Chapter 39 - 38: It Is Our Unshirkable Duty as Officials

Chapter 39: Chapter 38: It Is Our Unshirkable Duty as Officials

「In the study.」

Two people were nestled on the recliner, sound asleep. Zhao Ci slept rather peacefully, but Zhu Li, whose system hadn’t been completely cleared of the residual poison, was still mumbling in her sleep. Overall, however, there was no longer any serious danger. After all, the dose of the poison hadn’t been large.

Gu Xiangzhu glanced at Zhao Ci’s peaceful expression as he slept, and she couldn’t help but frown slightly. She felt her earlier reaction had been very strange.

’The urgency I felt while saving Zhao Ci was... a little too intense, even tinged with worry.’

’It’s as if I’m no longer satisfied with just being a fake mother-son pair with Zhao Ci. I’m starting to want to truly take him in as my godson. The boy is actually quite thoughtful.’

But she knew this was a dangerous signal.

In the Demon Sect, taking godsons was not unheard of, and she wasn’t opposed to it.

The problem was, if Zhao Ci were unrelated to her mission, then taking him as a godson would be fine. But he wasn’t. Zhao Ci was a factor that would have an enormous impact on her mission.

If she placed undue expectations on him, and something went wrong, the impact on her mission could very well be fatal.

’For example...’

’Just a hypothetical, of course!’

’Suppose something goes wrong with the Pill Workshop this time, and I don’t get my hands on the method for the Essence Extract Liquid. Even if I make a fortune later, even if I open up channels for pills, I’ll be constrained by others at every turn.’

’Of course!’

’Nothing should go wrong this time.’

’Because Zhao Ci has been under my watch almost the entire time, and there’s no possibility he could have noticed anything wrong with my identity.’

’But what if?’

’What if personal feelings cloud my judgment? A disaster could strike at any time in the future.’

Gu Xiangzhu let out a soft breath, took a thick stack of ledgers from the bookshelf, and began to write and calculate.

For this Pill Workshop, she had moved almost every bit of cash flow she could. One could say she had bet her entire life savings on it.

She was certain that this Pill Workshop would make a name for itself and bring her even greater profits.

But...

The core technique for the Essence Extract Liquid was still in Zhao Ci’s hands. Although events were progressing in a way that it would most likely fall into her hands, it hadn’t yet. This was a major reason why she was so vehemently rejecting her personal feelings right now.

’Behind this seemingly smooth sailing, are there other variables hidden away?’

But after thinking it over and over, she could only think of one variable: the Emperor. If this technique was originally given to Zhao Ci by the Emperor, then she would have been truly taken for a ride.

’But on second thought, that scenario is almost impossible. If the Emperor had such a technique, he definitely wouldn’t have waited until now to bring it out, let alone place it in Zhao Ci’s hands.’

"I hope I’m just overthinking things!"

Gu Xiangzhu shook her head and began to sort out the mess in her ledgers.

「An hour later.」

Zhao Ci slowly woke up. Thinking back to the apocalyptic experience from before, he still felt a little dizzy.

’Damn it!’

’I was so focused on cooking the mushrooms thoroughly that I forgot to wash the knife.’

’That feeling was a real trip!’

’But right before I passed out, I think I fell into something warm and soft... It felt pretty comfortable. What was it?’

’Gu Xiangzhu?’

’It seemed like she was really anxious to detoxify me?’

’She’s actually a pretty nice person.’

Zhao Ci felt a little embarrassed. A gentleman is judged by his actions, not his intentions. Never mind what Gu Xiangzhu was thinking; at the very least, she had been helping him up to this point. He, on the other hand, had been plotting against her quite a bit and had even taken advantage of her a few times.

He rubbed his head and sat up from the couch.

He saw Gu Xiangzhu hunched over her desk, writing furiously. A lock of her hair had fallen forward, but it did nothing to hide her stunningly beautiful face.

’What a beautiful scene.’

’Too bad there’s a line of text floating above her head.’

[Gu Xiangzhu’s Current Wish]: Take possession of the Essence Extract Liquid method. Wish Fulfillment Reward: Enlightenment Value +100, Cunning and Robbing Talisman x1.

Zhao Ci: "???"

’Damn it.’

’So infuriating!’

’I felt guilty for nothing.’

"You’re awake?"

Gu Xiangzhu turned her head and smiled faintly. "Next time you eat mushrooms, you must remember to cook them thoroughly and clean everything properly. You can survive being poisoned once or twice, but too many times will inevitably affect your mind."

After she finished speaking, the text above her head changed.

