Three Grasses Poison (a guaranteed killer), Zhang Wuji had revived them using this very combo, plus acupuncture.
Ye Zhennan’s poison was nasty, but surely no match for that.
“Got it!” Jiang Fei slammed his fist into his palm. “These two, plus the Divine Needle Eight Methods—we’ll purge that toxin like—”
