I Apologize For Being Incapable

Long Zhao Feng requested the recipe for the cure for the poison made of wolfsbane extract, but Xiao Yue did not have it. The only person in the Xi'an tribe who held all recipes for poisons and cures was none other than the Shaman. The recipes were developed over generations and passed down from Shaman to Shaman.

The women in the Xi'an tribe planted wolfsbane plants in the gardens and helped to make the poison based on the Shaman's instructions. As for the cure? The Shaman made it herself. The curing potion took three days and three nights to make and the process was laborious.

She did not even make much regularly, because the majority of the tribespeople were immune to the poison. The limited cure was only necessary to cure war prisoners of poison when they wanted to dig out some valuable information about the enemy. That applied to every poison that the tribe regularly used. For each poison, only a tiny glass vial stood on the Shaman's medicine shelf over at her tent.

Wolfsbane extract was neither the only kind of poison that the Xi'an tribe had come up with nor the most deadly one. It was the most used poison solely because it was easy to make. When a huge amount of poison was needed for war purposes, wolfsbane extract was the best choice.

Xiao Yue gazed at the pitiful patients on the bed. She had seen people with similar appearances being brought back to the tribe. The bodily reaction to the poison depended on many factors, including the person's health and age, dosage, and exposure time. The not-so-serious impacts include fever and vomiting just like what baby Long Yan went through. When laced on a weapon and it got into an open wound, the person would die within an hour.

"How long ago did they contract the poison?" Xiao Yue asked.

It was not typical for any poisoning victims to remain alive for so long.

"Three people died during a fight about a week ago. One person dragged their corpses home and later on died on the same day after showing the same kind of symptoms. The last three are caretakers who examined the poison victims without proper protection. One died yesterday, as you heard."

Caretakers?

So the only reason the two people on the bed with these severe poisoning symptoms remained alive was that the poison did not get into their bodies. Although they were only exposed through the skin, the effect was already quite severe.

"I don't remember how to make the curing potion," Xiao Yue said.

"But I will try," she hastily added.

"Don't your tribespeople make the cure regularly?"

Xiao Yue shook her head.

"We do not have to. We are immune against wolfsbane extract."

Long Zhao Feng ah-ed. His gaze was none too friendly when he said, "No wonder you planted wolfsbane in your garden. It is your specialty poison."

Xiao Yue immediately turned defensive. Was Long Zhao Feng accusing her of having a hand in Long Yan's poisoning after all??

"I did not...!!!"

"I am not saying that you did," Long Zhao Feng stopped her mid-sentence. "I am just saying that it is easy to connect a crime to you. For those who know that Xi'an tribe used wolfsbane extract against their enemies, of course."

What he said was not wrong. Back then, Xiao Yue planted various plants in her garden. Wolfsbane was indeed the most poisonous one in her collection, but she also planted many other plants that more or less would yield unfavorable effects on newborn babies.

Why did the perpetrator pick wolfsbane, of all plants she had? The person must know the Xi'an tribe very well, and the person must also know that Xiao Yue originated from the Xi'an tribe. Only one person fit the description. The Shaman.

"Forget it," Long Zhao Feng raked through his hair. "I want you to make the cure. This is the only reason I bring you to this place."

Xiao Yue did not really have any other choice. While Yu Fen busied herself with meals preparation, Long Zhao Feng's other squire spent hours flipping through various records about plants amongst the hospital's scroll collection.

One by one, all the things that happened to Xiao Yue so far could be traced back to the Shaman. And she was just getting started. Was she scheming to take 'General Long Zhao Xue''s life again? But Long Zhao Xue was already dead. Could it be that the Shaman was not aware of his death? One peek under the silver mask would reveal the truth. For that to happen, Long Zhao Feng must cooperate.

Oh, forget it, she told herself. Long Zhao Feng was also out for revenge. He would not be satisfied with having the Shaman disappear from his life. What he wanted was to make the Shaman pay for all the deaths she had caused.

Hours passed quickly when she was racking her brain to find a solution. A concerned caretaker peeked through the tent entrance and inquired, "Xiao Ya, are you okay? Rest a little. After eating dinner you might come across some solution."

>>It's dinner time already??<<

Xiao Yue hastily stood up. She had promised to eat dinner together with Yu Fen!

"Thank you for reminding me, Big Brother. Um... did anyone see my..."

She wanted to say maid, but she stopped in time. She was about to continue with "Xiao Yu" but the caretaker already knew who she was searching for.

"Oh, you are looking for Xiao Yu? He is busy in the kitchen. Come, let's go eat together. I will bring you to him. By the way, I think the origin of your names is really funny."