Chapter 395: Entering Devilment
"What's wrong?" Leng Yue asked, sensing something was amiss.
Zhao Dong, however, couldn't respond. The intense heat coursing through him had already begun to turn sinister.
Inside his body, under the influence of the searing heat, his blood had unexpectedly begun to flow in reverse. His body temperature soared, causing even the surrounding air to heat up. His blood seemed to boil, making audible crackling noises.
From the outside, the veins on his body bulged, the scalding blood flowing within them now visible to the naked eye.
"Ahhh!"
Zhao Dong completely lost his ability to suppress the intense heat with his Spiritual Energy. The excruciating pain caused him to let out a guttural scream before he collapsed onto the sofa.
At the same time, he realized the root of the problem.
The deer-tail grass! It must be the deer-tail grass!
Although deer-tail grass had a powerful detoxifying effect, it also came with severe side effects. If used improperly, it could easily cause one's blood to flow in reverse, leading to a berserk state. But the situation earlier had been too critical for him to think twice; only the terrifying medicinal power of the deer-tail grass could guarantee the toxin would be completely purged.
He had assumed his careful control would have fully dissipated the herb's power in the process. However, Zhao Dong had ultimately overestimated the viciousness of the toxin and underestimated the terrifying potency of the deer-tail grass. After dispelling the poison, more than half of the herb's medicinal power still remained inside his body.
Damn it! I should have told Leng Yue to use less!
Regret surged through him, but this was no time for it.
Leng Yue was terrified by his reaction. "Zhao Dong, what... what's happening to you?" she asked anxiously. "Is it the herbs? What should I do? How can I save you?"
"The... the bathtub... do you have a bathtub?" Zhao Dong forced out the words, his body trembling as he spoke in a faint whisper.
"Yes, in the bathroom in my bedroom!" Leng Yue replied quickly.
"Fill it with ice water... put me in... quick..."
Hearing this, Leng Yue hesitated.
That's my bathtub! How can I let a man get in it?
But seeing Zhao Dong's body looking like it was about to explode and his face twisted in agony, her heart softened.
"Wait here!" Leng Yue snapped, then turned and hurried away.
Five minutes later, she returned and carried the delirious Zhao Dong upstairs.
Once in the bathroom, Zhao Dong didn't hesitate, jumping directly into the tub with his clothes still on.
As his body hit the water, the scorching temperature instantly caused the cold water to billow with steam.
Leng Yue stood outside the doorway, her heart sinking with worry as she watched. Even submerged in the cold water, Zhao Dong's symptoms showed no sign of easing. Since she had decided to save him, she couldn't just stand by and watch him die. Otherwise, she never would have put him in her bathtub in the first place.
Another five minutes passed.
The thermometer on the bathroom wall climbed to a terrifying fifty degrees Celsius. Leng Yue finally couldn't bear it any longer. She stepped inside, her voice laced with concern. "Zhao Dong, I don't think this is working. Maybe we should—"
Before she could finish her sentence…
BANG!
A loud noise erupted from the bathtub. A violent burst of Spiritual Energy tore Zhao Dong's clothes to shreds.
Startled, Leng Yue's eyes widened. She instinctively tried to cover them and retreat.
But at that very moment, Zhao Dong's hand shot out and grabbed her arm, yanking her into the bathtub with him.
Leng Yue cried out as her body was pulled into intimate contact with his.
"Zhao Dong! What are you doing!" she shouted angrily, channeling her Spiritual Energy to break free from his grasp.
But the berserk Zhao Dong had not only lost all reason, his strength had become terrifyingly immense. Her struggles were useless against his iron-like grip.
The next moment, Zhao Dong's mouth came down hard on hers.
"No... Zhao Dong... you bastard, how dare you!"
Leng Yue struggled, but how could her furious cries reach the frenzied man? Tears of regret slid from the corners of her eyes.
Fortunately, the assault was brief. After a few moments, Zhao Dong released her lips.
"Zhao Dong, I hate you! That was my first kiss!" Leng Yue shrieked, thinking the ordeal was over.
But as soon as the words left her mouth, Zhao Dong's actions grew even bolder. He seized her again.
"Zhao Dong! Stop it! Don't you go too far!"
Leng Yue was utterly terrified. She struggled frantically, but he gave her no room to escape. One arm wrapped tightly around her slender waist as he kissed her again.
"Mmph..." No matter how strong-willed she was, Leng Yue was still a woman. The shocking assault made her body go limp. After a dazed moan, she went completely pliant in his arms.
"Zha... Zhao Dong... stop... please, stop..." The words came out as trembling, incomplete fragments from her lips.
A few minutes later, Zhao Dong finally lifted his head. He pinned her against the tub, his eyes bloodshot.
"Zhao Dong! Do you... do you want to die?! Get that filthy thing away from me! Get it away!" Leng Yue screamed, on the verge of collapsing from the extreme shame and fury.
She clenched her teeth, panicked and flustered. "No! Stop! No! Absolutely not!"
Zhao Dong's crazed actions had completely terrified her. She resisted, but it was useless.
As he moved closer and closer, Leng Yue finally broke down and began to sob. "Please... don't... you can't... you can't do this..." she begged. "It's my first time... please... don't..."
She cried and pleaded for mercy, but Zhao Dong's eyes remained blood-red, like those of a wild beast.
Leng Yue fell into complete despair. Her resistance faded, and she collapsed in the bathtub like a lifeless doll as numb tears streamed down her face. There was nothing left in her expression but utter hopelessness.
And it was that very expression…
It pierced through the madness and pricked the last shred of his remaining consciousness.
"Ahhh!"
Zhao Dong snapped back to his senses with a sharp gasp. He scrambled out of the bathtub and began to slap his own face, hard.
SLAP! SLAP! SLAP!
As the sharp sounds echoed in the bathroom, the madness in Zhao Dong's eyes gradually began to clear.
Going berserk was, at its core, a loss of sanity. Any method that allowed one to regain their mind could bring them back to normal.