"Hmph," Chen Xiao snorted through his nose, neither confirming nor denying.
"Your hand? Uh..." Tai Long suddenly noticed Chen Xiao's hand, which had turned black from poisoning, and after a moment of thought, asked, "Is it Coagulant Powder?"
"Mmm," Chen Xiao replied.
"I apologize on behalf of Xiao Zuo, but rest assured, I will deliver the antidote to the Zhengyi Pavilion shortly." Without waiting for Chen Xiao's response, Tai Long picked up the unconscious Zuo Youren and quickly departed.
After Tai Long left, Chen Xiao's brows furrowed, his expression heavy. What were the Zuo family's intentions?
I had humiliated and beaten Zuo Youren so thoroughly; the Zuo family would surely lose face and would not let this matter rest. Yet, they now claimed that Old Master Zuo admired me. It was obvious to anyone that this was nonsense meant to fool a child. What were their motives for trying to win me over? What conspiracy was hidden within all this?
As Chen Xiao frowned in thought, he suddenly felt movement in his dantian. Upon checking, he saw that the God-Slaying Book was reacting for the second time within a day, flashing a red light.
Chen Xiao immediately focused his divine sense on it. After a moment of trembling, the God-Slaying Book slowly unfurled to a new page, revealing the words "Detoxifying Pill."
"Detoxifying Pill," a second-grade pill, capable of dispelling all poisons. Below it were detailed records of the herbs required to refine the Detoxifying Pill and the refining steps.
"Could it be that the God-Slaying Book knows that the toxins in my body cannot be expelled and wants me to refine the pill myself? Is it that sentient?!"
Chen Xiao scratched his head, a guess forming in his mind: Could it be that the God-Slaying Book not only contained the inheritance formed by the soul of the Enlightened Sage, but also his consciousness?
The thought sent shivers down Chen Xiao's spine. Imagine having a conscious "thing" residing within your body, constantly monitoring you; anyone would be unnerved.
"Brother Xiao..." Just then, a weak call disrupted Chen Xiao's thoughts. Chen Xiao looked over and saw that Wang Ke had woken up, looking at him with a bewildered expression, and asked weakly, "What happened to me?"
Chen Xiao stepped forward to help Wang Ke up, then called out to Xiao Liuzi. He then explained the events to them.
However, he did not mention Tai Long, only saying that Zuo Youren had cunningly escaped. He also did not go into detail about how severe his poisoning was, to avoid worrying them.
"That despicable scoundrel!" Xiao Liuzi cursed fiercely. Chen Xiao's palm was already festering and blackened; anyone could see he was severely poisoned.
He then felt ashamed and regretful for his lack of vigilance: "Brother Xiao, it's all my fault for being so foolish, for causing you to end up like this. Wang Ke even warned me that it was a trap, but I was too stupid to see it."
Wang Ke offered a wry smile and said helplessly, "What good would it have done even if we saw it? We would have fallen into the same trap as you. Regretting it now is useless; we should focus on finding a way to detoxify Brother Xiao."
Chen Xiao had no intention of blaming them from beginning to end. Instead, he felt that he had implicated them. Hearing their self-reproaching and concerned words now, his heart was deeply touched.
To prevent them from worrying further, Chen Xiao comforted them, "We learn from our mistakes; we just need to be careful in the future. Besides, this poison isn't much for me; it won't stump me."
Xiao Liuzi believed this. In his eyes, there was truly nothing that could stump Chen Xiao.
Chen Xiao felt that his friendship with these two was not in vain since his rebirth. He said emotionally, "Moreover, I'll make this clear today: one day, the three of us will become existences that no one in the Tianfeng Kingdom dares to provoke!"
Wang Ke and Xiao Liuzi were infected by the aura Chen Xiao unconsciously exuded, a sense of pride welling up within them. At this moment, they had no doubt about Chen Xiao's words. Although they were still insignificant figures now, they believed that one day they would strive to carve out their own path.
Afterward, the three were about to leave. Before departing, they saw Da Long and Er Long lying on the ground, occasionally letting out groans of pain. A cold smile flickered across Chen Xiao's lips. Xiao Liuzi even stepped forward and kicked them twice, spitting on their faces. Chen Xiao did not stop him; they had brought this upon themselves.
Although he had not obtained the certification of a Formation Master, Chen Xiao could not take the test for now. His poisoned arm was festering more and more severely, and he planned to refine a Detoxifying Pill himself according to the method in the God-Slaying Book.
Although Tai Long had said he would bring the antidote, Chen Xiao still felt that relying on oneself was the most dependable.
Chen Xiao took the two to the market to buy the necessary equipment for refining pills and purchased the medicinal herbs according to the prescription. Xiao Liuzi was puzzled, "Brother Xiao, what are you doing?"
Chen Xiao smiled and replied, "Refining pills, to detoxify."
Xiao Liuzi's eyes widened, and he exclaimed exaggeratedly, "You can refine pills too?!"
Although it was a question, Xiao Liuzi had no intention of doubting him. If Chen Xiao said he would refine pills, then he would definitely refine them.
However, Xiao Liuzi's admiration for Chen Xiao grew even more. His formation and talisman drawing skills were top-notch, his combat power was immense, and he could even refine pills. Was there anything in this world that Chen Xiao couldn't do?
Wang Ke's reaction was the same as Xiao Liuzi's. The status of an alchemist was incredibly noble. His most direct impression was that when their tribe had hosted an alchemist in the past, the tribesmen had treated him like a deity. Yet, even so, the alchemist was not satisfied with them and eventually left.
If he were to return to the tribe and say he knew an alchemist, the tribesmen would be incredibly envious of him.
Chen Xiao looked at the astonished pair and said nonchalantly, "To be honest, I've never refined pills before. This is my first time."
The two almost fell to the ground. "You can't play with us like this!"
Upon returning to the Zhengyi Pavilion, Chen Xiao still had not seen Elder Wang. The occasional sounds from the formation drawing room indicated that Elder Wang was still inside.
"This old man, if he put this much passion into cultivation, his cultivation would surely be much higher!" Chen Xiao muttered to himself, not paying much attention, and headed straight to his room on the second floor.
"Golden Silver Grass, one qian; Aconite seeds, one qian and two fen; Bloodline Root, one cun. Steady!" Chen Xiao prepared the herbs, took out the medicine cauldron, and took a deep breath.
Having lived two lives, his first attempt at refining pills was about to begin, albeit reluctantly.
He placed the herbs into the cauldron, then started the fire, and finally used his vital energy to control the heat. The steps looked simple, but the operation was exceptionally difficult.
Chen Xiao carefully channeled his vital energy to control the heat. His usually nimble hands suddenly became clumsy when performing these operations.
Moreover, normal people refined pills using both hands, but he could only use one hand now, significantly increasing the difficulty.
"It seems the saying 'specialization is key' is absolutely true. In my previous life, I disdained the art of alchemy, finding it not only a waste of time but also devoid of challenge. Only now, as I try it, do I realize how ignorant I was, how laughable."
Chen Xiao murmured with a sense of realization.
"Bang!"
Finally, with a dull thud, a few wisps of black smoke drifted out of the cauldron, and a burnt smell immediately filled the air.
Chen Xiao quickly opened the cauldron to look inside. He didn't see any pills, but instead, he saw a pile of black dregs.
Thus, Chen Xiao's first attempt at refining pills ended in failure, as expected!