Chapter 4: Task Completed, Yet Seemingly Unfinished

As she focused her thoughts, the body of Grandmother Lu, lying on the hospital bed, gradually became transparent before her eyes.

The meridians, blood, internal organs—even the very cells within Grandmother Lu’s body—were all clearly revealed to her.

Chu Qiao suddenly recalled the description of the Basic Pill Condensation skill:

[Basic Pill Condensation: Can only be used to condense the sea of consciousness, spiritual energy, blood, and other substances within a cultivator of equal or lower rank into a pill at their dantian, allowing the host to easily extract it via incision.]

So, being able to see everything inside the body was one of the skill’s functions?

At this moment, Chu Qiao could clearly see streaks of eerie black matter spread throughout every inch of Grandmother Lu’s blood and organs. Even one-third of her brain was covered by this black substance.

A line of small text slowly emerged before Chu Qiao’s eyes:

[Chronic poison detected: Seven-Insect Gu.]
[This poison was developed by ancient demonic cultivators.]
[Created by mixing seven types of poisonous insects with rare worldly ingredients, the victim appears to be suffering from a terminal illness. It cannot be detected by conventional means and rarely arouses suspicion, making it an excellent choice for poisoning.]
[Would you like to develop this poison?]
[Would you like to develop the antidote?]

Chu Qiao realized it instantly. This was the effect of the Poison Mastery skill! Of course! How had she not thought of it? Someone who could create poisons would naturally be able to create antidotes!

Chu Qiao was overjoyed. She had wronged the system. With such a powerful skill, she only needed to create the antidote to complete her mission with ease!

“Miss Chu?”

Seeing Chu Qiao stop mid-sentence and then go through a series of changing expressions, Lu Jingtian asked with some trepidation, “Do you need to review my grandmother’s past medical records?”

Chu Qiao snapped back to reality. She didn’t need them, of course. But to avoid arousing Lu Jingtian’s suspicion, she flipped through the records as a pretense. She then personally checked the pulse and examined the patient before saying in a deep voice:

“Mr. Lu, if I am not mistaken, your grandmother is not suffering from an illness—she has been poisoned.”

Lu Jingtian was immediately struck with reverence, looking at Chu Qiao as if she were a master from beyond the secular world. Doctors had previously suspected poisoning, but no matter what methods or advanced instruments they used, they could never detect what kind of poison it was. He hadn’t expected Chu Qiao to identify it at a single glance!

“This poison… can you cure it?”

Lu Jingtian had no interest in what the poison was or how it had been administered; his only concern was whether his grandmother could be saved.

Chu Qiao smiled confidently, exuding the air of an expert:

“It is only the Seven-Insect Gu. A trivial matter.”

She recited inwardly: [Develop antidote.]

[Skill level too low to develop the antidote. Please work on upgrading the Poison Mastery skill to Intermediate.]

Chu Qiao: “??”

Fine. If she could develop the poison itself, modern technology should be able to analyze it to create an antidote.

[Develop the poison.]

[Skill level too low to develop this poison. Please work on upgrading the Poison Mastery skill to Intermediate.]

“Useless system! Why ask me if you can’t develop it!”

Chu Qiao turned to look at Lu Jingtian. He was still waiting for her next move with anticipation. Chu Qiao attempted to walk back her earlier boast:

“…However,” she added, “your grandmother has been poisoned for too long. It will not be easy to cure.”

Lu Jingtian didn’t quite understand: “Whatever you need, I will cooperate fully.”

*Can you wait for me to level up my skill?* Chu Qiao took a breath. Having already boasted, she had no choice but to try again in her mind:

[Condense the Seven-Insect Gu into a pill.]

[Skill level too low.]
[You may strip a fused medium from the meridians, blood, and organs to condense it into a pill. This can only be used once per year.]
[Confirm use for this instance?]
[Top-tier Pill Condensation skill has no limits. Please work on upgrading.]

Chu Qiao nearly cursed out loud.

[Confirm! Confirm! Confirm!]

In the next second, Chu Qiao saw a flash of white light inside Grandmother Lu’s body, and a pitch-black sphere appeared in her dantian. The black substance that had previously covered her organs vanished completely.

In the cultivation world, extracting a pill did not require an actual incision. With a mere thought from Chu Qiao, the sphere appeared in her palm.

She unobtrusively slipped the sphere into her pocket, then leaned over, blocking Lu Jingtian’s line of sight, and pretended to feed Grandmother Lu an antidote:

“Your grandmother is lucky. I happened to be researching this extinct ancient poison recently and had already prepared an antidote.”

Fearing Lu Jingtian might be suspicious, she concocted an excuse. But she soon realized she had worried for nothing. Lu Jingtian’s eyes were fixed intently on his grandmother’s face; he didn't care at all why she happened to be carrying an antidote.

Soon, the color began to return to Grandmother Lu’s face. Her eyes fluttered, showing signs of waking up. Lu Jingtian’s cold, sharp eyes widened, and his eye sockets seemed to flush with a faint red.

Chu Qiao thought for a moment and turned to leave the room. When Lu’s second uncle and Lu Anyun, who were waiting outside, saw her emerge, they realized what had happened and rushed into the room.

Chu Qiao did not interrupt the family reunion. She had no intention of waiting for them to come out, so she left secretly.

Although she had never met a true master, in all the legends, weren’t they always the ones who appeared in rags, passed by a household, acted on a whim of kindness to save a family from catastrophe, and then slipped away while everyone was still overcome with excitement?

Drawing no attention, untainted by the mundane world, and indifferent to worldly goods—simple, peaceful, and leaving a legend behind.

The sheer style of it was off the charts! Wouldn't this hook Lu Jingtian into becoming a little fanboy and max out his trust level?

It wasn't until the taxi was halfway to her destination that Chu Qiao suddenly sat bolt upright!

Damn it! She had been so focused on acting like a master that she had forgotten to exchange contact information with Lu Jingtian!

The poison in Grandmother Lu’s body was gone. If Lu Jingtian didn't take the initiative to contact her, how was she supposed to complete her novice mission?

Should she go back now to get his contact info? If she returned to the Lu estate in a taxi, pulled out her phone, and said, “Head of the Lu family, I left in such a hurry that I forgot to add you—let’s add each other,” the image of the master would be completely ruined.

Chu Qiao slumped back into her seat, feeling as though her life had turned gray.

…

At the Lu estate, Lu Jingtian, his second uncle, and Lu Anyun came out of the room only to realize that Chu Qiao had slipped away without a trace.