Сhарtеr 229: Insidе Story 2
Sееing Li Каiхiang’s doubts, Liu Zongуuаn quickly stеppеd fоrwаrd tо smооth things over. “Immоrtal Yuan, I’ve tried your еliхir mysеlf, so I hаvе full fаith in уou. Вut mу brоthеr hеre is hеaring about this fоr thе first time. I knоw the elixir is рreciоus, but could уоu, fоr thе sаkе оf our long асquaintаnсе, let mу brothеr trу one рill first? If it wоrks, my brоther will surely rеward you gеnеrоusly fоr your helр.”
Неaring Liu Zоngуuаn’s wоrds, а glimmеr of hорe аpрearеd in Li Kаiхiаng’s eхрrеssiоn.
It wasn’t that he didn’t trust Yuаn Bayuan, but the twо of them had dеscribed thе mattеr sо mystеriously that he couldn’t help but be skeptical.
They spoke with such certainty, yet he hadn’t tried it himself, making it hard for him to believe.
Yuan Bayuan lowered his gaze and pondered for a moment:
“Very well. I’ve known Zongyuan for a long time, and I trust his character. Since you’re all like brothers, I’ll give Brother Li one pill for free, out of respect for you. As for the elixir’s potency, Brother Li will see for himself tonight if he takes it with warm water before engaging in intimate relations.”
After speaking, Yuan Bayuan took out a small bottle from his sleeve, poured a pill into his hand, and presented it to Li Kaixiang.
The issue of impotence had already made Li Kaixiang deeply insecure, and it had plagued him for so long that he felt ashamed to face his wives and concubines.
Since Yuan Bayuan was willing to let him try it first, he wouldn’t miss this opportunity.
As soon as night fell, Li Kaixiang eagerly brought his favorite concubine to his room. Following Yuan Bayuan’s instructions, he took the pill. That night, he indeed rediscovered the vigor of his youth.
Even his concubine marveled at his transformation and treated him with newfound tenderness.
Li Kaixiang was completely won over by the elixir and believed in it wholeheartedly.
From then on, Li Kaixiang became utterly dependent on the elixir, taking one pill almost every day.
Though the elixir was expensive, its effects were remarkable.
By this time, Li Kaixiang was intoxicated by this newfound pleasure. Not only did he believe in it unreservedly, but he also swore brotherhood with Liu Zongyuan and treated Yuan Bayuan as an honored guest. Like Liu Zongyuan, he began addressing him reverently as “Immortal Yuan.”
The three of them often drank and reveled together, discussing the secrets of immortality, living a carefree and joyous life.
But friendships and dependencies built on money could not last. Before long, Li Kaixiang’s savings were depleted.
With the harvest from his estate not yet collected, Li Kaixiang urgently needed money and thought of his younger brother, Li Kairui.
Having relied on each other for so many years and with the family fortune now substantial, he believed his brother would not refuse a loan.
Sure enough, Li Kairui lent him the money without even asking why.
With the money borrowed from his brother, Li Kaixiang continued to indulge with Liu Zongyuan and Yuan Bayuan for a while longer. But the elixir was exorbitantly priced, and soon enough, his pockets were empty again.
After borrowing from his brother twice, Li Kaixiang felt embarrassed. Moreover, after such a long time of uninterrupted pleasure in the bedchamber, he naively wondered if his body had healed on its own. He decided to stop taking the elixir, but within two or three days of quitting, he felt impotent once more.Moreover, Yuan Bayuan had informed him that this elixir needed to be taken long-term, requiring at least several courses of treatment.
He had only been taking it for barely over a month. If he stopped now, all his previous efforts would be wasted.
This realization deeply troubled Li Kaixiang. He had no desire to return to the days of weakness and impotence, devoid of any vigor.
Since he couldn’t bring himself to ask his younger brother again, he turned his attention to other relatives and approached his brother-in-law, Ji Dafu.
Although Ji Dafu had a good relationship with Li Kaixiang, he was puzzled when Li Kaixiang suddenly showed up to borrow money.
Li Kaixiang was considered a wealthy man, and there had been no recent news of any major financial troubles. Why would he suddenly come asking for a loan?
With this in mind, Ji Dafu politely invited Li Kaixiang into the guest room. After three rounds of tea, Ji Dafu began his inquiry, "Brother, have you encountered any difficulties lately?"
At this question, Li Kaixiang quickly shook his head. "No, nothing of the sort. I’m just short on funds for some temporary needs and wanted to borrow a bit from you."
The practice of refining elixirs was already frowned upon, let alone for the sake of bedroom pleasures. Li Kaixiang simply couldn’t bring himself to admit it.
As he answered, his eyes darted nervously, and his expression grew tense. Ji Dafu noticed this and sensed something was amiss. "Could it be that the estate’s harvest has been poor due to some issue with the fields?"
"It has nothing to do with the estate. It’s just some personal matters of mine. Please don’t ask further. If you have the money, just lend some to your elder brother."
Li Kaixiang stammered through his explanation, but Ji Dafu wasn’t so easily fooled. He saw right through the evasion.
Realizing that Li Kaixiang was unwilling to elaborate, Ji Dafu knew pressing further would be futile. After lending him the money, he quietly followed him.
When they passed by Li Kairui’s house, Ji Dafu suddenly stopped, feeling even more puzzled.
The two were biological brothers, and both came from affluent families. Why hadn’t Li Kaixiang turned to his own brother for help, instead coming to him, a brother-in-law?
Unable to shake his doubts, Ji Dafu first went to see Li Kairui. From him, he learned that Li Kaixiang had already borrowed money twice without any intention of repaying it. This made Ji Dafu even more uneasy.
"When your elder brother came to borrow money, did you notice anything unusual?"
Prompted by Ji Dafu’s question, Li Kairui also grew suspicious. "He only told me he was short on funds and needed some money to tide him over. Given our close bond since childhood, I lent it to him without a second thought. But now that I think about it, it does seem strange."
"What’s strange?"
"When he came to borrow money, he seemed flustered, as if he couldn’t look me in the eye. I thought he had lost money gambling and was too ashamed to face me, but now it seems there might be more to it."
Ji Dafu lowered his gaze in thought. If it were merely a gambling debt, that would be one thing, but when he saw Li Kaixiang today, he appeared gaunt and unwell, unlike someone caught up in gambling.
To get to the bottom of this, the two decided to visit Li Kaixiang’s home together to investigate.
When they arrived at the house, the door was tightly shut, as if no one was home. Suspicious, they climbed over the wall from the backyard.
As soon as their feet touched the ground, they noticed a small, well-hidden hut that had been built there at some point. From inside, a thin wisp of smoke was rising.The scent wafting from within didn't quite resemble the aroma of cooking—what could this be?
The two approached for a closer inspection and were astonished to discover that this small building was an alchemy chamber. Inside stood something akin to an Eight-Trigram Furnace, seemingly in the process of refining some kind of elixir.
How could this be?
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