Chapter 3999 — Making Early Preparations
The Blossom Guardian · Page 1 of 3
Even before he had offered Wei Zhao that apologetic toast, Xu Lingchong had long since anticipated that Wei Zhao would not trust him and would demand they swap cups; that was only to be expected. And so every last drop of the entire pot of spirit wine he had prepared was laced with an additive—whoever drank it, whichever cup they chose, would inevitably fall afoul of it. There was no chance of escape.
Just as Wei Zhao had guessed, the additive Xu Lingchong had slipped into the wine was no crude, violently obvious drug. This occasion was far too sensitive for that. The great personages seated downstairs were all figures of immense power, and the slightest anomaly could not escape their senses. So even a drugging had to be done with something no one would suspect.
The drug Xu Lingchong used this time was called the Immortal's Draught—a simple hallucinogen. While its effects ran their course, it left the mind addled and dazed, producing a state much the same as drunkenness.
It was said to be a drug specially meant to bewilder a cultivator's consciousness. Its effects were not violent and would not kill, and it left no aftereffects behind. Yet when its potency peaked, even immortals could not withstand it—and from that it had earned the name Immortal's Draught.
The Immortal's Draught was colorless and tasteless, and its effects were indistinguishable from ordinary drunkenness. So even with so many great personages looking on, letting Shangguan Lan'er and Wei Zhao drink it—even letting its effects take hold—would rouse no suspicion. The victims themselves might not even notice. Such was the peculiar genius of the Immortal's Draught.
This muddled, drunken haze might not seem a formidable effect, but in certain special circumstances it was exceedingly practical and carried almost no risk. Here and now, it was the perfect weapon to help Xu Lingchong accomplish his aims.
Taken together with spirit wine, the Immortal's Draught would begin to work slowly over a span of time, its potency gradually mounting from weak to strong—a classic slow boil of the frog. By the time its effects reached their peak, even immortals could not hold out, let alone a mere Wei Zhao.
By Xu Lingchong's original plan, he would have plied both Shangguan Lan'er and Wei Zhao with the Immortal's Draught before they went upstairs. Then, by the time the drug reached full potency, both would be addled and dazed—and once that happened, whatever schemes he wished to work in their midst would be entirely for Young Master Xu to decide. It would cost him not the slightest effort.
But now Wei Zhao had drunk the Immortal's Draught, while Shangguan Lan'er had not. If Xu Lingchong wished to carry out the rest of his plan smoothly, he would have to go to a little more trouble.
Fortunately, Shangguan Lan'er's strength was feeble. With Xu Lingchong's cultivation at the great consummation of the Foundation Establishment stage, disposing of her without a trace was simplicity itself—and he could be certain of leaving no clue behind.
While Xu Lingchong was thus scheming and preparing his next move, Wei Zhao had followed Shangguan Lan'er up to the third floor. Though he kept carefully sensing every subtle change within his body, he detected nothing clearly out of the ordinary.
Wei Zhao could not help but mutter to himself. There were only two explanations: either Xu Lingchong had not drugged the wine at all, or he had—but, just as Wei Zhao had surmised, the drug's effects were neither violent nor deadly.
Just as Wei Zhao was puzzling over this, Little Curly Bear began to act up. The little creature staggered and swayed, darting and leaping wildly this way and that, scrambling onto every table it saw and knocking over everything it touched—the very picture of a rampaging toddler.
Wei Zhao stared, dumbstruck. He had never seen Little Curly Bear in such a violent state, and he clicked his tongue in astonishment. "What's gotten into it?"