Chapter 192: Section 192: The Substitute Worth a Fortune


    The substitute saw Zi Di, he lay on the ground, wanting to speak but unable to. His throat and tongue were so swollen that it made it hard for him to articulate, leaving him only able to give the girl a pained smile.


    Zi Di’s mind raced with thoughts as she immediately explained to herself, “Lord, the Fire Poison has flared up again, and the previous potions no longer work. I am currently mixing a new potion, I can definitely succeed!”


    “Believe in me, Lord, you absolutely cannot give up! I will definitely be able to save you!”


    The substitute nodded, but even that minimal action caused him to fall into a coma once more.


    Zi Di was stunned on the spot. Not again? He fainted?


    She hurriedly checked the substitute’s condition and found it to be extremely poor. Compared to his previous state of death, he had barely a breath left, much like the final flash of vitality before a person’s death.


    ...


    “Could my recent guess have been wrong? Did the War Merchant not set up any means of resurrection?”


    “Perhaps it was feigned death… I remember reading about such a case in some book.”


    “Or maybe, the War Merchant did indeed set up a means of self-rescue, but the effect could only go so far?”


    “Damn it! Am I to be bitterly disappointed?”


    Zi Di gritted her teeth, unwilling to watch the substitute die again.


    Suddenly, a light flashed through her mind.


    “Wait, most of the Fire Poison has accumulated in his blood, that’s what’s fatal. If I drain his poisoned blood, it might lessen the burden on his body and thereby save him!”


    Of course, this method had significant risks.


    The substitute had already been through a brutal battle and had lost a lot of blood. If more blood were drained, he might die from excessive blood loss.


    But there was no other option.


    Without draining the poisoned blood, he was certain to die. With it, there seemed to be a chance of survival!


    Zi Di took a deep breath, cut open the substitute’s arm vessels, and started to drain the poisoned blood.


    Watching the blood flowing out, Zi Di also observed the substitute’s condition anxiously.


    She kept calling out to him, occasionally prying open his eyelids to check on his pupils.


    “What is this?!” Suddenly, the substitute’s pupils underwent a mysterious change, turning into the vertical pupils of a beast, pitch-black irises and gold whites.


    Seeing such eyes, Zi Di was paralyzed, her thoughts frozen, unable to think or escape, as if she had encountered a natural predator!


    But the next moment, the substitute’s pupils changed again, returning to their human appearance.


    It all happened so fast that Zi Di was in a daze, almost believing she had hallucinated.


    The substitute once again forced his eyelids open, looked around, and noticed Zi Di beside him, drawing blood out of him.


    “Lord, I am treating you! I am draining your poisoned blood to dilute the Fire Poison in your body.”


    The substitute remained silent, not daring to move rashly.


    His head was still spinning with dizziness, and any substantial movement would knock him down.


    The substitute quietly watched the ceiling of the cave and soon died again.


    “He’s dead again?!”


    Zi Di was stunned, her heart growing cold once more.


    She pried open the substitute’s eyelids and saw his pupils had dilated, his heartbeat completely ceased, and just like before, he had died completely.


    Had it been anyone else, Zi Di would have surely given up. sea??h thё n??el Fire.nёt website on Google to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.


    But she knew that the substitute was personally transformed by the War Merchant, who held great expectations for him, to the extent of even using the blood of a Legendary Magic Beast.


    “Just now, the substitute was in this state, then suddenly came back to life… maybe this time it’s also a feigned death.”


    However, this time, Zi Di waited for a long time but did not see the substitute come back to life.


    “Could resurrection only happen once?” Zi Di examined the substitute’s body and found it to be very cold.


    “Too much blood lost? Could it be because I drained his blood, he has died completely?”


    Zi Di started to panic.


    “The potions I have can’t bring someone back from the dead. We can only rely on his own life potential; right now, he’s lost too much blood. I need to replenish his blood!”


    After a simple test, Zi Di found that her blood type was completely incompatible with the substitute’s.


    She saw the corpse of the Monkey-tailed Brown Bear, and her gaze paused.


    “Transfer bear blood into his body!”


    “He was transformed by the War Merchant, possessing the bloodline of the Golden Bee Queen; the Monkey-tailed Brown Bear is also a man-made magical beast, the two share commonalities.”


    “It’s worth a try!”


    At the same time, this was the only option in front of Zi Di.


    Soon after, the substitute woke up again.


    This time, he furrowed his brow tightly, feeling intense pain!


    “It worked, it worked!” Zi Di couldn’t help but cry out, her heart filled with overwhelming excitement.


    Quickly, the substitute closed his eyes once more.


    “He’s dead again?!” Zi Di was dumbfounded, her anger rising uncontrollably.


    Dead and then alive, alive and then dead again? What exactly are you trying to do?!


    Zi Di’s emotions surged violently with the substitute’s life and death, flitting between heaven and hell.


    Ironically, the life and death of the substitute was closely linked to whether Zi Di could escape or not.


    Zi Di took a deep breath and checked the substitute’s physical condition again.


