Chapter 33: A Skilled Hand Draws Out Poison
Chapter 33: A Skilled Hand Draws Out Poison
You were going to be a father.
If not for Li Zian’s earlier divine prediction, Wen Sheng would have been overjoyed at that moment. But Li Zian’s prediction came first. When Wen Sheng suddenly heard this news, he was lucky he wasn’t angered to the point of vomiting blood.
“Master, can you please check again and see exactly which guy did it? Just give me a name, and I’ll kill him!” Wen Sheng’s eyes flashed with a fierce light. The suit he wore could no longer hide the gangster aura about him.
Li Zian only gave a light smile and did not speak.
A master still needed to put on a bit of an act.
“Master, don’t worry, money is not a problem. Just name a figure.” Wen Sheng’s emotions were somewhat out of control.
Only then did Li Zian speak. “Mr. Wen, some matters can only be hinted at. Telling you this much is already revealing Heaven’s Secrets.”
Wen Sheng glanced at Fan Rui. “Brother Fan, say something.”
Fan Rui said, “Master, please, for the sake of our friendship, give him a hint. Brother Wen flew here from Haijing Island and came directly without even going to the hotel. His heart is truly sincere.”
Li Zian hesitated for a moment, then stretched his right hand out in front of Wen Sheng.
“Master, what is this for?”
Li Zian said, “Close your eyes. Use your finger to randomly draw on my palm. I’ll tell you when to stop.”
Wen Sheng was still a bit confused.
But Fan Rui said excitedly, “Brother Wen, this is the method I told you about. It’s amazing! I have a woman outside, a White Tiger. Even something like that, the Master was able to deduce it.”
“Ahem!” Mu Chuntao coughed awkwardly, then gave Fan Rui a glare.
Fan Rui smiled sheepishly.
Wen Sheng was filled with respect. He immediately closed his eyes and used a finger to write and draw on Li Zian’s right palm.
Li Zian did not look at him. He also closed his eyes. After a minute, he opened his eyes. “Stop.”
Wen Sheng stopped. He anxiously asked, “Master, what did you figure out?”
Li Zian said lightly, “Mr. Wen, you drew a flowering apricot branch on my hand, but it did not go over the wall.”
Wen Sheng said in surprise, “What does that mean?”
“I will first recite the Hexagram Interpretation, then explain it to you.” Li Zian picked up his teacup and took a sip of tea.
“Tell me, please tell me.”
Li Zian put down the teacup and said lightly, “The Wen family’s flowering apricot cannot be contained. One branch blooms inside the wall, of the same surname. A snake and scorpion plot to kill for wealth. The seven souls and three spirits do not make ten.”
Wen Sheng chewed on the words for a moment, then suddenly understood something. His eyes became as fierce as a wild beast’s. “I know who it is! Damn it, that animal!”
Li Zian said, “The Hexagram Interpretation is so clear. Since Mr. Wen already knows who it is, I won’t say more. Let me explain the last two lines for you. ‘A snake and scorpion plot to kill for wealth’ means those two people have already conspired to harm your life and seize your family wealth. ‘The seven souls and three spirits do not make ten’ refers to a person having three spirits and seven souls. Three plus seven equals ten. Only with all ten can one live. Your three spirits and seven souls added together are incomplete. Your situation is very dangerous.”
“Can the Master resolve it?”
Li Zian smiled. “Your Divination Symbol is indeed dangerous, but it’s not hard to resolve. If you listen to me, you can turn danger into safety.”
“I’ll listen. I’ll listen to whatever you say, Master.” Wen Sheng was meek and compliant.
Li Zian said, “Your body is in very bad shape. You must quit the drugs. Otherwise, even if you come to me, it’s useless.”
“I’ve tried many times, but…” Wen Sheng couldn’t finish.
For someone hooked on drugs, quitting was easier said than done.
Li Zian said, “Since you are Brother Fan’s friend, that makes you my friend too. I will help you. But you must stay here for seven days and use my medicinal plaster every day.”
“That’s no problem.”
