Chu Hao was thinking about many things in his mind. Even he had moments when he was unable to act freely, because in this mortal world, he had ties.
His sister, Chu Ling Er, his father, Chu Changfeng, and his mother, Qing Yun—these people were his ties in this life.
Even in his past life, many years ago, he had no parents and was single-mindedly devoted to the Dao. He had no one or anything to miss, so he advanced bravely and his cultivation progressed extremely fast.
But later, he was bound by his concern for others: love, hatred, grudges, human relationships, and righteousness. These all came from caring for others.
He challenged a God Realm powerhouse for the sake of one person, also because he was loyal and righteous, and because his heart cared for others.
"The mortal world's restraints are like tangled threads; trying to cut them only makes them more chaotic. Let me guess the reason you're unable to act freely."
Chu Hao retracted his sigh of emotion. His eyes were perfectly clear, like a deep well that reflected everything.
"There's a very faint scent on you, like volcanic lava, hot and fiery. If my guess isn't wrong, this is the Fire Rock Flower."
"Besides that, there's another very special scent. It's the fragrance of a fruit, which should be the Vermillion Fruit. These two items have detoxification effects, and when used together, they can suppress a potent poison called Bone-Eating Poison. This poison comes from a special Demonic Beast called the Red-tailed Bone-Eating Scorpion."
"I remember that about seventy miles outside of Jade City, in the Demonic Mist Mountain Range, there are these kinds of Red-tailed Bone-Eating Scorpions, but they are very rare."
At this moment, the black-robed person's eyes were filled with shock.
Chu Hao spoke slowly, continuing, "I see that you move naturally, so the one who was poisoned must be someone else. The Fire Rock Flower and the Vermillion Fruit are both expensive. Buying one set would cost five thousand primordial stones. With your background, I'm afraid you can't afford to buy them many times. So, are you here because you're out of options and you took on this assassination mission for primordial stones?"
"You're not wrong. My wife was indeed poisoned by the Bone-Eating Poison in the Demonic Mist Mountain Range. It's been seven days now, and I'm at the end of my rope. I could only accept this assassination mission."
The black-robed person's heart was churning. He felt a deep shock. With just a few scents, Chu Hao could accurately and unerringly state so much information. He had never seen such a sharp insight!
Was the person in front of him really just a young man, and not a seasoned old cultivator?
"Even if a Great Grandmaster Realm powerhouse is poisoned with the Bone-Eating Poison, they can only slowly force it out with their Great Grandmaster Qi, which would take at least a month. As for a Grandmaster Realm cultivator, it's a death sentence. Your wife should be a Grandmaster Realm cultivator. After seven days, the poison has probably started to seep into her bone marrow. The Fire Rock Flower and the Vermillion Fruit can only suppress the poison and delay death."
"In this Jade City, even the grandmaster alchemist Wan Qing can't save your wife. Alchemists have their strengths and weaknesses. Some are good at cultivation pills, and some are good at regenerative pills. Wan Qing is only good at minor healing pills and isn't very proficient in detoxification pills."
"However, I can save your wife!"
Chu Hao's last sentence was like a bolt of lightning from a clear sky.
"What?! Is that true?!" The black-robed person's body trembled instantly.
"Besides trusting me, do you have any other option?"
"If you can save my wife, my life will be yours. I can be your servant and repay you for this great kindness," the black-robed person said with excitement in his eyes.
"The person who hired you to kill me... was Liu Feng of the Liu family?" Chu Hao changed the subject.
The black-robed person's heart trembled. He only felt that this young man's wisdom was like that of the stars; nothing could be hidden from him, so he answered decisively.
"Yes."
"What is your name?"
"Zheng Yuan."
"Serve as my servant. Remember your words and act on them."
Chu Hao brought over a brush and paper, wrote down two pill recipes, and handed them to Zheng Yuan.
"This one notes a pill that can truly neutralize the Bone-Eating Poison, but the ingredients are troublesome to find. It might take a few days to gather them, so there's no hurry. The other piece of paper lists ingredients that are very common. You can find them at a few different pharmacies. Bring back the ingredients on this list within half an hour."
"Yes."
After taking the paper, Zheng Yuan left in a hurry. His wife's life was at risk, and no one in Jade City could save her. Today, he could only desperately grab onto Chu Hao's straw of a life raft.
Although he couldn't be sure if everything Chu Hao said was true or false, just as Chu Hao said, besides trusting Chu Hao, he had no other path to take.
It was already the middle of the night, but the shops on the commercial street were open for business day and night.
In less than half an hour, Zheng Yuan brought back the ingredients Chu Hao wanted.
At the pill refining room in the Drunken Immortal Tower.
The cauldron was made of bronze, with three legs and two ears. The surface of the cauldron was engraved with intricate patterns, giving it a stable and heavy feel.
This pill cauldron was a Low-grade Treasure Tool, not particularly valuable. People would often borrow this cauldron to refine some miscellaneous pills. They only had to pay ten primordial stones to use it.
Of course, with his token, Chu Hao could use everything here as he pleased.
In the next moment, a great fire was ignited.
The fire was fueled by Fire Rock Stones. This kind of stone contained a rich power of fire. Once ignited, it would create a raging fire that could burn for over an hour.
Fire Rock Stones were essential for pill refining. Regular fires fueled by wood simply wouldn't be hot enough to melt many of the ingredients.