Chapter 915: Investigation
Yang Haoran had previously speculated that Wu Junior's soul dispersal might be related to the poison he had been afflicted with, but this was merely a guess; he couldn't be certain of its truth. Now that Feng Xiao had stated it, it was almost certainly the case, given Feng Xiao's professional expertise in this area. If she wasn't certain, she wouldn't have spoken with such conviction.
"This poison truly lived up to its wicked reputation, capable of destroying even the soul of its victim. Never before had I encountered such a potent and insidious toxin," Yang Haoran remarked.
In Yang Haoran's understanding, the potent poisons concocted by Pharmacists, whether in the form of Dānyào or Pharmacist's Medicine, primarily affected the physical body. He had never before known, or even considered the possibility, that they could directly act upon a target's soul. A surge of surprise went through him, and simultaneously, his wariness towards the Pharmacist profession deepened.
"Dānyào, much like spiritual arts, comes in countless forms. Since there are those that nourish the soul, then there must surely be those that destroy it. While I cannot formulate soul-destroying liquids, I am capable of refining soul-destroying Dānyào, though there are some differences between the two."
After a slight pause, Feng Xiao continued.
"Old Master Wu's survival this time was due, in part, to his strength being considerably greater than Wu Senior's. His Spirit Power could instinctively resist the poison's erosion, slowing its spread. Secondly, he hadn't directly contacted the virulent substance, hence the comparatively minor impact. Furthermore, he was brought back in a timely manner. Had his strength been even slightly weaker, or if he had come into direct, widespread contact with the poison, or if he had been brought back even a little later, his fate would have mirrored Wu Junior's, and I would have been powerless to save him."
As she spoke, Feng Xiao suddenly recalled something and added,
"Although this poison is fiercely potent, it does not spread through the air; contact is required for infection. Otherwise, not only would Old Master Wu's condition be far worse, but you, Yang Haoran, would undoubtedly have been affected by the potent poison. The extent of the impact, of course, would depend on your strength and how quickly it was discovered."
In terms of strength, he surpassed Old Master Wu by an entire major realm. As for Wu Junior, who hadn't even opened his Heaven Soul, his strength was incomparably far from Yang Haoran's. With his current power, while a physical injury from this potent poison was certain, he would certainly not have been as utterly helpless as Wu Junior; it was even plausible he could have expelled a portion of the toxin himself.
Few people knew Yang Haoran's true capabilities, and it was likely his adversary was unaware, thus believing the poison given to Wu Junior could eliminate him and cause his soul to scatter. Yet, had he actually ingested the poison, he might not have suffered such a complete and utter demise.
While concealing his true strength had always been a reluctant necessity, such a practice undeniably yielded advantages.
"I'm entrusting Old Master Wu to your care. I'll have Xiao Kang assist you shortly," Yang Haoran said to Feng Xiao.
"Understood. Barring any unforeseen complications, I should be able to completely purge the poison from Old Master Wu's body within a few days," Feng Xiao replied.
Yang Haoran nodded, said no more, and left Feng Xiao's alchemy room.
Outside the alchemy room stood several figures: Wu Senior and Wu Xiaoxiao, along with Xiao Kang and Xiujuan. As for Bai Xue and Ye Zhiqiu, the latter was still out on a mission, while Bai Xue and Zhu Rong were handling matters at the Administrative Courtyard, so none of them were aware of what had befallen Old Master Wu and Wu Junior.
Yang Haoran had no intention of calling them back. After all, their return would be pointless; they weren't Pharmacists and couldn't offer any real help, merely adding more headaches. He briefly explained Old Master Wu's condition to the group, reassuring them that there was no need to worry, then made arrangements for them.
Xiujuan's duties remained the same: manage the household chores. Xiao Kang, however, was assigned to assist Feng Xiao. Feng Xiao's existing workload was already substantial, and now, with the added task of purging the poison from Old Master Wu's body, her work would naturally increase significantly. Thus, Yang Haoran decided to have Xiao Kang temporarily set aside his other tasks to alleviate some of Feng Xiao's pressure.
