Chapter 167: A Fragrance That Frees One From Worry
Chapter 167: A Fragrance That Frees One From Worry
Li Zian carefully held the Celestial Incense wrapped in velvet, slowly straightening up, but merely dragged his feet, refusing to reveal it.
Huang Bo couldn’t wait and said, “Take the velvet off. I want to see.”
Li Zian said, “Da Chui, turn off the light.”
A flash of wary curiosity lit up Huang Bo’s eyes. “Why turn off the light?”
Li Zian explained, “This treasure glows a faint green in complete darkness, and Symbols you’ve never seen will appear. But under the lights, this effect is greatly diminished. You won’t truly see its magical properties.”
As he spoke, he revealed a small section of the incense tip.
The black tip looked utterly ordinary. The only unusual thing about it, if one had to point out, was the artificial aging Tang Qing had deliberately applied.
It was an antique, after all; aging was an unavoidable step.
Li Zian held the tip in one hand while gripping the joint between the incense stick and the Incense Clay with the other, ready at any moment to pull down the matchstick buried within.
If Huang Bo refused to turn off the light, he would pull it immediately.
If Huang Bo ordered Da Chui to turn off the lights, he would yank the match the instant the darkness fell.
But darkness offered advantages. Smoke was harder to see in the gloom, and movement was more difficult. His chances of success were higher. So he forced himself to stay calm, needing to push just one step closer to victory.
The decision rested with Huang Bo.
Would it be more stylish to be poisoned under bright lights, or did the poison feel better in pitch-black darkness?
Huang Bo made his decision quickly. “Da Chui, lights out.”
Li Zian was right there. Huang Bo didn’t believe the man could sprout wings and fly away. And he was desperate to lay eyes on the true face of the Celestial Incense.
“Uh-huh.” Da Chui grunted. He shifted to the wall and pressed the switch.
A soft click sounded, and the room plunged into darkness.
Li Zian removed the velvet cloth, fully revealing the thick, fake Incense stick. Nine Symbols painted with green dye and fluorescent powder glowed with an eerie green light upon the stick. Li Zian’s face, illuminated by that faint green light, looked hauntingly ghostly, possessing a uniquely sinister beauty.
Pretty, wasn’t it?
Mysterious, wasn’t it?
Huang Bo’s gaze swept over the thick, fake Celestial Incense. His eyes held surprise, confusion, and a flicker of excitement.
Li Zian walked towards Huang Bo. “See this? This is the Celestial Incense. A real treasure.”
Huang Bo’s eyes snapped to Li Zian’s face. Suddenly, he saw the most unsettlingly evil grin curl on Li Zian’s lips. A terrible realization dawned. “This isn’t it!”
Fwoosh!
The sound of a match striking rang out. A burst of flame erupted from within the bulky fake incense, instantly roaring up from the base to the tip. A thick plume of smoke exploded from the stick, filling half the room within seconds.
“Poison gas!” Huang Bo roared. He spun and bolted for the door.
Li Zian wouldn’t let him escape. He lunged sideways, one arm locking around Huang Bo’s waist. The fake Celestial Incense in his other hand jabbed straight at Huang Bo’s chin. The stick was still showering sparks and belching thick smoke, burning fiercely. The glowing red tip slammed into Huang Bo’s chin, instantly filling the air with the stench of singed hair.
Huang Bo gritted his teeth, refusing to scream. But Li Zian jammed the burning tip deeper into his chin flesh.
That was raw meat!
Huang Bo was impressively tough. Even as flesh sizzled, he endured the agony silently, holding his breath. His right elbow smashed viciously into Li Zian’s ribs.
Thud!
A pained grunt escaped Li Zian. Blood surged in his chest – he nearly vomited it right there. But he clung on, holding Huang Bo firm.
Da Chui charged wildly, his limp forgotten. He leaped, his foot aimed to kick Li Zian square in the ribs.
But he was still mid-air when his eyes suddenly clamped shut. His body went instantly limp, like a giant bird stripped of its feathers, and slapped heavily to the floor. After that, there was nothing.
