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Chapter 567: Chapter 567: The Deadly Poison Pill

"Do you dare to try?"

... The surrounding crowd jeered and taunted.

"You, come over and test the pill!" the Marquis of Leisure commanded, glaring at one of his subordinates.

"My Lord, I-I-I..." the subordinate stammered in terror.

"What are you afraid of? I have sixth and seventh-grade antidote pills. If the sixth-grade antidote doesn\'t work, I have the seventh-grade one," the Marquis of Leisure assured.

However, the subordinate was still extremely fearful.

"Antidote pills are not omnipotent; they can\'t neutralize all poisons!" Bao\'er said with a smile.

Bao\'er\'s words only increased the subordinate\'s fear, and he refused to take the poison pill.

"Coward!" the Marquis of Leisure scolded.

"But my poison pill is not some mystical pill. A seventh-grade antidote pill is sufficient to neutralize it," Bao\'er said, shaking her head with a smile.

"Why don\'t you try it then?" the Marquis of Leisure shouted again.

"I dare not!" the subordinate shook his head again.

The subordinate thought to himself: Even if the seventh-grade antidote pill doesn\'t work, I\'d be done for. No matter what, I can\'t risk testing a poison pill. Moreover, he had heard that the Marquis of Leisure had never fared well in confrontations with Zhong Shan. In this renewed conflict, he didn\'t want to become collateral damage.

"If anything happens to you, I\'ll avenge you!" the Marquis of Leisure threatened.

Avenge me? No, thank you. I\'d be dead by then; what good is revenge? And can the Marquis of Leisure really prevail over Zhong Shan?

Understanding all this, the subordinate bowed and remained still, unwilling to test the pill.

"If you don\'t dare, then forget it," Bao\'er said, smiling as she retrieved the poison pill.

The crowd, seeing the matter conclude so anticlimactically, erupted in boos. Bao\'er\'s disdainful expression and the surrounding jeers left the Marquis of Leisure feeling utterly humiliated.

"I\'ll do it!" the Marquis of Leisure declared with a cold snort.

"You must not!" Nie Qingqing immediately shouted.

Although she disliked the Marquis of Leisure, his status in the Emperor\'s eyes was unparalleled. If anything happened to him, the Emperor would be furious, and everyone here would suffer the consequences.

"Why not? I don\'t believe this poison pill is truly seventh-grade. A sixth-grade antidote should suffice, and she said the antidote would work. If it doesn\'t, the Emperor will personally avenge me by killing all of you!" the Marquis of Leisure scoffed.

The Marquis of Leisure acted recklessly!

Zhong Shan felt a pang of pity for the Marquis of Leisure, who was now using his own potential death to threaten others. This was the epitome of uselessness. Insulting him had descended below even the lowest level of amusement. Zhong Shan\'s disdain was now mingled with a touch of pity.

"My Lord, you must not take it!" his subordinates pleaded.

They knew that if anything happened to the Marquis of Leisure, they would all suffer as well.

"Get lost, you cowards!" the Marquis of Leisure roared, kicking one of his subordinates aside.

He reached out and took Bao\'er\'s poison pill.

Now, driven by rage, the Marquis of Leisure ignored the pleas of Nie Qingqing and the others.

He took the pill and, with lightning speed, tossed it into his mouth, causing the surrounding onlookers to shudder. Such recklessness!

The Marquis of Leisure felt a surge of pent-up anger within him, which only began to dissipate after he swallowed the poison pill. However, immediately afterward, he felt a numbness spread throughout his body, followed by a sharp pain in his heart as if pierced by a sword. His skin started to turn a myriad of colors.

"Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!"

The Marquis of Leisure screamed in agony as the poison took effect. His mind cleared in that moment of intense pain.

"Lord Marquis, quick, the antidote pill!" one of his subordinates quickly handed him a sixth-grade antidote pill.

But the Marquis of Leisure was already paralyzed, able only to open his mouth in terror. As the antidote pill was placed in his mouth, he swallowed it.

However, the pain in his heart intensified, feeling like more and more swords were stabbing into him. It seemed as though his very soul was weakening, and his bones felt like they were melting.

The Ten Thousand Poisons Piercing Heart and Bone-Devouring Pill!

As the effects of the poison slowly manifested, the Marquis of Leisure\'s eyes filled with terror. He deeply regretted his decision, his mouth agape.

"The sixth-grade antidote isn\'t working, quick, get the seventh-grade antidote!" someone from the crowd shouted.

With that call, the crowd immediately believed in the potency of Bao\'er\'s pill, especially the official overseeing the evaluation, who now confirmed Bao\'er\'s pill\'s efficacy.

A subordinate quickly produced a seventh-grade antidote pill and placed it at the Marquis of Leisure\'s mouth.

At this point, the Marquis of Leisure was in such agony that he felt on the brink of death, even squeezing out a tear of colorful poison in his fear.

As soon as the seventh-grade antidote pill entered his mouth, the Marquis of Leisure swallowed it.

The antidote entered his stomach.

Instantly, the colors on the Marquis of Leisure\'s face lightened considerably, and he seemed able to speak, letting out a pained groan. However, the pain persisted, seemingly growing worse.

"Save me!" the Marquis of Leisure cried out towards Nie Qingqing.

"Daoist Bao\'er, this... this..." Nie Qingqing looked towards Bao\'er with concern.

