After running the calculations, Aka realized he had exactly three days left. He packed as many herbs as he could into the pouch he had woven from vines, stuffing the rest between his equipment, and began making his way toward the palace. He arrived a day earlier than expected, greeted everyone briefly, and quickly met with Lord Wang. They agreed that Aka would rest for the day and resume work the following morning.
Once settled, Aka went straight to his workshop. He laid out six different types of plants on the table and began his experiments. He chose to start with the jet-black algae that had poisoned him beneath the river. The algae resembled a tangled mass of thin vines—perhaps they truly were vines—but Aka had no reliable method to confirm this yet.
For his first test, he placed a small amount of the algae into a glass container and added water. Then he pressed his finger into it for about five minutes. Afterward, he entered meditation and began observing. When he withdrew his finger, a small, dark-green mass had formed at the tip. Shortly after, that mass began spreading from his fingertip into his veins.
This was entirely unexpected. Until now, every poison and medicine he had encountered acted locally, affecting only the area of contact. This substance, however, traveled directly through the veins, dramatically increasing its effectiveness.
Aka took another piece of the algae and fixed it above a pot emitting hot steam, leaving it there to dry for several hours. While it dried, he set the remaining algae aside and moved on to the next plant.
The second specimen was a flower with round yellow petals marked by thin red lines. It resembled a local species, but subtle differences told Aka it was not the same. He bit off a small piece of one petal and immediately sat down to meditate, monitoring the effects.
Ten minutes passed—nothing happened. Yet after hundreds of experiments, Aka knew that almost everything had some effect. He combined the flower with a small amount of his poison known as Dust and tried again. Still nothing. Only when he mixed it with his medicine Precaution did the result finally appear.
Bingo.
The healing effect increased slightly. Even a small increase was valuable—when it came to healing medicines, any improvement was worth pursuing.
Next, Aka examined a third plant: a flower with vivid red, unusually hard leaves. Like others, it consisted of roots, a stem, leaves, and a blossom. Its strange trait lay in the contrast between its parts. The stem and flower were extremely delicate, decaying rapidly after being touched, while the crimson leaves were rigid and unaffected.
He first consumed small amounts of each part raw, but observed no effect. Then he placed each part into separate pots of water, with a final pot containing all parts combined, and boiled them. Once the substances infused into the water, he removed the solids and tested the liquids.
Aside from the leaf extract and the combined mixture, the results were negligible. The leaf extract, however, burned Aka's mouth the moment it touched his tongue, nearly tearing it apart. The combined extract was worse—it felt as though it was dismantling the structure of his mouth itself.
Curious, Aka poured a small amount of the leaf extract onto a wooden block. Even with minimal application, it melted through nearly ten centimeters of solid wood, dripping downward. He then poured the combined extract onto another block. This time, the wood did not melt—it absorbed the liquid instead. After ten minutes, the saturated portion of the block decayed completely, crumbling into ash.
Impressed, Aka moved on to the next specimen—or rather, its fruit. It was palm-sized, elliptical, with a wrinkled outer shell. Channeling physical force into his fingers, he carefully cracked the shell. While examining the fruit, he placed the shell into a pot of water to boil.
Inside, the fruit was pale pink, composed of small bead-like kernels clustered around a cob-like core. Aka ate a small piece of the core and some of the kernels—no effect. He then tasted the water boiled with the shell. Still nothing. He set it aside and proceeded to the final plant.
The last specimen was a root resembling ginger. Aka was certain it held some effect, as he had found it near the place where the snake had died. Treating it like ginseng, he chewed a piece without peeling it and entered meditation.
Nothing.
He boiled another piece and tested the liquid—again, no result. He abandoned the root.
When everything else was done, Aka retrieved the algae he had dried over steam. Its physical structure had changed completely. The once tangled, vine-like mass had separated into thin, string-like strands. It seemed his suspicion had been correct—the algae had indeed been a type of vine.
He tasted a small piece of the dried algae and meditated once more. The effect was weaker, but its ability to act directly through the veins remained intact. This made it possible to create a refined Dust—completely dry, yet capable of directly affecting the bloodstream.
After confirming the algae's nature, Aka glanced at the vine pouch he used for storing herbs. On a whim, he tested a piece of that vine as well. Nothing happened. Even so, he boiled a portion and tested it again—still no effect. Finding the process somewhat absurd, he finally left to meet his disciple.
At the training grounds, Kang and Chen were sparring as usual. Upon seeing Aka, they stopped immediately and paid their respects. Aka asked to speak with Chen privately and dismissed Kang.
"Welcome back, Master," Chen said. "How was your journey?"
"Thank you, Chen. It went well. And yours?"
"Master, thanks to you, I've reclaimed the Heir position I once lost. There's now a clear gap between me and the other candidates. But if you allow me, there is something I must tell you."
"Go on."
"Since becoming the Heir again, there have been multiple assassination attempts—against both me and my father. Please be careful."
"I understand. What do you think is the reason?"
"My father arranged my engagement to the daughter of another village lord after seeing how far ahead I am. We are to marry within two years. I believe one of her former lovers—or someone with a grudge against our village—is behind this. Please take care, Master."
"Thank you, Chen. You do the same."
Afterward, Aka briefly spoke with Kang.
"Welcome back, sir. Are you well?"
"I am. I heard something happened. What occurred?"
"The young lord was targeted twice this month. Once through poison—afterward, a cook committed suicide, leaving a note claiming responsibility but stating he was forced by the family holding him hostage. The second time, the young lord nearly died while fighting a martial artist outside the heir candidates. I was there and managed to protect him. The attacker escaped, but he is now wanted. I believe he will be caught soon."
"I see. And you?"
"No attacks against me, sir. Only the young lord."
"Understood. I will speak with Lord Wang properly about this. For now, that will be all."
Aka returned to his room to rest, his mood unusually light. While speaking in the palace, he constantly circulated his physical energy, subtly placing everyone under his influence. Moreover, the seeds he had planted during his previous visit seemed to have grown into trees. Soon, they would bear fruit.
Thinking ahead to his meeting with Lord Wang the next day, Aka began putting his plan into motion. He spoke privately with each of his collaborators, giving them their instructions.
Only the cook was involved—and only the cook ever would be.
The cook would add Aka's lethal poison to the meal. Aka would taste it first and declare it safe. After Lord Wang ate, a servant would inform the steward that one of the cooks had committed suicide again, leaving behind a note. Then Aka would deliver the final blow—administering medicine under the guise of healing.
Lord Wang would die.
Chen would become the head of the family.
As for the cook—he was Servant Thirty-Two. Thirty-Three was a porter who only ran errands and served no purpose.
The plan was complete.
If you've read or taken a look, thank you so much. If you have any thoughts — good or bad — please leave a comment. I'll probably see and reply right away. Thanks again, and I wish you a great day.