Huang Bo drove another elbow into Li Zian’s ribs. Li Zian couldn’t hold him anymore, staggering back.
The moment he broke free, Huang Bo shot towards the door, swift and lethal as a lean hunting dog.
Then Li Zian’s voice came from behind, cold and amused. “You think holding your breath saves you? The incense is buried in your flesh. Poison meets blood, it melts, same effect. Idiot.”
Huang Bo’s body shuddered. He slumped heavily to the floor with a muffled crash.
Li Zian had no time to deal with Huang Bo or Da Chui. He grabbed Kang Xin with one hand, Kang Haichuan with the other, and hauled the unconscious father and daughter out of the room as fast as his muscles allowed, slamming the door shut behind him.
The door closed, sealing the poison smoke inside the room.
Kang Haichuan and Kang Xin were both unconscious, showing signs of poison.
No time to untie them. Li Zian yanked the cloth gags from their mouths. Drawing a small knife, he sliced deep across the pad of his right middle finger. Then, he pinched Kang Xin’s lower jaw open and thrust his bleeding finger straight into her mouth. Channeling his Zhenqi, he forced his blood out.
“Cough!… Cough…!” Kang Xin started coughing violently.
Thankfully, foresight had led him to mix only a tenth part of the Body-Poisoning Ointment into the fake incense. Otherwise, the father and daughter would be in far greater danger now.
On the brighter side, Furnace Body Blood neutralized the poison.
Li Zian immediately moved to Kang Haichuan. He pried the professor’s jaw open, held his bleeding finger above Kang Haichuan’s lips, and let his blood drip steadily into the old man’s mouth.
It wasn’t that he found the old man unworthy of putting his finger in the mouth. He realized it wasn’t necessary to physically insert his finger. Directly dripping the blood achieved the same Zhenqi-guided effect. Inserting his finger actually seemed… unhygienic.
“Cough… cough… cough…!” Kang Haichuan erupted into a fierce coughing fit.
Li Zian pressed a hand firmly onto Kang Haichuan’s chest, channeling his Zhenqi into the professor’s heart and lungs.
The slate-gray pallor that had claimed Kang Haichuan’s face moments ago began to retreat, replaced by a flush of returning color.
Li Zian shifted his hand onto Kang Xin’s chest, transferring his Zhenqi into her heart and lungs.
Kang Xin truly was…
Voluminous.
Her magnificence was near impossible to exaggerate.
Transmitting Zhenqi into her heart and lungs was significantly harder than doing the same for her father’s.
The reason was obvious. Someone running on flat ground would surely move fast. Someone running uphill, especially steep Gao Shan, would find it naturally difficult.
Of course, necessity dictated the action; one doesn’t shun the doctor to avoid embarrassment.
The Master proceeded with serene dignity. Apart from an internal acknowledgment of its stupendous splendor, he harbored not a single inappropriate thought.
Color quickly flushed back into Kang Xin’s cheeks. Her breathing steadied, growing strong and even. Her eyelids fluttered open.
Li Zian withdrew his hand. “You’re awake?” he asked gently.
“Uncle… wah…” She choked out the word “Uncle” before dissolving into tears.
“Don’t cry. Don’t be afraid. I’ll get you both out.” Li Zian spoke as he quickly sawed through her nylon bonds with the small knife. He then pressed the knife into her freed hands. “Cut your dad’s ropes. I need to check on those two inside.”
“Uncle… you… you won’t leave us, will you?” Kang Xin sounded terrified.
Li Zian said, “I came specifically to rescue you. Why would I abandon you? Okay, hurry and free your dad. Wait right here for me. Don’t go into the living room, and absolutely don’t come back into this room.”
“Okay.” Kang Xin answered submissively. She clutched the knife Li Zian had given her and began slicing through her father’s bonds.
Whether it was because his finger hadn’t entered the mouth, or perhaps the Zhenqi transfer wasn’t intense enough – or maybe the professor’s advanced age was a factor – the old man remained vague and hadn’t fully regained consciousness yet.
