‘Nature's allure lies in its captivating yet unforgiving essence. Take berries, for instance; while many varieties are not only delectable but also safe to consume, others harbor potent toxins, often bearing an uncanny resemblance to their harmless counterparts.
Furthermore, some berries exhibit a complex nature, with certain parts proving poisonous while others remain benign. Moreover, some species' toxicity varies throughout their growth stages, transitioning from perilous to palatable.
In addition, there are berries that, though innocuous on their own, can yield hazardous consequences when combined with certain counterparts.’
Extract from ‘What’s that! Should I eat it!’
James closed the book, as usual, he was in his room, today he had passed the five-month mark inside the sect.
Sometimes, he wonders what his colleagues are up to, are they in a tournament, some trials, or missions.
Instead, here he is, copped in this house, with no way out. He really, really missed his freedom.
James cleared his head, and tried to measure his progress.
Today, he succeeded in opening the second meridian. It could have been done last week, but he chose to delay it as much as possible.
As for the techniques the sect had given him, he has made some progress in those as well, he can now use the Qi membrane technique twice the time it takes to make a cup of tea.
He hoped that would be enough, after all, most battles are way shorter than that.
For the breathing technique, he can maintain it for the same duration, but if combined, the time will get halved. Though while fighting, he expected it to be quartered.
The third technique proved to be harder to train, as it has a huge consumption. On the other hand, it is the most versatile, and can be used to make several types of tools.
Although, the objects created aren’t strong, so it will be a very long time before it is usable in battle.
About his aptitude, he can use it to perceive all the shadows in the house. Now he is ‘watching’ the old man through it.
He also found a way to take advantage of his reserve of Qi, if he distributed it evenly on his body it would multiply his strength by three, and augment his speed as well. And being on the second level, he is way stronger than a normal human.
No wonder cultivators are feared. James reminds himself not to be arrogant, usually it is the prelude to death.
James stood up and headed for the garden, Which is filled with various types of plant and fruits.
Although. Most of them aren’t ripe yet, and need probably another two to three months. But some are, and most of them are safe to consume.
As for what poison to use, After a lot of research, James decided to use three consecutively.
The first is a combination of two berries, one has a huge amount of moon Yin Qi, and the other has pure Yang Qi.
What they have in common is that on their own, they are safe to consume. However, if they are combined, or eaten together, or in a short period, the opposites Qi will clash in the body, and the cultivator will be unable to move, or use QI while that is happening.
They also have an uncanny resemblance that makes them almost impossible to distinguish.
The second poison is a very strong and fast working sedative. There are a lot of those, as there is a strong demand for them in the black market, but for James the hard part is getting the ingredients without raising any suspicion.
At the end he chose one used by northerners to hunt gigantic beasts, the only reason he knows it, is because it was a payment for a job he did.
The last one is probably the most insidious one he has ever seen. It is a fungus that requires a huge amount of death Qi to grow, and is usually found in sites where a lot of people have died at the same time.
When in contact with the victim, this fungus will propagate slowly, but surely, until the victim reaches a state between life and death. Then it becomes impossible to cure, as far as James knew.
Although it has some drawbacks, first it needs to be consumed orally, and no sane person will do that, just because of how ugly it looks.
Also, at the initial stage of propagation it is easy to purge using Qi, and sometimes the body can do that on its own, even if the user is asleep.
So the victim needs to be incapacitated and unable to use Qi for it to work.
But all of that depends on the first part, making the old man eat the first two berries.
James collected some berries and fruits and headed for the kitchen, after washing them, he put them on a plate and headed for lunch.
“So you have entered the second level, good at least you kept your words, and didn’t let your hobby delay your cultivation” the old man said
“I told you so,” James said, and put another berry in his mouth.
This book's true home is on another platform. Check it out there for the real experience.
What is the best way to gain someone trust in a food, other than eating it yourself.
Of course, all of what is on the table now is edible and safe to eat.
“But you need more Qi crystal to speed up your cultivation, without them the second meridian will probably take you 6 months, but with them, you may be able to finish in four,” The man said.
James nodded his head. Silva’s note has already mentioned that part, he didn’t have any objections.
All of his preparation will end in three months, so he will have about a month for execution, not a lot of time, but he will have to manage.
“Take this bag, it contains one hundred twenty crystals, have one each day, until you finish the second level,” the old man said.
James stored it in his ring.
They have almost finished their food, and the old man hasn’t touched any berries or fruits. Well, it is just the first day.
Three months passed fast, for James it was one of the most peaceful periods in his life so far. With a safe and comfortable place to sleep, good food in his belly, and resources to cultivate and get stronger.
If he wasn’t deprived of his freedom, he may have really liked the sect. There are moments, when he wonders what his life would look like if he hadn't got that damned constitution.
