Robert Harris was at a loss for words, and William Clark gave him no chance to explain. He frowned and glanced at David Turner lying on the ground, then ordered, “Someone, carry this... friend to the back hall. I’ll diagnose him myself…”

Robert Harris was cut off halfway through his sentence by William Clark: “Mr. Harris, look at how many friends have come today. They all want to witness Mr. Harris’s alchemy skills. Mr. Harris, you can’t let everyone down! They say Mr. Harris is the best in the imperial city, but not many have actually seen you in action. Hearing is believing, but seeing is the truth. Why don’t you show us some of your skills, so us juniors can have a chance to learn and observe? What do you all say?”

Everyone was here for the spectacle, so of course they didn’t want it to end so soon, and they all chimed in in agreement.

Robert Harris was caught between a rock and a hard place. He glared at William Clark, wishing he could cut him into a thousand pieces. After all, he was a master-level figure—how could he let a junior corner him in front of so many people?

Isn’t it just detoxification? I’ll show you how it’s done! In this Qin Kingdom, is there any poison he can’t cure? Not to mention, this poison was concocted by a junior like William Clark.

Robert Harris knew Henry Clark well—this definitely wasn’t his doing. That guy always prided himself on being upright. Even if he wanted to challenge someone, he wouldn’t send his own son. This must be something William Clark stirred up on his own.

Just a spoiled brat—what trouble could he possibly cause?

Although there’s nothing to be proud of in slapping a junior in the face, since you’re offering yourself up, wouldn’t it be a shame not to take the opportunity?

Robert Harris swept his wide sleeves and ordered, “Since everyone is so interested, I’ll detoxify this friend right here in front of you all. Bring him over.”

At this, the onlookers became even more excited, swarming in like a flock of birds. They were eager to see what made William Clark, this notorious playboy, dare to challenge the master of Drunken Star Pavilion.

By now, even a fool wouldn’t believe that David Turner was someone William Clark just happened to meet on the road. The poison was almost certainly concocted by William Clark himself.

As for the poisoned man, even if he wasn’t exactly as the rumors said, he must have some deep connection to Drunken Star Pavilion.

Many present were insiders and already knew what had happened at Fragrant Medicine Pavilion that morning. Connecting the dots, some clever people realized that William Clark was simply giving them a taste of their own medicine.

……

Robert Harris looked at the half-dead David Turner, wishing he could kill him with a single palm strike—useless fool, only causing trouble. Not only did he fail to get the job done, but he also brought so much trouble upon him.

David Turner was now writhing in pain like a pile of mush, twitching from time to time like a dead fish.

There was no choice—Robert Harris didn’t want to ruin his own reputation, so he had to try to save him.

Robert Harris flipped David Turner’s eyelids, checked his pulse, unbuttoned his shirt to examine him, fiddling for a long time, but his heart only sank deeper and deeper, and his frown grew tighter.

He couldn’t find a single clue!

A grand alchemist, yet he couldn’t even diagnose what poison the patient had been afflicted with—this was simply unbelievable. If David Turner didn’t look so much like a dead fish, Robert Harris would have suspected he was colluding with William Clark to sabotage him.

“Big brother, how is it?” Seeing Robert Harris’s troubled expression, Edward Harris had a bad feeling.

“Go, bring me the top-grade detoxification pill I refined.” As if making a huge decision, Robert Harris gritted his teeth.

“What? That top-grade detoxification pill was so hard for you to make, and you were planning to give it to His Highness. Now you’re going to use it on him?” Edward Harris exclaimed in surprise.

“Just do as I say! Why so much nonsense?” Robert Harris had lost his patience and was getting irritable.

Chapter 11: Silencing Witnesses

Edward Harris had never seen his big brother so anxious and uneasy. He dared not delay and went to the pill room to fetch the tier-three top-grade detoxification pill.

Detoxification pills are considered universal remedies—they can cure almost any poison, but their effectiveness still depends on the specific poison the victim has.

For ordinary poisons, detoxification pills are almost always effective, which is why they are among the most widely used and versatile pills.

In William Clark’s eyes, detoxification pills are low-tier pills, and each tier has its own version. In other words, there are first-tier, second-tier, all the way up to fifth-tier detoxification pills. For poisons above the fifth tier, detoxification pills are basically useless. That’s because poisons above the fifth tier are either unique or extremely rare, and detoxification pills have little to no effect.

The detoxification pill refined by Robert Harris was certainly no ordinary product in the Qin Kingdom—it was a tier-three top-grade detoxification pill, his proudest creation. Even Henry Clark couldn’t make one of this quality.

Even among grand alchemists, each has their own specialty. William Clark knew that when it came to using poison to counter poison, his father Henry Clark was far inferior to Robert Harris. That’s why Henry Clark only gave William Clark a tier-three low-grade detoxification pill, while Robert Harris could produce a tier-three top-grade one.

This detoxification pill basically represented the pinnacle of the Qin Kingdom’s standards in this field. Even that imperial uncle probably couldn’t match Robert Harris in this regard.