Free Web NovelChapter 116: Chapter 113: The Poisoned Woman
Feng Hao was stunned for a moment. He quickly retracted the [Black Pupils] effect and went downstairs to greet the customer.
The shop had been open for three days, and he finally had his first customer. ’I have to take this seriously, no matter what.’
He quickly came downstairs and saw a sallow, emaciated woman looking around, her eyes filled with suspicion. It was no wonder. The shop had been decorated to an incredibly high standard by Houhuiyao, Xu Zhenzhen, and a third person, yet the shelves and counters were completely empty of products. Anyone would find it strange.
"How can I help you, miss? This shop specializes in alchemy, and our service is honest," Feng Hao said in a friendly tone.
The woman stared at Feng Hao for a long time before walking forward on weak legs. "Why doesn’t your pharmacy have any medicine? And you don’t even have a sign up?"
"Uh, we just opened, we just opened," Feng Hao said with an awkward smile.
The sallow-faced woman nodded in understanding and gave a stiff smile. She asked softly, "Excuse me, can you treat poison here?"
"Of course we can! We specialize in alchemy, after all!" Feng Hao smiled knowingly. ’I noticed her poor complexion earlier, and now it looks like she really is poisoned.’
"Are you sure?" The sallow-faced woman frowned skeptically and said with hesitation, "I heard there’s an Alchemist in Five States City who studies poisons, but I’ve been searching for days and haven’t found them. Can you really do it?"
Feng Hao pursed his lips, sounding a little annoyed. "You’ll know once you try, won’t you?"
"Alright then. I suppose it’s my only option." The sallow-faced woman gave a bitter smile, her eyes filled with despair. These past few days, the poison had been flaring up with increasing frequency, and she could clearly feel her bodily functions deteriorating. If she couldn’t get treatment in time, she probably didn’t have much longer to live.
Fortunately, she had heard a few days ago that there was an Alchemist in Five States City who researched poisons, so she’d come to try her luck. Unfortunately, after searching every pharmacy, big and small, she hadn’t found an Alchemist who could cure her. As a last resort, she had stepped into this strange pharmacy.
"Judging by your accent, you’re not from Wolf Country, are you?" Feng Hao bantered while taking the necessary tools out of his Spatial Ring.
The sallow-faced woman gave a stiff smile and nodded bitterly. "Yes, I’m from Dust Wind Country."
"Dust Wind Country? I hear it’s the cradle of Sword Magic Masters. You must be a very powerful Sword Magic Master, right?"
"Mm," the sallow-faced woman grunted softly and said no more, quietly watching Feng Hao arrange his equipment and tools.
Feng Hao didn’t press further. After skillfully arranging his equipment, he looked up and asked, "First, tell me what kind of poison you have, how long you’ve been poisoned, and what medicines you’ve used to suppress the toxins."
Hearing this, the sallow-faced woman finally showed a look of surprise. She had been to hundreds of pharmacies, but this was the first time she had heard such professional questions.
"A month ago, I was stung by a fifth-rank Grave Digger Scorpion. So far, I’ve only used the common Antitoxic Powder you can buy on the market," the sallow-faced woman answered truthfully.
’So it’s Grave Digger Scorpion venom. No wonder she’s in this state,’ Feng Hao thought, frowning in realization.
The Grave Digger Scorpion’s venom was extremely vicious. Because the scorpions spent their years digging up and devouring rotting corpses, their venom had a powerful corrosive effect. While not immediately fatal, it would continuously erode the body and strip away its functions.
Judging from the sallow-faced woman’s current condition, she was clearly using her high-level strength to hold on. Otherwise, her symptoms would be far worse than just being sallow and emaciated.
"Let me see a few drops of your blood," Feng Hao continued.
The sallow-faced woman didn’t hesitate. She condensed her Magic Power into a tiny sliver of Sword Qi, lightly pricked her finger, and squeezed out a few drops of dark purple blood.
Feng Hao skillfully collected the blood in a glass container. After analyzing it for a moment with his high-end Alchemy Equipment, he couldn’t help but frown again. "You were stung by the Grave Digger Scorpion right before it died, weren’t you?"
