The Extreme Alchemist of the Mighty Cauldron

Chapter 443: Poisoning the Li Family

Three days later, a seemingly ordinary young man of unremarkable appearance arrived at a branch location of the Li Family.

The face of this young man was identical to one of the four Li Family youths who had already died by Fang Lin’s hand.

It was none other than Fang Lin in disguise.

With Fang Lin’s skills, disguising himself was incredibly simple, requiring only a single Disguise Pill.

This place was a small city which, though minor, was one of the Li Family’s branches. The majority of the residents were members of the Li Family, divided into the inner and outer city.

The inner city was inhabited by the members of the Li Family, while the outer city was a gathering place for those of other surnames.

Upon entering the city, Fang Lin quickly learned that the Li Family had an exclusive water source in the inner city, separate from that of the outer city.

Upon learning this, it exactly matched Fang Lin’s plan. He had been worrying about whether using poison would affect people other than the Li Family. He realized that there was no need to fret anymore.

Immediately, Fang Lin entered the inner city and quickly found the location of the water source.

However, near the water source, there were guardsmen from the Li Family. After all, this water source was of great importance to all the citizens of the inner city. Once compromised, the consequences would be severe.

Fang Lin observed from a distance for a while and then retreated, returning to the outer city to stay in an inn.

By the next day, Fang Lin re-entered the inner city and sneakily observed that the guardsmen of the Li Family changed shifts every four hours. For about half an hour between shifts, the water source remained unguarded.

After noting this situation, Fang Lin retreated once again, waited for two days before resuming his covert observation.

Once he had a good grasp of the situation, a plan gradually formed in Fang Lin’s mind.

Throughout these days, Fang Lin consistently received messages via the Purple Mist Sect’s Message Transmitting Jade Slip, warning him to be cautious, to not be impetuous.

A warm feeling rose in Fang Lin’s heart, and he responded to each message, assuring he would not act recklessly.

On the seventh day, Fang Lin took action. This time, he had determined to strike.

Fang Lin’s heart wavered at the thought of employing poison. Did his impending actions make him no better than the Poison Pill Master?

Nevertheless, Fang Lin did not dwell on this for too long. The Poison Pill Master used poison to heedlessly destroy lives, whereas Fang Lin used it to exact revenge.

Fang Lin aimed to harm the Li Family alone and had no intention of dragging innocents into this. Had the city not had two separate water sources, he surely would not have acted, and would have sought a more thorough solution.

So, Fang Lin hid in the shadows, waiting for the moment the guards at the water source changed shifts to present a gap. He then rushed over and seized the opportunity.

Without wasting time, Fang Lin immediately poured a bottle of colorless, tasteless liquid into the water source and retreated without a moment’s delay.

When Fang Lin left the inner city and returned to the outer city, his heart was still thudding. Although he hadn’t encountered any danger, the thrill of the entire operation was beyond words.

Now, all Fang Lin had to do was wait and watch the inevitable show unfold.

The poison Fang Lin had mixed into the water supply was highly peculiar. Its onset was slow but the symptoms would progressively worsen. The longer the poison lingered, the more impossible it would become to cure.

···

Five days later, in the inner city, four young men from the Li Family were gathered around a table laden with exquisite dishes, chatting away.

However, one of the young men, who appeared to be rather frail, was looking rather unwell, his complexion was waxen, he seemed listless and occasionally rubbed his belly.

“Li Guang, what’s the matter with you? You don’t look well. Are you sick?” The other three youths asked upon noticing his condition.

Li Guang shook his head and forced a smile: “Perhaps I’ve overexerted myself during cultivation a few days ago and am still feeling somewhat drained.”

The other three didn’t think much of his explanation and continued their meal and conversation.

However, not long after, Li Guang suddenly retched, falling backwards with a pallid complexion, profuse sweat, and white foam oozing from his mouth. He had lost consciousness.

Similarly, in other parts of the inner city, other members of the Li Family began to present with the same symptoms. It wasn’t just one or two individuals, but dozens.

The high-ranking members of the Li Family in the area noticed the anomaly and gathered the unconscious members of the family for the family’s Pill Refiner to diagnose and treat.

However, the Pill Refiners were at a complete loss. They could only ascertain that these individuals seemed to be poisoned, but they could not detect any toxins within their bodies.

This was truly peculiar. As a precaution, the Li Family sealed off the inner city, prohibiting those of other surnames from entering, and reported the situation to the Ancestral Home of Li Family, requesting a more experienced Pill Refiner to arrive.

Once the inner city was sealed off, Fang Lin knew his plan had begun. He chuckled inwardly, the poison he had concocted wasn’t something a common Pill Refiner could detect.

One could say, if Fang Lin wanted to become a Poison Pill Master, he would be the most formidable and terrifying one there was.

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In the inner city, the Li Family was engulfed in an air of solemnity. More and more members of the family exhibited the same symptoms, already two young Li Family ladies had died.

Those in charge of the Li Family in the area were completely thrown into panic. As the number of poisoned family members increased, they were still unable to find a cause or develop a treatment.

By the time the Pill Refiner dispatched by the Ancestral Home of Li family arrived, the situation in the inner city had become increasingly dire. Nearly all members of the Li Family had been poisoned, only a few high-ranking individuals with strong cultivation levels remained unaffected, though they too exhibited a waxen complexion, showing signs that it was slowly setting in.

The Pill Refiner sent by the Ancestral Home of Li Family was taken aback upon witnessing the situation. He hadn’t expected things to have escalated so dramatically. Immediately, he dove into investigating and treating the victims.

Being relatively skilled, this Pill Refiner ultimately traced the problem back to the water source. He instructed that the water source be sealed off immediately.

However, finding the source of the poison this late was meaningless as everyone in the city had consumed water from that source, all had been poisoned. Discovering the poisoned source was of no help.

One after another, the young members of the Li Family died amidst excruciating pain. During the final moments of their lives, they experienced intense abdominal pain, leading to a violent death with ruptured bowels.

The Pill Refiner dispatched by the Ancestral Home of Li Family had attempted various methods of treatment but still remained powerless. He could only watch helplessly as members of the Li Family died one after another.

Eventually, only a few of the strong members from the Li Family were left alive in the inner city. The rest of the family members were dead.

Even those who were left struggled to suppress the effects of the poison and some began to lose consciousness.

At the Ancestral Home of Li Family, when the latest information was relayed back, the entire Li Family was plunged into raging fury.