Chapter 91 Antidote to the Seductive Poison!

Hiss.

Lan Ruoxue couldn’t help but draw in a sharp breath.

At this moment, she was somewhat delirious, her mind foggy. Yet, faced with imminent danger, she instinctively grabbed Ye Wushang, her voice trembling as she cried out, “Ye Wushang, you need to go, now!”

“We’re already divorced. There’s nothing between us anymore. I don’t need you to save me!”

“Go! My problems are mine to handle—”

She broke into a fit of coughing, her words cut short by the spasms wracking her body. Her muscles and tendons strained, veins bulging beneath flushed skin as she curled up on the ground, shivering uncontrollably.

Ye Wushang knew this was the precursor to the drug’s effects. The physical symptoms came first; soon, her mind would follow. This aphrodisiac was no ordinary concoction—even with his cultivation, it would be difficult to counteract.

“Useless fool!”

Just then, the fingerless man lost his patience at seeing the two still talking. He barked, “I’m telling you one last time—let Lan Ruoxue go, then get on your knees. I’ll count to three. If you don’t listen, I’ll kill you first!”

“Three.”

“Two.”

“One!”

Bang!

The moment the countdown ended, a gunshot rang out!

Lan Ruoxue screamed in terror, while Ye Wushang instinctively shielded her with his body.

The fingerless man was furious. “Who the hell fired that shot? I haven’t even—”

Thud.

Before he could finish, a gunman upstairs suddenly toppled over. When his body rolled over, a dagger was buried deep in his lower back, killing him instantly.

“What the hell is going on?”

Thud! Thud! Thud!

The fingerless man was dumbfounded. Before he could process it, one after another, gunmen on the upper floor fell—some dropping their weapons in surrender, others collapsing in pools of blood, daggers embedded in their flesh.

Some dead, others wounded.

The fingerless man’s pride—his squad of gunmen—crumbled in mere moments!

Whoosh, whoosh, whoosh—

At that moment, dozens of figures leaped down, swiftly surrounding him.

Master Tu stood on the second-floor balcony, looking down at Ye Wushang with a smile. “Mr. Ye, all the gunmen are dealt with. We’re safe now.”

Boom!

The fingerless man was struck as if by lightning, staring in disbelief at the scene before him.

“Useless! Didn’t I tell you to come alone?”

“You dared to set up an ambush in the warehouse? These gunmen—”

Thud.

Before he could finish his tirade, Master Tu vaulted from the second floor, landing a vicious kick that sent the fingerless man sprawling.

“Enough chatter.”

“You think we’d really come alone just because you said so?”

“Open your mouth again and I’ll cut out your tongue!”

The fingerless man was so terrified he didn’t dare utter another word.

Just then, Lan Ruoxue’s condition suddenly worsened. She had been trembling and flushed, but now she began tearing at her clothes uncontrollably, her hands roaming desperately over Ye Wushang, her eyes clouded with unquenchable longing.

“The antidote!” Ye Wushang broke free and rushed to the fingerless man, grabbing him by the collar and roaring, “Give me the antidote, now!”

“I—I don’t have one!” the fingerless man stammered, staring at Ye Wushang’s murderous glare, certain he’d be torn apart.

He managed a pained, helpless smile. “I bought the aphrodisiac online, just to mess with women. I never thought about an antidote—I just wanted to have my fun, not let anyone recover. I swear, I’m not lying—”

Smack!

Ye Wushang struck him hard across the face, then searched him thoroughly, pulling out a large stash of the aphrodisiac—but no antidote.

“Bastard, I’ll kill you!” Master Tu roared, snatching a dagger from one of his men, preparing to strike.

“Master Tu, wait!” Ye Wushang stopped him coldly. “We need to find out who he is—and more importantly, who’s behind him.”

“Yes, Mr. Ye,” Master Tu replied, immediately ordering two men to drag the fingerless man away for interrogation.

Ye Wushang didn’t hesitate—he scooped Lan Ruoxue into his arms and dashed out of the warehouse.

He couldn’t identify the aphrodisiac precisely, but from her symptoms and the peculiar scent on her breath, he could guess its main ingredients.

Brambleleaf and Five-Flavors Powder—two deadly toxins that, once combined, deprived the brain of oxygen, inflaming desire beyond control.

To detoxify, he would need to crush pebbles from the riverbank, extract the stone core, and use his cultivation to neutralize the poison.

Splashing water.

He reached a small river and gently set Lan Ruoxue into the water. But she burned with fever, and even the icy current failed to extinguish the fire raging in her veins.

He quickly gathered a handful of pebbles and was about to crush them when Lan Ruoxue pounced on him like a starving beast.

