Chapter 282: Strange Liquid

He then said in a low voice, "Otherwise, we'll have to run tonight!"

Of course, He Chunhua, who was nearby, still heard him and clutched his forehead.

Lingguang knew the matter was serious, so it jumped to the side of the old ox.

The creature's mouth was frothing, and its limbs continued to thrash. Lingguang rolled its eyes and observed: "The red streaks in its eyes have receded. It seems that after two dilutions, the drug's effect on it has significantly lessened. This is great news. Hmm, let's draw some blood to check."

He Lingchuan couldn't help but curse.

"Very small" was a relative concept; the mad ox's recent behavior clearly showed it was over-stimulated. If it had consumed a bit more green juice, it might have swum across to the Xun people's camp to challenge them.

If all three hundred oxen were like this...

This thought seemed quite alarming.

While the rhinoceros bird accepted Zhao Pan's instructions and flew to the wild ox leader to apologize, assure, and console it, Lingguang used a hollow reed pipe to draw a small amount of blood from the wild ox on the ground.

It was approximately two pounds.

Then it began to add ingredients to the ox blood, its movements swift and precise. Everyone present, including He Lingchuan, watched in astonishment, their eyes barely able to keep up with its hand speed.

The herd of wild oxen gathered around, kicking their hooves restlessly.

He Lingchuan even saw Lingguang dip a finger into the prepared ox blood and taste it.

"Hey!" He rushed over and grabbed Lingguang. If even the medicine ape went mad, he truly wouldn't know how to resolve the current situation.

Fortunately, Lingguang was reliable this time. It savored the taste for several seconds, then jumped for joy, exclaiming, "Alright, alright, I've figured it out!"

The He family father and son, along with their subordinates, all let out long sighs of relief.

Next, Lingguang began to mix the antidote.

It was trembling violently, and half of the liquid medicine spilled out.

He Lingchuan, annoyed, asked, "Can you stop shaking?"

"No!" Lingguang was shaking all over. "I've been affected too; the drug's effect hasn't worn off." The fact that it hadn't succumbed to its instincts to howl, run into the jungle, and throw branches at people already showed extreme self-restraint.

Zhao Pan's military doctor had been observing for a while. He quickly stepped forward and said, "Let me do it."

Lingguang gave instructions, and the doctor performed the actions; the monkey and the man worked together quite seamlessly.

Finally, the antidote was successfully prepared.

Under the gaze of hundreds of ox eyes, the military doctor administered the liquid medicine to the wild ox on the ground.

After only about ten breaths, the wild ox's frenzy subsided. It mooed several times, and its limbs no longer thrashed wildly.

The rhinoceros bird landed on its horn, acting as an interpreter: "It's conscious now; no need to tie it up."

He Lingchuan untied its ropes. The wild ox struggled to its feet, took two wobbly steps, but couldn't stay upright and collapsed again, panting.

"Give it some time to recover," Lingguang said, gesturing for a soldier to bring a bucket of clear water and place it beside the wild ox. "It should be fine now."

"Alright, alright, that's enough looking!" The generals emerged to disperse the onlookers.

The wild ox leader came over to check, confirmed its companion was unharmed, then shook its head and led its subordinates back to graze.

Zhao Pan's expression also relaxed. He looked at He Lingchuan and said, "Since you've atoned for your mistake with your contribution, I won't punish you out of respect for Lord He. From now on, no more messing around in my camp!"

He Lingchuan quickly nodded, and the medicine ape beside him also administered a dose of the liquid medicine to itself.

The commotion finally subsided.

He Chunhua merely reprimanded him a few times. Finally, he patted He Lingchuan's shoulder and said, "I pushed you out earlier, letting General Zhao have his way with you, because I knew he would never actually do it."

Seeing his eldest son grimace and look impatient, He Chunhua wasn't annoyed. He walked off with his hands behind his back, taking Wu Shaoyi and the others with him.

He Lingchuan watched his back, somehow feeling that his father seemed quite pleased and even closer to him.

What was he pleased about?

Was he pleased that his son had caused trouble, proving He Lingchuan was still He Lingchuan?

Come to think of it, ever since transmigrating, the troubles "He Lingchuan" caused and the mistakes he made had visibly decreased. Could it be that He Chunhua had grown so accustomed to his son's disruptive behavior that he felt uncomfortable when He Lingchuan *didn't* cause trouble?

He Lingchuan shook off the strange thoughts in his head and carried Lingguang back to his tent.

The rock wolf was already there. It had found a broken leather belt somewhere and was happily chewing on it.

This fellow had hidden remarkably well. It hadn't appeared even when the wild oxen were rampaging. He Lingchuan really wanted to ask, what was the use of this wolf guard?

After taking the medicine, Lingguang also lost its strength and lay weakly on the table.

"What exactly is going on with Dong Rui's medicine?" He Lingchuan remembered their initial topic. After all this commotion, they still hadn't found the answer.

Lingguang also looked very tired, barely having the strength to speak:

"Dong Rui's medicine, its main ingredient, should have been diluted and prepared."

He Lingchuan was stunned: "He already diluted it?" Dong Rui had diluted it once, and Lingguang had diluted it another hundred times. After two such dilutions, it could still make the phoenix tree grow madly.

