Peerless Martial Expert in the City
Chapter 784 - 781: Money Isn’t That Easy to Earn

Chapter 784: Chapter 781: Money Isn’t That Easy to Earn

Chapter 781: Money Isn’t That Easy to Earn

"Actually, strictly speaking, your condition isn’t considered an illness, you’ve just been poisoned."

Xiao Yi said indifferently.

"What?"

Old Mr. Sima and his son were both stunned for a moment, then their faces involuntarily showed a hint of disbelief as they turned to look at Xiao Yi, "Doctor Xiao, are you saying that I’m not sick but poisoned?"

"Correct,"

Xiao Yi nodded.

He was very confident in his judgment. From the first time they met, he had discerned the state of the old man’s body. The reason he spoke up at that time was partly out of curiosity, and, like An Jinhua, he found the old man’s condition peculiar. For the moment, he couldn’t recall what the exact problem was, so he wanted to investigate further; however, the old man had rejected his assistance, so he had let the matter be. But the matter continued to puzzle him, and it wasn’t until he arrived at Elder An’s home and Elder An asked him to take action that he suddenly remembered a possibility. That’s why he could easily articulate the old man’s symptoms.

That possibility was poisoning! And not just any ordinary poison! It was a poison from an incomplete Poison Scripture that the old man had somehow gotten hold of and forced him to study for a long time!

What he was curious about was how Old Mr. Sima came to be poisoned with this substance, and who was responsible for poisoning him. After all, according to what the old man had told him before, these kinds of poisons hardly appeared in the world anymore. Not only this poison but most of the poisons listed in that Poison Scripture, including ones that were common in ancient times in Xuanwu Country, had almost disappeared from the world.

Most poisonings in the modern world are chemical in nature, and compared to ancient poisons, these modern chemical ones have a few characteristics: they are more severe, act faster, and are easier to diagnose. There are also more ways to treat them, such as counteracting chemical agents or, more directly, cleaning the stomach and intestines.

Although there are indeed very strong modern chemical poisons, they are more apparent and less common, occurring mainly by accidental ingestion. And there are some poisons that are truly lethal, with no chance of recovery. Still, ancient poisons were more insidious, killing more imperceptibly, and much trickier to cure because these poisons were often colorless, formless, and tasteless, taking effect without notice. Many people would die without ever realizing they had been poisoned, believing they had succumbed to natural illness.

To Xiao Yi, these ancient poisons were the true weapons of terrifying destruction!

However, for reasons unknown, these poisons had gradually vanished over the course of time. And it didn’t seem like the old man was just spouting nonsense; Xaio Yi had been sent out by the old man time and again for training, traveling from place to place, and he had almost never come across any signs of those ancient poisons.

Yet, unexpectedly, he had encountered one here.

"Doctor Xiao, could you be mistaken?"

Although Old Mr. Sima had developed a certain degree of confidence in Xiao Yi’s medical skills, upon hearing Xiao Yi’s conclusion, he still harbored a flicker of doubt in his heart. He had heard about poisonings before, but how, he wondered, could he have visited so many doctors and hospitals and undergone all kinds of examinations without anyone noticing under the scrutiny of the most advanced modern medical technology?

Moreover, most importantly, he couldn’t think of any poison he might have ingested.

"Yes, Doctor Xiao, could you have made a mistake? How could my father be poisoned?"

Mr. Sima next to him also expressed his incredulity to Xiao Yi.

"I am not mistaken, he’s indeed been poisoned. However, I believe even the most advanced hospitals couldn’t detect it, because it’s not an ordinary poison but a rare one in the world. This poison is tasteless and colorless, slow-acting; the victim feels nothing but gradually succumbs to harm, and eventually exhibits multiple organ failures,"

Xiao Yi shook his head, exuding confidence and certainty, "This time, you are lucky to have met me. I believe there aren’t many people in this world who understand this kind of poison."

After saying this, Xiao Yi looked gravely at Old Mr. Sima, "Please forgive my presumption, Old Mr. Sima, but this poison you’ve been subject to isn’t something one typically ingests by mistake. I fear someone has deliberately tried to harm you. Although I can help you remove the toxin this time, you should still be cautious when you return home."

Old Mr. Sima did not respond to Xiao Yi’s words, instead, he simply sat there in silence. However, his breathing started to become rapid, and a hint of flush appeared on his face. His hands were clenched tightly into fists, and from the look in his eyes, one could feel the strong emotional turmoil within his heart.

