Chapter 23: Hemolytic Poison
Linley looked at the two maids at the living room entrance and said coldly, “Get out. Without my orders, no one is allowed to enter.”
“Yes, milord.”
The two maids at the entrance trembled inwardly and immediately retreated respectfully and quickly.
“Linley, you’re quite cautious, aren’t you?” Hise said with a chuckle.
Linley felt helpless inside.
Cautious?
How could he not be cautious? This was meant to kill Clayde.
“This Hise probably already figured out I’m going to kill Clayde,” Linley thought to himself. Back then, he had asked Hise whether it was possible to kill a king from one of the six kingdoms under the Sacred Alliance, and later mentioned dealing with a rank-9 expert. Unless Hise was an idiot, a little thought would lead him to the rank-9 king—under the Sacred Alliance, that could only be Clayde.
“Hise, that old monster, wouldn’t go out of his way to curry favor with Clayde for my sake,” Linley reassured himself.
What kind of person was Hise? Would he bother playing tricks with someone like Linley?
“Linley, you need to be careful. The one you’re targeting is highly valued by the Radiant Church,” Hise whispered beside him. “And he has plenty of guards. Poisoning him won’t be easy.”
Linley glanced at Hise. “Thank you for the warning, Mr. Hise.”
Poisoning Clayde?
If Linley were willing to risk his life, he could do it with absolute certainty. All he’d need to do was invite Clayde to his estate, share a drink, and slip the poison into the wine. That would be a sure thing. But it would also expose his identity.
Finding an opportunity to kill Clayde without anyone noticing—that was the real challenge.
“I can’t count on getting lucky like with Paderson, where Clayde comes to see me alone in secret,” Linley thought. Back then, Paderson’s solo visit had been a pleasant surprise—a once-in-a-lifetime chance.
With that in mind, Linley opened the envelope.
Inside was a sheet of paper, densely covered with handwriting.
“Potion Name: Hemolytic Poison
Ingredients: Astragalus Fruit, White Ginseng, Yellow Ginger, Mist Grass, Poria, Bitter Bark, Cardamom, Blueheart Grass.
Effects: When Hemolytic Poison powder is dissolved in wine, it is colorless and odorless, and currently undetectable by any means. Once ingested, it merges into the bloodstream and penetrates the lower dantian, rendering battle qi nearly unusable. A warrior’s strength is reduced to less than a tenth. Anyone below the Saint realm will be affected. There is no antidote. Only prolonged erosion by battle qi can gradually eliminate all the poison’s potency.
Preparation: To produce one gram of Hemolytic Poison powder, you need 30 grams of Astragalus Fruit, 12 grams of White Ginseng, 10 grams of Yellow Ginger, 15 grams of Mist Grass, 12 grams of Poria, 1 gram of Bitter Bark, 12 grams of Cardamom, and 1 gram of Blueheart Grass. First, take 12 parts White Ginseng, 15 parts Mist Grass, and 1 part Bitter Bark. Place these three ingredients into a medicinal pot and simmer over fire until the white mist emitted by the Mist Grass dissipates. Stop, filter, and take the concentrated liquid. Then return the liquid to the pot. Add Blueheart Grass, Yellow Ginger, Cardamom…
Storage Method: …”
This paper detailed every aspect of Hemolytic Poison. Just from the preparation process, Linley could tell how difficult it was to produce even a tiny bit of the powder. One wrong step, and the entire effect would be ruined.
There were also storage methods and other precautions to note.
By weight, Hemolytic Poison powder was millions of times more valuable than gold coins.
“Of the eight ingredients in this Hemolytic Poison formula, five—Astragalus Fruit, White Ginseng, Yellow Ginger, Bitter Bark, and Cardamom—aren’t particularly rare, and the cost won’t be an issue for you. But the other three are very scarce. Mist Grass is typically found only in the far east of the Yulan continent, on the vast eastern grasslands. It’s extremely rare, with a price but no market. The other two ingredients are even more precious than Mist Grass!” Hise explained carefully.
“Both Blueheart Grass and Poria are things you can’t just buy—they have a price but no market. I heard recently someone offered 100,000 gold coins for Blueheart Grass and still couldn’t get any. As for Poria, it hasn’t appeared in a long time either.”
Hise patted Linley on the shoulder and comforted him, “Linley, gathering all eight ingredients will take some effort.”
But Linley felt he had a decent chance.
Five of the ingredients were no problem at all. Mist Grass, though rare, shouldn’t be too hard to buy. As for Blueheart Grass… he already had some. No need to search for it. The real challenge was just one ingredient—Poria!
“Once I get Poria and brew the Hemolytic Poison powder, that’ll be Clayde’s death sentence,” Linley thought to himself.
Linley had reached his limit. If he couldn’t find a good opportunity later, he wouldn’t hesitate to expose his identity to kill Clayde. At worst, he could ask Yale for help and escape the Sacred Alliance through the Dawson Conglomerate.
Given the Dawson Conglomerate’s influence, helping Linley flee the Sacred Alliance wouldn’t be hard.
“For now, the most important thing is to gather all eight ingredients,” Linley thought, feeling relieved.
At least now he had a clear goal and plan.
“Linley, Linley,” Hise called out. “Master Linley!”
“Ah.” Linley snapped out of his thoughts and looked at Hise. “Mr. Hise, is there something?”
Hise grinned slyly. “Linley, aren’t you forgetting something?”