    She then exhaled a turbid breath and allowed her heart to relax a bit.


    It turned out that this time, the substitute had not died but had fallen into a coma.


    “Now it’s all up to him, I’ve done everything I can!” Zi Di sighed.


    She began to feel confidence in the substitute.


    Building that confidence was simple—If the substitute could even resurrect from death, how much more when he’s merely in a coma?


    “Wait, while he’s unconscious, I have to give him a thorough check!”


    “This is the best opportunity.”


    “If he comes to, I won’t have this chance anymore.”


    Zi Di knew she needed to gain a deeper understanding of the substitute, given the many mysteries about him. How many alchemical tricks had the War Merchant set up in him?


    Zi Di did her best to remove the substitute’s equipment and clothing that she could remove.


    When it came time to take off his pants, Zi Di’s movements suddenly stiffened.


    She abruptly realized what she was doing!


    Before this, she had never actively pulled down the pants of a young man!


    “I’m just researching, I’m doing this to survive, I must do this!”


    “Zi Di, you can do it! You’re strong.”


    “No one will know what you did, he’s already passed out!”


    Even as she encouraged herself, Zi Di delayed for a dozen or so breaths before she continued her actions.


    By the time she put the substitute’s pants back on, her face was flushed red like a ripe tomato, feeling as if she was burning up.


    It took her a long while to recover and continue.


    She cleaned up the battlefield, disposing of the Brown Bear and Black Panther corpses. Using bear’s blood, she concocted a Wild Game Potion, sprinkling it around the cave to create the illusion that the Brown Bear was still alive, to deter other potential predators.


    She then ventured deeper into the cave and at the end discovered a dead-end alley.


    Upon returning from another excursion, she was pleasantly surprised to find the substitute already opening his eyes.


    “You’re awake!” Her heart stirred, and she took several steps close, almost throwing herself into the substitute’s arms.


    On the one hand, she was genuinely excited; on the other, she was also performing.


    She quickly felt the substitute patting her shoulder and heard his hoarse voice, “I listened to you, I didn’t give up.”


    “Mm!” Zi Di nodded, loosening her grip on Zhenjin, not holding him as tightly, her purple eyes staring intently at the young man, without blinking.


    Their eyes met.


    Zi Di thought to herself: His pupils also look normal. Could it be that the beast-like eyes I saw before were just an illusion?


    While analyzing in her heart, the girl emotionally said, “Lord Zhenjin, you are a true Holy Temple Knight!”


    “All thanks to your potions.”


    Zi Di shook her head, “The situation was critical at the time, and the conditions for making potions were far too makeshift. Honestly, I was completely unsure, just giving it my all. I didn’t anticipate such a miraculous effect! Maybe…”


    The substitute smiled, “What do you want to ask? Don’t hold back.”


    Zi Di was very clear: A huge flaw had now surfaced. The incident of resurrection could be attempted to be concealed. But the substitute’s terrifying recovery ability completely contradicted Zhenjin’s actual self.


    She guessed it might be the War Merchant’s doing, but the substitute didn’t know the War Merchant. If he started to doubt this aspect, he might suspect her instead.


    Thus, she had to use her eloquence to resolve this flaw in advance.


    Under Zi Di’s deliberate guidance, the substitute’s thought process was significantly influenced by her.


    “Your guess may be possible, but I cannot answer you. Because my memory has only restored a few scenes.”


    “Lord, how does it feel to drink water?” Zi Di asked with a face full of concern and anxiety.


    Finding that her guidance was successful, the clever Zi Di seized the opportunity to change the subject.


    “There’s no sense of pain, it seems just like normal.” The substitute replied.


    “That’s good to hear, but we still need to observe.”


    Zi Di cared deeply about the substitute’s condition, and now, she could only rely on him.


    The substitute needed to urinate after drinking water.


    “Lord, let me help you,” Zi Di said, paying close attention to the substitute. She was very adept at picking up on verbal and nonverbal cues. When she sensed a slight embarrassment from the young man, she understood.


    “Lord, I am your fiancée, there’s no need to feel embarrassed,” Zi Di urged, thinking to herself, “I’ve already seen it.”


    “Eh? The size is not the same. Is it because of holding urine…”


    Zi Di helped the substitute successfully urinate, her cheeks still rising with cute blushes, a few strands of hair in front slightly lifting, as if her whole little head was steaming.


    “Lord, so far, your injuries seem to have healed very well. You can drink water with peace of mind. But eating still requires caution,” Zi Di was happy about the substitute’s health condition.


    She then observed the substitute’s excrement and collected it for analysis.


    “Lord, your body has recovered very well, to be more precise, it’s extremely astonishing. Such physical prowess is not something a Silver Level person would possess.”


    Zi Di stared at Zhenjin, her purple eyes burning bright.


    In that moment, she suddenly realized: Even if her plan to scheme for the War Merchant’s legacy failed, the young man before her was the War Merchant’s proudest creation. Studying him in-depth could potentially lead to deductions of the War Merchant’s alchemical success!