Next to him, Mr. Sima’s expression also revealed a trace of shock, and an indescribable anger, yet he said nothing. His gaze was in constant contemplation, as if pondering who could possibly want to harm his father.

Xiao Yi looked at the father and son with a faint sense of pity in his eyes. They were undoubtedly no ordinary people, definitely individuals of wealth and status, something he had noticed from the moment they met yesterday. It was clear just from the clothes on the old man’s back, custom-made silk garments from the century-old Suzhou Qian’s Silk Store, and Mr. Sima’s outfit, hand tailored by a top Italian master.

And the ease with which they offered fifty million as a consultation fee yesterday further proved the point.

In the eyes of countless people, they were undoubtedly fortunate; they lacked neither money nor power, wore luxurious clothes, ate fine foods, lived in palatial mansions, traveled in luxury cars, and used the world’s top products... but were they truly happy?

At least in Xiao Yi’s view, they had no happiness to speak of. Constantly by one’s side was someone, unknown, always wishing to take their life, and this person could very well be the most trusted confidante, or even a relative. Such a life could hardly be considered fortunate...

"Old Mr. Sima, please take off your clothes and lie down. I’ll start by clearing the virus from your system."

After a moment of silence, Xiao Yi finally spoke first.

Old Mr. Sima did not say anything either, just nodded his head, then silently removed his clothes and obediently lay down. The moment he lay down, his face lost the signs of life-saving brilliance and joy that were apparent just before, as if he had suddenly aged a great deal, with a hint of faint sorrow visible at the corners of his eyes.

Xiao Yi could sense the fluctuation in Old Mr. Sima’s emotions, but he did not know what to say. Furthermore, their relationship was merely that of a doctor and patient, and there was not much understanding between them. He did not wish to say too much and with a soft sigh, he refrained from further talk, simply took out his silver needles, and began to force the poison out.

For a poison like this, if it had been a recent exposure, he wouldn’t need to use needles at all. He could have directly concocted an antidote with which to neutralize the poison. However, Old Mr. Sima had been poisoned for at least half a year, and to say it had penetrated to his marrow was no exaggeration. In such severe cases, an antidote was virtually useless. The only option was the Seven Needles!

Only the domineering Needle Technique of the Seven Needles had the potential to draw out such deeply embedded poison!

The more times he used the Seven Needles, Xiao Yi began to notice that the cultivation power used each time was not always the same. The variations in certain conditions of illnesses required different approaches.

For example, the level of cultivation power consumed for Chen Jianguo and Wang Dawei’s severe injuries was the most he had ever used in all his times administering the Seven Needles. The effort to expel the poison from Wang Qingqing took somewhat less, although from his perspective at the time, he had still exhausted all of his internal cultivation power.

To use needles to force poison was not a new practice for Xiao Yi, but to encounter a rare poison like the one within Old Mr. Sima, one that was so deeply ingrained, was a first for him. Even with his high confidence, he could not afford the slightest negligence.

As he gradually entered into the zone, he realized that the poison in Old Mr. Sima exceeded anything he had imagined. It was even more difficult than the time he had treated Chen Jianguo and the others’ injuries. The main reason was that Old Mr. Sima was already of significant age, and his internal organs had begun to degrade. Added to this current affliction, many organs had already been severely damaged, particularly the kidneys... and the toxicity of the poison far exceeded his expectations...

The entire process of expelling the poison lasted nearly two hours. Even with Xiao Yi’s rapid advancement in his cultivation power, his face still revealed a hint of fatigue by the time he finished with the needles, feeling somewhat drained.

Earning money nowadays truly was not an easy task.

Feeling that sense of exhaustion upon removing the needles, Xiao Yi wiped the sweat from his forehead and couldn’t help but let out a wry smile inwardly.

"Doctor Xiao, how is my father?"

Seeing Xiao Yi finally stop his movements and relax, signifying the completion of the process, Mr. Sima immediately asked with a tense expression.

Throughout the entire poison-forcing process, he had been in the room, watching Xiao Yi continuously puncture his father’s body. His heart almost leapt to his throat, especially seeing his father occasionally moan at the beginning until gradually losing consciousness... his heart was like ants on a hot pan, full of unease. But seeing Xiao Yi bustling about seriously and intensely, he did not dare to make any sound, even holding his breath, fearing any disturbance. (To be continued. If you like this work, please come to Qidian (qidian.com) to cast your recommendation votes and monthly tickets. Your support is my greatest motivation.)