Immortality Begins With Internal Breathing-Chapter 79: Toxicology Codex (IV)
After finishing his explanation, Chen Peijun pulled out a thick book about 5 centimeters thick, leaving Lin Zheyu tongue-tied. A book this thick would take a long time to read, let alone memorize.
"This contains key notes on learning about toxicology. Take it home and study it slowly. If there's anything you don't understand, you may come and ask me. I won't forbid you from passing it on to others, but before teaching it, you must also have them first swear a poison oath," said Chen Peijun.
"Thank you, Senior!"
Lin Zheyu accepted the book and began flipping through it casually. In this era, knowledge was precious, especially rare toxicology knowledge. He had not expected Chen Peijun to hand him the Toxicology Codex so readily. As he skimmed through it, he noticed the book was very new, likely just recently printed.
Could it be that Old Master Chen is using this Toxicology Codex as a bargaining chip to seek people to avenge him? Lin Zheyu muttered inwardly, suspecting that Chen Peijun had given copies to more people than just him.
As he leafed through it, he saw records of poisonous herbs, flowers, substances, and insects, all illustrated with hand-drawn images, along with many formulas for concocting poisons.
Apparently, a few rare, mildly poisonous herbs combined with harmless ones could create a potent sedative capable of knocking out a Blood Qi Realm cultivator. The wide variety of poisons greatly broadened Lin Zheyu's horizons.
With this secret manual of poisons, one could cultivate a considerable following by spreading the knowledge. But relying on it to build a power that could rival the Zhao Family would not be easy.
An esteemed family as powerful as the Zhao Family would have more than one Blood Qi Realm cultivator at its back, and perhaps even an old monster in the Marrow Refining Realm hidden away.
To establish such a family, the foremost requirement was a top-tier expert. Relying on poison alone, no matter how profound one's mastery, was not enough without sufficient strength. Take Lin Zheyu, for example. If he faced a poison expert, he would not foolishly fight head-on but would strike from afar with his throwing knives. Anyone weaker than him who failed to block his blades would die.
Furthermore, the keen perception of a Blood Qi Realm cultivator made it no easy matter for a weak poison master to get close enough to administer poison.
Seeing the astonishment on Lin Zheyu's face, Old Master Chen asked with a chuckle, "Well then, are you satisfied with this Toxicology Codex?"
"I am satisfied. Thank you for this teaching, Senior. When I have sufficient strength one day, I will certainly kill Zhao Guanbin for you," said Lin Zheyu, making a promise.
Overall, this Toxicology Codex was absolutely worth the price of assassinating a Blood Qi Realm cultivator.
"Good." Old Master Chen nodded in satisfaction and said, "Killing Zhao Guanbin won't be easy, however. The Zhao Family is also skilled in toxicology, and they have many poison experts. Even if you gain enough strength, be cautious when attempting to assassinate Zhao Guanbin, lest you fall to their poisons instead."
"I will remember that," said Lin Zheyu with a nod.
The Zhao Family had risen through medicine, so it was only natural that they were proficient in toxicology.
As Lin Zheyu flipped through the book, he noticed the words 'Medicine King' and asked curiously, "Medicine King? Senior, did this book come from Medicine King Village?"
Within the book, many entries and poison formulas were annotated with notes attributing them to different generations of Medicine Kings. He had heard of Medicine King Village from chatting with Jia Yanyong and others. It was a famous village in the region, known for generations of herbal gatherers and for producing many masters of medicine and poison.
But it had been destroyed fifty years ago. It was said that the Medicine King of the village offended an unknown powerhouse, who wiped out the entire clan overnight without leaving a single survivor.
Lin Zheyu suspected that perhaps the village's name had grown too grand. Daring to call themselves Medicine Kings may have brought calamity upon them.
"Yes, this Toxicology Codex was originally passed down from Medicine King Village. The village also had a Medicine Codex, but it has long been lost. From now on, do not carelessly reveal that you possess the Toxicology Codex, or you may invite disaster," warned Chen Peijun.
His father had been from Medicine King Village, one of the lucky few to survive, and had carried the Toxicology Codex out with him. But one day, the fact that their family possessed the Toxicology Codex was exposed, and that misfortune brought their destruction.
"Yes. I understand, Senior."
