119: Who said I'm not an alchemist?

Yao Delong was slightly taken aback, his gaze becoming profound.

"Miss Han, your father's injury is urgent, but the more urgent it is, the more caution is required.

In the path of Alchemy, a discrepancy of a hair's breadth can lead to a thousand-mile error. If the Foundation is unstable, forcing the refinement of high-rank Medicinal Pills...

It will not only be useless but will cause harm instead. That is all I have to say. Farewell." He cupped his fists and turned to leave.

"Fellow Daoist Yao! Please wait!"

Just as Yao Delong turned around, Han Ruyi could no longer maintain her composure. In her desperation, she actually grabbed Yao Delong's sleeve!

Her fingers turned slightly white from the force she exerted, and her voice carried a sob and a reckless plea:

"Fellow Daoist Yao! I know this is presumptuous! But... I really have no other way!

Master Zhou... he has indeed only just entered the Sixth-Rank, and even with all the resources of the City Lord's Mansion, we could only manage to invite him!

I know you are no ordinary person. You understand Alchemy, you possess a miraculous fire, and your cultivation is profound!

I beg you... I beg you to go and take a look at my father! Even... even if it's just one look, to tell me if there is any other hope!

Ruyi... Ruyi is willing to pay any price!"

Crystal tears welled in her eyes, on the verge of falling.

The pride belonging to the City Lord's daughter had, at this moment, completely transformed into a prayer for her father's life.

Yao Delong's body stiffened. He looked down at the slightly trembling, slender hand gripping his sleeve,

then met Han Ruyi's eyes, which were filled with tears, despair, and hope.

The trace of compassion in his heart, stirred by memories of his past life, finally overcame his indifference.

He let out a soft sigh, his voice lowering slightly:

"Miss Han, please let go. This Yao... will do his best. I will go and take a look.

But let it be clear beforehand, This Yao, is not a Sixth-Rank Alchemist, nor do I have absolute certainty. I can only do my best to observe."

Hearing this, Han Ruyi was like a drowning person catching a piece of driftwood.

She quickly let go, messily wiped the corners of her eyes, and a look of wild joy appeared on her face.

"Thank you! Thank you, Fellow Daoist Yao! No matter the outcome, the entire City Lord's Mansion will forever be grateful for your great kindness!"

Her voice trembled with excitement as she immediately led the way. "Fellow Daoist Yao, please follow me!"

Under Han Ruyi's lead, Yao Delong passed through many heavily guarded corridors and courtyards,

arriving at a quiet room in the deepest part of the City Lord's Mansion, shrouded by a powerful Spirit Gathering Array and protective Restrictions.

The air was thick with the smell of medicine and an indescribable aura of cold decay.

Pushing open the door to the quiet room, an even stronger blast of cold Qi hit them.

The interior was simply decorated. In the center, on a Cold Jade Bed,

lay a middle-aged man with a haggard face and a breath as weak as a candle in the wind.

He was none other than the City Lord of Bique City, Han Tianzheng.

The powerful aura of a Nascent Soul Stage cultivator he once possessed had long since vanished. At this moment, his skin showed a bizarre, ashen-gray color.

At the center of his brow, there was even a faint, twisted dark-green vein that wriggled slightly like a living thing, emitting a heart-palpitating aura of sinister poison.

Madam Liu was sitting by the bed, holding her husband's cold hand, her face full of worry.

Master Zhou stood to the side, frowning as if deep in thought.

Seeing Han Ruyi enter with Yao Delong, a flash of displeasure crossed Madam Liu's eyes, but for her daughter's sake, she did not lash out immediately.

"Mother, Fellow Daoist Yao... he has some knowledge of medical principles. I wanted him to take a look at Father's condition."

Han Ruyi quickly explained, her tone pleading.

Master Zhou did not bother to hide the disdain and impatience on his face, giving Madam Liu a meaningful look.

The meaning was clear—hurry up and kick this meddlesome fellow out!

"Little Friend Yao,"

Madam Liu's voice carried the majesty of a Nascent Soul Cultivator and a hint of unquestionable distance.

