“Say,” Li Chyou stopped and turned around as she looked at her butler. “Why do you seem so…dead inside?” The master-butler pair was out in the Clan Head’s courtyard as they practiced with their weapons. Li Chyou practiced with her halberd and the boy practiced with his longbow.

What she said was not just an exaggeration. The boy might not look haggard and worn out anymore but even with his exhausted state he still had some spirit in him. The current him looked like he had ‘done the deed[1]’ one too many times and now there was nothing left in his tank.

“I…” the boy wanted to speak up but forcefully swallowed his words. I mean, the outrageous things that he read just a few hours ago would make anyone feel despair. But the worst part was that some of those claims actually felt true…

“Young Miss,” the boy tried to change the topic. “Could I be permitted to go to the Scripture Hall?”

“For what?” she asked nonchalantly as she swung her halberd.

“I’d like to search for some information on herbs.”

“Ho?” she turned around and looked at him with a raised eyebrow. “Finding more ways to defend yourself?”

“I-I am!” the boy hurriedly nodded. Li Chyou looked at him with suspicious eyes. The boy wore a calm façade but had dim eyes. She couldn’t figure out anything. So, she simply turned around and waved dismissively, “Half an hour.”

“Thank you, Young Miss!” the boy bowed and ran off, leaving her in the courtyard.

“What’s gotten into him?” she wondered as she stared at his retreating figure. She picked up her halberd and continued practicing. However, at the next moment, she stopped and covered her face. I wonder when Fang’er will come again…?

On the other hand, the boy made his way to the Scripture Hall and was a building situated next to the Clan Repository. The Scripture Hall was akin to a library and had books about everything in the secular world. Anyone was permitted into the Hall but there were places inside where people of his status were not allowed. These places had more of the secretive information about the Martial World though he didn’t need any sort of information like that.

What he needed was some information on poisons. The scroll he read a few hours ago made some outrageous claims…well, at least, that’s what he would’ve thought if the scroll didn’t provide some astonishing evidence. And provide it did!

The scroll was written and sent by one ‘Young Miss Chyou’s No. 1 Lover’. When he read the name, he didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. Many could claim they were her no. 1 lover but few could compile such a detailed report. It was detailed to the point of being creepy as hell. The boy wondered if he would become like this and if so, what would be the best way to kill himself then?

The boy flashed his butler token to the guard standing outside the Hall and went inside. As he stepped inside, he quickly searched for the ‘Poisons’ section and went inside. Rows and rows of shelves were lined and filled with thick books. He touched the books with his finger before stopping and picking a book from the shelf. He took the book in his hands and read the cover.

“Ji Yan’s Comprehensive Guide to Aphrodisiacs”. The book had a red-colored hardcover and the title was written in gold letterings. The book was thicker than his arms. His eyes bulged out at the book’s thickness. How horny are people in this world?

He placed the book under his arms and continued to search as he needed also needed a book on opiates. He looked around and found another thick book titled, “Opiates: How to Use Them Properly”. The book was authored by…Ji Yan. Damn, what kind of pervert is this!?

With two books in his hands, he took a seat at a nearby bench and put the books on the table in front of him. Like all libraries, the Scripture Hall also had a designated area for people to read in. The boy looked at the book in front of him and sighed heavily. He still couldn’t believe the writings on the scroll.

It was basically about how Li Chyou’s personality or rather, mentality changed overtime. And this change coincided with the exact time she first met Murong Fang. She went from cold on the outside and warm on the inside to the ditzy and spoiled Young Miss the boy now knew. When he read what her personality was like back then, he almost had an impulse to laugh out loud.

But as he read on his smiling expression vanished, replaced with a solemn and disbelieving look. The writer told him that he suspected Li Chyou had been drugged but couldn’t provide any evidence as his standing within the clan was not so great to do so. Then, a question would arise- why didn’t her parents do anything?

The writer told him that the Patriarch and his wife chalked up her behavior as being ‘love-struck’; especially Li Fen who had experienced what a maiden in love was like. The couple never brought a doctor to check up on her as they never felt anything was wrong, to begin with.

The writer also wrote that Li Chyou being a cultivator couldn’t detect the foreign substance as this sort of ‘drug indoctrination’ has likely been going on since she was young. Something that has been with you for most of your life can’t really be regarded as a ‘foreign substance’.

Sitting on the bench, the boy really wanted to strangle everyone involved. Just what the hell kind of a situation was this? And why do I have to solve it? The implications of this matter were beyond heavy and would likely result in the execution of many regardless of whether the matter is handled well or badly.

The boy scratched his hair and opened the book on aphrodisiacs. He needed to find an aphrodisiac that fulfilled three conditions- was readily available in the secular world, whose effects were milder, and which is untraceable in small amounts.

And he thought that the drug would be hard to find given these conditions or there would be many that would fit the bill, but to his surprise, there were only two.

Itching Red Ginseng and Phoenix Sugar both fit the bill. Both could be found in powdered forms and were readily accessible with mild effects. But the former had the remedy of being easily solved by eating or drinking something hot while the latter was remedied by drinking water from the Northern Springs.

Just because of these remedies, the boy immediately struck Itching Red Ginseng off. There is no way that Li Chyou didn’t drink anything hot for the past few years, Hell, he watches her drink tea every time Murong Fang visits!

