Edward Harris’s face twitched as he handed the pill to Robert Harris. Using this pill on someone like David Turner, a mere lackey, was truly a waste of a precious treasure.

Robert Harris took the pill and looked at William Clark, letting out a cold snort. No matter the outcome today, he had already suffered a setback at the hands of this junior.

William Clark, on the other hand, watched Robert Harris perform his technique with a calm and detached expression, as if it had nothing to do with him.

With a sweep of his wide sleeve, Robert Harris made David Turner sit up involuntarily. Then, Robert Harris’s fingers moved toward David Turner at lightning speed. The crowd only saw a blur of finger shadows, followed by a series of “puff, puff” sounds.

Each time Robert Harris tapped a finger, David Turner let out a muffled groan, clearly in great pain. With the final tap, David Turner opened his mouth in agony. Without hesitation, Robert Harris quickly tossed the antidote pill into his mouth.

After swallowing the pill, Robert Harris stopped his actions, and the unsupported David Turner collapsed limply once again.

“Clap... clap... clap.”

At this moment, unhurried applause rang out. William Clark smiled and praised, “I’ve long heard that Mr. Harris’s set of Xuanming Finger techniques is truly extraordinary—capable of bringing the dead back to life, or making life worse than death. Seeing it today, it’s indeed remarkable. You’ve really opened my eyes.”

Robert Harris was slightly out of breath; it was clear that what he had just done was not so easy for him. Hearing William Clark’s mocking praise, he suddenly felt a murderous urge.

“Hmph! No matter what kind of poison it is, under the Xuanming Finger and my antidote pill, it can be restored as before.”

It wasn’t arrogance on Robert Harris’s part—within the Qin Kingdom, he truly hadn’t encountered anything he couldn’t resolve.

“That’s for the best. Look at the state this friend is in—I also hope he can recover safely!” William Clark sighed.

William Clark’s words sounded extremely sincere, as if David Turner were an old friend of many years. But in Robert Harris’s ears, there was a faint sense of foreboding.

As if to confirm his thoughts, after a few more words, David Turner suddenly spat out a mouthful of blood with a “wah” sound.

Robert Harris’s expression changed. He supported David Turner and asked, “Are you alright?”

“L-lord... it hurts... ah... it’s killing me!” After saying this, David Turner’s symptoms, which had just eased a little, flared up again, and he rolled off the bed in pain.

It was obvious that Robert Harris’s efforts hadn’t cured the poison in him; instead, they had aggravated the toxins, making him suffer even more.

“How... how could this happen?”

Robert Harris was completely stunned. What he had just done might have seemed unremarkable, but it was already his limit. Who would have thought that not only did it fail to cure David Turner’s poison, it actually made it worse.

David Turner rolled on the ground in agony, wishing for death, and no one went to help him.

“Huh, Mr. Harris, it seems your Xuanming Finger and antidote pill didn’t work—instead, they made this friend’s condition worse. Just look at how much pain he’s in, I really feel bad for him. Mr. Harris, is there no way you can ease his pain? Isn’t Zuixing Tower supposed to be the best in the imperial city?” William Clark asked with feigned confusion.

At this point, Robert Harris could no longer keep up appearances. He pointed at William Clark and roared, “You brat, what exactly did you give him? If you want to frame our Zuixing Tower, you’re not qualified enough!”

William Clark feigned surprise and said, “Why do you say that, Mr. Harris? As the saying goes, saving a life is more meritorious than building a seven-story pagoda. Are you saying that when I see this friend in such pain, I should just ignore him? Or is it that Zuixing Tower is all reputation and no substance, unable even to diagnose what kind of poison this friend has?”

“You!” If not for the last shred of reason, Robert Harris would have lost control by now.

William Clark put on a look of deep sorrow, bent down, and said to David Turner, “Brother, I’ve done all I can. In the imperial city, if even Mr. Harris can’t save you, then I truly am powerless. If you know this in the afterlife, don’t blame me.”

David Turner, who was already half-dead, seemed to have a final burst of energy upon hearing William Clark’s words. A glimmer of light returned to his previously dazed eyes.

“L-lord! Save... save me! I’ve done... done for you...” David Turner gritted his teeth and forced out a few words through the pain.

At this moment, David Turner was simply driven by the instinct to survive that William Clark had stirred up. But this half-finished sentence struck Robert Harris like a bolt from the blue. His anger toward William Clark was instantly doused, leaving him cold from head to toe.

Before David Turner could finish, Robert Harris hurriedly bent down and said to him, “Don’t worry, no matter what, I will save you.”

At this moment, Robert Harris’s gaze was truly sincere—completely different from William Clark’s feigned sincerity—giving David Turner the feeling of a bond forged in life and death.

In that instant, the anxiety that William Clark had provoked in David Turner was suppressed, replaced by a sense of peace.

“L-lord, he... he said this poison... is called Cunxin Lie.” With that, David Turner once again went limp, like a deflated ball, and fell silent.

“Cunxin Lie... Cunxin Lie...” Robert Harris repeated the name, his brow furrowing deeper and deeper.

He muttered the name several times, the more he thought about it, the more it seemed he had heard it somewhere before.