A thousand enlightenments in one night, starting from being a menial apprentice.

Chapter 580 The Way of Hybridity
The man carrying the medicine box appeared to be around forty years old, with a long, thin face and a sparse beard. He wore a long, faded white robe, the hem of which was damp with dew and bits of grass.

Duan Rong's mind raced; this person must be the physician Hu Jin that Meng Zongqiu had mentioned.

Although he was a physician, Li Tang was already dead, and even a god couldn't bring him back to life. Meng Zongqiu's summons of this man clearly wasn't for the purpose of treating Li Tang.

Since it wasn't about providing medical treatment, the intention was to have this person investigate the cause of Li Tang's death. Li Tang died of poisoning, and since Meng Zongqiu had sent Wu Mingfu all the way to summon this person, this person must be someone well-versed in poisons.

It goes without saying what's in the medicine chest of someone well-versed in poisons.

Duan Rong used the poisonous dove-flower to kill Li Tang in order to stir up the stagnant waters and see if he could find an opportunity in the chaos.

The moment Hu Jin entered carrying his medicine chest, Duan Rong knew his opportunity had arrived. The key to breaking the deadlock was how to subdue Hu Jin!

After sending Hu Jin into the mountain stronghold, Wu Mingfu came alone to the courtyard where Li Tang was staying. By then, the effects of the alcohol had worn off, and he felt even more sorrowful.

Although these bandits were mostly hypocritical, over the years he and Li Tang had not only gotten along well but had also shared many life-and-death experiences. Seeing Li Tang suddenly dead, he genuinely felt a sense of shared sorrow.

Li Tang had been placed on a wooden board not far from the doorway of the room, and his body was covered with a white cloth.

Wu Mingfu entered and, after looking at Li Tang's tragic death, couldn't help but sigh. Just then, the gang leader Meng Zongqiu entered with Hu Jin. The two walked in slowly, chatting and laughing.

Hu Jin glanced at the five men tied to the wooden stakes in the courtyard. Meng Zongqiu had already told him the whole story while they were having tea in the bunker, and he had a general understanding of it.

Wu Mingfu stepped forward, clasped his hands in greeting to the two men, and said, "Brother! Mr. Hu!"

Meng Zongqiu said, "Second brother, where is the third brother's body? Let Mr. Hu examine the body first."

Wu Mingfu said, "The third brother's body is inside. Mr. Hu, please!"

Wu Mingfu then led Hu Jin into the room.

Not far from the entrance, on the ground, lay Li Tang's body, covered with a white sheet.

Hu Jin walked over, took the medicine box down, put it on the ground, then squatted down and lifted the white cloth.

Li Tang's eyes were originally wide open and empty. After Wu Mingfu returned, he used his hand to purse his eyelids. At this time, Li Tang's body was now closed, but the dark blue color on his face was very intense, like a blue-faced demon.

Hu Jin's eyelid twitched. "A bluish-black color..."

Hu Jin opened the medicine box, took out silver needles and tools, and began to examine them.

As he probed with silver needles, he discovered that Li Tang's throat, esophagus, and stomach were filled with poison. He then pried open Li Tang's mouth and carefully examined his oral cavity.

After a long while, Hu Jincai wiped the fine sweat from his forehead with a cotton cloth and stood up.

Upon seeing Hu Jin stop moving, Wu Mingfu immediately asked anxiously, "Mr. Hu, what kind of poison has the third brother been poisoned with?"

Although Meng Zongqiu somewhat reprimanded Wu Mingfu for his hasty and impolite words, Wu Mingfu's question was exactly what he wanted to ask. Meng Zongqiu merely frowned slightly before looking at Hu Jin with a questioning gaze.

As Hu Jin wiped his hands with a cotton cloth, he said, "It's hard to say exactly what kind of poison it is!"

"Ah!?" Wu Mingfu didn't expect Hu Jin to say such a thing, and a look of disappointment flashed across his face.

