Kei and the husky arrived in the second city of the Southern Kingdom. Compared to the border town, this place was bustling with life.
Streets were lined with food stalls and vendors selling toys and trinkets, each one yelling loudly to promote their goods.
"Boss, this place doesn't seem so bad," said the husky as he trotted alongside Kei, scanning the lively surroundings. "Maybe the Southern Kingdom isn't as messed up as we thought."
He had expected the rest of the cities to be just like that dreary border town—dilapidated, lifeless, filled with people resembling walking corpses. But this city… wasn't like that at all.
"Thud!"
"That guy's poisoned—it's Hundred-Day Powder! Step back, everyone! Don't get contaminated!"
"That's the fifth one who died today."
"No, the sixth. Don't forget the guy who rotted in his house for three days before anyone found him."
Strangely, the crowd wasn't alarmed at all. Instead, they calmly discussed which poison had killed him and how many had died so far—like they were talking about lunch.
"…Yeah, no. Boss, this place is seriously messed up!"
The husky instantly retracted his earlier praise. The Southern Kingdom was still very much insane. This dog wanted to go back north!
"Southern Poison Nation," Kei said. "Masters of poison and venoms. To them, poisoning might be as normal as eating and breathing."
Though he couldn't fully understand their customs, he respected them.
"Alright, let's get the sign up and start working."
"Woof."
The husky raised the clinic sign strapped to his body and began strolling the streets, barking out offers for treatment. He really did have a talent for this—maybe from all his howling back in the day. His voice cut clean through the noisy market.
Not long after, they were stopped by an elderly man with white hair who stood in their path.
"You must be the Divine Doctor, Kei?"
"That's me. What's up?"
"Nothing much. I'm here to advise you to leave. The roads of the Southern Kingdom are treacherous—you should turn back."
"Huh, funny," Kei said, scratching his chin. "I've traveled East, West, and North. Why is it only in the South that everyone's so hostile?"
"First someone tries to poison me, then a plague breaks out, and now one of the Five Venom Elders shows up to chase me off."
This was the first time Kei had ever been so unwelcome: "Thing is, once I've made a decision, even ten dragons couldn't drag me off it. I will finish my journey through the Southern Kingdom."
"I figured you'd say that. Well, you seem like a reasonable man—how about we make a wager? If you win, I'll step aside. If I win, you leave."
Poison Hermit stepped back and made his offer.
"I already told you—when I've decided on something, I don't care if the heavens crack. Whether you step aside or not doesn't matter. I'll keep going."
"But I'm curious. Let's play. If I win, you stop calling yourself 'Laozi' in front of me. It's annoying."
"I've always called myself that—even in front of the Emperor. But alright. If you win, I'll drop it."
The "Laozi" count was reaching critical levels.
"Then prepare yourself for my poison arts!"
The Poison Hermit pulled out his guqin, ready to unleash his sound-based poison technique—but was stopped before he could pluck a single string.
"You really wanna start a poison duel right here? In the middle of a crowded street? What if someone dies?"
Kei still couldn't quite wrap his head around Southern customs. Apparently, poison duels in public were… normal?
Even royalty, like this Poison Hermit, was ready to go at it on the sidewalk.
"Hmm… good point. Let's move outside the city."
Outside the city.
"No problems now."
"Let's begin."
The Poison Hermit sat down with his guqin in front of him. He plucked the strings rapidly, and sonic waves rippled outward.
Suddenly, Kei felt the flow of time distort. The sun sank faster, the air shifted quicker.
"Boss! Is time speeding up? Is this the legendary Time Distortion Technique?!"
"There's an old tale of a woodcutter who watched immortals play chess—and one match lasted a hundred years!"
Even the husky saw time accelerate, eyes wide in shock.
"It's not time that's changed. It's our perception. That's strange… normally, I'm immune to poisons."
Kei studied the surroundings. As someone who fed on poison thanks to the Poison Dragon's power, toxins shouldn't affect him.
"Divine Doctor, how's my technique? Care to surrender?"
Poison Hermit asked smugly.
"Hmm… lemme think."
Kei sat down, legs crossed, and focused on the guqin's tune. Slowly, he began to understand something.
Half an hour passed.
"In my poison field, you're like a lamb to the slaughter. I could stop your time whenever I please."
"But since this is just a spar, I don't want to harm you. Just admit defeat and leave."
The Poison Hermit chuckled.
"I get it now."
Kei stood up and said, "I'm a master of pharmacology, but not great at poisoning people. Still… this was eye-opening. Who'd have thought sound waves could transmit toxins?"
