Demonic King of the Metropolis - Chapter 45 - Eight-Turn Golden Needle and the Mysterious Visitor Part 1

On the other end of the phone came Uncle Zhao’s voice: “Tang, the young lady has safely returned. Thank you.”

“Uncle Zhao, there’s no need to be formal with me. Besides, it’s my duty,” Tang Jie replied courteously. After a brief pause, he continued, “Uncle Zhao, it’s about time now. You should come over, and I’ll treat your shoulder injury today.”

“Oh, Tang, I almost forgot about it. The search for medicinal herbs kept preoccupying me, and once I found them, I just let it slip.”

“Uncle Zhao, there’s no need for more words. Just come to me quickly. Miss Chen is likely heading to Passion Bar later, and I can’t be careless this time. I wouldn’t want to fail Uncle Chen’s trust,” Tang Jie chatted on the phone. After Uncle Zhao hung up, Tang Jie began studying his medical books.

Though medicine might seem incredibly simple, it’s actually very complex. Each medicinal herb has specific constituents, and if any are improperly placed, it could affect the efficacy or even produce a reverse effect.

Moreover, the treatment Tang Jie was about to administer was highly toxic. It was a method that employed toxicity to counteract toxicity, using poisonous gas to expel the true qi embedded in Uncle Zhao’s shoulder, thereby completely healing his injury.

“Ding dong, ding dong.” The doorbell rang outside Tang Jie’s door, and he quickly opened it.

“Uncle Zhao, it’s you. Come in quickly. Did you bring all the medicinal herbs?” Tang Jie asked as he opened the door wide.

“Ah, Tang, no need to be so polite. In reality, you should be the guest here.”

“Oh, Uncle Zhao, I’m not used to such formality from you. You’re as old as my grandfather, and it’s only right for me to respect you,” Tang Jie said while taking the medicinal herbs from Uncle Zhao and began examining them.

“How are they? Are these medicinal herbs fine?” Uncle Zhao asked.

Tang Jie took a moment, nodded, and said, “Yes, Uncle Zhao, these herbs are fine, though not particularly fresh. But that doesn’t matter. For your treatment, they’re more than sufficient.”

Tang Jie spread the medicinal herbs in front of him. He carefully placed each herb into the boiling water and continuously infused his true qi into the liquid, maintaining a swirling motion in the pot.

“Uncle Zhao, when simmering the herbs, never stir them with a hard object. Stirring could cause the essence of the herbs to escape with the steam,” Tang Jie murmured, intently watching the bubbling water in the pot.

“It’s true, heroes come young. I never expected Tang to know so much at such a young age,” Uncle Zhao chimed in, engaging in conversation with Tang Jie.

Tang Jie smiled and tossed another herb into the pot, saying, “Uncle Zhao, all this knowledge comes from my master, and credit goes to that old man for teaching me well.”

“Tang, don’t be modest with me. Even if your master teaches well, it still requires a talented disciple to make it work,” Uncle Zhao said, grinning broadly as he watched the medicine slowly form.

In the pot, the water changed from light to dark, eventually turning a deep green.

Knowing the water carried a potent poison, Uncle Zhao stepped back slightly from the bubbling pot and observed Tang Jie’s every move from a distance, nodding vigorously like a storm.

“Tang, your skill is almost on par with some of the master alchemists. I’ll have to learn from you one of these days.”

“Uncle Zhao, you flatter me. It’s just a minor skill, hardly comparable to a master’s,” Tang Jie replied while throwing the last herb into the pot.

Suddenly, the water in the pot stilled, as if alive, leaping about and then bursting into crackling sounds.

Tang Jie’s brow furrowed as his true qi surged, speeding up the rotation of the water in the pot. After about half an hour, the pot of water had reduced to just half a small bowl.

Tang Jie fetched a bowl and poured the remaining water into it, then turned to look at an astonished Uncle Zhao.

“Uncle Zhao, the eight-turn golden needle is ready, apply it quickly,” Tang Jie said, dipping a few cotton swabs into the medicine.

“Alright, alright, alright,” Uncle Zhao said three times in approval. He took off his outer garment and slowly applied the medicinal water with the cotton swabs, fully aware of its potent toxicity, which was likely even stronger after Tang Jie’s refinement. However, his deep trust in Tang Jie overrode any concerns.

Seeing Uncle Zhao applying the medicine, Tang Jie’s face lit up with a brilliant smile. He had been worried that Uncle Zhao might refuse to apply what he could suspect to be poisonous water. Seeing Uncle Zhao apply it without hesitation filled Tang Jie’s heart with warmth and fondness.

Suddenly, Tang Jie’s door started making noises, and then it burst open with a loud bang.

“Snap.” Before he could react, the door was violently kicked open.

Seeing this, Tang Jie quickly covered Uncle Zhao and the bowl of medicinal potion with his clothes, shouting, “Uncle Zhao, don’t let the potion get dusty, go back to the bedroom, hurry.”

Hearing Tang Jie’s command, Uncle Zhao also quickly covered his shoulder with his clothes, and used Tang Jie’s clothes to cover the potion before swiftly heading to the bedroom.

“Who are you people? Tired of living?” Tang Jie coldly stared at the two figures at the door and kicked the pot smeared with eight-turn golden needles towards the uninvited guests.

The pot flew through the air, scattering the prepared eight-turn golden needles along its path, finally hitting one of the men.

That man immediately started screaming, and when he exposed the skin that the potion had touched, it was already covered in a large black mark.

“What the hell is this stuff?” the man who got splashed yelled.

“Go to hell, you don’t even know what eight-turn golden needles are,” Tang Jie cursed loudly, then kicked the charcoal stove used for heating towards the two men.

The stove, burning with hot charcoal, was also prepared by Uncle Zhao because, for making the potion, Tang Jie couldn’t use modern electrical appliances as they wouldn’t properly control the heat.

“To hell with it, attack!” shouted one of the men as he kicked over the stove and charged wildly towards Tang Jie.