Chapter 342 - 340: Admiration

Chapter 342: Chapter 340: Admiration

"Sit down right now! You have the nerve to call other people reckless? And what do you call this?" Zhang Da’an said, yanking Zhang Damei down into a chair.

"Didn’t I say I’d do it secretly? This isn’t my first rodeo. Back in the day... hehe. In any case, if I don’t go today, I’ll go eventually. I know how to pull my punches. I won’t kill him. Believe it or not, even if he recognizes me, he won’t dare to breathe a word." Zhang Damei snatched a wine cup, poured himself another drink, and downed it with a cold snort.

Gu Nuannuan immediately shot Zhang Damei a look of pure adoration. The words "I believe you" almost burst from her lips. She was just now realizing it—the "unsung hero" from her past life, the one who secretly avenged her cousin Laidi, was this very man!

Gu Nuannuan’s adoring gaze was so direct that Zhang Damei couldn’t possibly miss it. He couldn’t help but chuckle smugly and even shot a provocative glance at Zhang Dazhuang and Zhang Da’an. "You’re really going downhill with age," he sneered. "Look at the two of you. You don’t even have the guts of a little girl anymore."

Zhang Damei’s words made everyone else look helplessly at Gu Nuannuan. Zhang Dazhuang shook his head at Zhang Damei and said, "She’s just a little girl. How could she understand what you’re talking about or how serious it is? You guarantee it? What can you guarantee when someone actually ends up dead? I will never agree to you throwing your life away for a person like that. Fortunately, we found out about this in advance, so we won’t let it get that far. It hasn’t reached the point where a murder is necessary. For now, giving him a good beating should be enough."

"Isn’t that letting him off too easy?" Zhang Damei paused, still not satisfied.

"Then we’ll just stuff him in a sack and beat him a few more times. Just be careful not to cause any permanent damage," Zhang Da’an declared, slapping the table.

"I have a pill, too. After you’re done with the sack, just make him eat one. That’ll settle the score for good," Gu Nuannuan, who had been listening, suddenly interjected with a grin.

A pill?

Everyone looked over, confused.

"What kind of pill is so powerful? What does it do?" Wen Xiu was the first to ask. When it came to hatred, she loathed that Xu Banxian the most. Zhang Damei’s words had been incredibly satisfying to hear, but she also thought her husband had a point. It really wasn’t worth taking such a risk for a person like that, so she had kept quiet. Now, as she looked at Gu Nuannuan, her eyes filled with anticipation.

"Grandpa knows about this. I’ve been following a recipe I found to refine ’Hundred Herbs Rejuvenating Ointment’—though to be precise, it should be ’Hundred Herbs Rejuvenation Pills.’ During a failed attempt, I accidentally created a different, especially potent type of pill."

Gu Nuannuan’s eyes narrowed into a harmless-looking smile. "Whether it’s ’potent’ or not really depends on the person. If a good person with no ill intentions takes it, nothing happens. But for someone full of malice, it’s a different story. The pill’s effect is to make someone shamelessly act on all their hidden, wicked thoughts. And the more people around, the more lively the setting, the stronger the effect becomes. It lasts for about half a month."

Although Zhang Dazhuang knew about the Hundred Herbs Rejuvenating Ointment, this was the first time he had heard Gu Nuannuan mention any of this. Still, when he saw everyone’s questioning gazes, he gave a subtle, silent nod.

"Something like that actually exists in this world?" Zhang Damei’s interest was piqued. He leaned across the table toward Gu Nuannuan, his eyes gleaming. "How many of those pills do you have?"

He didn’t ask about the recipe, nor did he ask what the "Hundred Herbs Rejuvenation Pills" were. He just figured that since it was a byproduct of a failure, the real thing probably hadn’t been successfully created yet. Since he didn’t ask, the others were tactful enough not to bring it up either.

"There’s only half a pill left. I used the other half for an experiment," Gu Nuannuan said with a blink.

"Can you make more?" A strange light gleamed in Zhang Damei’s eyes.

"It’s hard to say, but I’m afraid it would be difficult..." Gu Nuannuan gave him an innocent look. ’I don’t know what he’s scheming,’ she thought, so she didn’t shut the door completely, leaving herself a little wiggle room.

’Of course, she hadn’t actually refined the pill herself; it was something that had been in the storage ring all along. Even low-level Cultivators couldn’t withstand it... For an ordinary person, half a pill was more than enough. The medicine was incredibly potent and came with severe side effects. It could destroy the very foundation of a person’s body—a truly insidious drug.’

’Gu Nuannuan would never have brought it out for just anyone. But since the target was Xu Banxian... hehe, who cared if the foundation of his body was destroyed?’

"What a pity..." Zhang Damei said wistfully. Then he asked, "Where is it?"

"Here." Gu Nuannuan made a show of rummaging in her pocket, then produced a small, oil-paper packet and handed it to Zhang Damei. Seeing him not only open it but also move to dip a finger in for a taste, she quickly stopped him. "Don’t! Even the tiniest taste of this will cause physical harm."

"Huh?" Zhang Damei paused and gave Gu Nuannuan a questioning look.

Gu Nuannuan reluctantly told the truth. "This medicine is potent. After half a pill, that Xu Banxian will likely be paralyzed in bed for the rest of his life within six months."

"Ah..." Everyone’s gaze on the half-pill instantly filled with shock and uncertainty.

"Haha, not bad, not bad! I like this." Zhang Damei burst out laughing. He meticulously wrapped the half-pill and stowed it away before turning to Zhang Weiquan. "I’ll go myself tonight. I thought we were letting him off easy, but it looks like this is much better than my original plan. No one will ever know."

Gu Nuannuan smiled, then suddenly stood up and said to Zhang Dazhuang, "Grandpa, give me the liquor bottle."

"What do you want the liquor bottle for?" Zhang Dazhuang asked, even as he handed over the bottle of Maotai, which was still more than half full.

Gu Nuannuan smiled without speaking. She set the liquor bottle aside, carried her untouched bowl of tea to the doorway of the main hall, and tossed the contents outside. Returning, she placed a jade-green medicine pill into the empty bowl, then slowly poured the Maotai in until the bowl was about half full.

Initially, the liquor showed no change. Just as everyone was completely baffled, unable to figure out what Gu Nuannuan was doing and about to ask, the liquor in the bowl began to turn green. It started as a light green, then the color grew deeper and deeper until it finally congealed into a paste. Throughout the process, a rich fragrance wafted out, making one feel exceptionally refreshed just by breathing it in.

"This is...?" Everyone was stunned.

"This? Why does it smell a bit like Hundred Herbs Rejuvenating Ointment?" Zhang Dazhuang scrutinized the paste and sniffed quizzically. "But the color seems deeper. And isn’t that used for healing?"