Chapter 10: Giving Him a Dose of His Own Medicine . . .
In the current predicament, Wan Donghai found himself wrestling with regret for not dispatching individuals to investigate the Fragrant Medicine Pavilion. He had remained passive as the situation unfolded, assuming an unclear stance. However, the unforeseen development involving Liu An, who had adeptly concealed himself, caught Wan Donghai off guard.
"Ma-Manor Lord, sa-save me," Liu An groaned, lying in a feeble state on the ground.
Liu An's plea seemed to strike a nerve with Wan Donghai, evident from the deepening frown on his face, forming an almost upside-down eight.
"Yiii? Manor Lord, why do I feel as if this friend over here knows you?" Ye Yuan feigned surprise, making his voice resonate loudly for all to hear. While others might not have discerned anything, these words held a veiled meaning for Wan Donghai.
Despite harboring intense hatred, Wan Donghai maintained a nonchalant demeanor. "Honorable Nephew, you must be joking. This Wan can be considered to have some fame within the Imperial City. My Drunken Star Manor also saved many demonic beast hunters before. Naturally, it isn't strange for him to recognize me."
Ye Yuan, sensing an opportunity, continued, "So that's the case! But when I brought this friend over here, I've never mentioned that he is a demonic beast hunter. How did Manor Lord Wan manage to tell with one glance? This nephew is impressed by Manor Lord Wan's sharp eyes."
Initially unclear about the situation, the crowd grasped the insinuations after Ye Yuan's remarks, creating an awkward atmosphere.
While it wasn't surprising for Liu An, an Eighth Level Essence Qi Realm martial artist, to recognize Wan Donghai, the reverse was peculiar. Wan Donghai, with his status, was acquainted with demonic beast hunters, but those he knew were typically Spirit Condensation Realm martial artists. Recognizing a lesser figure like Liu An was indeed unusual.
Rumors of the Drunken Star Manor infiltrating demonic beast hunter teams and eliminating their companions had circulated, lacking concrete evidence. Ye Yuan seized this opportunity to sow doubt, intentionally creating inconsistencies in Wan Donghai's narrative.
As Ye Yuan successfully baited Wan Donghai, the latter found himself unable to halt the unfolding events. The youth blew the matter out of proportion, compelling Wan Donghai to refrain from taking action against him.
"Haha. Honorable Nephew misunderstood the situation. This person looks like he has some abilities, plus he is inflicted with a bizarre poison. Just a single glance, and it's clear there is an 80% chance he is a demonic beast hunter," Wan Donghai explained, forcing a laugh.
With Ye Yuan achieving his goal, he chose not to dwell on the matter. Returning to the main topic, he said, "So that's the case. Manor Lord Wan would have to forgive me. This Nephew, I, was just recently poisoned and nearly lost my life. Hence, the doubt. Maybe I'm overthinking it. After all, those rumors are obviously nonsense. Oh right, we've been chatting for so long we almost forgot to save the patient. Just look at the expression in this friend's eyes. He's practically seeing Manor Lord Wan as his relative. Oops. Wrong. It is his savior."
Ye Yuan, taking advantage of the situation, continued to jest, further grossing out Wan Donghai. In this process, he was also settling some scores on behalf of his predecessor.
Caught in an undesirable situation, Wan Donghai couldn't argue with a hundred mouths. Ye Yuan denied him the chance to do so. Wan Donghai frowned as he observed Liu An on the ground and then instructed the servants, "Men, bring this... Friend to the back hall. I will diagnose him-"
Wan Donghai's statement was cut short by Ye Yuan's interruption. "Manor Lord Wan, can't you see how many friends came today? All of us just want to witness the splendor of Manor Lord Wan's Alchemy Dao. Manor Lord Wan cannot disappoint us! Everyone says that Manor Lord Wan is the best in the capital, yet few had actually seen Manor Lord Wan demonstrate own skills. Hearing is deceiving, seeing is believing. Manor Lord Wan should just display own abilities, so everyone can broaden their horizons, as well as giving us juniors an opportunity to observe. Right, everyone?"
The crowd, eager for a spectacle, expressed their support. Now ensnared in this predicament, Wan Donghai found it difficult to extricate himself. Glancing at Ye Yuan, he wished he could tear him to pieces. A grandmaster figure like him unexpectedly cornered by a junior in front of a crowd?
Despite the lack of pride in smacking a junior's face, Wan Donghai, finding himself in this predicament, considered it a shame not to retaliate. With a wave of his long sleeve, he instructed, "Since everyone's in such a good mood, I will detoxify this friend in front of everyone. Men, set him down."
Observing this, the crowd surged forward as if spurred by stimulants. They were eager to witness how the renowned silkpants, Ye Yuan, with his wide-spread notoriety, could challenge the Drunken Star Manor's Manor Lord.
By this juncture, even the most naive observer would dismiss the notion that Ye Yuan had serendipitously encountered Liu An on the streets. The prevailing conviction leaned heavily towards Ye Yuan orchestrating the concoction of this poison himself.
As for the unfortunate victim of this poisoning, even if the reality did not align precisely with the circulating rumors, it was evident that the individual shared a close and intricate relationship with the Drunken Star Manor.
Among the assembled onlookers, many were seasoned professionals who had gleaned details about the morning incident at the Fragrant Medicine Pavilion. Drawing connections to the unfolding spectacle, astute minds among them already surmised that Ye Yuan had arrived to mete out a taste of his own medicine to the Manor Lord.
Wan Donghai scrutinized the ailing Liu An, harboring an intense desire to dispatch him with a single lethal blow. This inept operative not only failed in his assigned mission but also thrust Wan Donghai into significant trouble.
Liu An, now in the throes of agonizing pain, convulsed sporadically, resembling a lifeless fish.
Reluctant to tarnish his own reputation, Wan Donghai found himself compelled to salvage Liu An's precarious state.
Engaged in a sequence of activities – intermittently lifting Liu An's eyelids, assessing his pulse, and adjusting his clothing for closer examination – Wan Donghai dedicated almost half the day to the intricate task. However, instead of unraveling the mystery, his heart sank further, and his brows knit tighter together.
The inconceivable truth confronted him: an Alchemy Grandmaster was incapable of identifying the nature of the poison afflicting the patient. The gravity of this situation was not lost on Wan Donghai. Were it not for Liu An's current lifeless state, Wan Donghai might even entertain suspicions of collusion between Liu An and Ye Yuan to dismantle his reputation.
"Big Brother, how is it?" Wan Dongyang inquired, sensing a foreboding tension in the air.
"Go, fetch my high-grade Detoxification Pill," Wan Donghai commanded, teeth gritted as if he had just made a begrudging decision.
"What?! The high-grade Detoxification Pill you painstakingly refined for His Majesty? You intend to use it on him?" Wan Dongyang exclaimed in disbelief.
"Just go since I asked you to! Enough with the nonsense!" Wan Donghai, having exhausted his patience, responded with irritation.