Previously on Cultivation is just so scientific!...
Li Shiming used his mental abilities in the machine room to craft a centrifuge and various dangerous chemical compounds, including nitroglycerine and a potent poison derived from Mother Hen Beads. He then reviewed case files concerning Chief Escort Wang, discovering that Wang was being hunted by a mysterious, powerful individual described as a cultivator. Realizing the implications of cultivators existing in this world, Li Shiming prepared a medicinal concoction and left his courtyard alone with a lunchbox.
Li Shiming stepped into the garden. Although Chief Escort Wang was nowhere to be seen, Shiming felt certain that the man’s eyes were tracking his every move.
He made his way toward the artificial mountain, their designated meeting spot. The sun had dipped below the horizon, leaving the garden in a deepening twilight where the shadows of the foliage seemed to dance and flicker.
"Chief Escort Wang, I’ve brought the medicine!" he announced, placing the food box on the ground.
"The Young Master is indeed a man of his word!" Chief Escort Wang remarked with a smirk, stepping out from the concealment of the rocks.
His face appeared even more pallid than it had earlier that day. It was clear to Li Shiming that the man’s internal injuries were far more severe than he had initially suspected.
Opening the food box, Li Shiming revealed a large bowl filled with the medicinal brew.
Chief Escort Wang leaned in, taking a deep breath of the rising steam, a look of genuine contentment crossing his features.
As a seasoned veteran of the Martial World, a single sniff was enough for him to verify the authenticity of the concoction.
He had targeted Li Shiming specifically because the boy, while intelligent, was like a blank sheet of paper. To him, Li Shiming was merely a scholarly Young Master who would be too frightened by threats to ever consider striking back.
Furthermore, given the restricted social circle of the Magistrate’s residence—where only the Magistrate and his son resided—it was highly improbable for the boy to have any ties to the underworld. Chief Escort Wang was convinced that Li Shiming wouldn't even know where to begin looking if he wanted to procure poison.
While Li Shiming could easily purchase mundane goods, what merchant would dare sell lethal toxins to the Magistrate's son? Any mishap would result in a catastrophic investigation.
Beyond that, Chief Escort Wang relied on his own refined senses; his nose had undergone rigorous training to detect hidden substances, making it nearly impossible for common poisons to escape his notice.
Without such expertise in identifying poisons, one could never survive as an escort for valuable cargo; they would have been eliminated by treachery long ago.
In truth, the bowl of medicine was perfectly safe in the traditional sense; it had been prepared exactly according to the prescription using top-tier herbs.
Li Shiming lifted the bowl from the box and held it out toward Chief Escort Wang.
"Chief Escort Wang, I have fulfilled your demands. When exactly will the poison in my system be neutralized?" he asked, his voice heavy with feigned anxiety.
Chief Escort Wang was quite pleased by this display. This desperate concern for survival was the exact leverage he intended to maintain.
"Prepare this brew two more times tomorrow. By tomorrow night, I shall grant you the antidote," Chief Escort Wang replied with a thin smile as he accepted the bowl.
"I hope you remain true to your word, Chief Escort Wang!" Li Shiming said, his expression darkening.
With those words, he snatched up the empty food box and turned to leave, acting as though he were frustrated by the delay of his cure.
In reality, his haste was driven by fear. He worried that once the toxin took hold, Chief Escort Wang might use his final moments of strength to kill him out of pure malice.
Moments earlier, while passing the bowl to the escort, he had accessed his spatial machine room. With practiced stealth, he had introduced the Acacia Poison Protein into the liquid without leaving a single trace.
Because the Acacia Poison Protein was added directly at the last second and had not yet fully integrated with the aromatic herbs, any potential scent was masked.
Furthermore, the quantity required was minute and lacked any distinct smell. Even if it had been mixed thoroughly, the odds of Chief Escort Wang detecting it were nearly zero.
The veteran's ability to sniff out danger relied on his familiarity with known toxins of the Martial World and their specific chemical signatures.
