The procurement process had strict protocols. Specialized herbalists verified the authenticity of every herb, followed by a pre-storage inspection. Finally, before any batch was used, Dong Baicao personally conducted random spot checks. Now that a problem had arisen on Dong Baicao’s end, it meant the first two checkpoints had failed.
“The herbs themselves are genuine, but poison was mixed in. To be precise, someone sprinkled poison onto the herbs. If I hadn’t been lucky this time, I wouldn’t have discovered it.”
Dong Baicao had a habit of leaving each batch of herbs to rest overnight in the open air. This time, a wild bird had flown in and eaten some of the herbs. When Dong Baicao went to check on them, he found the bird dead. That was when he realized the herbs were poisoned.
She immediately launched an investigation and discovered that many batches had been contaminated. She didn’t even know what kind of poison it was, but the herbs were completely ruined.
Since reordering new herbs would take time, Dong Baicao had come to ask Gu Jingtian for help. She had originally planned to ask Zhu Yanyi as well.
Hearing this, Zhu Yanyi frowned slightly. “Poison in the herbs? Have you investigated who did it?”
“The investigation is ongoing. There are no traces yet,” Dong Baicao sighed. “This batch was transported from remote areas in the southeast. Fortunately, it was the first time we were using them. Otherwise, I would have been terrified that these poisoned herbs might have leaked out and killed countless people.”
“That’s the benefit of your strict quality control. However, just because you contained the poisoned herbs here doesn’t mean other places can do the same,” Zhu Yanyi said, feeling worried. If the poisoned herbs entered the market, the consequences would be unimaginable.
“Senior Brother, contact the disciples of the Medicine Sect immediately. Tell them to inspect the herbs in their respective areas. We must absolutely prevent poisoned herbs from entering the market,” Zhu Yanyi decided firmly. This matter could not be delayed.
Regardless of how potent the poison was, Zhu Yanyi would not allow such an incident to happen.
“Understood.” Gu Jingtian immediately stepped aside to notify the Medicine Sect disciples via phone.
As the eldest senior brother of the Medicine Sect, Gu Jingtian had the contact information for all disciples. He called them one by one, and the disciples mobilized instantly.
Zhu Yanyi simultaneously called Elder Yun.
Upon hearing the news, Elder Yun immediately reported to the Big Boss. The Big Boss ordered the Medical and Health Department to send personnel to hospitals and herb sales points to investigate the poisoned herbs.
In an instant, all of China was busy due to the poisoned herbs.
After finishing her call with Elder Yun, Zhu Yanyi asked Luo Gang to contact the Ma family to assist in the investigation. She then contacted Yan Aohan, asking him to help trace the source of the poisoned herbs.
It could be said that the entire Chinese medical community was mobilized because Dong Baicao had discovered the poisoned herbs.
What was shocking was that the poisoned herbs had indeed entered the Chinese market, and some had already been sold.
Fortunately, Zhu Yanyi’s response was swift. The buyers of the sold herbs were quickly located. If the buyers were patient families, nearby Medicine Sect disciples were sent to stabilize the patients’ conditions, and they were then transported directly to the Capital Hospital, where Zhu Yanyi took over their treatment.
Fortunately, not many patients had consumed or purchased these poisoned herbs. There were seven in total, and they were all admitted to the Capital Hospital.
Zhu Yanyi took charge of their treatment, and all their hospitalization and treatment fees were waived.
The containment action was swift, so there were no deaths. The losses were minimized to the lowest possible level.
Only after all the poisoned herbs were collected did Zhu Yanyi breathe a sigh of relief. At that moment, Qu Chong came to find her.
“When did Second Senior Brother return?” Qu Chong had been in the Miaojiang region for years and rarely returned to the Capital.
“Little Junior Sister, I am here regarding that batch of poisoned herbs,” Qu Chong said directly, without beating around the bush.
“What about the poisoned herbs? Aren’t they all recovered?” Zhu Yanyi asked. “Have more poisoned herbs appeared?”
“It’s not because the herbs were recovered. It’s because I still cannot analyze the poison component on the herbs. That is why I came to find you,” Qu Chong said, his expression grave.
Qu Chong had always dedicated herself to using poison to counter poison. It was rare for her not to recognize a toxic substance. Even if she didn’t know it initially, she could usually find the answer through effort. However, now that she told Zhu Yanyi she couldn’t analyze the poison in this batch, it meant the poison was unique, perhaps even originating from a suspicious source.
“Second Senior Brother, did you bring the poisoned herbs?” Zhu Yanyi asked directly.
“I brought them.” Qu Chong took a box out of his backpack and opened it carefully. Inside were only honeysuckle flowers, though one had to ignore the toxicity on them.
Zhu Yanyi took gloves from her medical kit, put them on, and carefully picked up a honeysuckle flower. She smelled it. The herbal scent of the honeysuckle was still strong, but there was a sweet and sour odor mixed in. Zhu Yanyi knew this sweet and sour smell did not belong to the honeysuckle itself but to the poison on it.
No wonder no one had detected the poison initially. Who would have thought that the sweet and sour smell was the scent of the poison?
Zhu Yanyi took a honeysuckle flower and placed it in her mouth. She closed her eyes slightly. Qu Chong assumed she was sensing the toxicity inside. No one knew that her mouth had become a small refining workshop.
A point of ice-blue light on her tongue slowly refined the honeysuckle flower. Her special ability wrapped around the entire process. Soon, the toxin inside the honeysuckle was identified.
She quickly opened her eyes, took a glass cup from the side, and opened her mouth to spit out the honeysuckle from her tongue. At this moment, the honeysuckle was no longer a flower but a small amount of blue-black liquid. This liquid seemed alive, bubbling slightly.
“What is this?” Qu Chong noticed it too.
Zhu Yanyi smiled lightly. “Destruction.”
“What? Destruction?” Shock appeared in Qu Chong’s eyes.
“You mean Destruction, the heavenly and earthly miraculous poison?” Qu Chong asked again, his shock undiminished.
Destruction was called a heavenly and earthly miraculous poison because once it spread, it was like a locust plague or an epidemic, leaving no trace of life. Hence, it was named Destruction.
Strangely, before Destruction took effect, it could give any material the sweetest and most fragrant taste, just like this honeysuckle flower. The sweet fragrance made people忍不住 want to possess it.
“Wasn’t Destruction eliminated a thousand years ago?” A thousand years ago, there had been an incident where Destruction ran rampant.