The name Naihe Xiang, once heard, elicited the feeling of bringing out a thousand sufferings all at once. The aroma smelled like early summer — bright and soothing; however, in truth, it was a drug used to provoke a man into becoming irrational, a drug that messed with the mind.
Its lethality was not enough to claim a person's life, but as the effects took place when continually inhaled into the body, the victim would be drowned within the haze and become addicted. A day without the drug, their breath would be ragged, and their body would go weak, their minds would start having hallucinations. Three days without the Naihe Xiang drug, and they would feel knives in their bones. Five days without the Naihe Xiang drug, it could be said that they were due an appointment with the afterlife.
That was how the Naihe Xiang drug got its name.
Cui Buqu waited in that void of a place for five whole days.
The other chose an opportune moment. If he was incredibly tired, bouncing between consciousness and unconsciousness, only then would they send him food and water. When Cui Buqu regained his consciousness, he reached out to feel his food and water beside him.
He was merely given a little bit of food and water, just enough to keep him alive. However, lack of food and water was not the worse form of torture, but the infinite quietness, not knowing whether it was day or night.
After the darkness, there was more darkness and a void of eternal silence.
Cui Buqu could only use four fingers and twelve finger joints to count the hours; and make himself comfortable. He recited Daoist scripts, from Confucianism to Daoism, then from Daoism to Buddism, to expel all the dark thoughts from his head.
However, his sense of hearing gradually grew better. If rats scampered around, or even if there was water leaking somewhere, he could hear it as clear as day. However, he knew not what methods Feng Xiao had used to make this manor feel as if it was abandoned. If it hadn't been for constantly receiving meals, Cui Buqu would have wondered if he had been forgotten.
An average person would not have been able to withstand torture like this. Three to five days would be enough to drive one mad, let alone half a month, and let alone the fact that Cui Buqu possessed a weak body. Every time the season changed, he would fall ill. When the third day came, it was apparent to him that he was starting to be affected — his mind falling into a frenzy, his stomach hurt from starvation, and his arms and legs were beginning to feel weak, his body becoming cold. He knew that after this was over, he would fall ill again. He stopped reciting Daoist scripts, solely using his mind to keep himself sane.
At that moment, a sweet aroma drifted into the room.
It gave off the feeling that it was both present and not at the same time. It smelled like the lotus garden when he visited the capital a year back. Faint and sweet, clean and pure, fragrant like the lotus.
After a while, the capital became crowded. The rich and wealthy would decorate their homes to welcome important guests. They loved keeping cooked lotus and white fungus in urns and storing them for at least half a day to be taken out once the guests arrived. First, the guests would sip something warm to allow it to sit in their stomach, before drinking a bowl of cooked lotus and white fungus soup. The warmness and flavour would spread from their throats to their stomach, expelling all the heat energy from their body.
Such a manner of treating guests was something Cui Buqu had gotten used to.
He blinked extensively.
His eyes adjusted from the darkness back to the lightning.
The fragrance was still there, but this time, it was not a hallucination.
Amidst the darkness, his eyebrows twitched; he gave a stiff laugh.
The Naihe Xiang drug.
Although this drug was poisonous and terrifying, it was also challenging to find. It was difficult to believe that Feng Xiao would use such a thing on him, what a waste.
Within this manor, he could not leave. He could not stop breathing either. He could only imitate a drug addict, inhaling the scent.
If one possessed excellent martial art skills, perhaps they would have manipulated their energy and suppressed their breathing for some time, but in the case of Cui Buqu, the Naihe Xiang drug would only escalate the process of breaking his body, making him plead for death.
It seemed that Feng Xiao did not have the intention to kill him. He was only using the drug to get sincere answers from him. However, this was like using a surgery knife to kill a cow.
Nonetheless, the members of the Jiejian Bureau would not have guessed that he was used to this sort of scent. Truth be told, Cui Buqu had managed to live past ten days without the drug. Even though during that time, he was essentially half-dead, he still managed to remain conscious and did not allow himself to succumb to the enemy's favour. Even his tutor at that time, Fan Wei, was shocked beyond words. His body was incompatible for training in any form of martial arts, but he was determined in his heart.
Although he was incredibly smart, Fan Wei also knew that even though Cui Buqu did not know martial arts, he was still capable of being above the world.
Some people were not meant to live a regular life.
All the pain in the world, to him, was only honing his character for his future.
When all the soil was removed, the only thing that was left would be gold.
Cui Buqu continued to close his eyes.
The Linlang Guild's auction was still ongoing. He refused to believe that Feng Xiao would be patient enough to wait for ten days before he would hurry back.
…..
Feng Xiao did not counter this response.
He followed Pei Jingzhe to the East Wing and saw for himself the sight of Cui Buqu sleeping on the bed. A few days ago, those two cheeks that were distinctly pale; were now even paler. His fingers stuck out from underneath the covers; looking vaguely green.
Feng Xiao stood next to the bed and looked at Cui Buqu for nearly half a day. Cui Buqu felt that he was being watched, his eyebrows rose as he slept uncomfortably.
Pei Jingzhe, "My Lord, are you planning to expel the poison from his body? If not, he will never be alright."
Feng Xiao shook his head, touching his chin; his gaze never left Cui Buqu, who looked as if he was fighting in his dream, and he found it rather fascinating.
After a while, he said abruptly, "Do you think he might be a member of the Zuoyue Bureau?"