Chapter 465: A very provoking sight
As Gu Qi Sha flipped piece after piece to expose the inside layer, Han Yunxi and Long Feiye realized that their surfaces had changed to become pitch-black!
How could this be? What kind of substance would change the color of white porcelain?
Glazed porcelain containers were very stable, inert products. Aside from high heat, they rarely showed any reactions and were situation for storing acids or medicinal ingredients. Even a highly corrosive substance would have trouble eating its way through such surfaces, so most medicine were kept in these types of bottles. The antidote to Broomcorn Millet Poison was only moderately acidic at best, but it wouldn’t affect the porcelain even if it was stored in the bottle for years! Were the miscellaneous medicinal dregs to blame?
Han Yunxi immediately looked to the bottle containing the collection of extraneous medicine while Long Feiye fixed an uneasy stare at Gu Qi Sha. Gu Qi Sha’s previous bad temper had all been for show. Ever since learning of Long Feiye and Han Yunxi’s arrival, he’d been in nothing but good spirits. Now he shot Long Feiyei a meaningful look as he leisurely kept mute.
All three of them were silent, each filled with their own thoughts. Han Yunxi had already started up the detox system to analyze the miscellaneous dregs of medicine she’d filtered out from the antidote. Before, she had determined that these dregs wouldn’t affect the antidote, so she had been relieved and concentrated wholly on the issue of quantities. She suspected that they were to blame for turning the porcelain black now. Either they’d reacted with the bottle itself or other agents in the original antidor, thus dying the surface black.
Where it was the study of Western medicine, Chinese medicine, or poisons, all three aspects of medicine had connections with chemistry. It was the reaction of different elements that produced such things. But to understand such reactions, one would need an intimate knowledge of the ingredients used in the mix. Gu Qi Sha mixed too many types of useless powders together to create his dregs. Han Yunxi didn’t understand the fine points of all its elements, but she could have the detox system analyze their effectiveness, characteristics, and appearance. She didn’t understand much else, however.
Under these circumstances, the only way to figure out why the porcelain had turned black was to perform an experiment of her own. The presence of the all powerful detox system would save her much trouble when she did perform any tests.
Gu Qi Sha stared at Han Yunxi’s concentrated expression as the amusement in his eyes intensified. For the sake of trapping Long Feiye, he’d created this mix of medicinal dregs on purpose. Han Yunxi might have amazing skills, but she’d probably never be able to guess this piece of info. He prudently calculated that any experiments the lass wanted to try on her own would take two to three days to complete at most. Still, he was quite happy to wait for a couple days—or even a couple of years or more—if he could accompany her. Whenever he saw this woman, time seemed to move faster so that his life felt less tediously long.
Gu Qi Sha personally switched out the tea for a more high-class variety and silently poured Long Feiye and Han Yunxi each a cup as he smiled. Han Yunxi was too busy working with the detox system to notice anything about the tea, but Long Feiye could tell by the fragrance alone that it was Red South Peak! He gave Gu Qi Sha a suspicious look before silently taking a sip.
“Esteemed wangfei, you should try some too,” Gu Qi Sha grinned.
But Han Yunxi suddenly said coldly, “Gu Qi Sha, what’s the meaning of this?”
“What meaning?” Gu Qi Sha feigned ignorance. He figured that the lass had discovered something questionable about the extraneous medicinal dregs. It was no wonder he admired her when she was such an expert.
“You’ve put Ying grass in this mix of medicinal ingredients, right?” Han Yunxi asked.
Surprised, Gu Qi Sha replied, “You can tell?”
“So I’m right?” Han Yunxi rebutted.
“Yes!” Gu Qi Sha admitted. There really was Ying grass in the mix of ingredients, but the quantity was so minute that it wasn’t just anyone who could smell or see its presence.
So how did this lass find out so fast? Perhaps she did some tests of her own before coming here in the first place.
Gu Qi Sha was still puzzled when Han Yunxi said, “In the antidote to Broomcorn Millet Poison, the ‘scent and flavor’ of the Serpent Fruit mixes with the ‘vermillion waters’ of the Panoptic Red Lotus to create something called ‘mulberry mugwort,’ correct?”
Gu Qi Sha narrowed his eyes. “Yes!”
“Mulberry mugmort and Ying grass, when stored together in the same container, will cause an inflammatory reaction that burns the porcelain and turns it black,” Han Yunxi finished before she elegantly drank her cup of tea.
Gu Qi Sha had long been left dumbfounded. He couldn’t believe his ears, because all of her words were correct! But how is that possible? Although neither Ying grass, mulberry mugwort, or vermillion waters were rare and uncommon ingredients, their mutual reaction against the porcelain when combined was practically unheard of. He had spent three whole days of careful calculation and tests to come to such a conclusion.
So how come Han Yunxi knows everything after staring at the bottle for a little while?
Gu Qi Sha stared at her bright, limpid eyes and began to wonder if she had a pair of goblin’s irises! Han Yunxi knew she was being stared at and understood that Gu Qi Sha was shocked, but she kept her cool and continued enjoying her tea. She felt that the flavor was very familiar, but the name escaped her for the moment. In any case, it didn’t seem like something of the common strain.