“Also, after you return, you cannot be with that woman anymore. Whether it’s the relationship as husband and wife, or as brothers, you must cut off what needs to be cut off.”
Wen Sheng nodded, saying hatefully, “When I go back, I’ll kill that bitch and that beast!”
Li Zian said, “I wouldn’t recommend that. Murder is against the law. If you go back and kill your wife and the man she had an affair with, that’s also a path to death. Then your trip here would be for nothing. For some matters, it’s enough to cut ties. There’s no need to go to extremes.”
Wen Sheng was silent for a moment before saying, “Alright, I’ll listen to you, Master.”
“You came to me with two goals. Helping you quit drugs is no problem. But the goal of having a child still depends on your luck. I will do my best to help you recuperate. If it works, it works. If it doesn’t, don’t blame me.” Li Zian said.
Wen Sheng hastily said, “Ah, Master, you’ve opened my eyes. This is equivalent to saving my life. How could I dare have any complaints? I’ve been in the gangster world since I was young. I value loyalty most. Master, you saved my life. I owe you a life-saving favor. In the future, if there’s anything you need Wen Sheng for, just say the word. I will definitely handle it for you.”
This was the benefit of being a master. Helping others solve their worries also made things convenient for oneself.
This was only the beginning. After being a master for a long time, it would be like compiling a book of favors. When trouble came, one phone call would be like a single arrow piercing through the clouds, summoning thousands of troops and horses to meet!
“Mr. Wen, we are all friends here, no need to be so polite. Now, let me apply the medicine to help you quit the drugs.” Li Zian stood up and glanced at Mu Chuntao. He found that Mu Chuntao was also looking at him, and there were many little stars in her eyes.
In fact, not only Mu Chuntao, but even Fan Rui’s eyes when looking at Li Zian were full of admiration.
When their eyes met, Mu Chuntao was dazed for a few seconds before she snapped out of it. She then went to get Li Zian’s bag.
Li Zian took out a bag of milky-white Medicinal Plaster from the bag.
This Medicinal Plaster was called Detox Ointment. As the name implied, it was specially made to remove toxins from the body.
“Master, is this medicine for me to take?” Wen Sheng asked.
Li Zian said, “My medicines are rarely taken orally; they are usually for external use. Go to the bathroom, fill the bathtub with hot water, take off your clothes and soak for a while. Call me when you’re ready.”
“This… is it convenient?” Wen Sheng didn’t know who to ask.
Mu Chuntao said, “Mr. Wen, please come with me. I’ll take you to the bathroom.”
“Sorry for the trouble.”
“You’re too polite, Mr. Wen.” Mu Chuntao also politely replied.
Fan Rui looked longingly at the Detox Ointment in Li Zian’s hand, which was packaged in a plastic bag. He tentatively asked, “Master, could you give me some medicine to use too?”
Li Zian smiled and said, “For your particular problem, just come over from time to time and drink a bowl of the soup I prepare for you. What other medicine do you need? All medicine has some toxicity; no matter what medicine, it’s not good for the liver. I think you should stop letting your imagination run wild.”
Fan Rui lowered his voice. “Master, do you have any… aphrodisiac medicine? Can I have some?”
Li Zian: “…”
“Do you have any or not?”
“No.” Li Zian changed the subject. “How did Brother Fan get to know this Mr. Wen?”
Fan Rui was a bit disappointed, but he still answered. “I like gambling a bit. When I have time, I go to Haijing Island. Brother Wen runs a casino. Once, I was playing at his casino. I lost all the money I brought. I borrowed some loan money there to try to win back my losses, but my luck was really bad. I lost the borrowed money too and couldn’t leave. It was Brother Wen who spoke up and let me come back. After I returned, I paid back the money. That’s how we got to know each other.”
“So that’s how it was.”
“Brother Wen started in the gangster world. In recent years, he’s gone legitimate. He has wide connections. In the future, if you ever need his help with anything, just say the word. He will definitely handle it for you.”
While the two were chatting, Mu Chuntao walked over and said, “Brother Fan, if you can avoid talking about your crooked and evil matters, then don’t. Don’t you lead my Master astray.”