“Wushang, now—take me. Please, take me!” Her hands tore frantically at his clothes, stripping off his shirt in an instant before clinging to him, her hunger insatiable as she bit and kissed him wildly.

She was completely lost to the drug, her mind and will overwhelmed.

The river soaked their clothes until both were drenched, bodies entwined in a fevered tangle as desire and tension soared to a peak.

“Ruoxue, calm down!” Ye Wushang shouted, crushing the pebbles with his bare hands and using his inner power to grind them into powder.

Even after forcing the mixture down her throat, the fire showed no sign of subsiding. The aphrodisiac’s potency was far beyond ordinary.

Left with no choice, Ye Wushang resorted to sacrificing his own cultivation, using his mouth to infuse her with his energy. Her wild thrashing forced him to hold her tightly, never loosening his grip no matter how much she struggled.

Before long, his back was raw and bleeding, covered in bruises and welts where she clawed at him—wounds that ran deep, seeping into his very organs.

Time passed.

Only when the drug finally wore off did Lan Ruoxue return to her senses. The flush faded from her face, and though she was soaked through, her delicate figure was fully exposed.

“Ah!” she gasped, jolting back to the riverbank and grabbing a handful of fragrant grass to cover herself.

Head bowed, trembling, her cheeks burned with shame.

Ye Wushang exhaled deeply, the tension in his face slowly easing.

But his sacrifice had come at a cost—his cultivation, once at the eighth level of the Tempering Realm, had dropped to the seventh. Worse, his body was mottled with bruises and cuts, the poison having seeped into his organs, inflicting serious internal injuries.

Careless, he lost his footing and collapsed to the ground.

“Wushang!” Lan Ruoxue cried out, instinctively rushing to his side. She cradled him, concern etched on her face. “Are you alright?”

Though she had no wish for further entanglement with him—especially after their wild, intimate struggle, even mouth-to-mouth—she was overwhelmed with shame.

Yet, she’d nearly died. The terror still lingered, and she owed her life to him. If anything happened to Ye Wushang, she would never forgive herself.

“I’m fine, don’t worry.” Ye Wushang took a deep breath, gathering himself and stabilizing his injuries for the moment.

But with his cultivation diminished and internal wounds left untreated, he would need to soak in the courtyard spring to recover.

Yet, he had a pressing matter—to attend the medicinal cuisine competition at Melody Restaurant.

He could only grit his teeth, forcing himself to stand. Stretching his battered body, he asked, “And you, Ruoxue? Are you alright?”

“Compared to you, my wounds are nothing.” Lan Ruoxue steadied him, then asked, “Who were those people who kidnapped me?”

“It sounded like they were after you.”

“Don’t get me wrong, I’m not blaming you. It’s just that, ever since our divorce, you’ve changed so much. What’s really going on?”

“That’s not your concern,” Ye Wushang said, waving her off. “I promise it won’t happen again. If anyone comes for me, it won’t involve you.”

He drew a deep breath. “Come on, let’s head back to the warehouse.”

“Wait.”

Lan Ruoxue hesitated, then mustered the courage to say, “Tomorrow is my grandfather’s sixtieth birthday. Even though we’re divorced, in his heart, he still considers you his grandson-in-law.”

“He’s been so down lately. I hope you’ll come celebrate with us.”

“Will you?”

She looked at him, anxiety flickering in her eyes.

The birthday invitation was just a pretext. What she truly wanted was to probe his feelings, to see if he’d been unfaithful during their marriage. If he came, she’d find her answer.

She wouldn’t do anything with that knowledge—she just needed to know whether their three-year marriage was tainted.

“Grandfather’s birthday?” Ye Wushang frowned.

The Lan family had never treated him well, but her grandfather had always cared for him deeply—as if he were his own grandson.

Last time, the old man had even given him the formula for Heavenly Fire Water. By any measure, he should attend.

“If you don’t want to, I won’t force you,” Lan Ruoxue said softly. “I’ll just tell Grandpa I couldn’t find you…”

“I’ll go!” Ye Wushang interrupted, nodding. “I can ignore everyone else, but I can’t miss Grandfather’s birthday.”

“Tell me the time and place.”

“Noon tomorrow, at Drunken Immortal Pavilion.”

Seeing him agree, Lan Ruoxue tried to hide her relief as she asked, “And the kidnapping…”

“I’ll handle it. Let’s return to the warehouse first.”

“Then I’ll take you back to the Lan Group.”

“As for the partnership agreement with the An family, let’s sign it at the birthday celebration tomorrow. I have other matters to attend to and don’t have time to go over the details with you now.”

…