Xiao Jin Yu helplessly held Chu Chu's hand, "Chu Chu, I'm slow... Could you explain it more clearly..."
Chu Chu raised her hand and lightly tapped twice on his smooth forehead as if knocking on a door, "Wang Ye, you really are drunk... Think about it, if someone dies and is thrown into water or fire, they definitely stop breathing, so they can't inhale anything. But if the person is still alive and aware of what they're doing, when drowning in water or burning in fire, they would definitely struggle. When they struggle, they get tense, when tense they breathe faster, and thus inhale more substances."
Xiao Jin Yu finally understood part of it and nodded.
"The two bodies I examined did inhale something, but much less than normally drowned or burned people would... It should be that they were breathing slowly in small breaths like ordinary people until they died."
"Could it be because they died quickly..."
Chu Chu shook her head, "Several people witnessed the burned person's death. It's just unfortunate that the person's martial arts were too good - he dashed into the fire in an instant. By the time they fetched water to rescue him, it was too late... According to Master, those who saw him burn to death all said he shouted 'mother' before jumping in, and after entering, he clung tightly to a large wooden pole and wouldn't let go."
"Have you found the cause?"
"They were drugged."
"What drug?"
"Master mentioned several pills and powders, but I think one flower matches best." Chu Chu pursed her lips, looking at Xiao Jin Yu's slightly furrowed brow. "Wang Ye, do you know about Devil's Snare?"
☆、80 Fragrant Roasted Whole Lamb (Sixteen)
Xiao Jin Yu nodded.
Of course he knew about Devil's Snare. Coughing, asthma, rheumatism, pain, spasms, injuries from falls - this flower treated all the ailments he suffered from, as if heaven had specially created it for him. However, this medicine produced in Tianzhu remained a rarity in the capital. Never mind how many people could afford this medicine - even those who knew about it were few and far between in the capital.
Xiao Jin Yu frowned slightly, "You know about Devil's Snare?"
"I didn't know before... It's just that among all the medicines in the prescription Mr. Gu previously prescribed for you, this was the only one I didn't recognize, so I asked him. Mr. Gu told me it's a good medicine, especially beneficial for your illness, but it's also a poison that shouldn't be taken indiscriminately... He said this flower grows in Buddha's homeland, that place called Zhu... Zhu something..."
"Tianzhu..."
"Yes, Tianzhu! People there call this flower Mandala Pollen."
"Mandala..."
"Yes, yes! That's the name! I don't know why it's called that though..."
Xiao Jin Yu coughed lightly, "The name doesn't matter... Do you know about this medicine's toxicity?"
Chu Chu nodded, "Mr. Gu told me. This flower is entirely poisonous, with the seeds being the most toxic, and they're sweet. If a person eats a few seeds, they'll go mad, as if possessed by ghosts, capable of doing anything... But as long as you endure through the period when the poison takes effect and wake up, you'll be fine, except you won't remember anything you did or said."Xiao Jin Yu frowned slightly, his brows knitted in thought. He had never believed in unorthodox methods, but this matter was indeed bizarre. Especially after Chu Chu concluded it was the work of the Living Dead, he had to admit that, among the many possibilities, poison-induced delirium was currently the most plausible explanation. However, like Leng Yue, the poisons he could think of were all expensive, ready-made concoctions, and their effects were only somewhat similar, with discrepancies here and there.
But if it were the seeds of Devil's Snare...
Chu Chu watched Xiao Jin Yu lost in thought, snuggled into his embrace, licked her lips, and asked, "Wang Ye, on New Year's Eve, you were poisoned by something like this, weren't you?"
Xiao Jin Yu froze. "Huh?"
"It looked just like it... You crawled halfway to find me, held me tight and wouldn't let go, kept begging me to kiss you over and over, and even insisted on marrying me early. You looked like you were about to cry if I refused. But when you woke up, you didn't remember any of it!"
Xiao Jin Yu's face flushed hot as he listened, torn between laughter and exasperation. He gave Chu Chu a light pat on the bottom. "I was drunk..."
"Are you drunk now?"
"No..."
"Do you want me to kiss you now?"
Xiao Jin Yu choked on his words. Saying "yes" would reveal his lack of thick skin; saying "no" would be a lie.
Watching Xiao Jin Yu turn as red as a ripe cherry, Chu Chu clung to him, cupped his face, and giggled. "Wang Ye, you look the best when you're blushing!"
"Really...?"
"Truly! If you don't believe me, go look in a mirror!"
Xiao Jin Yu weakly closed his eyes and leaned his head back loosely against the headboard. "I believe you..."
Years of cultivating the ability to remain unruffled even in the face of calamity were utterly useless in front of her. He had thought it might improve after marriage, but instead, it had only worsened—so much so that it seemed beyond cure.
His originally pale, snow-like neck was now tinged a delicate pink, flushed by his embarrassment. With his head tilted back, his throat stretched slightly, and his faintly reddened Adam's apple looked like a tempting, sweet fruit. In such a vulnerable state, Chu Chu didn't hesitate to kiss it.
The sudden touch to such a sensitive spot made Xiao Jin Yu's entire body tremble. His Adam's apple bobbed, and a low, muffled moan escaped his throat, reaching his own ears and making his face burn even hotter.
"Chu Chu... don't..."
Chu Chu continued to suckle on the trembling "fruit," not letting go, and even intensified her teasing with the tip of her tongue. Xiao Jin Yu couldn't stop the unconscious moans from spilling out—low, husky sounds that resembled sighs of satisfaction. The poor man's neck flushed completely red, yet he couldn't control the sounds he made, wishing he could just bury himself under the blankets and suffocate.
After all the torment Chu Chu had put him through lately, his body had become extremely sensitive to her touch. He had completely lost any semblance of self-control in her presence. Now, with the lingering haze of alcohol, his poor body was utterly defenseless against such provocation...
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