Hu Jin said, "To determine what kind of poison it is, there must be some strange symptoms, such as unusual fragrance or strange signs. Although the Third Master's face is bluish, I know of three kinds of poisonous herbs that can cause this kind of death, but it is hard to say which one it is."

Meng Zongqiu and Wu Mingfu both fell silent for a moment. They hadn't expected that even after calling Hu Jin over, they still couldn't determine what kind of poison the third brother had been poisoned with.

Ignoring the disappointment on their faces, Hu Jin continued, "There's a large amount of poison left in the Third Boss's mouth. It's almost certain that the poison entered through his mouth!"

"Poison enters through the mouth!?" Wu Mingfu was stunned for a moment and said, "Mr. Hu, but none of the things that the third brother ate were poisonous!"

Upon hearing this, Hu Jin glanced at the leftover food on the table not far away, especially the plate of cold tofu that had been partially eaten.

He took the silver needle and went over to examine all the dishes.

After Hu Jin finished examining the needles, he put them away and stood there.

Wu Mingfu asked, "It's not poisonous, is it?"

Hu Jin glanced at Meng Zongqiu and said, "Do you two know that there is a method of poisoning in this world that uses mixing?"

"Mixed poison?!" Meng Zongqiu's eyes flickered. He had heard of this method when he was a wandering swordsman in his early years, but he had always regarded it as nonsense made up by the common people. "Mr. Hu, could it be that such a method really exists?"

Hu Jin said, "Yes, there are. But you need to have a deep understanding of poisons. Most martial artists only know how to use readily available poisons. There aren't many who understand the art of mixing them!"

Wu Mingfu couldn't help but chuckle and said, "Those five guys outside, Mr. Hu, do you think they look like them?"

Hu Jin stroked his sparse goatee and said, "You can't judge a book by its cover! Besides, after listening to the chief's account inside the bunker and conducting my own investigation just now, the more I think about it, the more I feel that only this mixed method can connect the dots in this strange matter!"

"This..." Wu Mingfu had never heard of the Mixed Method before and was completely bewildered by Hu Jin's explanation.

Meng Zongqiu stood there, his expression shifting between light and shadow.

He was already thinking, if the third brother really was poisoned by a mixed method, then who was the most suspicious of the five people tied up in the courtyard? The most suspicious one was Old Man He!

He's in charge of his meals, so if this person really is a ghost, we have to find out, otherwise there will be endless trouble, and he might be the one to die next.

Meng Zongqiu asked, "Mr. Hu, how should we investigate this mixed method of poisoning?"

Hu Jin said, "The second-in-command invited the third-in-command out for drinks last night. Does the kitchen know about this?"

Wu Mingfu's eyes flickered, and he said, "I know! I sent someone to tell Old Man He tonight that I'm going to drink a lot tonight and asked him to prepare a few more hearty dishes for me."

Hu Jin said, "That's right! If the mixed poison is put separately into the second-in-command's dish and the third-in-command's own dish, only by eating both dishes will the two poisons mix and form a poison! And if you use a silver needle to test one side of the dish alone, you won't be able to detect the poison."

Wu Mingfu's eyes lit up immediately, and he looked at Hu Jin with admiration. "In that case, it completely explains why the third brother was poisoned to death after eating this plate of cold tofu. And no matter how you examine it with a silver needle, the tofu is not poisonous."

Hu Jin said, "That's exactly right!"

Meng Zongqiu's expression shifted, and he asked, "Second brother, do you still have any food on your side?"

Wu Mingfu said, "Yes! The leftover wine and food are still in my room. No one dares to touch them unless I say anything."

Last night, after Li Tang left, Wu Mingfu, who was addicted to alcohol, drank alone for a while. But after he had only drunk two cups, one of Li Tang's personal guards ran over and told him that Li Tang was dead!
Wu Mingfu was furious and led his men to charge over.

After fussing around there for a while, the boss sent him to Cangfang Town to pick up Doctor Hu, and then he came here. He didn't go back at all during that time.

As long as he's not around, the guards would never dare to barge into his room. Let alone clean up the leftover food and drinks!
Meng Zongqiu said, "Mr. Hu, the dishes on both sides are still there."