Li Zian stepped back into the room and shut the door behind him.
Bluish smoke hazed the room. The choking smell of mung bean paste mixed with smoke from the ignition filled the air.
The fat, fake Celestial Incense had burned to the end. Only a stub of wood was still smoldering.
A feeble point of ember glow prevented total blackness. With one glance, he saw Huang Bo and Da Chui sprawled on the floor, thoroughly poisoned. White froth bubbled from their mouths. Their complexions were the ghastly grey of old tiles, tinged with green and livid with streaks of white.
While conscious, Huang Bo had managed to hold his breath. Unconscious, his lungs commanded him to breathe.
Huang Bo and Da Chui’s breaths were shallow, faint, and utterly erratic.
An overdose of Movement-Halting Ointment—inhaling that much poison was equivalent to a massive anesthetic overdose. Added to that was the Body-Poisoning Ointment, making the whole effect even more… potent.
Li Zian didn’t rush to drag Huang Bo out immediately. Instead, he hunched low, moved along the wall towards the window, and reached out to pull the curtain closed.
Huang Bo wouldn’t have imprisoned Kang Xin and Kang Haichuan in this specific room without reason. Its large windows faced east towards a hillside. Old Qiang, hidden high on that hilltop, would have a perfect, unobstructed view from his elevated sniper’s nest directly into this room through his optical scope.
Closing the curtain changed the game instantly.
Li Zian secured the alloy toolbox he’d placed on the floor earlier and brought it with him. Staying low, he reached Huang Bo’s side, grabbed one of his legs, and started dragging the unconscious man towards the door.
Beep beep beep…
A notification tone suddenly chirped from Huang Bo’s body.
Li Zian dropped Huang Bo. His hand swept over Huang Bo’s belt, finding a communicator. He didn’t know how to work it exactly, but spotted a green button. He pressed it.
The speaker crackled immediately. “Professor Huang? What’s happening? Why the blackout? I lost sight of the kid. What’s your status?” The voice belonged to Old Qiang.
To respond or not?
If he stayed silent, Old Qiang would become instantly suspicious.
If he replied, he’d blow his cover instantly. Then Old Qiang would either storm in, gun blazing, or escape into the woods rifle-ready. Either reaction based on his judgment. If the sniper charged the house, maybe Li Zian could manage it. But if Old Qiang melted into the forest with his rifle? That would pose a whole different, persistent threat.
“Professor Huang? Not responding?” Old Qiang’s voice sharpened with suspicion.
Li Zian suddenly opened his mouth. “AAAaaAAARGH—!”
A sound ripped from his throat, like the furious scream of a giant, trapped rodent, carrying the pure, raw intensity of a primal yell.
Just then, Kang Xin’s anxious, concerned voice filtered through the door from outside. “Uncle! What happened?”
The perfectly timed background voice.
“Huh?” Old Qiang grunted over the comm.
Li Zian forced ragged pain and surrender into his voice. “Prof… Professor Huang… no more… hitting… please… I’ll talk… I’ll tell you everything… owww…!” Groans punctuated his words.
The real Professor Huang lay unconscious on the floor, face slate-grey, froth at his lips.
Li Zian continued the act, voice trembling with pain and fake confession. “Th… The Celestial Incense… an old man… gave it to me… I h-had to… g-give it all to you… right? Now… p-please… let… let me… go… forget the money… okay…? Aaahhh!”
He punctuated the fake plea by deliberately slamming the comm unit against the floor, dragging it gratingly across the wood for added noise. Then, he dropped it. Grabbing Huang Bo’s ankle again, he hauled the unconscious body towards the door, past the discarded communicator.
Over the open comm line came the distinctive Shhh-SHHHH-thump… Shhh-SHHHH-thump… noise of a heavy, limp body being dragged unceremoniously across a floor.
“Hmph. Seems it’s already taken care of.” Old Qiang’s voice came through, tinged with grim satisfaction this time.
Silence reclaimed the communicator.