The wild ox only consumed a little phoenix tree sap, not even swallowing a few leaves, and it turned into a mad ox?

"So how potent is the raw material for this main ingredient?"

"That would be..." Lingguang paused, then continued, "Although I couldn't identify its exact nature, from my observations, it's very likely a type of blood."

"Blood?" He Lingchuan asked in disbelief. "Is this blood flowing from some creature?"

"Not necessarily flowing out; it could also be extracted..." Lingguang said weakly. "Yes, it should be blood. I guarantee it with my thirteen years as an alchemist."

"A tiny bit of blood, after multiple dilutions, still possesses such potency?" He Lingchuan was puzzled. "Could it be from an ancient divine beast or a true immortal?"

"I don't know either; I haven't experimented with the blood of divine beasts," Lingguang shook its head. "But every biological tissue I used for testing reacted with strong repulsion to it. That's why the rabbit grew three hindquarters, and the phoenix tree's bark turned purplish-blue. These changes, which defy their original characteristics, occurred because their bodies were invaded and damaged, leading to stress-induced mutations."

He Lingchuan's eyes flickered. "Like the ghost apes and wolf-men under Dong Rui, and that strange bird?"

The ghost ape could grow a pair of eyes on the back of its head and a pair of arms on its back, resulting in four eyes and four arms!

Not to mention its astonishing defensive capabilities.

As for the wolf-men, there's no need to mention them; they had completely abandoned their wolf forms and were transforming into humanoids. This directly defied normal laws.

Lingguang thought for a moment and added, "Also, because the mutation was too intense, all my test subjects couldn't withstand it and quickly died. To put it simply, it's highly toxic to most living creatures."

"So, it could also be a toxin, couldn't it?"

Lingguang thought for a moment. "I still lean towards believing it's a type of blood, but it has an excessively powerful catalytic effect on living organisms. Or, conversely, the test subjects were too weak."

"But that wild ox and you survived, indicating that its potency can indeed be reduced," He Lingchuan pondered. "Dong Rui might have already grasped its secrets, allowing him to effectively control the changes in his demon puppets, making them stronger rather than causing death. Hmm, where did he get this stuff from?"

This was probably the core secret of a demon puppet master, wasn't it?

"Give me a bit more time," Lingguang blinked. "I think the medicine can be further optimized. Perhaps my master can use it in combat later."

"If this is used in combat, will the user also end up like you afterward?" He asked, as if referring to a quadriplegic patient.

"...That's why it needs further optimization," Lingguang said weakly. "Right now, my insides feel like they're burning, as if I'm being boiled alive."

"Water!" He Lingchuan instinctively called out from inside the tent, "Maotao, bring water..."

After half a call, he suddenly realized.

The rock wolf also looked up, staring intently at him.

He Lingchuan fell silent. Just then, Shan Youjun poked his head in and asked, "Master, do you need water?"

He went to pour hot water, and He Lingchuan supported the monkey, slowly feeding it.

Lingguang didn't know what to say either.

After it finished drinking, He Lingchuan brought out a blanket and covered it, whispering, "Sleep now."

It had truly been a difficult day.

He walked out of the tent and stretched. Looking up, he saw the sky full of stars.

When he opened the window, a blast of cold air hit him.

He Lingchuan peered outside. A handful of white snow fell from a treetop and landed with a soft thump on his forehead.

"Whew, it's so cold."

Even the frozen ground at the Xia State front had thawed and rivers were flowing swiftly again, yet here, the chill was still biting. This alone told him he had returned to the Panlong dream.

He hadn't dreamed for many days. The winter air was always crisp and clean, a single breath chilling him to the core.

For some reason, every time He Lingchuan entered the dream, he felt particularly clear-headed.

He had no tasks today, so he planned to seize the opportunity to practice his skills. After days of marching in reality, his training had fallen behind. He also considered going out to find himself a good blade.

The last time he chased a monster in the city, its hide was too tough, and the long blade he acquired from the Pengcheng Department had broken. He still hadn't found a suitable weapon since then.

But his hand instinctively went to his waist, and he froze.

Huh? Wait!

This texture?

He Lingchuan looked down. It was the familiar hilt and sheath, the combination he saw every day in reality.

His treasured blade, Fusheng, was indeed at his waist.

He slowly drew the blade, and its inherent brilliance gradually emerged.

It was Fusheng, indeed!

He wasn't dreaming, was he?

No, he was already in a dream.

He Lingchuan drew the treasured blade fully and spun it in a flourish in mid-air. Yes, it was as responsive as an extension of his arm, just like in reality.

The delightful feeling of perfect synergy was not diminished in the slightest. No other weapon he had used in the dream could provide this sensation.

Had this treasured item suddenly entered his dream with him because he had already repaired the broken blade and renamed it? Or was it because he had wished last time to quickly find a replacement weapon in his dream?

Regardless, his most favored treasure had appeared. For him, it was like adding wings to a tiger.

He flicked the blade and asked the treasured blade, "Do you know I'm in need of a good weapon?"

The treasured blade replied with a long hum.

The cold wind whistled into the room; it was too cold. Just as He Lingchuan was about to close the window, he suddenly heard a strange sound.

*Click, click, click*, it sounded three times in a row, like someone pressing a clapper.