Two months ago, the old man couldn’t resist the berry temptation anymore. Well, the quality of James’ work has improved through time, and he succeeds in nitrating some of the most delightful delicacies.
Still, he maintained his vigilance, and wouldn't eat from any variety until James did, while watching James' reaction to the food.
Three days ago, James had all the poisons ready, and each day he served several varieties of berries and fruits.
He tried to make the order as chaotic as possible, and to eat from each variety, and making sure the twin berries looked like one variety.
Someone good at math would have been able to articulate a more precise and sure way for the old man to eat the berries together. But James isn’t, so he tried to adjust what he did, based on the old man habit, and in the most subtle way.
As time passed, James began to worry that the plan won’t work, thirteen day has passed since he started serving berries.
He had made a concoction, but he couldn’t mix it with the food, the old man was watching like a hawk.
He even considered attacking with a knife coated with poison, but with Qi in the equation, James stood no chance.
Still, he has around twenty days before reaching the third level. He will continue with his plan, and if it doesn't work, he will have to restore to the traditional way. A poisoned knife, from behind, in the dark.
James was pulled from his thoughts when the old man picked a yin berry, he had already eaten a yang one.
It took all of James' effort not to show any reaction, but when the old man swallowed, James didn’t hesitate at all.
The first thing he did was to activate his breathing method, took a jar full of sleep poison from his ring, and let it head to the ground.
James augmented his body to the maximum using Qi, summoned a knife coated with the sedative, and leaped over the table.
One breath has passed since the beginning of the battle, the old man has raised his hand, preparing to attack James.
The poison should have made him unable to move right now, but it looks like his body is stronger than what James thought.
Well, no plan survives first contact.
He didn’t summon any weapon, so no Qi usage, that part at least worked. But his physical power alone is more than enough to kill.
Case in point, his hand is now heading for James neck, at that speed it would kill if it hit. James kept going.
Just before it did, the old man changed its direction toward James’ shoulder, and it made a deep cut.
James didn’t care, with the knife he aimed at the old man's eyes, but it was blocked with the left hand. With his own, James poured another jar of the sedative on the old man's face.
He still has some of the food and the berry leftovers in his mouth, and was trying to spit out, now some sedatives get in as well.
The old man grabbed James' neck with his right hand.
James didn’t resist, he put all his strength in his right knee, and hit him in the jaw. That forced the old man to swallow the food, and the sedative.
Now the victor will be the one who can hold on longer.
With the sedative that he was fed, and the one James put in the air at the beginning of the battle, the old man went out first.
James took the fungus and force-fed it to him.
After a while, the old man became almost like a corpse, He checked his pulse and found he's still alive. James smacked him a few times, and he didn’t react at all.
James shuddered, that fungus is creepy.
He headed outside the house, after closing the door, he took his first breath since the beginning of the battle and collapsed on the ground.
That was intense, even with all his preparation, if the old man didn’t hesitate, he might have lost his head.
James checked the surroundings, like the first time he had seen it, it looked peaceful and quiet, with not a soul in the vicinity. He is free now, but first he has to change his clothes and treat the wound in his shoulder.
As much as he hated it, he had to do that inside the house. James headed toward his room and took some bandages from his ring. He had made some out of some new robes the old man had given him.
The old man ring probably has something on it that can help heal him. But he can’t risk opening or taking it with him, it might be tracked or trapped.
His own might be, even though he has checked it carefully, but he has to risk taking it because he needs it for the journey ahead.
James has a choice, take all the books with him, or leave the one with the message behind.
If he left them, the message may be discovered, but if it isn’t, it could give an edge to the next person who will be imprisoned.
In other words, he could be sealing their fate if he took it, and if he didn’t, they would have a chance.
That’s decided, he will leave Silva’s books behind.
James left the house and headed for the river branch. It wasn't far, probably around a Li, and after walking for a while he spotted it.
It was coming from the direction of the top of the mountain and was heading toward a big forest, the distance was pretty far, and it was barely visible.
When James got close to the forest, it was just before sunset, he could spot what appeared to be a watch tower, just before the forest.
James looked to his left and sure, in the far distance he could see another one, so they are probably what the sect is putting as border control.
James decided to wait for the night before crossing.
When the night set, James headed for a spot between the two towers. When he got close he could see a knee wall, and on it there was something James recognized, inscriptions. He has used some formation to manage the plants' environment requirements.
James took a stone from the ground and shot it over the wall, the inscription glowed for a moment, but nothing happened after that. It looks like it doesn’t stop things from getting out, but it will probably inform the sect.
James jumped over the wall, he can’t turn back now, just because someone monitoring a formation somewhere will think something has crossed.
If he is lucky, they might think it is just some rodent, or a disciple messing up.
After walking for a while, James entered the forest.