Actually, she didn’t have the mixture of miscellaneous ingredients in her detox system, but a record of their various concentrations was enough to give her a beautiful answer. Still, she didn’t understand why Gu Qi Sha had done such a thing. One cup of tea later, she finally asked, “Gu Qi Sha, how can you prove that you didn’t steal that last portion of antidote with just a porcelain bottle that’s been dyed black?”
No matter how complicated this entire process was, she was determined to track down the last missing share of antidote!
Gu Qi Sha finally recovered with a chuckle. “Lass, then you should know how long it takes for mulberry mugwort and Ying grass to mix in a sealed container before their reactions dye the porcelain black. You should also know the quantity of each ingredient needed to make a reaction happen.”
At this, Long Feiye’s ever expressionless face shifted slightly. He understood! Most likely, Gu Qi Sha had calculated everything while packing things up, from how much antidote he should steal, to how much fake powder he should use to replace it, to even the size of the bottle used to store it all. Without a doubt, only a full bottle of antidote could’ve contained enough of the right ingredients to cause the reaction that dyed its insides black!
What a Gu Qi Sha. He actually left a counter like this, it’s completely beyond my expectations.
Here then, was the evidence that could prove that Long Feiye had taken away a full bottle! Despite knowing that there was no disputing the real quantities now, Long Feiye remained as steady at Mt. Tai. He was busy trying to figure out Gu Qi Sha’s motives. It was all well and good if the Pill Fiend wanted to take some antidote for himself, but why leave such a move to prove that Long Feiye had left with a full bottle?
Meanwhile, Han Yunxi had fallen silent.
“Lass, do you or don’t you know?” Gu Qi Sha asked cheerfully.
Han Yunxi really hadn’t expected this bit. If she wanted the answer, all she needed to do was have the detox system analyze the size of the bottle. But she didn’t take any action, her heart feeling vaguely uneasy instead.
Gu Qi Sha had asked his question because he had full confidence in backing it up. “Lass, it looks like you’re unclear. Heheh, then let’s do a live demonstration once!” His voice had turned completely light-hearted by now.
He quickly took out a bottle half the size of the previous one, then grabbed three parts antidote and two parts of the miscellaneous powders. Next, he purposely slowed down his movements to pour both items into the bottle as he grinned at Han Yunxi. Despite this, the corner of his eyes kept a close watch on Long Feiye! The good show he’d been waiting for was finally here! The big plans he’d prepared in advance would finally bear fruit!
The truth came to light as the powders entered the bottle. Han Yunxi finally shifted to glance at Long Feiye, only to see the man staring back at her. It was unclear what she was thinking, but her expression looked heavy and conflicted. Seeing this, Long Feiye’s proud, icy gaze also grew more intense. The two of them exchanged looks in silence, their hearts known to none but themselves.
When he saw this, Gu Qi Sha simply harumped. “Lass, this bottle is half the size of the previous one. The three parts antidote and two parts miscellaneous dregs form half the quantity of the original full bottle as well. Look closely.”
Han Yunxi watched quietly without a word. Gu Qi Sha had already dumped all the necessary powders into the bottle. He happily raised it up and waved it lightly in Han Yunxi and Long Feiye’s faces before pouring out the powder and offering the bottle to Han Yunxi.
“Lass, take a look!”
Han Yunxi didn’t take the bottle, so Gu Qi Sha just laughed. “What, you don’t dare? Shall I have His Highness Duke of Qin do it instead?”
At this, Han Yunxi accepted the bottle and smashed it to the ground. Once again, their fragments littered the floor. Some of the pieces had their insides exposed while the others had landed face down, creating a mix of black and white porcelain. Han Yunxi seemed to be deadset against Gu Qi Sha, because she bent down to pick up the pieces herself as soon as she could. Long Feiye wasn’t in time to stop her before she cut her index finger on the second shard she picked up.
Long Feiye furrowed his brows slightly before raising her injured digit to suck lightly on the cut. His eyes were downcast as she focused wholly on the injury, his movements light and fine. Han Yunxi could even feel his tongue lapping lightly against her skin, an indescribably beautiful sensation. For a minute, she forget where they were and the reality proved by the shattered porcelain on the ground.
Your Highness, you probably have no idea how handsome you look when you’re focused on something!
Gu Qi Sha only found this a provoking sight. His eyes turned cold, refusing to believe how Long Feiye could be so calm even in face of the truth! But Long Feiye had indeed remained unruffled. After stopping the bleeding in Han Yunxi’s finger, he went to pick up the porcelain shards himself and placed them on the table with the black insides facing up.
Very soon, all of the pieces were laid out—and each one was black!
Gu Qi Sha had lost his patience by now. He found another half-sized bottle and filled it up eight parts full before shaking the container once and dumping out its contents again. This time, he shattered this bottle himself and picked up the pieces. Laying those inside out revealed….