Phoenix Sugar on the other hand acts as a sweetener as well as being a milder aphrodisiac. So, it is a very popular product for newly-wed couples who want to segue into trying something more erotic.

But the remedy is a bit tricky. Water from Northern Springs is water from the north which has been imbued with Spiritual Qi. As the northern parts are colder, the remedy might also just be Qi Imbued cold water.

Oh, that is actually the case. The boy looked at the fine print under the entry- ‘Qi imbued ice water can be a stop-gap measure for Phoenix Sugar though I don’t know why anyone would want a remedy for an aphrodisiac as mild as this. (Coward!)’.

The boy: “…” You could’ve written that normally and what’s with that absurd parenthesis!?

Now that the boy has finally guessed what aphrodisiac might’ve been used on the Young Miss, it’s time for the opiates. What he didn’t like in the previous book was an aphrodisiac for women which could only be solved by filling the uterus with ‘concentrated yang essence[2]’ and the fact that it was called ‘Creamy Delight’. Sure there were far worse aphrodisiacs, things he never wished he’d encounter but… ‘Creamy Delight’… I swear to God once I find this Ji Yan, I’ll rip him to shreds!

‘Young Miss Chyou’s No. 1 Lover’ theorized that the change in her personality; especially how she became more childish and love-struck might be caused by two types of drugs- a sense-dulling drug and an aphrodisiac.

This conjecture can be regarded as facts to a certain degree but here’s the problem- how were they used? Aphrodisiacs only increased lust and not love. Under the effects, one would seek bodily pleasures be it sex or other forms of sex.

The boy closed his eyes and leaned back in his chair. Can the use of aphrodisiacs to evoke love be similar to the suspension-bridge effect[3]? If that was the case then that would make sense. The increased heart rate and temperature of the body coupled with the impulse to do immoral things fall into the symptoms of falling in love.

But in that case, to successfully evoke love for Murong Fang, wouldn’t the things she consumed during his visit be spiked? Wait!

The boy’s eyes shot open as he stood up. He combed through his memories. There was only one maid who served tea and refreshments during Murong Fang’s visits. But there was also a problem here- that maid could be specifically picked for the job like how other servants have specific jobs. However, the suspects have lessened to two people- that maid and the cook who made the food.

The boy sat back down and flipped through the book on Opiates. The categories for opiates were the same as the aphrodisiacs but he needed one with a longer effect.

There were 10 entries according to his needs but he eliminated 3 of them as they couldn’t be powdered, 4 of them because of their easy remedies, and 2 of them because of their cultivation times.

The remaining one was named ‘Red Spotted Snakeweed’. It dulled one’s thought process for a day, exactly 23 hours and 58 minutes. And too much consumption would have a long-lasting effect.

The boy hung his head limply. Doesn’t that mean even her daily food has been spiked? He scratched the red mark on his neck. He didn’t like this, not one bit! This was the first time since opening his eyes that he had come across something so delicate and troublesome. If he didn’t handle this well, his head would fly.

The boy closed the books and stood up before putting them back. He exited the Scripture Hall and went back to the Clan Head’s courtyard. There he saw Li Chyou still practicing with her halberd, sweat stuck to her skin making it glisten under the midday sun.

“Oh, you’re back?” she stopped swinging her halberd and looked at him. “Did you find what you were looking for?” she asked with a soft voice.

“I did, Young Miss,” he replied with a smile.

“That’s good!” Li Chyou nodded before setting aside her halberd and laying on a tumbona nearby. The boy took a towel he always brought when she trained and handed it to her. She wiped her face with it as he took off her boots and let them dry under the sun.

He carried on taking of her like this until she finished her training and headed inside to take her bath. She was all sweaty and dirty from her training; so, she desperately wanted to take a bath. Even though she lets her butler help her dress in the morning, she never lets him bathe her. She doesn’t know why but the first time he did it, she felt an inexplicable sense of shame.

Of course, she wouldn’t tell him any of that. Actually, that was for the better. If he did learn of this, he’d definitely vomit blood and shout, “This is what makes you embarrassed!?”

She went towards the bathhouse, hoping to clean herself. She took off her clothes in the dressing room, there was already a set of clean clothes for her there but that was for after her bath. Now naked, she stepped into the bathroom only to freeze as she looked in front of her. Her butler was right in front of her! His eyes were blindfolded, and the soaps and lotions she used were in his hands!

She felt a sudden impulse to scream but bit her lips. If she screamed, wouldn’t that turn her into a joke? A blood condensation couldn’t even take care of a peeping(?) butler!

“What are you doing here?” she spat out through gritted teeth.

“I came to give Young Miss a bath,” the boy replied calmly.

“Didn’t I say to let the maids handle it?”

“Unfortunately, I can’t let that happen today.”

“Why not?” she frowned in incomprehension. If only he stopped talking in riddles…

“I implore you, Young Miss. I wouldn’t be doing this without a reason, no?” the boy insisted once again. She stared at him for a long time before gritting her teeth and deeply inhaling. She couldn’t read anything from his calm face.

“Fine, go ahead!”

“Thank you very much!” the boy finally revealed a warm smile. Under his warmth, Li Chyou relaxed. Unbeknownst to her, the boy was secretly sighing in relief. With a resolved mind, he looked towards the sound of her footsteps. The real problem begins now!