Fan Rui rolled his eyes. “Listen to what you’re saying. What do you mean I’ll lead the Master astray? A lofty person like the Master, is that something I could lead?”
Li Zian felt somewhat awkward inside, all because of Mu Chuntao’s words “my Master”.
Since when did he become her Master?
“I’m not talking to you anymore.” Mu Chuntao grabbed Li Zian’s hand and pulled him towards the bathroom.
Li Zian didn’t feel it was right to pull away, which made him even more awkward.
Fan Rui watched their retreating backs and chuckled.
Only when they reached the bathroom door did Mu Chuntao let go of Li Zian’s hand. Her voice was unusually gentle. “Mr. Wen said he’s ready. You go in. I’m a girl, so I won’t go in.”
Li Zian gave her a look. So you do remember you’re a girl?
“Hurry up and go in. I’ll wait for you outside.” Mu Chuntao said.
Li Zian pushed the door open and walked in, then closed the door behind him.
The bathroom was steamy. Wen Sheng was soaking in the bathtub. His body was covered with colorful tattoos and a few knife scars that looked terrifying.
“Master, you’re here.” Wen Sheng instinctively started to get up.
“Don’t get up. Keep soaking.” Li Zian walked over. He broke off a piece of the Detox Ointment from the plastic bag and casually dropped it into the bathtub.
That piece of Detox Ointment quickly dissolved. The whole tub of hot water turned milky white, looking like a milk bath.
Li Zian said, “Just soak like this. Every three to five minutes, dunk your head into the water. Hold your breath until you can’t anymore, then come up for air.”
Wen Sheng nodded. He immediately took a deep breath, then dunked his head into the bathtub.
While he held his breath, thin black threads emerged from all over his body. The water in the bathtub also darkened a bit.
After about a minute, Wen Sheng lifted his head out of the bathtub. As he gasped for breath, he saw leech-like black threads floating in the water. He said in surprise, “Master, what are these things?”
Li Zian said, “These are the toxins from your body. My ointment can draw them out. I’ll give you this bag of ointment. Take it back and soak once a day. After seven days, the toxins in your body will drop to a very low level, and the withdrawal symptoms will be very mild. Of course, this also requires your self-discipline. As long as you don’t touch that stuff in the future, you will be able to quit it completely.”
Wen Sheng said, “That stuff almost cost me my life. I will absolutely never touch it again.”
“Hold your breath, dunk your head.” Li Zian said.
Wen Sheng immediately took another deep breath and dunked his head into the bathtub again.
With this repeated dunking and breath-holding, the leech-like black threads in the bathtub increased more and more. The water in the bathtub also grew darker and darker. In the end, it was as if the tub was filled with ink. The smell was also like spoiled food water, very unpleasant.
“Alright, get up.” Li Zian said.
Wen Sheng climbed out of the bathtub. Standing naked by the bathtub, he looked at the tub of pitch-black water. He found it disgusting himself. “My god, my body was actually this dirty?”
“Keep this bag of ointment safe.” Li Zian handed the bag of ointment to Wen Sheng.
Wen Sheng took the bag of ointment and looked at it. He asked curiously, “Master, how is this ointment made? Can it be mass-produced?”
Another person who smelled a business opportunity.
Li Zian smiled. “This is made using my secret method. It cannot be mass-produced. I’m the only one in this world who has it.”
This Detox Ointment had two key ingredients. One was Furnace Body Blood, and the other was Furnace Body Liquid. Without these two, the Detox Ointment in this bag would be equivalent to soap. If it were to be mass-produced, where would he get so much blood to let? And that Furnace Body Liquid was actually his saliva. Just for this one bag of Detox Ointment, he had to drink several hundred milliliters of water just to collect the necessary saliva. How could it be mass-produced?
Wen Sheng’s eyes were full of disappointment. “I was just thinking, if it could be mass-produced, opening a rehab hospital might be even more profitable than running a casino. It seems I was overthinking it.”
“Mr. Wen, please rinse off.” Li Zian turned and left the bathroom.
If it were really that profitable, he would have done it himself. Why would he need a partner