Back home after breakfast, Sophia accompanied Leo to the market to purchase necessary mountain-climbing tools. After lunch, Leo rented an off-road vehicle from a rental company at the foot of Cloud Dream Mountain and began his journey towards the Northern Desolation Mountains.
The Northern Desolation Mountains were over a thousand kilometers away from Langstel. Although most of the journey involved highways, even without breaks, it would still take at least ten hours.
In the evening, Leo stopped at a small town halfway through the journey for dinner and continued on without delay.
Around eight or nine in the evening, Leo arrived at a small county named Sirencester County.
From Sirencester County to the Northern Desolation Mountains, it was just over a hundred kilometers.
Leo decided to stay overnight in Sirencester County and head to the Northern Desolation Mountains early the next morning.
Finding a motel and parking the car, Leo suddenly felt a bit hungry and decided to stroll around nearby to see if there was any barbecue or similar food available.
After walking for a while, he noticed a crowd ahead, as if something had happened.
Feeling bored, Leo walked over. Squeezing into the crowd, he saw a middle-aged man lying on the ground with closed eyes, a pale face, and no movement.
From the slight rise and fall of the man’s chest, it seemed he had fainted for some unknown reason. Unfortunately, no one was helping him; everyone was discussing whether to help, fearing they might be scammed.
Leo activated his spiritual energy and scanned the man’s eyes. His expression changed. This man didn’t faint suddenly; he was under the influence of evil poison.
Evil poison was a form of geomantic technique, slowly killing a person invisibly. Medical methods couldn’t detect it.
Facing such an abnormal situation, Leo couldn’t stand idly by. He approached and crouched down next to the man.
“Hey, young man, be careful not to be scammed,” a well-intentioned onlooker reminded.
“Yeah, young man, stay away to avoid trouble,” another well-intentioned onlooker added.
Ignoring the well-meaning but irrelevant remarks, Leo focused his attention on the middle-aged man.
It was certain that the man had been poisoned for more than a day or two. If treatment wasn’t administered soon, he probably wouldn’t survive the night.
Grabbing the man’s wrist, Leo mobilized his spiritual energy and sent a small amount into the man’s meridians.
Pure spiritual energy was the nemesis of all evil poisons. There was no need for elaborate medical procedures; Leo directly used his spiritual energy to expel the evil poison from the man’s body.
Of course, to avoid unnecessary trouble, Leo had to make it look like he was providing treatment. After infusing spiritual energy, he crossed his palms and pressed them twice on the man’s chest.
Under the effect of spiritual energy, the evil poison in the man’s body evaporated like water, quickly disappearing.
The middle-aged man shivered a bit, then slowly opened his eyes. After taking a deep breath, he sat up from the ground.
“Hey, the person woke up. This young man must be a doctor; he’s really capable.”
“Do you think this middle-aged man will scam the young man?”
“I don’t think so. This middle-aged man doesn’t look like a deceitful person.”
“I’m not so sure…”
“…”
The crowd began to whisper and discuss in low voices again.
The middle-aged man who had regained consciousness stood up from the ground, knowing that the young man in front of him had saved him. With a grateful expression on his face, he said, “Young man, thank you for saving me.”
“Sir, let’s find a quieter place to talk,” Leo said to the middle-aged man.
This crowded place was not suitable for a conversation. Moreover, Leo was curious about why this man was afflicted with evil poison.
In a leisure tea house, Leo and the middle-aged man sat facing each other. Through a brief conversation, Leo learned the man’s name – Cassius Hansom.
As the tea touched his lips, it initially carried a faint bitterness, then transformed into a subtle sweetness. Leo had never tasted such a unique tea.
“Mr. Hansom, regarding the issue you’re facing, if you want a complete cure, you must truthfully tell me everything,” Leo said to Cassius.
“Dr. Bloomer, thank you for today. You saved me,” Cassius expressed his gratitude. Although he was unclear about why he ended up in that condition, the terrifying feeling of fainting made him fearful.
Cassius stole a glance at the tea house and lowered his voice, “Dr. Bloomer, not to hide anything from you, this isn’t the first time I’ve inexplicably fainted. I distinctly remember the first time was right after leaving this tea house.”
“So you brought me to this tea house?”
Cassius nodded, “Yes, the reason is that I suspect the owner of this tea house secretly did something to me.”
“How so?” Leo didn’t understand. Why would the owner of a tea house randomly harm a customer?
“Dr. Bloomer, you may not know, but the owner of this tea house is a bit strange.”
“How is he strange?”
Cassius couldn’t help but glance at the counter in front and, with a serious expression, said, “Dr. Bloomer, guess how long this tea house has been open in this county?”
After asking, Cassius answered his own question, “At least three hundred years! It has been here since the time of my great-grandfather.”
“A centuries-old shop is not that strange,” Leo remarked.
“The shop is not strange, but the owner is,” Cassius continued, choosing his words carefully. “The owner of this tea house seems about the same age as you, but he isn’t the son of the tea house’s previous owner, nor did he buy the tea house from the previous owner.”
Cassius took a sip of tea, and his tone became peculiar. “My grandfather who passed away told me that from the time he was born until he died, the owner of this tea house has always been that young man, as if… the owner of this tea house never ages!”
“Never ages?” Leo mumbled, “Mr. Hansom, did you somehow provoke the owner of this tea house?”
“Not exactly a provocation. Dr. Bloomer, it’s partly my fault for being bored and making a bet with my friends. The bet was to uncover the secret of the tea house owner’s perpetual youth, so I tracked the owner.”
“What did you find out?”