Chapter 393: I Haven't Introduced Myself Yet
Xiao Ye let out a long breath and lay down on the bed, closing his eyes to rest.
Although the pain was gone, it had taken a great toll on his vitality.
The best way to recover was to rest. Beyond that, he would have to rely on rare medicinal herbs.
General He returned, just in case.
This time, he brought a newly developed painkiller. It could alleviate the symptoms, but it couldn't cure the root cause.
This was the fruit of their research over the past month.
"How are you? How are you feeling?"
Xiao Ye was mostly rested. He'd even had someone prepare a medicated meal and now felt full of energy. "I'm fine."
"I can suppress this level of pain."
Hearing this, General He relaxed slightly. "That's good to hear. But how long can you suppress it with your medical skills?"
This was a modern poison. Even if Xiao Ye wanted to devise a counter, it would take a great deal of time, and he couldn't necessarily do a better job than the researchers.
Though called a poison, it was actually a chemical agent that couldn't be countered with conventional medicine.
Xiao Ye answered frankly, "Seven days... at most."
"I have ways to keep myself alive, but the painful backlash will double!"
'Although he trusted his own resilience, dying from sheer pain was no joke. Willpower alone wouldn't be enough.'
General He's heart leaped into his throat again. Xiao Ye, on the other hand, seemed unconcerned. "They will bring me the antidote within seven days. There's no need to worry."
"You... your skill truly makes you bold! If it were anyone else, they'd be overcome with anxiety. Who isn't afraid of death these days!"
And yet, Xiao Ye alone seemed to have truly put matters of life and death aside.
"I will have them speed up. Even if they can't develop the antidote within seven days, they must find a way to alleviate your condition."
With that, General He left behind some rare medicinal herbs and departed.
Xiao Ye glanced at the herbs and had them taken away to be prepared in a medicated meal.
'In any case, it couldn't hurt to build up his strength.'
Three days passed with no news from the outside.
Even General He was getting anxious, but Xiao Ye was the same as always, even in the mood to tend to the villa's flowers and plants.
However, Xiao Ye wasn't idle. He had a rumor spread: the Patriarch of the Xiao Family had suddenly fallen ill and was now bedridden.
But such a matter was confidential, so the rumor didn't spread far. Only whispers of it circulated, making it hard to tell truth from fiction.
Even the great Ouyang family didn't believe it was true!
The members of the Angel Association, however, were thoroughly convinced.
「On the fourth day.」
The Xiao Family villa finally welcomed a guest.
The fiercely loyal butler came to report at once. "Patriarch, a distinguished guest has arrived. She is a young lady from the aristocracy of Country A."
Xiao Ye was in his bedroom at this time. On the surface, he was resting in bed, but in reality, he was cultivating.
Hearing the butler's report, he took out a silver needle and inserted it into the web of his hand. His once-vibrant face suddenly turned pale.
But the sharp glint in his eyes did not lessen one bit!
"You can let her in. Also, go prepare some good tea."
"Yes." The butler respectfully took his leave.
A moment later, the sound of footsteps approached.
Then, a fragrant scent wafted into the room.
Xiao Ye raised his eyes and saw a woman standing before him.
At a glance, her features leaned more toward Eastern. But a closer look revealed that her eyes and the bridge of her nose were more defined than average. Her makeup and style of dress also skewed Western.
Although she was born into the nobility of Country A, her mother was just a mistress, and one who came from the Dragon Country.
Therefore, this woman was a rather marginalized figure in her family, not truly accepted by its inner circle.
'She probably joined the Angel Association to secure her own position.'
'I have to admit, the Angel Association is truly adept at exploiting human weakness.'
The woman spoke in fluent Chinese. "Hello, Mr. Xiao."
Xiao Ye nodded faintly. "You were sent by the Angel Association, weren't you?"
"That's right."
"The antidote. Give it to me now! Your Angel Association promised me they'd deliver the antidote every month, but it's only the first month, and you're already four days late!"
The woman's lips curled into a smile. "My apologies. The delay was my fault."
With that, she took out a briefcase and pulled on a pair of gloves. "Mr. Xiao, I'll administer the drug for you now."
"These past few days must have been agonizing, right? But don't worry, every newcomer goes through this."
"After a few months, once the Angel Association sees your loyalty, you'll naturally be spared this suffering."
The woman slowly injected the solution into Xiao Ye's body, then immediately destroyed the vial on the spot, giving no one any chance to investigate.
Xiao Ye was well-prepared. The silver needle in the web of his hand not only disrupted his vitals to make his condition appear dire, but it also slowed his circulation.
This would make the drug injected into his arm diffuse as slowly as possible, keeping its concentration high.
Just as the woman finished the injection, the butler happened to bring in hot tea.
Seeing this, Xiao Ye said, "Please take the young lady to the reception room. I need a moment to get ready."
Receiving a guest in the bedroom while bedridden—any man would likely find that unpleasant.
The woman wasn't suspicious. She got up and followed the butler out.
As soon as they left, Xiao Ye immediately took out a syringe, drew two vials of his blood, and only then did he slowly get up and start to get ready.
Ten minutes later, he arrived at the reception room.
The woman was holding her tea and savoring it. "You know, it's been a long time since I've had such fine tea."
"You can buy it in Country A if you have the money, but it's a far cry from what you can get in the Dragon Country."
She set down her teacup. "Oh, right, I haven't introduced myself. You can call me by my Chinese name, Yi."
Xiao Ye nodded. "You're here to replace my previous contact, aren't you? Your attitude is certainly much better than his."
Yi smiled faintly. "The last one was an idiot. You don't need to give him a second thought."
"I'm also here on a mission. Mr. Xiao, I need to inspect the laboratory."
"As you know, the laboratory is extremely important to the Angel Association, so there can be absolutely no mishaps!"
"Otherwise, it will be just like these past few days. Mr. Xiao, you've already had a taste of that feeling. I'm sure you don't want to experience it a second time, do you?"
Although Xiao Ye's expression didn't betray anything, his body stiffened for a moment.
Yi studied psychology in Country A. She had always firmly believed in what she saw and the results of her analysis.
'From all the current signs, Xiao Ye is definitely scared!'
'He's not afraid of the Angel Association, he's afraid of death!'
'That's enough!'
'As long as he has something to fear, we can make him cooperate sincerely.'
Xiao Ye was silent for a long moment before finally saying, "The laboratory is all ready."
Yi stood up, quite satisfied with his compliance. "Mr. Xiao is a smart man. It seems you already know what choice to make."
"Very good. Then let's go to the laboratory together. As long as this matter is handled well, I believe Mr. Xiao will certainly get what he desires."