However, Acacia Poison Protein was a substance that had never existed in this world before. No amount of traditional poison-identification training could detect such a sophisticated and potent killer.
Li Shiming increased his pace, quickly putting distance between himself and the dying man.
Unable to wait any longer, Chief Escort Wang raised the bowl and drained the contents in a few large gulps.
His wounds were substantial, and he had been relying on temporary tonics while waiting for this specific healing medicine to stabilize his condition.
As the liquid slid down his throat, he felt a familiar warmth spreading through his chest—a sign that the restorative properties were activating.
But almost instantly, his lungs seized. His entire frame began to shudder violently, and his body temperature spiked to a feverish high.
"The medicine... it's poisoned!" Chief Escort Wang gasped, but the words were strangled in his windpipe, unable to find release.
Given his compromised state, the Acacia Poison Protein—delivered at twenty times the lethal dose—acted with terrifying efficiency.
Agonizing abdominal cramps and uncontrollable muscle spasms rendered him completely immobile.
Chief Escort Wang’s mind flashed to Li Shiming’s refined, scholarly face. He could not fathom how a hardened expert of the Martial World like himself could be outmaneuvered by a mere student, especially when he had been so vigilant.
A wave of profound humiliation washed over him. He fought desperately to reclaim control of his limbs.
He forced his Inner Qi to surge through his meridians, attempting to purge the toxins, but he was fighting an invisible enemy he didn't understand.
In his eagerness to heal, he had even used his internal energy to accelerate the absorption of the medicine; now, that very action had sealed his fate.
His face took on a sickly purple hue as his oxygen ran out.
Hidden behind a tree twenty meters away, Li Shiming watched the scene unfold. Thanks to his sharpened senses and the pale moonlight, the escort's struggle was perfectly visible.
He did not rush forward when the man collapsed. Instead, he waited in the silence of the garden.
Based on the data, the Acacia Poison Protein he had synthesized was designed for rapid absorption. Once it entered the bloodstream, nothing short of a modern hospital with specific knowledge of the compound could have saved him.
As the light faded from his eyes, Chief Escort Wang remained baffled by Li Shiming’s resolve. He couldn't understand why the boy would risk a double suicide.
After all, he had watched Li Shiming consume the Three-day Soul-breaking Pills. Without the unique antidote, no doctor in the land could prevent his death in three days.
Filled with confusion and bitter regret, the Chief Escort finally stopped breathing.
Li Shiming remained motionless behind the tree, his eyes fixed on the body.
Only after ten full minutes had passed without a single twitch from the man’s chest did Li Shiming finally confirm the death.
He approached the corpse with extreme caution, staying alert for any signs of a trap. He knew better than to be careless when dealing with a veteran of the Martial World.
Looking down at the twisted, contorted face of the dead man, Li Shiming felt a wave of nausea hit him.
In his past life, he was a common citizen, and in this life, a scholar. He had never been in the presence of a fresh corpse; the fact that he hadn't vomited yet was a testament to his mental fortitude.
He reminded himself that he was the one who had taken this life. This was his first kill, yet he found himself remarkably collected.
Using a fallen branch, he began to sift through Chief Escort Wang’s belongings.
Aside from a sword and some loose silver, the man appeared to be carrying nothing of value.
Li Shiming knew that a Cultivator would not have targeted Chief Escort Wang without a significant reason.
The man had gone on a rampage at the Tianxiang Building, murdering seven senior members of the Weiyuan Escort Agency to protect his secret.
According to official records, violence involving Cultivators was incredibly rare, with no such incidents reported in Nanling Prefecture for decades.
The authorities suspected that Chief Escort Wang possessed an item the Cultivator coveted—a treasure that had brought this doom upon him.
Li Shiming’s motive for the killing wasn't just to stop a madman from terrorizing the prefecture; he was also deeply curious about what could drive a Cultivator to such lengths.
However, as he stood over the empty-handed corpse, a flicker of disappointment crossed his mind. The mysterious item was nowhere to be found.