Lin Zheyu nodded. It was just like the saying, “An ordinary man may be innocent, but once he possesses jade, he becomes guilty.”[1]
He sat in Chen Peijun's courtyard, continuing to read. Chen Peijun did not chase him away and instead quietly drank tea at the side.
"Poison King Body?"
Suddenly, a passage in the book caught Lin Zheyu's attention. He had come across it while reading the chapter on poisoning methods. Having a Poison King Body did not mean carrying lethal toxins within one's flesh and becoming a poisonous being, but rather cultivating the body to be immune to all poisons.
Poisoning was not as simple as it seemed, and often harmed the poisoner before it harmed the enemy. Even if one had an antidote prepared in advance, failing to take it in time would still damage the body.
A body immune to a hundred poisons was the essential foundation to becoming a king of poison. Hence, it was called the Poison King Body. The Poison King Body was cultivated through poison-tempering methods! One had to test poisons on oneself and detoxify them before they caused serious damage, thereby building resistance.
Starting with ordinary poisons in small doses, one would gradually increase the dosage and toxicity, allowing the body to develop immunity. Its principle was to harness biological resistance and adaptability to produce the so-called poison immunity effect.
For martial practitioners with powerful physiques, this immunity would strengthen accordingly. However, along with this resistance came the drawback that similar medicinal treatments would lose their efficacy. It was both a blessing and a curse.
"Don't be fooled by how impressive the Poison King Body sounds. That is only the theory, and its real effects are far less ideal. Moreover, cultivating it greatly shortens one's lifespan. Most who have practiced it did not live past 40. One misstep, and the buildup of toxins in the body will bring an early death."
Seeing Lin Zheyu's bright gaze fixed on the contents about the Poison King Body, Chen Peijun could not help but caution him. Even he had not dared to cultivate it deeply, having only trained it to the first stage.
It had originally been an experimental hypothesis of Medicine King Village. The only one to achieve any sort of results was the seventh-generation Medicine King, but he too died young as a result. Furthermore, its poison-resisting effect was not very strong. The first three stages could only ward off ordinary poisons and were useless against those that could affect Blood Qi Realm cultivators.
"Thank you for the warning, Senior. I am only reading out of curiosity," said Lin Zheyu with a nod.
"Alright, take it back and read it at home. I have to head out now. Reading alone is not enough. You must constantly test, personally handle, and study poisons, and immerse yourself over the long term to achieve anything in toxicology.
"You'll need to gather the poisonous herbs and powders for research on your own. During study, remember the cautions in the Toxicology Codex well, or you may end up poisoning yourself," said Chen Peijun, reminding him earnestly.
"Yes, Senior. I will remember," replied Lin Zheyu. He closed the book, rose to his feet, and took his leave.
***
The first day of the New Year was when juniors paid respects to their elders, and the streets were filled with lively festivity. Lin Zheyu took some time to visit the Feihong Gang, accompanying Jia Yanyong and the others to offer New Year's greetings to several Organ Forging Realm cultivators in the gang, as well as to the gang leader. Afterward, he went to visit his Senior Brother Han.
Leaving Han's residence, Lin Zheyu returned directly to his own courtyard. He did not know many people in Songyi City, nor did he have many elders to visit.
Back in his courtyard, Lin Zheyu took out the Toxicology Codex and began studying it. The Toxicology Codex was a text that recorded numerous poisons, theories of toxicology, taboos, antidotes, and various poison recipes.
Many of the poisonous herbs and flowers listed were extremely difficult to find, making the concoction of deadly poisons far from easy. The preparation process required extreme caution, for carelessness could easily lead to poisoning oneself.
In the short term, mastering toxicology is simply impossible. This Poison King Body is interesting, though. I wonder if I can cultivate it like a martial art, using Origin Force to enhance it? wondered Lin Zheyu.
The cultivation process of the Poison King Body was much like martial arts training, only with different methods. One relied on medicinal stimulation to alter and strengthen the body, while the other relied on physical training to toughen oneself.
With that thought, Lin Zheyu immediately decided to give it a try. He noted down the herbs required for the first stage of poison testing and went to the pharmacy to purchase them. The herbs for the first stage were all mildly toxic, usable both as poisons and as medicinal ingredients, and could be purchased from an ordinary pharmacy.
1. The saying “匹夫无罪，怀璧其罪” (pǐ fū wú zuì, huái bì qí zuì) originates from Zuo Zhuan 《左传·桓公十年》. ☜
