Lin Lei looked at the two maids standing at the entrance to the parlor and coldly ordered, "Leave. Without my orders, no one is to enter."
"Yes, Master."
The two maids at the parlor entrance shuddered inwardly and quickly departed with respectful haste.
"Master Lin Lei, quite cautious, aren't you?" Hise said with a grin.
Lin Lei sighed inwardly.
Cautious?
Could he afford not to be? This was for killing Clyde.
"This Hise probably figured out long ago that I'm going to kill Clyde." Lin Lei understood this perfectly. Back when he had asked Hise whether it was possible to kill one of the six kings under the Holy Alliance, and then mentioned going after a ninth-level powerhouse...
As long as Hise wasn't an idiot, a moment's thought would lead him to a ninth-level king. Under the Holy Alliance, there was only one person who fit that description — Clyde.
"This old monster Hise wouldn't go out of his way to curry favor with Clyde on my account." Lin Lei felt fairly reassured.
Who was Hise? Would someone of his caliber bother playing games with someone like Lin Lei?
"You'd better be careful, Lin Lei. The one you're targeting is very highly regarded by the Church of Light," Hise whispered from beside him. "Besides, he has plenty of guards. Poisoning him is going to be extremely difficult."
Lin Lei glanced at Hise. "Thank you for the warning, Master Hise."
Poison Clyde?
If Lin Lei was willing to risk his life, he was absolutely certain of success. He could simply invite Clyde to his manor and offer him drinks. Poisoning the wine would be practically foolproof. But doing so would expose his identity.
He needed an opportunity to kill Clyde without anyone noticing.
Such an opportunity was hard to come by.
"I can't exactly count on my luck — that Clyde would agree to meet me alone in secret, just like Padesh did." Lin Lei thought to himself. That time Padesh had agreed to meet him privately had truly been a pleasant surprise. Such opportunities were once in a lifetime.
As he pondered, Lin Lei opened the envelope.
Inside was a sheet of paper, densely covered with writing.
"Poison Name: Blood-Dissolving Poison
Materials: Astragalus Fruit, White Ginseng, Yellow Ginger, Mist Grass, Cloud Fungus, Bitter Skin, Cardamom, Blueheart Herb.
Effects: When the Blood-Dissolving Poison powder is dissolved in wine or water, it becomes colorless and tasteless, and to this day there is no known way to detect it. Once ingested, it融s into the bloodstream and permeates the lower dantian, rendering Battle Qi virtually unable to circulate. A warrior's strength will be reduced to less than a tenth. Anyone below the Saint Realm will certainly be affected. Moreover, there is no antidote — only prolonged channeling of Battle Qi can gradually wear away all traces of the poison's potency.
Refinement: One gram of Blood-Dissolving Poison powder requires 30 grams of Astragalus Fruit, 12 grams of White Ginseng, 10 grams of Yellow Ginger, 15 grams of Mist Grass, 12 grams of Cloud Fungus, 1 gram of Bitter Skin, 12 grams of Cardamom, and 9 grams of Blueheart Herb. First, take 12 portions of White Ginseng, 15 portions of Mist Grass, and 1 portion of Bitter Skin, and place all three ingredients into a medicine cauldron for fire-brewing. Continue until the white mist emitted by the Mist Grass dissipates, then stop. Filter and extract the concentrated liquid. Place the concentrated liquid back into the cauldron, and add Blueheart Herb, Yellow Ginger, Cardamom…
Preservation Method: …
…"
The paper described every aspect of the Blood-Dissolving Poison in meticulous detail. Just looking at the refinement process alone, Lin Lei could tell how extraordinarily difficult it was to produce even a tiny amount of Blood-Dissolving Poison powder. A single misstep in the process, and the entire concoction would be ruined.
The preservation method and everything else — every detail had to be followed precisely.
By weight, Blood-Dissolving Poison powder was worth millions of times more than gold coins.
"Of the eight ingredients in this Blood-Dissolving Poison recipe — Astragalus Fruit, White Ginseng, Yellow Ginger, Bitter Skin, and Cardamom — these five aren't particularly rare, and their prices wouldn't be too steep for you. But the other three ingredients are extremely scarce. Mist Grass is generally only found to the east of the four great empires on the Yulan Continent — on the vast grasslands of the far east. It's exceedingly rare, available at any price but impossible to find. And the other two ingredients are even more precious than Mist Grass!" Hise explained in detail.
"Whether it's Blueheart Herb or Cloud Fungus, neither can simply be bought. They fall into the 'available at any price but impossible to find' category. I've heard that not long ago, someone offered a hundred thousand gold coins for Blueheart Herb and still couldn't get any. As for Cloud Fungus, it hasn't appeared on the market in ages either."
Hise patted Lin Lei on the shoulder reassuringly. "Lin Lei, gathering all eight ingredients is going to take some real effort."
Yet Lin Lei felt fairly confident deep down.
Five of the eight ingredients posed no problem at all. Mist Grass, while rare, shouldn't be too difficult to purchase. As for Blueheart Herb... he already had some on hand. No need to go searching for it. The only truly difficult ingredient was Cloud Fungus!
"Once I get my hands on Cloud Fungus and refine the Blood-Dissolving Poison powder, that will be the day Clyde dies," Lin Lei thought to himself.
Lin Lei had already reached the limit of his patience. If he truly couldn't find an opportunity in the future, he wouldn't hesitate to expose his identity to kill Clyde. At worst, he could ask Yeru for help and use the Dawson Trading Company's connections to flee the Holy Alliance.
With the Dawson Trading Company's influence, helping Lin Lei escape the Holy Alliance wouldn't be too difficult.
"The most important thing right now is to gather all eight ingredients." Lin Lei's heart was actually quite buoyant.
At least now he had a goal and a plan.
"Lin Lei, Lin Lei." Hise called out. "Master Lin Lei!"
"Oh." Lin Lei snapped out of his thoughts and looked at Hise. "Is something the matter, Master Hise?"
Hise chuckled. "Lin Lei, haven't you forgotten something?"
Lin Lei caught on immediately and broke into a laugh. "Ha, Master Hise, you mean the stone sculpture, don't you? The one you requested — I finished it a month ago. Come, please follow me." Lin Lei promptly led Hise toward the side hall.