[Gu Xiangzhu’s Current Wish]: Wants to eat some other hometown delicacies. Wish Fulfillment Reward: Enlightenment Value +10, Taotie Talisman x10.

’Whoa!’

Zhao Ci suddenly felt that this woman wasn’t so completely detestable after all. At least she was really generous with her rewards.

He nodded. "Don’t worry, Mother. I will be careful in the future. What did you think of the mushrooms this time, Mother? I learned a lot of delicious dishes from that friend from Dian Nan. I can make them all for you some other day."

Gu Xiangzhu paused for a moment, then smiled. "Very well! Thank you for the trouble, Ci. Since Zhu Li has now entered the mansion, there’s nothing else that needs your attention. When Zhu Li wakes up, you two can go back. For the next few days, rest and build up your strength. Wait for the Gongdan Conference to really show what you can do."

"Yes!"

Zhao Ci didn’t say much more. He just casually picked up a book and started reading, but in his mind, he was organizing the contents of the Hundred Poison Secret Manual.

Seeing the descriptions of the poisons inside, he shuddered involuntarily. Even though the corresponding antidotes were listed, he couldn’t help but feel a chill run down his spine.

The Organ-Rotting Poison: upon consumption, the internal organs fester and the flesh putrefies. The antidote must be taken on a strict schedule.

The Soul-Catching Gu: implant the Gu Insect into the Spirit Platform. If the host defies the caster’s will, the Spirit Platform will be viciously gnawed upon, causing the host pain worse than death. After a few sessions of this torture, the host will become incapable of ever defying the caster again, becoming no different from a puppet.

And then there was the Heart-Eroding Poison...

’This Hundred Poison Secret Manual is practically an encyclopedia of poisons.’

’Vicious and cruel poisons are a dime a dozen in here. If you wanted to use them, you could easily control someone.’

’Zhao Ci had no idea how many people Gu Xiangzhu had used these on. But since she was from the Demon Sect and controlled such a large enterprise, there were probably quite a few people under her thumb, right?’

’She’s so damn dangerous!’

’I have to be extremely careful when dealing with her.’

"Don’t! Leave some for me!"

Zhu Li jolted awake from her dream and shot upright.

She looked around in a daze for a good while before turning to Zhao Ci. "Where are my mushrooms? Did you finish them?"

"I’ll have your master make some for you another day!"

Zhao Ci rubbed his head, then grabbed the silly girl and took his leave.

Zhu Li quickly recovered from her disappointment over the missing mushrooms. She rolled up her sleeves, full of ambition, and said, "Your Highness, when are we going to revitalize Xiang’s Pill Workshop?"

Zhao Ci was a little surprised. He hadn’t expected her to be so eager.

Although this employee often couldn’t tell who was in charge, from a boss’s perspective, she was quite a delightful girl.

He smiled. "No rush! I’ll take you back to the Pill Workshop in a bit and give you a chance to put your alchemy skills to good use."

"Okay!"

Zhu Li nodded solemnly.

The two of them walked briskly toward the exit, but just as they reached the palace gate, they unexpectedly saw Eunuch Li walking in with Zhao Yong.

’What a coincidence. We’ve run into each other twice in one morning.’

Zhao Ci had been busy stirring up trouble recently and was a bit tired; he didn’t want to get tangled up with Zhao Yong. Zhao Yong also seemed mentally and physically exhausted and showed no intention of greeting him.

But unexpectedly, Eunuch Li took the initiative to approach them. "The Tenth Prince is here too! Your Highness has been so busy with important matters these days, it’s been a long time since you’ve come to dine with His Majesty. His Majesty has been mentioning you constantly!"

Zhao Ci: "..."

’He just wants me to have a meal with him, doesn’t he?’

He smiled and replied, "I hadn’t even realized until you mentioned it, Eunuch Li. Thinking back on it now, I feel quite ashamed. Are you heading back to the Imperial Study, Eunuch? How about you take me with you? Zhu Li, you head back to the Pill..."

Eunuch Li said with a beaming smile, "Miss Li doesn’t need to leave. Now that Miss Li has become the Tenth Prince’s Mansion Official, she will surely be making a big splash at the upcoming Gongdan Conference. His Majesty is currently summoning the Chief Stewards of the major Pill Workshops to plan for the future welfare of Great Yu. It would be perfect for Miss Li to come along and listen."

Upon hearing this, Zhu Li’s expression turned solemn with respect. "This concerns the national policy of the Great Yu Kingdom! It is our undeniable duty as officials."

Zhao Ci: "..."

Zhao Yong: "..."

Eunuch Li: "..."