Chapter 50: Life-Devouring Powder

A busy morning passed in the blink of an eye. After lunch, Doctor Chen called Jin’er into the study.

“Jin’er, let me test how much you’ve learned recently, shall I?” Doctor Chen sat down in a chair, smiling as he spoke.

“All right,” Jin’er replied, nodding as she stood to the side.

Doctor Chen nodded as well, pulled from his sleeve a wooden doll slightly longer than a palm, and then took out a set of silver needles, handing them to Jin’er.

“I’ll name the acupoint, and you’ll find it and insert the needle,” he said, placing the wooden doll on the desk before Jin’er.

Jin’er nodded. Thus began their exercise, with him calling out, and her responding with action.

“Tianzhu Point.”

“Kunlun Point.”

“That spot should be just a bit lower—yes, right here. Good, next, Weizhong Point.”

…

After this round of examination, Doctor Chen looked at Jin’er with great satisfaction and said, “My good disciple, you are the most gifted and quickest learner I have ever seen in my life. You’re still young, and as long as you continue to work hard, I believe you will one day become a legendary healer of the Five Spirits Continent!”

Flushed with embarrassment at his praise, Jin’er pressed her lips together and said, “Thank you for your kind words, Master. I will do my best!”

“Yes, good, very good!” Doctor Chen stroked his silver beard, his face full of approval.

“By the way, Master, have you ever heard of Death’s Desire Powder?” Jin’er thought for a moment and suddenly asked.

“Death’s Desire Powder?” At her words, Doctor Chen’s expression changed. “How do you know about such a thing?”

“Oh, I once overheard people mention it when I was little. I remember it being a deadly poison. I just happened to recall it these days and wanted to ask you about it,” Jin’er replied, quickly making up a lie.

Her instincts told her that her master likely couldn’t cure the poison of Death’s Desire Powder. Naturally, she didn’t want him to know about her own poisoning. She didn’t want to make him worry, nor make him feel that all he’d taught her was in vain—after all, who could know how much longer she had to live?

Hearing her response, Doctor Chen nodded thoughtfully and said, “Death’s Desire Powder isn’t the kind of poison that kills instantly, but it is nonetheless something that strikes fear into the hearts of all in the martial world.”

“Oh?” Jin’er frowned, a sense of foreboding creeping into her heart.

“This Death’s Desire Powder is the signature weapon of the Poison Saint. The Myriad Venoms Sect holds considerable power in the martial world, and much of that is thanks to this poison. The Poison Saint has used Death’s Desire Powder to control the elite of several sects and many renowned martial artists, making them serve him.

Luckily, the ingredients for Death’s Desire Powder are extremely rare, so the Myriad Venoms Sect cannot produce it in large quantities.

Those poisoned must take the antidote every day. When the poison flares up, the pain is unbearable; without the antidote in time, death is inevitable.

The affected martial artists dare not rebel openly, but they secretly seek out famous physicians hoping for a cure. Yet, so far, not a single person has succeeded.”

After hearing all this, Jin’er felt as though a bucket of ice water had been poured over her—her whole body went cold. Aside from the Poison Saint, there was no one who could cure it. It seemed she truly could only rely on herself… But was she truly capable of such a feat?

Just as she began to waver, a flash of red appeared in her mind—the memory of that red-robed figure. That’s right, she still had him. As long as he continued to prolong her life, she would persevere—half a year, a year, ten years, twenty… She believed that, one day, she would rid herself of the lingering poison!

“Jin’er? Jin’er?” Doctor Chen saw her lost in thought, her face grave and solemn, and called out to her in confusion.

Snapped from her reverie by his voice, Jin’er finally returned to herself.

“Are you all right?”

“Oh, I’m fine—sorry, I just got lost in thought for a moment,” Jin’er replied, smiling a little sheepishly.