Something was wrong. Something was definitely off!
Jiang Chen cultivated the Seven Apertures Spiritual Resonance divine ability, and his senses were exceptionally keen. At first, when he had entered the room, he hadn't noticed anything.
But as he was about to step out the door, he vaguely sensed something wasn't right.
"What's wrong?" Consort Dan saw Jiang Chen's brow furrow and couldn't help but ask.
Jiang Chen's voice turned slightly cold: "Did you not feel it? There's a faint, barely perceptible scent drifting through the air."
Consort Dan focused her senses for a moment, then shook her head blankly: "I didn't feel anything."
"Hold your breath." Jiang Chen's expression changed. He immediately threw open every window and door in the room.
Then he grabbed Consort Dan's sleeve and dragged her straight outside, out into the courtyard.
Startled by his sudden actions, Consort Dan nonetheless knew Jiang Chen well enough to understand that something serious must have happened. Under normal circumstances, with his composure, he would never overreact like this.
"Brother Panshi, what on earth is going on?" Consort Dan asked.
"Guard against everything, yet I still didn't guard against this." If he hadn't been wearing his mask, Jiang Chen's expression would have been terrible to behold.
He had always been extremely cautious. Every time he entered his own quarters, he was meticulous—carefully observing his surroundings before stepping inside each time.
His greatest fear was that someone would ambush him, employing all manner of insidious and underhanded tactics.
Yet he had guarded his own room, but failed to guard against Xiao Fei's room next door.
He gulped in huge mouthfuls of fresh air from the courtyard, but Jiang Chen could still feel the blood inside his body accelerating its flow.
His entire body felt as though a flame was slowly burning within. A strange sensation, like countless crawling insects wriggling all over his skin.
"Poisoned!" That was Jiang Chen's first thought. But upon carefully examining himself, he found no trace of any poison.
If he hadn't been poisoned, where was this strange sensation coming from?
"Oh no…" Jiang Chen suddenly realized that certain special parts of his body felt abnormal. He shot up and dashed back into his own room.
He sat cross-legged and activated the Heart of Rock, attempting to suppress this sudden, powerful urge.
However, the Heart of Rock could only suppress the distracting thoughts flooding his mind—it could do nothing to restrain his body's primal instincts.
Jiang Chen might have been clueless about matters between men and women, but even he understood by now that he hadn't been poisoned with some ordinary toxin. It was an aphrodisiac—an infernal drug that inflamed desire.
He could feel the blood rushing faster and faster through his veins. A powerful, overwhelming urge surged through his entire body, making him feel like an overinflated balloon on the verge of bursting.
"What kind of aphrodisiac is this? It's terrifyingly potent!" Jiang Chen was shocked. He had consumed numerous cooling and heat-suppressing spiritual medicines, yet none of them could quell this ferocious impulse.
His body felt like it was about to explode. Three inches below his navel, a raging fire burned like a bonfire. His member stood rigid as iron, as though some primordial beast was straining to break free from its seal.
"Who did this? Who! How insidious—to use such a bizarre drug against me!" Jiang Chen was beside himself with frustration. In his previous life, he had been an old hand with poisons, but on the topic of yin-yang dual cultivation arts, while he had some knowledge, he had never truly studied them.
And now, of all times, that was precisely what had caught him off guard.
Creak—the door swung open.
Consort Dan hurried in, only to be met with a pair of eyes that burned like those of a wild beast.
Seeing Jiang Chen's bloodshot eyes and the wild, starving look in them, Consort Dan was startled: "Brother Panshi, what's wrong with you?"
When Jiang Chen saw her enter, he erupted in fury: "Who exactly are you?!"
"I…" Consort Dan was completely bewildered, having no idea why Jiang Chen would ask such a thing.
Jiang Chen's eyes blazed with fire: "I was too naive. I actually trusted you. I never imagined you would collude with those sect disciples and conspire to bring me down!"
Consort Dan's head exploded with confusion. She was utterly stupefied. I… I conspired against you? Where is this even coming from?
I, Consort Dan, would sooner die than ever harm you.
"Brother Panshi, I… I swear to heaven, I have never conspired against you. What is going on? Your eyes are so red."
"You didn't set me up? Then how come I've been hit with this extraordinary poison while you're perfectly fine? The source of the poison was in your room—do you dare say it had nothing to do with you?" Jiang Chen's killing intent surged. If she so much as made a single suspicious move or said one wrong word, he would strike with everything he had and obliterate her.
"The source of the poison was in my room? I… I really don't seem to be poisoned. But I swear I didn't harm you. I'm right here—if I had, then go ahead and strike me dead with one palm!" Consort Dan was on the verge of tears. She had never seen Jiang Chen like this.
Even someone as composed as she was had been thoroughly frightened. She was flustered, her voice trembling, tears nearly spilling from her eyes.
"Impossible!" Jiang Chen shook his head. "My defenses are stronger than yours. There's no way I'd be poisoned while you walk away completely untouched."
Consort Dan found it strange too. She believed Jiang Chen—he would never speak nonsense. The source of the poison had definitely been in her room.