"Hmph." Chen Xiao snorted through his nose, neither agreeing nor disagreeing.
"Your hand? Uh..." Tai Long suddenly noticed Chen Xiao's hand, which had turned dark black due to poisoning. After a moment of thought, he asked, "Is it Coagulating Blood Powder?"
"Mhm," Chen Xiao replied.
"I apologize on behalf of Xiao Zuo, but rest assured, I will deliver the antidote to 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 were almost furrowed together, his expression grave. What was the Left family's true objective?
Having humiliated and beaten Zuo Youren like this, the Left family would surely lose face and would not let this matter rest. Yet now they claimed that Old Master Zuo admired him. Even a fool could see that this was a lie meant to fool a child. What were their intentions in trying to win me over? What conspiracy was hidden within all this?
As Chen Xiao frowned in deep thought, he suddenly felt movement within his dantian. Upon checking, he saw that the God Slaying Book was reacting for the second time within a single day, flashing red light.
Chen Xiao immediately focused his divine sense on it. After a period of shaking, the God Slaying Book slowly unfolded a new page, revealing the words "Detoxification Pill."
"Detoxification Pill," a second-grade pill, capable of curing all poisons. Below it were detailed descriptions of the herbs required for refining the Detoxification Pill and the refining steps.
"Could it be that this God Slaying Book knows that the toxins in my body cannot be expelled and wants me to refine the pills myself to detoxify? This is too human-like!"
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 Sage Wuze, but also his consciousness?
The thought sent shivers down Chen Xiao's spine. Imagine having a "thing" with self-awareness existing within your body, constantly monitoring you. Anyone would feel uneasy.
"Brother Xiao..." Just then, a weak call disturbed Chen Xiao's thoughts. Chen Xiao looked towards the sound and saw that Wang Ke had woken up. He looked at Chen Xiao with a bewildered expression and asked weakly, "What happened to me?"
Chen Xiao stepped forward to help Wang Ke up, then woke up Xiao Liuzi. Afterward, he explained the entire incident 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 black. Anyone could see that he was seriously poisoned.
He then felt ashamed and regretful for his own lack of vigilance: "Brother Xiao, it's all my fault for being so stupid, which led to you being in this state. Wang Ke even reminded me that there was a trap, but I was too foolish to see it."
Wang Ke showed a wry smile and said helplessly, "What good would it have done if we saw it? Wouldn't we still have fallen into the trap like you? Blaming ourselves now is useless. We should focus on finding a way to detoxify Brother Xiao."
Chen Xiao had no intention of blaming them from the beginning. Instead, he felt that he had implicated them. Hearing their self-reproach and concerned words now, he was deeply moved.
To prevent them from worrying further, Chen Xiao comforted them, "We learn from our mistakes. We'll be more careful in the future. Besides, this poison isn't much for me; it won't be able to stop me."
Xiao Liuzi actually believed this. In his eyes, there was truly nothing that could stop Chen Xiao.
Chen Xiao felt that after his rebirth, these two friends were truly worth knowing. He said with some emotion, "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 both inspired by the aura Chen Xiao unconsciously exuded, and a sense of pride arose within them. At this moment, they had no doubt about Chen Xiao's words. Although they were still nobodies now, they believed that one day they would strive to carve out their own piece of the sky.
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 flashed across Chen Xiao's lips. Xiao Liuzi even stepped forward and kicked them a couple of times, 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 Talisman Master, Chen Xiao could not take the exam for now. The poisoned arm was festering more severely, and he planned to refine the Detoxification 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 himself was more reliable.
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 could refine pills, then he certainly could.
However, Xiao Liuzi's admiration for Chen Xiao increased. His talisman drawing skills were top-notch, his combat power was super strong, and he could even refine pills. What was there that Chen Xiao couldn't do in this world?
Wang Ke's reaction was the same as Xiao Liuzi's. The status of an alchemist was incredibly noble. His most direct impression was from when their tribe had hosted an alchemist in the past. The people in the tribe 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 that he knew an alchemist, the people there would be incredibly envious of him.
Chen Xiao looked at the astonished pair and said casually, "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 Zhengyi Pavilion, Chen Xiao still had not seen Old Master Wang. The occasional sounds coming from the talisman drawing room indicated that Old Master 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, but he didn't pay much attention and headed straight to his room on the second floor.
"Gold and Silver Grass, one qian; Wolfsbane seeds, one qian two fen; Blood-patterned root, one inch. Steady!" Chen Xiao prepared the medicinal ingredients, 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 unwillingly.
He placed the medicinal ingredients into the cauldron, then lit the fire, and subsequently released his vital energy to control the heat. The steps appeared simple, but the operation was exceptionally difficult.
Chen Xiao carefully channeled his vital energy to control the heat. His usually nimble hands became clumsy when performing these operations.
Moreover, normal people refined pills using both hands simultaneously, but he could only use one hand now, which significantly increased the difficulty.
"It seems the saying 'every trade has its specialty' is absolutely true. In my previous life, I looked down on alchemy, thinking it was not only a waste of time but also lacked any challenge. Only now, doing it, do I realize how ignorant I was, how ridiculous."
Chen Xiao sighed with a sense of enlightenment.
"Bang!"
Finally, with a muffled sound, a few wisps of black smoke drifted out of the medicine cauldron, and a burnt smell immediately permeated the air.
Chen Xiao quickly opened the medicine 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!