"I appreciate your kindness. However, the poison my husband suffers from

is the demonic poison of the Bone-Corroding Poisonous Flood Dragon. It is exceptionally dangerous and cannot be resolved by ordinary medical principles.

Master Zhou is well-versed in Pill Formulas and will soon begin Alchemy.

Little Friend, please head back. Do not waste any more time here."

Her words were polite, but her intention to see him out was already clear.

"Mother!" Han Ruyi's face turned pale with anxiety as she was about to plead again.

However, Yao Delong acted as if he hadn't heard Madam Liu's words.

The moment he stepped into the quiet room, his vast Divine Sense, which far exceeded those of the same rank,

had already shrouded Han Tianzheng on the Cold Jade Bed like the most precise probe, silent and invisible.

In just a few breaths, he had already deduced the state of the complex demonic poison that had penetrated deep into Han Tianzheng's bones,

as well as a very subtle anomaly.

His gaze calmly swept over Madam Liu and Master Zhou. His voice was not loud, but it clearly reached everyone's ears:

"The poison City Lord Han suffers from is indeed the poison of the Bone-Corroding Poisonous Flood Dragon, without a doubt.

This poison is cold and bone-corroding, sinking deep into the marrow. Every day at the Zi and Wu hours, the sinister poison flares up, making the whole body feel as if ten thousand ants are gnawing at the bones—an unbearable pain.

Wherever the poison Qi infects, the vitality of the flesh is cut off, turning it ashen-gray.

This is especially true for the poison vein at the center of the brow, which is a sign that the source of the poison is eroding the Divine Soul."

He paused, his sharp gaze turning toward Madam Liu and Han Ruyi as he continued:

"However, beneath the surface of this poison, there is another mystery. Since the City Lord was poisoned, has his temperament gradually become extreme?

Does he sometimes have outbursts of uncontrollable rage, and at other times fall into deep gloom and paranoia?

In the depths of his Sea of Consciousness, do cold illusions often arise, causing restlessness, or even... the feeling of being watched by something invisible?"

As soon as these words were spoken, the expressions of Madam Liu and Han Ruyi changed drastically!

Han Ruyi cried out in shock:

"Yes... Yes! Father... he used to be the gentlest person, but since he was poisoned, his temper has become extremely violent and irritable.

Sometimes he is taciturn, and his gaze is terrifyingly gloomy! Mother and I both thought it was caused by the suffering of the illness... As for the illusions in the Sea of Consciousness... Father did indeed say before he fell unconscious that he always felt a cold gaze staring at him in the darkness..."

Madam Liu's heart was even more shaken! The symptoms Yao Delong mentioned, especially the 'extreme temperament' and 'illusions in the Sea of Consciousness,'

were precisely the most private and worrying changes in Han Tianzheng after he was poisoned!

These details were known to no one else except her, her daughter, and a few close confidants!

Even Master Zhou had only been informed of the symptoms of the demonic poison itself; she had not mentioned these mental abnormalities!

The gaze she directed at Yao Delong was filled with unbelievable shock. This person... could actually see through it at a glance?!

Seeing the shocked expressions of the mother and daughter, Master Zhou's heart also skipped a beat, knowing that Yao Delong had hit the mark.

But how could he allow a 'nobody' to steal his thunder?

He immediately gave a cold snort, forcibly suppressing his shock and suspicion, and retorted stubbornly:

"Hmph! So what if you managed to guess a few superficial symptoms by luck?

It's nothing more than hearsay or being a bit more observant!

The poison of the Bone-Corroding Poisonous Flood Dragon is inherently dangerous; what's so strange about it affecting the mind? What does this prove?

Without the correct Sixth-Rank Spirit Pill, do you think you can cure the City Lord with just your empty words? It's simply wishful thinking and grandstanding!"

Hearing this, the corner of Yao Delong's mouth curled into a faint, deeply mocking arc, and his gaze shot toward Master Zhou like lightning:

"Who said I'm not an Alchemist?"

Before his voice had even faded, his right palm turned upward, his five fingers spreading slightly.

Boom!

A cluster of emerald-green flames appeared out of thin air without warning, hovering above his palm!