Chapter 782 - 784: Bai Ruozhu as a Foreign Aid
Getting a promise from a person representing a whole martial arts sect is quite a good deal. Bai Ruozhu was somewhat tempted, quietly pondering whether this would cause her trouble.
"Sister, please help the Huashan Sect." Xiaosi tugged at Bai Ruozhu’s sleeve, his voice tinged with a hint of childishness.
Bai Ruozhu was stunned. Was this her little brother Xiaosi? When did he learn to act childishly?
She used to think Xiaosi was too mature, too serious, and not like a child. He never acted childishly. Even when Niuniu and Rongrong were pestering her to play, he would just stand by and watch with a faint smile.
Indeed, mingling with more people had a positive effect on Xiaosi. Being in the company of the Huashan Sect’s brothers made Xiaosi seem more like a child.
"Alright, I agree to help. However, I can only promise to do my best and leave the rest to God." Bai Ruozhu said. To get Xiaosi out of his shell, she would also help the Huashan Sect.
"Sister, you’re the best!" Xiaosi suppressed his excitement and said cheerfully.
"Thank you, Miss Bai. I will remember this favor. You just need to do your best." Elder Xuan Jizi gave a slight bow to Bai Ruozhu.
Bai Ruozhu bowed in return, then walked up to the competition platform with long strides.
The Bihai Sect was somewhat surprised. Yu Yao, quick-witted as always, looked at Bai Ruozhu and asked, "Sister, didn’t you say that you are not a member of the Huashan Sect?"
Bai Ruozhu smiled at her, saying, "I was not a part of the sect during our journey. But didn’t I just join it now?" By being an honorary disciple of the Huashan Sect, she was not lying.
The elder of the Bihai Sect was somewhat displeased. He glanced at her and turned to the Huashan Sect’s master, saying, "Are there no disciples in your sect? Is this how you hastily find a substitute?"
The master of the Huashan Sect replied calmly, "Elder Wu, you are overthinking it. She is indeed our newly admitted disciple. Just last month, her brother Xiaosi had mentioned to Elder Xuan Jizi that she wished to join the Huashan Sect."
Bai Ruozhu bowed to Elder Wu and said candidly, "Junior Bai Ruozhu has met Elder Wu. It is thanks to the guidance from Elder Xuan Jizi that I have achieved my current level of skill. Now that I am a part of the Huashan Sect, it is my duty to participate in this medical competition. However, I lack expertise, so please bear with me if I make a fool of myself."
While her words were courteous and her face bore a faint smile, her calm and composed demeanor was not that of someone waiting to be made fun of.
Chu Han on the competition stage seemed irritable, saying impatiently, "Why so much talking, let’s start."
Bai Ruozhu walked towards him, "Alright, how does the Bihai Sect usually conduct the competition?"
Chu Han seemed irritated by Bai Ruozhu’s ignorance of the competition rules. Or maybe he wasn’t keen on speaking so much in public. He furrowed his brows and coldly said, "Firstly, we each choose one of our own medicines, which could be either a treatment or a poison, and let the other person guess its effects; Secondly, we find two people with internal injuries and see who can treat them best without using any medicine; Lastly, we see who can poison the other."
Chu Han didn’t say much, but Bai Ruozhu understood: the one who wins two out of three rounds would be the overall champion.
"Alright, I have no problem with that," Bai Ruozhu responded.
"Then let’s start," Chu Han said impatiently. He took out a small porcelain bottle from his sleeve, opened the stopper, and immediately the aroma of medicine filled the air. Bai Ruozhu couldn’t help but sniff. This must be high-quality medicine! Her gaze turned somber- it seemed she would have to use some of her invaluable reserves.
Thinking this, she reached into her sleeve, and with a thought summoned the poison that she had made based on the formulas from the "Poison Scripture" which she had read in her previous life.
As soon as she uncorked the bottle, the air was filled with the fragrance of the medicine. The disciples of the Huashan Sect, seeing this, felt a glimmer of hope and began to cheer.
The two exchanged bottles and began analyzing each other’s medicine.
After studying it for a while, Bai Ruozhu asked, "Are we not allowed to break open the pill? What if there’s another hidden pill inside?"
With a cold expression, Chu Han answered, "No, that would be considered cheating."
Bai Ruozhu nodded, reveling in the sense of relief.
"I’ve figured it out already. This is a contraceptive pill. Although it smells more like a circulation-promoting, stasis-resolving, longevity-enhancing medicine, its primary effect is to prevent pregnancy in women. Furthermore, it has no side effects and even contains ingredients that make women’s skin delicate," Bai Ruozhu announced loudly.
A hint of surprise flashed across Chu Han’s usually cold face. He looked at Bai Ruozhu incredulously- how did she guess it so quickly?
Bai Ruozhu laughed to herself. This man probably chose the contraceptive pill thinking she was a woman. But he didn’t know that she had just been studying contraceptive medicines and had read about this one in a medical book. The book only had a brief mention, without any detailed ingredient list. Bai Ruozhu wished she could ask Chu Han for the formula now.
Seeing Bai Ruozhu guess the effect of the medicine so quickly, Chu Han was momentarily agitated, and fine beads of sweat broke out on his pale face. He wracked his brains but still seemed uncertain. After furrowing his brows a few times, he finally said, "It seems like a poison, a slow-acting one, that causes gradual deterioration of the heart and lungs?"
His tone was nowhere as confident as Bai Ruozhu’s had been. The onlookers were all excited. Clearly, the woman who had come in halfway was not to be underestimated. For a moment, the disciples of the Huashan Sect felt hope- they couldn’t afford to lose again, or else they would not only lose face for the Huashan Sect, but also for the martial artists of Zhongyuan.
But Bai Ruozhu just laughed and said, "You’re partly right. It is indeed a poison, and it’s not one that will cause immediate poisoning. However, it’s not a slow-acting one either. It will take effect half an hour after being inhaled. The effect is not the gradual weakening of the heart and lungs, but total paralysis."
After saying that, she took out another bottle and handed it to Chu Han, "This is the antidote."
Chu Han did not accept it, instead saying, "Being totally paralyzed isn’t so bad. I’ll wait to try it out later."
Bai Ruozhu scoffed. They say many medical students are madmen, so she had to put the antidote back into her sleeve.
She had used this poison on Li Yi and the others before, but that was a simpler version and not as powerful as this one. Even those with high martial arts abilities would be affected by it.
Downstage, Elder Wu was quite indignant and asked, "Just because you say it paralyzes, it indeed paralyzes? That medicine clearly refreshes and invigorates the mind. Are you just fabricating things to win?"
"Well, Elder Wu, you don’t have to leave in a hurry. Why not just wait for half an hour to find out?" Bai Ruozhu replied with a smile, causing Elder Wu to involuntarily shiver. Why did he think she smiled like a cunning fox?
However, Bai Ruozhu didn’t pay any mind to Elder Wu. She turned to Chu Han and asked, "What’s next? Where do we find the injured people?"
The leader of the Huashan Sect also responded: "Recently, none of our disciples have been injured. Should we change this part of the competition?"