"How did you know?" the sallow-faced woman asked, shocked and suspicious.
"Because when a Grave Digger Scorpion is on the verge of death, it secretes its life-source venom. The toxicity is several times stronger than normal, and it seeps into the bones, making it extremely difficult to remove," Feng Hao explained with a frown.
When the sallow-faced woman heard this, her face turned deathly pale. "Is there still a way to cure it?" she asked anxiously.
"There is... but..." Feng Hao grinned.
The woman quickly caught his meaning, her delicate brows knitting together. "As long as you can cure my poison, Magic Crystals are not an issue."
"Hehe, this shop doesn’t accept Magic Crystals for alchemy. We only take rare materials."
The woman froze, giving Feng Hao a peculiar look. She then took out two pieces of black wood, slapped them on the table, and said, "These two pieces of Level 4 Su Wood should be very suitable for you."
Feng Hao was shocked. He didn’t expect the woman to discern his cultivation path at a glance, let alone produce a rare dark-attribute material like Su Wood.
"Deal! Deal!" Feng Hao subconsciously reached for the Su Wood, but the woman snatched it back.
"Cure my poison first," the woman said in a low voice, clutching the Su Wood.
Feng Hao awkwardly retracted his hand, clicked his tongue, and chuckled. "Alright, have a seat over there and wait. I’ll start on the alchemy right now. Just don’t go anywhere!"
With that said, he pulled the necessary ingredients from his Spatial Ring and began the refining process without delay. He couldn’t help it; the temptation of those two pieces of Su Wood was simply too great, especially since it was Level 4 Su Wood.
Seeing Feng Hao begin the alchemy, the woman didn’t dare approach and disturb him. She sat down on the sofa, her face full of apprehension, and began to wait.
As for why there was a sofa in a pharmacy, you’d have to ask that big spender, Houhuiyao.
Time ticked by. Feng Hao worked feverishly on the antidote. Spurred on by the temptation of the two pieces of Su Wood, he felt no fatigue at all. His dazzling alchemy techniques left the woman dumbfounded.
Although the woman didn’t know much about Alchemy Techniques, she could at least roughly gauge an Alchemist’s skill level. Seeing how proficient Feng Hao’s methods were, she felt a great deal more at ease.
He worked from morning until dusk without a single break. Even though he was drenched in sweat, Feng Hao remained tirelessly enthusiastic.
Finally, thanks to Feng Hao’s frantic efforts, the antidote was complete. He placed three medicines on the counter, wiped the sweat from his brow, and said, "Alright, alright, hand over the Su Wood."
The woman instantly rushed to the counter and asked doubtfully, "Which one is the antidote?"
"They all are," Feng Hao explained casually. "The pill is to be taken orally, and the white ointment is for external application to speed up your skin’s recovery. The bottle of black ointment is a freebie. It’s effective for treating any festering skin."
"How long will it take to be completely cured?" the woman pressed, her beautiful eyes shining with a brilliant light.
"About five or six days," Feng Hao replied with a light laugh, his eyes fixed on the Su Wood in the woman’s hands. "So, can I have those two pieces of Su Wood now?"
"No. What if it doesn’t cure the poison?" The woman looked hesitant.
"Don’t worry, don’t worry! If this deluxe treatment package of mine can’t cure you, then no other medicine can!" Feng Hao said with a confident smile.
"I’d better wait until the poison is completely gone before I give them to you," the woman said, frowning thoughtfully.
Hearing this, Feng Hao grew anxious, practically drooling as he stared at the two pieces of Su Wood. "How about this: you give me the Su Wood now, and then you can stay here for a few days. If the poison isn’t cleared by then, it’s not like I can run away, right?"
"Are you the only one here in the shop?" the woman asked hesitantly.
"Yes."
The woman nodded thoughtfully, tossed the two pieces of Su Wood to Feng Hao, and walked straight upstairs. "Where’s my room?" she called out.
"The room on the west side!" Feng Hao shouted back, gleefully hugging the Su Wood.