But Bao\'er remained icy. Bao\'er only showed a gentle demeanor towards Zhong Shan; to others, especially enemies, her face was cold as ice.

As Nie Qingqing approached for help, Bao\'er coldly looked at the Marquis of Leisure.

"The Ten Thousand Poisons Piercing Heart and Bone-Devouring Pill is indeed only a seventh-grade pill, and an antidote pill can neutralize it. However, with \'Ten Thousand Poisons,\' how can a single seventh-grade antidote pill be enough?" Bao\'er said.

Upon hearing this, the Marquis of Leisure quickly produced a small jade bottle, enduring the pain.

A subordinate immediately took the bottle, which contained about fifty seventh-grade antidote pills.

The crowd gasped in amazement. This was the grandeur of a Marquis from an empire—fifty seventh-grade antidote pills at his disposal. Many present couldn\'t afford even a single seventh-grade antidote pill, which was a rare and expensive variety.

The seventh-grade antidote pills were quickly poured into the Marquis of Leisure\'s mouth, and his condition began to improve, but the poison was still not fully neutralized. The pain persisted, and the Marquis of Leisure regretted his decision bitterly. How had he been so foolish as to test the poison? Why was it so potent?

The crowd watched in shock as he consumed one pill after another...

One, two, three...

Until all the antidote pills were used up, the Marquis of Leisure\'s face remained ashen. Though somewhat alleviated, the poison was not fully neutralized.

The crowd now looked at Bao\'er with a newfound sense of fear.

"Antidote, give me the antidote!" the Marquis of Leisure pleaded with Bao\'er.

He felt increasingly tormented, able to move but feeling as if his entire body was being cut to pieces with each motion.

"Daoist Bao\'er, please provide an antidote!" Nie Qingqing pleaded.

"I don\'t have an antidote," Bao\'er replied bluntly.

The surrounding crowd took a step back, their fear of the poison pill reaching unprecedented levels. Fifty-one antidote pills had been consumed without success, and the one who administered the poison didn\'t have an antidote. The Marquis of Leisure seemed doomed. Everyone looked at him with pity.

"If I die, I\'ll drag you all with me. The Emperor will avenge me!" the Marquis of Leisure said, a look of despair on his face.

"I told you, the antidote pills can neutralize the poison. My poison pill, called the \'Ten Thousand Poisons Piercing Heart and Bone-Devouring Pill,\' contains ten thousand types of poisons. Even with seventh-grade antidote pills, you\'d need at least a hundred. Or, if you have the ability, you could find an eighth-grade antidote pill," Bao\'er said.

Upon hearing this, the Marquis of Leisure\'s eyes lit up with a glimmer of hope.

But all the antidote pills had been used up. The Marquis of Leisure immediately looked at his subordinates. They searched frantically and only found four more seventh-grade antidote pills, which he swallowed immediately.

It still wasn\'t enough.

Nie Qingqing flipped her hand, producing a jade bottle. After all, if the Marquis of Leisure died, she would be in trouble too. Marquis Shao Fei, however, stood by indifferently.

The bottle Nie Qingqing held contained only fifteen pills. The Marquis of Leisure quickly swallowed them.

"It\'s not enough, still not enough..." the Marquis of Leisure said in terror.

"I should tell you, you have only two hours. If the poison isn\'t neutralized in two hours, you\'ll truly have to face Nie Fanchun," Bao\'er said with a cold smile.

"Ah... Quick, go buy more antidote pills, and bring the Grand Li Alchemy King here, hurry!" the Marquis of Leisure shouted at his subordinates.

"Yes, yes, yes!" The subordinates quickly left, running in all directions. Two hours? The Marquis of Leisure endured the excruciating pain, gritting his teeth.

One hour later, the Grand Li Alchemy King, who had come to attend the Grand Alchemy Conference, arrived first. Seeing the Marquis of Leisure\'s miserable state, he immediately produced his seventh-grade antidote pills.

"I only have twenty pills. There\'s no time to make more. I\'ve already sent others to my friends to ask for more antidote pills," the Alchemy King said.

The Marquis of Leisure swallowed the twenty pills, enduring the severe pain.

Finally, there was some relief, but Bao\'er\'s poison pill was too potent. The Alchemy King checked the Marquis of Leisure\'s condition for a long time but couldn\'t figure out how to neutralize the poison completely.

Half an incense stick later, the Alchemy King\'s alchemy friends brought more antidote pills. After consuming another thirty pills, the Marquis of Leisure returned to normal, but his body was stained with sweat and poison.

"What a powerful poison. May I borrow a pill to study?" the Alchemy King asked.

Bao\'er smiled and handed over a pill, then looked at the examining official. "Do you need anyone else to verify?"

"No need. If this pill doesn\'t pass, then no pill can. I\'ll process your approval immediately!" the official said promptly.

Bao\'er nodded, while the Alchemy King and his alchemy friends gathered around the poison pill, engrossed in their study. They were purely focused on alchemy and paid no heed to the conflict between Bao\'er and the Marquis of Leisure.

The Marquis of Leisure, looking like he had been through a severe illness, stood up, his gaze at Bao\'er filled with fear, but also with more hatred and shame.

"Marquis, all the inns in the city have refused to rent us rooms!" the first subordinate sent out suddenly returned, shouting in terror.