The man’s face was pale, cold sweat trickling down from his temples. “Lord Brady, you must be mistaken. I am not an apothecary. I am Bog, the brother-in-law of Syscott, here to visit my family.”
Upon hearing this, Brady hesitated. It seemed that Syscott’s brother-in-law had really come to the fishing grounds to visit.
With so many workers at the fishing grounds, Brady couldn’t remember every face; most he recognized but couldn’t name.
Shuichang sneered, “Keep making excuses.”
Yahiburn tightly grasped Bog’s wrist and coldly said, “You have no gray matter in your body. If you are not an apothecary, why pretend to be infected and soak in the pond with them? Soaking together and still not infected indicates you have the antidote. You are the one who poisoned them.”
At this moment, Brady realized the truth, his face reddening with rage. “Why would you do such a thing? Without His Holiness the Son, everyone in this fishing ground would suffer and die. Don’t you understand?”
Bog let out a cold laugh and lifted his head, his expression grim. “Whether you live or die is none of my concern. Do you think the so-called Son is a good person? Let me tell you; he is merely a puppet of the church.”
“What connection do you have with the church?” Yahiburn’s expression darkened.
Bog chuckled lightly, “I am the son of Pope Lucius. How could the noble Son remember me?”
Suddenly, his eyes gleamed with intensity as he said excitedly, “Why should I, who possess no magical talent, be reduced to just being an apothecary? It’s frustrating to research potions for healing every day. I suggested to Father Lucius to develop an antidote to frame the Dark Empire. At the beginning, everything went smoothly. If it weren’t for you, Son, the church would have already unified the Hews continent. You, a puppet, only bring disaster!”
Yahiburn frowned. “Why do you stay here waiting for me? You could have escaped.”
“Haha, escape? You have no idea how furious I was when I heard you healed those people. I clearly experimented with Father Lucius, and the Light Healing Technique is completely ineffective against the poison. I needed to know where the problem lay, so I had to try it myself,” Bog suddenly leaned in, a sinister smile on his face. “Although you keep claiming to be the Son of the Light God and fear no evil, after you healed two hundred people in one day, you showed clear signs of illness; two hundred toxins were too much for you to handle, ha ha ha! Can you guess how many different potions I just used on you? Ha ha ha!”
“What?” Yahiburn was shocked and immediately checked his own condition. A wave of gray matter was spreading inward from where he held Bog’s wrist, and color drained from his face.
Shuichang pointed his finger at Bog’s forehead, causing Bog’s body to stiffen, confusion filling his eyes.
“Where is the antidote?” Shuichang asked.
Bog enunciated each word carefully. “In, my, blood.”
Those controlled by dark magic cannot lie. Shuichang cut Bog’s wrist and held it to Yahiburn’s mouth. “Hurry and drink; his blood is the antidote.”
Yahiburn suppressed the metallic taste of blood and diligently sucked at the wound, his pale lips stained bright red with blood. After swallowing some, he noticed the gray matter in his body began to dissipate. When the last bit faded, Yahiburn released his mouth, and Bog’s arm fell to his side.
“Brady, you should drink some of Bog’s blood to detoxify as well.” Yahiburn spoke, the taste of blood still lingering, fighting down the urge to vomit.
Shuichang asked, “Ling Tuan, do you have any sugar?”
Ling Tuan replied, “Yes, handsome, what’s up?”
Shuichang said, “Give me a piece, so Yahe can wash away the taste in his mouth.”
Ling Tuan chimed in, “Sure! It’ll be delivered right to your hands. Keep an eye out!”
Shuichang first used nearby drinking water to rinse Yahe’s mouth, then placed the sugar given by Ling Tuan into Yahe’s mouth.
“What is this?” It was sweet and melted in his mouth, completely masking the bloody taste.
“This is my love for you,” Shuichang said gently.
Ling Tuan remarked, “Hey handsome, I heard that!”
But Shuichang only had eyes for Yahiburn, ignoring it completely.
Ling Tuan added, “Blood vomit.”
When he needed someone, he called Ling Tuan “sweetie,” but once he didn’t, he cast it aside.
Chapter 113: The Demon Lord Tempts the Son 13
Bog was exposed, and the infamous name of Pope Lucius spread, prompting Yahiburn to want to leave the Liusen fishing grounds immediately. However, just before he could leave, he suddenly became a demigod.
Yahiburn felt the boundless power of light within him. Gripping Shuichang’s hand tightly, he said, “Doug, I will protect you well.”
Shuichang asked, “Where shall we go next?”
Although Bog had only poisoned two small towns and one fishing ground, panic swept across the entire Hews continent, with everyone fearing they would be infected at any moment.
Yahiburn wrote four letters, tying them to the feet of white doves, clearly explaining the ins and outs of the incident while apologizing on behalf of Pope Lucius, expressing his determination to clear the church’s reputation.
“First, let’s return to the church and deal with those vermin.”
Yahiburn’s gaze was icy.
When leaving the Liusen fishing grounds, Brady appeared somewhat reluctant. “Your Holiness the Son, I will rally the fishermen to build a statue in your honor for the generations to come.”
Shuichang remarked, “Your Holiness the Son is now a demigod; you should carve the statue well. If anyone is critically ill, they can still rely on the spiritual presence of the Son.”
Brady, upon hearing this, exclaimed joyfully, “Yes, thank you, Your Holiness. From now on, you will be the deity revered by the fishermen of Liusen.”
Shuichang and Yahiburn left the Liusen fishing grounds headed for the church, located in the very center of the Hews continent, bordered by the four nations, with the Sunset Mountain Range isolating it from the Dark Empire.
They traveled north from the Liusen fishing grounds, and five days later, everywhere they passed, people were talking about the sinister actions of the church and the benevolence of the Son.
On the sixth night, they halted their carriage on a wide prairie, planning to rest there for the night.
In the middle of the night, Shuichang’s ears perked up as he heard synchronized footsteps approaching from afar, and they were getting closer. At this speed, they would reach them in under ten minutes.