It was clearly unrealistic to expect Xiao Kang to shoulder a significant portion of Feng Xiao's burden; Yang Haoran knew this as well. He hadn't deluded himself into believing Xiao Kang could dramatically alleviate Feng Xiao's pressure. Xiao Kang merely needed to provide whatever assistance was within his capacity, and Yang Haoran believed he could accomplish that.
As for Wu Senior and Wu Xiaoxiao, he intended to make other arrangements, so he led them into his study.
Inside the study, Yang Haoran let out a soft sigh, gently shaking his head as he looked at the two, who wore expressions of profound grief.
He understood their emotional state. The Wu family had only recently begun to emerge from the sorrow of their previous calamity, and now, so soon after, tragedy had struck again. Their spirits were naturally low and pained.
While Wu Junior had always been somewhat disfavored within the family, he was nonetheless a blood relative and had lived alongside them his entire life. With Wu Junior's death, their emotions were bound to be affected.
Moreover, in addition to Wu Junior's death, Old Master Wu had also suffered considerable harm and was now lying unconscious. How could they possibly feel anything but anguish?
"Please, have a seat first. I have some matters I wish to discuss with you both."
Only after they had settled into their chairs did Yang Haoran continue.
"I deeply regret Wu Junior's death. Though I don't yet know who the perpetrator is, I will spare no effort to locate the culprit, and then I will personally see to their demise, thereby avenging Wu Junior."
Yang Haoran's decision was not made on a whim. The target of this attack was, in fact, him. It wouldn't be an exaggeration to say that Wu Junior's soul dispersal was a direct consequence of this plot against him. Therefore, he had to unmask and eliminate the killer. This would not only avenge Wu Junior but also eliminate a lurking threat.
Both expressed their gratitude, though their spirits showed little improvement from Yang Haoran's words.
"Such is the nature of this path we walk. No one knows when their time will come, and that includes me. Therefore, I urge you to face this reality with composure. Initially, I intended for you two to visit Old Master Wu, but as he remains unconscious, I believe it's best not to disturb him. With Feng Xiao attending to him, he should regain consciousness soon, so you need not worry."
Both nodded in assent. Seeing their profound sorrow, Yang Haoran hesitated for a moment before continuing.
"I have reviewed the arrangements Old Master Wu made for you previously. However, from this point forward, I intend to implement new arrangements, ones that will bring you only benefit and no detriment. However, let's postpone this discussion for today. You should both return home and rest. Come see me again tomorrow."
Yang Haoran had originally intended to make some immediate arrangements, but observing their profoundly low spirits and weary state, he decided it would be best for them to rest for a day before resuming the discussion.
"Boss, please feel free to issue any commands. Wu Xiaoxiao and I will absolutely not let our personal emotions interfere with the tasks you entrust to us. Moreover, some matters cannot be delayed; the sooner they are handled, the better," Wu Senior replied.
Wu Xiaoxiao remained silent but nodded gently, seconding her father's sentiment.
Yang Haoran gently shook his head, then spoke.
"It's fine. Take a day to rest. It will also give me time to make some preparations."
Since Yang Haoran had spoken, Wu Senior and Wu Xiaoxiao naturally didn't press the issue.
After the two had withdrawn, Yang Haoran leaned back in his chair and lit a cigarette, his expression lost in thought.
As the cigarette burned down, he stubbed it out, then tore open a spatial rift and departed the villa. When he emerged from the spatial rift, he found himself at the concealed entrance of the Ghost Cave.
Entering the Ghost Cave and meeting Tang Shi, Yang Haoran handed him the shattered small black bottle.
"This small black bottle is a medicine vial. Have your subordinates investigate this, and see if they can uncover any clues. I want to know any and all information related to this medicine vial."
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