Hu Jin picked up the plate of cold tofu on the table and said, "Come on, Second Master, let's go to your place!"

The three of them then left the room!

Old Man He, Duan Rong, and the other four were tied to the wooden stakes in the yard when they suddenly saw Hu Jin carrying out a plate of cold tofu. A look of surprise flashed across their faces.

At that moment, Old Man He suddenly shivered, because the instant Meng Zongqiu and Wu Mingfu walked out of the room, they both swept their eyes over him with a sinister look.

The three of them arrived at Wu Mingfu's courtyard.

Wu Mingfu looked at the two guards standing outside the door and said coldly, "While I was away, did anyone enter my room?"

The guard said, "Second Master, with you not here, who would dare to barge in? That would cost them their heads!"

"Good that you remember!" Wu Mingfu said, "That guy who barged into my room and I snapped his head off! That was three years ago! I thought you bunch of bastards had forgotten!"

"We dare not forget Second Master's rules!"

"That's good!"

Wu Mingfu turned his head and said with a smile, "Boss, Mr. Hu, please!"

Meng Zongqiu's eyes flickered; Wu Mingfu's strictness in managing his subordinates was clearly far greater than Li Tang's. The three of them entered Wu Mingfu's room, where they saw a table full of leftover food.

Wu Mingfu looked at Hu Jin and asked, "Sir, what should we do?"

Hu Jin said, "I'd like to trouble you, Second Master, to find a wooden basin."

Wu Mingfu then had someone bring over a wooden basin, and Hu Jin poured the plate of cold tofu into the basin, followed by all the leftover food from the table.

The leftovers were devoured by Wu Mingfu and Li Tang last night, leaving only the bottom of the dishes.

The dishes from both sides were mixed together. Hu Jin took a pair of chopsticks, stirred them for a while, and then used a silver needle to examine them again.

This time, Meng Zongqiu and Wu Mingfu both curiously went over to investigate.

After examining the items, Hu Jin suddenly frowned.

The dishes from both sides, when mixed, were surprisingly non-toxic.

Hu Jin muttered to himself, "Could I have guessed wrong?"

At this moment, Hu Jin's gaze swept over the wine jar on the table, and he asked, "Did the Third Master drink last night?"

Wu Mingfu said, "We drank. We each drank two large jars of wine."

Hu Jin suddenly picked up the wine jar and poured some of the remaining wine into the wooden basin.

By this time, the wooden basin was filled with a mixture of wine and food broth. Hu Jin took out his silver needle again and examined it.

This time, both Meng Zongqiu and Wu Mingfu realized there was no poison at all. They had initially held high hopes, believing Hu Jin's analysis to be very reasonable; now it seemed they had overestimated him.

Wu Mingfu's gaze toward Hu Jin had changed.

Hu Jin said, "I was wrong. It seems that the poison in the Third Leader's possession is not a mixed poison."

Wu Mingfu had already fallen silent with a sullen face, but Meng Zongqiu still asked in a warm manner, "Mr. Hu, do you have any other ideas?"

Meng Zongqiu had always known that Hu Jin's poison skills were far superior to those of quack doctors. Even if Hu Jin made a wrong judgment once, Meng Zongqiu would still need his help in the future.

Hu Jin said, "One thing is certain. There is a large amount of poison left in the Third Boss's mouth. This poison must have entered through his mouth! So, Second Boss, could you tell me again in detail what the Third Boss ate while he was here?"

Upon hearing this, Wu Mingfu remained silent, showing no intention of responding to Hu Jin's words.

Seeing this, Meng Zongqiu glared at him and said, "Second brother, Mr. Hu is asking you a question!"

Wu Mingfu then said reluctantly, "That's all! Wine! Dishes! You've poured them all into the basin, sir."

Hu Jin looked at Wu Mingfu and continued, "Have you eaten any fruit or dried fruit?"

Wu Mingfu said, "No, these are all we have!"

Hu Jin nodded and said, "My two masters, I would like to go to the third master's place again."