Linley immediately caught on and laughed. “Haha, Mr. Hise, you mean the stone sculpture, right? I finished it over a month ago. Come, follow me.” Linley led Hise toward the side hall.
In a corner of the side hall stood a human-shaped stone sculpture. It exuded a cold, murderous aura, and the arrogance in its eyes, as if looking down on all living things, made one involuntarily look up to it. Facing this sculpture, one couldn’t help but feel a sense of awe. The face was incredibly lifelike, almost identical to Hise.
“Excellent, excellent!!!” Hise exclaimed excitedly, saying it twice.
“Master Linley, you truly are a master sculptor. To complete such a perfect work in such a short time. In my heart, this piece is ten thousand times better than ‘Awakening from a Dream.’” Hise stared at the sculpture, his face beaming with joy.
The more he looked, the more pleased he became.
“Is this ‘King of Killers’ a bit too narcissistic?” Linley thought, watching Hise’s grin.
“Lord Linley,” the estate’s steward bowed.
Linley handed him a sheet of paper. “Go out and buy these twelve ingredients for me. The required quantities for each are listed.”
“Yes, Lord Linley.” The steward took the paper.
The paper listed twelve ingredients, six of which Linley actually needed. The other six were common herbs he’d written down at random. Among the twelve, only Mist Grass was valuable. As for the Blueheart Grass and Poria needed for Hemolytic Poison, Linley hadn’t even included them on the paper.
Linley wasn’t worried about the ingredient names leaking.
After all, the Hemolytic Poison formula was a secret recipe from the assassin organization, the Hand of Death. Aside from the Dagger organization, probably no one else knew it. And other potions might use these ingredients too.
The key ingredients—Blueheart Grass and Poria—weren’t on the list.
“Bring the herbs back as quickly as possible,” Linley instructed.
After giving the order, Linley immediately sent someone to invite Yale, Reynolds, and George over for a gathering. The four brothers often met up, so this wouldn’t raise any suspicion.
The next morning.
Today was the day of Kante Debussy’s hanging, but Linley couldn’t be bothered to watch. He was at his estate, drinking and chatting with his three good brothers. Toward the end, he finally brought up his request.
“Yale, big brother, I need to ask a favor,” Linley said.
“Third brother, just say it,” Yale replied generously.
Linley took out a piece of paper. “Yale, I need two herbs: Mist Grass and Poria. They’re extremely rare and hard to find on the market. I’d like you to help me out.” Yale was backed by the Dawson Conglomerate.
As one of the three major merchant associations on the Yulan continent, the Dawson Conglomerate was a behemoth with immense resources. Having them search for Mist Grass and Poria would make things much easier.
“Two herbs? No problem, leave it to me.” Yale, his tongue already loose from drinking, patted his chest in assurance. He took the paper listing the two herbs.
“Mist Grass—I’ve seen it at home when I was a kid. It’s a fun herb; under high heat, it gives off white mist,” Reynolds chimed in.
Linley’s eyes lit up. But Reynolds’s home was in the O’Brien Empire. Getting Mist Grass from there to Fenlai Kingdom would take at least a year. Linley couldn’t wait that long. He’d only consider it if he truly couldn’t find it elsewhere.
“Waiting for your family’s Mist Grass, fourth brother, would take forever,” Yale scoffed. “Third brother, I’ll go find my uncle right away and have him help you get these two herbs.”
Yale took Linley’s matter seriously. That very day, he went to see his uncle.
In a private room at the Celestial Paradise, brown-haired Myron Dawson lounged in a bathrobe, his chest bare, reclining on a chaise lounge. Two of the Celestial Paradise’s most famous beauties attended to him obediently.
“Uncle, uncle!” Yale’s voice rang out from outside.
Myron sighed helplessly, patted the two beauties’ hair, and said with a smile, “My darlings, wait outside for a moment.” The two women obediently left the room, and Yale entered right after.
“Yale, you’re grown up now, but you’re still so reckless,” Myron Dawson said with a frown.
Yale grinned. “Uncle, don’t be mad. I’m here to ask for your help. It’s about my good brother, the third one.”
“Third one? That Linley?” Myron sat up straight. “What is it?”
Yale pulled the paper from his pocket. “Uncle, third brother urgently needs these two herbs. I’m asking you to see if you can find them.” He handed the paper over.
“Mist Grass and Poria?” Myron glanced at the names and nodded slightly. “I’ll have someone check if we have any stock here.”
“Haha, thanks, uncle!” Yale said excitedly. “I won’t disturb your fun anymore. I’m off now.”
“This kid,” Myron muttered with a smile, then looked at the paper again. “Mist Grass and Poria? What does this Linley need them for?”
Linley had to admit the Dawson Conglomerate’s efficiency was astonishing.
“Third brother, our Dawson branch in the Sacred Alliance only has a small stock of Mist Grass. As for Poria, we had some a while back, but it’s been shipped to headquarters. Our headquarters has the most herbs. Here’s the Mist Grass for now.” Yale handed Linley a bag directly.
The formula specified quantities in grams, but the bag Yale gave him contained nine whole stalks of Mist Grass—more than enough.
“No Poria now?” Linley took the bag.
Yale nodded. “Third brother, if you’re in a hurry, I’ll ask my uncle to send an expert on a flying magical beast to headquarters quickly. Flying beasts are fast. Round trip, three months should be enough.”