He'd finally figured out the essence of the technique: the sonic waves affected nerve responses directly, slowing down perception. His immunity to poison didn't matter against vibration.
"You may have figured it out, but can you counter it?"
Poison Hermit asked.
"Well, if it's transmitted through sound, shouldn't plugging your ears work?"
The husky tried covering his ears, but nothing changed.
"Idiot dog. If it were that easy, would I be one of the Five Venom Elders?"
"Even if you plug your ears, the vibrations still reach you. You need a special method to counter this."
Just then, Kei snapped his fingers. Time perception returned to normal for the husky. His poison effect vanished.
"Whoa, Boss! That was amazing. Wait, aren't we still in the middle of a duel?"
"No need. I already won."
Kei climbed onto the husky and headed back to town.
"You little brat! You tricked me! The duel's not over—!"
The Poison Hermit tried to rise—but realized his body wouldn't move.
"When…? No… Was it during the conversation?! Did he use sound waves to poison me?"
"No… I didn't sense any poison. He couldn't have used my own technique against me!"
Try as he might, he couldn't move. No strength. No sensation.
"No… it's not poison. I don't feel any toxins… What did he do?!"
The next morning, his body finally recovered. The first thing he did was storm into town to find Kei—who was busy treating patients.
"You brat! What did you do to me?!"
"Let's start with this: I won. What did we agree on?"
"Y-yeah… fine. I lost. I'll drop the 'Laozi' thing. But what technique did you use? Was it poison?"
"Nope. I said I used vibrations—not necessarily sonic ones. I don't even know how to poison with sound. I just used acupuncture."
"…Acupuncture?"
"Yup. Vibration-based acupuncture."
Kei had realized that the ripples of Hamon (Ripple energy) were similar to sonic poisons. So, he experimented with using Hamon's micro-vibrations to deliver point strikes.
It didn't work for transmitting poisons—he lacked the necessary skill. But for acupuncture? Perfect.
While speaking, Kei had channeled minuscule ripples into the air using the Sky Dragon's power. These ripples latched onto the Poison Hermit's meridians and sealed them—completely immobilizing him without him even noticing.
"Acupuncture… with vibrations…"
The Poison Hermit sat back, sighing. "You not only learned the essence of my technique in such a short time—you surpassed it."
"I lost. Fair and square."
Kei's micro-vibrations couldn't be blocked. A cough, a breath, a word—that was all he needed to paralyze someone. Acupuncture could heal, restrict, or even kill.
The Poison Hermit turned to leave. He no longer had the right to stop Kei.
"Hey—how about a meal? I'd love to learn more about your poisoning techniques."
Kei had just finished treating a patient with Ripple Acupuncture.
"…You don't need it. You're already strong. What could a failure like me teach you?"
The Poison Hermit had lost all confidence.
"But you are the most skilled poison expert I've ever met. If it weren't for you, I'd never have thought to combine acupuncture and vibrations."
"You're amazing."
The Poison Hermit paused, eyes gleaming. "You mean that?"
"I don't lie. No one's worth lying to. So, lunch?"
"…Sure."
They went to the best restaurant in town. Afterward, the Poison Hermit handed Kei a handwritten book:
"10,000 Methods of Poisoning."
"I'll study it well."
Kei accepted the book sincerely. To masters like these, their life's work was their most treasured possession. Offering it up meant deep respect.
"I'm off."
The Poison Hermit left.
Back at the palace, Huan Du Qingtian was already waiting.
"Well?"
"I lost. He's the real deal—I lost fair and square. Don't bother sending anyone else. No one can stop him."
"You'll know when you meet him. Once he decides something, no one can change it."
"I'm exhausted. I'm heading back."
He left. On his way out, he ran into his son.
"Father, is that doctor really so powerful?"
"Of course. I saw a man with unmatched confidence and unshakable resolve. A heart vast enough to embrace the world."
"Could you imagine treating people for ten coins? Traveling endlessly with no reward? Just for the sake of helping others?"
The young prince considered it… but no. He couldn't. Why would he lower himself for ten coins? He was royalty!
The Poison Hermit shook his head. The Southern Kingdom was just like his son—decaying, rotten, barely holding on.
They had no confidence, no spirit. Huan Du Qingtian's strength might suppress rebellion, but it couldn't earn loyalty.
"By the way… have you seen Luolan?"
"Princess Luolan? What about her?"
"She snuck out after I left. His Majesty suspects she followed me to meet that doctor. You haven't seen her?"
"Nope."
"…Then this could be a problem. We need to send someone after her immediately!"
(End of Chapter)
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