Meng Zongqiu said, "Alright! Mr. Hu! Let's go over there."

Meng Zongqiu then walked out with Hu Jin, while Wu Mingfu followed behind, dawdling.

They returned to the courtyard where Li Tang lived. Hu Jin's eyes lit up, and he walked straight to the woman who was tied to the wooden stake.

Inside the bunker, Meng Zongqiu had already told him about this woman; she was the first to discover that Li Tang had been poisoned!
Hu Jin looked at the woman and asked, "What has the Third Master eaten since he returned here?"

The woman said, "I only ate that plate of cold tofu!"

Hu Jin asked, "Is that all?"

The woman nodded and said, "Yes! Only that plate of tofu!"

A hint of doubt flashed in Hu Jin's eyes. If Li Tang only ingested these things, and these things, whether tested individually or mixed, were all non-toxic, then how could there be a large amount of poison remaining in Li Tang's mouth? This is truly bizarre!

Hu Jin suddenly looked at the woman and said, "Tell me everything the Third Master did after he entered the house until you found him poisoned."

A hint of suspicion flashed in the woman's eyes, but she still said, "When the Third Master came in, I was touching up my makeup at the dressing table. I saw him sit down at that table, pick up the plate of cold tofu, and eat a few bites..."

"And then?" Hu Jin urged, seeing the woman remain silent.

"Then... he came over and pressed me against the dressing table to kiss me!" A look of embarrassment flashed across the woman's face.

Hu Jin said, "Continue!"

The woman composed herself and continued, "Then the third master told me to wait for him on the bed. But I waited for a long time and he didn't come in. When I came out, I found that the third master had been poisoned to death on the ground!"

Hu Jin looked at the woman and asked, "How long have you been waiting?"

"About the time it takes for an incense stick to burn."

Hu Jin lowered his head and pondered for a moment. Suddenly, he looked up and stared at the woman's smeared face, asking coldly, "You just said that the Third Master kissed you at the dressing table?"

"Mmm," the woman replied.

Hu Jin said, "When you came out, the Third Master was dead on the floor near the dressing table?"

"Yes."

Hu Jin asked, "How did the Third Master kiss you?"

A blush flashed across the woman's face, and she stammered in silence for a moment.

Meng Zongqiu and Wu Mingfu stood aside, both puzzled. If it weren't for Hu Jin's cold gaze, they would have thought he wanted to hear a scandalous story.

Hu Jin stared at the woman's smeared face and suddenly asked, "He bit your face, didn't he?"

The woman was startled by the question and gave a barely audible "hmm".

Hu Jin turned his head and said, "Second Master, would you please fetch a basin of water?"

Wu Mingfu originally didn't want to pay any attention to Hu Jin, but seeing Meng Zongqiu's unfriendly expression, he still took a wooden basin and filled it with water.

After placing the basin of water over, Hu Jin looked at the bandits guarding the area and said, "Release this woman!"

The bandit, holding a steel knife, paused slightly, then looked at the leader, Meng Zongqiu, with a questioning gaze.

Meng Zongqiu said, "If Mr. Hu tells you to release it, then release it!"

The bandit, upon receiving the order, used his steel knife to cut the ropes binding the woman.

The woman touched her wrists, which were tied sore and stiff. At that moment, Hu Jin looked at her and said coldly, "Wash your face!"

"Huh!?" The woman looked at Hu Jin with a puzzled expression.

Hu Jin, his face grim, said, "Wash your face!"

The woman glanced at Hu Jin, then at Meng Zongqiu and Wu Mingfu, who stood silently behind Hu Jin, before squatting down in front of the basin of water and washing her face.

She stood up, wiped her wet hands on her clothes, and said, "I'm all washed!"

Hu Jin ignored her and squatted down in front of the basin of somewhat murky water. Suddenly, he pinched a silver needle and probed it in!

When Hu Jin took the silver needle out of the basin, Meng Zongqiu, Wu Mingfu, and the woman were all astonished to find that the silver needle had turned black!
This water is poisonous?!
(End of this chapter)