Eternal Saber

Mo Ming secretly clicked his tongue.

The hermits of the Dongyi Race are extremely difficult to deal with, each one skilled in disguise and concealment, making them hard to guard against. Unexpectedly, Chen Tang managed to catch them all!

Of course, Mo Ming didn’t know that Chen Tang had spent nearly a month on the Hermit Continent, surviving attacks from numerous hermits.

He was already familiar with the habits and methods of these hermits.

Moreover, he had Ghostly Concealment Ah Li by his side.

Shen Zhiyuan couldn’t help but laugh and said, "Goodness, you arrive and make a big move."

"What’s going on?"

Chen Tang asked, "How did you get targeted by the Dongyi Race hermits?"

"This matter might be related to the Drunken Eight Immortals."

Shen Zhiyuan said in a serious tone, "I was recovering from injuries at the Medical Hidden Hall for about a month and was almost healed. However, being without a drop of alcohol for a month made me crave a good drink, and naturally, I thought of the Drunken Eight Immortals."

"So I went to the Drunken Immortal Tower and asked someone to get a jug for me. Suddenly, I remembered what you told me at the Medical Hidden Hall and decided to ask Elder Mo to take a look."

At this point, Shen Zhiyuan paused and said, "Who would have thought, the medicine boy by Elder Mo’s side turned out to be a hermit from the Dongyi Race!"

Mo Ming recalled the matter, still feeling a lingering fear, and said, "This medicine boy has been with me for years. I never suspected he was tied to the Dongyi Race. At that time, he attempted an assassination, and it was thanks to Zhiyuan’s timely rescue that my life was saved."

Chen Tang deeply understood the tactics of the Dongyi Race hermits.

If unprepared, it was easy to fall into their traps.

Shen Zhiyuan said, "I captured him, but unfortunately, he committed suicide before we could get any information."

Chen Tang suddenly said, "He wanted to silence himself."

"Indeed."

Shen Zhiyuan nodded and said, "At that time, we didn’t associate the assassination with the Drunken Eight Immortals, merely assuming it was a scheme by the Dongyi Race."

"Later, Elder Mo researched the components of the Drunken Eight Immortals and discovered a horrifying secret!"

Saying this, Shen Zhiyuan looked towards Mo Ming and said, "The components of the Drunken Eight Immortals are too complex. Elder Mo, please explain."

Mo Ming took over and said, "A hundred years ago, a formula known as Five Stone Powder was popular in Great Xia."

Hearing this, Chen Tang felt a stir in his heart.

In his previous life, he had heard of this thing, which was popular during the Wei and Jin era, but he couldn’t recall its exact effects.

Mo Ming said, "The Five Stone Powder consists of cinnabar, realgar, white alum, Zeng Qing, and magnetite combined in specific proportions. Any discrepancy would be catastrophic. Once mixed, the user would feel fiery heat throughout the body, temporarily enhancing physical strength and creating a euphoric, godlike experience."

"However, the Five Stone Powder is highly addictive. The five mineral medicines have toxic properties, and long-term use equates to chronic poisoning with unpredictable consequences. Mild cases result in mental depletion, emaciation, and disability; severe cases could be fatal."

"At that time, it was extremely popular among the Great Xia Royal Family, nobles, and scholars, leading many to die from prolonged use. A famous Great Xia physician condemned the formula and left a warning: ’Upon encountering this formula, one should burn it immediately, waste no time keeping it.’"

Mo Ming took a breath and continued, "Later, the Great Xia Dynasty poured nationwide efforts into burning all the Five Stone Powder. This harmful drug disappeared from the world entirely."

Chen Tang understood and asked, "Is the Drunken Eight Immortals mixed with Five Stone Powder?"

"No."

Mo Ming’s expression was grave as he shook his head and said, "Initially, I detected the five ingredients and also thought that Five Stone Powder had resurfaced. But upon closer inspection, I discovered that one of the components was different from the original Five Stone Powder."

"A new formula?"

Chen Tang was stunned.

Mo Ming said, "I continued my inspection and found that in the Drunken Eight Immortals wine, besides the original Five Stone Powder’s cinnabar, realgar, white alum, Zeng Qing, and magnetite, it also included stalactite, sulfur, and amethyst!"

"What does it mean?"

Chen Tang asked.

Mo Ming explained, "The creator of this drug is truly a genius. They broke the proportion of the Five Stone Powder, adding three additional minerals on this foundation."

"These three minerals, combined with the previous five, create even more intense and magical reactions, providing stronger stimulation to the user, with more evident effects and much stronger addiction!"

Mo Ming said, "I tried one sip, feeling an unprecedented warmth and euphoria that was indeed difficult to resist."

"Elder, don’t you..."

Chen Tang, seeing Mo Ming used himself as a test subject, couldn’t help but worry.

Mo Ming said, "No worry, only by personally testing the drug can I concoct a corresponding antidote to alleviate the symptoms as much as possible."

"Drunken Eight Immortals, Drunken Eight Immortals..."

Chen Tang suddenly realized and said, "So that’s the real meaning behind the name of this wine."

Adding three rocks to Five Stone Powder makes eight in total.

This is the true intent of the Drunken Eight Immortals!

Moreover, the brilliance lies in integrating this new Five Stone Powder into the wine, making the drinker feel the wine is rich and enjoyable. At first, they see it only as alcohol addiction.

When they realize something is wrong, it may already be too late, and the addiction is hard to overcome.

Chen Tang hadn’t tried Five Stone Powder or Drunken Eight Immortals.

But he roughly understood the potency of this stuff.

Not to mention, even modern cigarettes required immense willpower to quit thoroughly; for many, it was as difficult as climbing the heavens.

The only solution is never to touch it, never to harbor luck or curiosity.

Chen Tang suddenly remembered something and asked, "Elder, you said that taking Five Stone Powder boosts physical strength. Will the Drunken Eight Immortals’ effect be more pronounced?"

"Not exactly."

Mo Ming shook his head, saying, "This Eight Stone Powder, when dissolved in alcohol, dilutes some of the drug’s properties, causing the drinker to feel little change in physical strength."

Chen Tang further asked, "What if the Eight Stone Powder is refined into a pill?"

"That would be extraordinary."

Mo Ming said, "The user’s strength should increase significantly in a short time, and under hallucinatory effects, they might fall into a frenzy, becoming insensitive to pain."

Upon hearing this, Shen Zhiyuan and Su Li exchanged a glance, understanding why Chen Tang asked this.

They had witnessed such a state personally at Langya Pavilion!

Back then, during Langya Pavilion’s challenge with the Prime Minister’s Mansion, people, including Xia Yuanxian from the Prime Minister’s side, had consumed similar pills!

Chen Tang asked, "Besides addiction, does long-term consumption of the Drunken Eight Immortals have other harms?"

"Similar to Five Stone Powder."

Mo Ming explained, "The toxicity of the eight minerals accumulates in the body over the years, causing even greater damage."

Shen Zhiyuan suddenly raised a doubt and asked, "As far as I know, this Drunken Eight Immortals wine is widespread in Great Xia. Even some Grandmasters have drunk it."

"Could it be that even the Grandmasters didn’t sense anything?"