"Poisoned? That can't be right! I'm always so careful with everything I eat and drink—it's all handled by trusted people!" After his initial shock, Sun Ergou's face showed a new kind of unease.
Hearing this, Han Li couldn't be bothered to explain any further. He simply raised his hand, and a streak of green light flashed and vanished into Sun Ergou's body.
"Young Master, what is this? What are you doing?" Sun Ergou didn't dare dodge, but he began to panic.
"It's called the True Spirit Technique. It will make the toxins in your body visible. Go look in a mirror yourself." Han Li sat back in his chair, his tone light and matter-of-fact.
At these words, Sun Ergou's heart skipped a beat. He rushed frantically toward the corner of the room where there stood a lady's vanity table. Snatching up a small bronze mirror from the table with fumbling hands, he peered nervously into its surface. He froze instantly. The reflection showed a face covered in black qi, with skin of a deep purplish-black hue—no matter how you looked at it, it was the face of someone deeply poisoned.
"Young Master, save me! Your humble servant has always been loyal to you, absolutely without a second thought!" Fear etched across his face, Sun Ergou dashed back and fell to his knees before Han Li, begging piteously.
Now, he believed it more than half!
After all, as a cultivator, Han Li had no reason to go to such lengths to deceive him. If he truly meant him harm, he could crush him with a flick of his finger.
Han Li watched Sun Ergou's display of loyalty with a faint smile, then spoke calmly, "Don't worry. Although this poison is very well-hidden, its toxicity isn't strong. You won't die within a few days! No need to make such a fuss."
Hearing this, Sun Ergou felt somewhat reassured, but he continued to plead in a pathetic tone, "Young Master's abilities are vast. Surely you can find a way for this humble servant to detoxify? I, Sun Ergou, will continue to serve you with the utmost diligence! If you don't believe me, I can swear a bitter oath. I..." Despite his changed status, Sun Ergou was clearly far more afraid of death now. Before Han Li could even respond, he pointed at the ceiling and rattled off a string of curses, making Han Li feel both exasperated and amused.
"Serve him with the utmost diligence? It feels like I'm the one who's always giving him benefits!" Han Li thought with a helpless mix of amusement and frustration.
"Here is an antidote pill. You can take it later. As long as the poisoning stops, there shouldn't be any major problems afterward." Han Li shook his head slightly and tossed a blue pill to the man.
"Thank you, Young Master! Thank you, Young Master!" Sun Ergou caught the pill, overjoyed, and thanked him profusely. He quickly scrambled to his feet and tucked the medicine away safely.
"This kind of poison doesn't build up to such a deep level after just one or two exposures. It must have been accumulating for several months, at least! I imagine you have a few suspects in mind as to who did this, don't you, my boss of the Four Rivers Gang?" Han Li suddenly chuckled lightly, speaking in a half-joking tone.
"Young Master jests! But as for who might be poisoning me, there are indeed a few people in my mind." Sun Ergou scratched his head and replied with an ingratiating smile.
Now that his life had been saved by Han Li, his respect for him had naturally grown even greater.
"Hmm. Mortal affairs are not something a cultivator like me interferes with. You can handle it yourself. The reason I came here today was actually to see Qu Hun. I intend to take him with me. I now have some cultivation to my name, so taking him along won't be much of a trouble. You have no objections, I trust?" The smile faded from Han Li's face, and his tone grew serious.
"Young Master wishes to take Lord Qu away? But Young Master, Lord Qu Hun hasn't been with the Four Rivers Gang for a long time," Sun Ergou said, inwardly lamenting his bad luck, but forced to answer honestly.
"What do you mean? You lost him!" Han Li's face darkened instantly, and the temperature in the room seemed to drop several degrees, making Sun Ergou shiver from head to toe with terror.
"Young Master, please don't be angry! It wasn't that I lost him; Lord Qu Hun left on his own. And while he's not currently in the city, he hasn't gone far. He's in the nearby mountain forests. I have men keeping watch on Lord Qu Hun at all times!" Sun Ergou explained hastily, terrified that Han Li's anger would erupt.
"He left on his own? What happened? Explain clearly. If it truly wasn't your fault, I've always been fair with rewards and punishments, and I won't blame you." A flicker of surprise crossed Han Li's face, and his expression softened slightly.
As long as Sun Ergou knew where Qu Hun was, that would be enough!
But Qu Hun was just an animated corpse. The idea that he would simply wander off on his own was something Han Li found hard to believe.
Seeing that Han Li wasn't truly furious, Sun Ergou felt a wave of relief, but he still didn't dare delay and explained hurriedly, "Ever since Young Master handed Lord Qu over to me, I've followed your instructions to the letter regarding his care, and I haven't let others see him unless absolutely necessary. Lord Qu first began to act strangely six years ago. At that time, our gang was at a critical stage of expanding its influence, and our opponent was a mid-tier gang with many capable fighters. I had no choice but to ask Lord Qu for his help. During the ensuing battle, Lord Qu displayed his might spectacularly, and our gang won a great victory. But just a few days after the battle ended, a servant I'd sent to look after Lord Qu suddenly came to report that Lord Qu had started speaking! I was utterly shocked and rushed over with the 'Soul-Calling Bell' to check on him. And then..."