Three days later, on the occasion of Cold Dew, Duan Yunhe took the medicine Cheng Jingtian had prepared. Before long, she regained consciousness, her complexion rosy and her movements free and easy; she felt no pain anywhere—nothing at all like someone whose life was in grave danger.

She was also astonished that she had fallen asleep in Gu Yuan but now woke up in Xinxiang. After Qiu Huan explained the situation, she was left speechless for a while.

“Any leads?” Cheng Jingtian first gave her a very professional rundown of her condition, then Qiu Huan asked whether she knew who had poisoned her.

But Miss Duan was equally shocked when she first learned she’d been poisoned, and after pondering for a long time, she still couldn’t come up with any answers.

Unlike Qiu Huan, Physician Cheng wasn’t really concerned about Duan Yunhe herself; as long as he could neutralize the poison and fulfill Qiu Huan’s request, that would be enough. Seeing that their discussion had reached no conclusion, he said to Qiu Huan, “Judging from all the signs of her recovery, I’m pretty confident about the nature of her poisoning.”

Qiu Huan let out a sigh and nodded. “Go ahead and tell me.”

When Cheng Jingtian said he was confident, it meant there was an almost ninety-nine percent chance that a remedy existed—though just moments before he’d claimed he couldn’t possibly cure her. Qiu Huan therefore guessed that perhaps he was missing some crucial herbs.

Sure enough, he went on to explain: “Among the poisons that have affected Miss Duan, the two most lethal are called ‘Shixin Powder’ and ‘Jiang Shi.’ Jiang Shi is relatively easier to deal with, but Shixin Powder is an extremely rare toxin originating from the Western Regions. Two hundred years ago, there was a notorious member of a demonic sect in the West who was highly skilled in the art of poisons and蛊. Shixin Powder was his signature creation. However, after he was hunted down and killed by the martial arts community, Shixin Powder disappeared without a trace. I only happened to learn about this poison from a medical book.”

“Does the book mention any antidotes?” Qiu Huan asked.

“To be honest, that book was written by a former female head of a valley. She seemed very curious about that demon, and the entire book is filled with methods for neutralizing his various poisons. Only Shixin Powder is different: by the time she studied it, the demon was already dead, so she never got hold of a sample of the poison and thus had no way to devise an antidote. All she could do was infer the possible formula for an antidote based on the victim’s symptoms and blood samples.”

“So even if we manage to concoct an antidote, there’s still no guarantee it will work, right?”

Cheng Jingtian nodded.

Qiu Huan turned to Duan Yunhe and said, “Since there’s no other option anyway, why don’t we try the antidote recorded by our senior first?”

Duan Yunhe said, looking somewhat embarrassed, “Wouldn’t that be too much trouble for Master Cheng?”

“Not at all! It’s my honor to serve Little Huan,” Cheng Jingtian interjected before Qiu Huan could respond. Qiu Huan shot him a noncommittal glance. “The antidote should be fine—the valley mistress’s medical skills were truly superb, almost on par with mine (Everyone: What a narcissist!). The only problem is that since the poison comes from the Western Regions, the most important ingredient in the antidote is ‘Shewang,’ a herb that grows only there. And this plant is extremely rare and difficult to cultivate; as far as I know, there are very few people who still know how to grow it, and I’m not even sure if any specimens remain today.”

He tapped the table a few times, and Qiu Huan mused, “Then I’ll go to the Western Regions to find the herb. Hopefully I can make it in time.” The journey to the Western Regions is long—just the one-way trip takes more than a month. If searching for the herb takes too long, Duan Yunhe’s body may not be able to withstand the clash of several poisons at once, which would be a last resort. According to Cheng Jingtian, the current state of balance in her body is only temporary and could easily be disrupted. Once that happens, even the greatest immortals wouldn’t be able to save Duan Yunhe.

Upon hearing Qiu Huan’s words, Yuan Mo and Cheng Jingtian hadn’t yet had a chance to speak when Miss Duan spoke up first.

“Um… Feng Ze. There’s something I want to tell you…” She looked very hesitant.

Qiu Huan didn’t know what she meant and assumed she was about to reveal some private matter, so he hesitated and looked at her with a questioning expression.

“Can you tell only me?” She had discussed it with him, but saw that Qiu Huan pursed his lips, clearly puzzled as to why she’d suddenly made such a request. She knew they were all discussing matters—some personal business—and it wouldn’t be appropriate to interrupt them. Yet the thing she wanted to talk about was indeed related to this, and she didn’t want anyone else to hear it. Or maybe it didn’t matter if Qiu Huan told others afterward, but she didn’t want any unfamiliar people present when she spoke, so she pleaded, “It’s important business. Once Feng Ze hears me, you’ll understand.”

End of Chapter 20: Wearing Out One’s Boots