Chapter 439: “A Delicious Killer (1)”
That afternoon, Fan Jin came to the bamboo grove for his usual exploitation of his brother. When he saw his brother’s rosier cheeks, he felt both relieved and glad at the same time.
Fan Zhuo’s meals had been completely switched to medicinal cuisine and though it was not as tasty as the usual cuisine Fan Qi had previously arranged, it was nevertheless different and a welcomed change.
Ah Jing’s face was dark as he brought the dishes out to the table. Fan Zhuo picked up his chopsticks consciously and lowered his head to start eating the medicinal cuisine prepared for him, trying his hardest to shut out the incredibly alluring fragrance wafting past his nose from the lavish spread prepared for the other two.
His appetite had always been small and after having taken Jun Xie’s medicinal cuisine for the past few days, the colour on his face had improved considerably and he felt more energetic. He was starting to feel that he had a lot more to look forward to in his days ahead and sacrificing a little on his lust for fine food was a compromise he would willingly accept.
Fan Jin on the other hand, was oblivious to it all and his chopsticks stirred up a small whirlwind on the table. Fortunately, Fan Zhuo was quicker this time and grabbed a small amount of food from all the various dishes and put them on a separate dish for Jun Xie. If not, with the slow pace that Jun Xie ate, he would be left with nothing with Fan Jin eating at the same table.
Besides Jun Wu Xie and the Fan brothers, there was another tiny figure at the table.
Ever since Fan Zhuo knew that Jun Xie’s ring spirit was not afraid of him, he had often asked for the little black cat to eat at the same table with them.
Although ring spirits were not able to obtain any nourishment from mortal foods, ring spirits were however not adverse to tasting them.
The little black cat was exactly like that. Every time that Fan Zhuo arranged for delicacies to be prepared for it, the little black cat had never refused him, and ate the food without any fuss. While it nibbled at the food, its tail would often brush against Fan Zhuo’s arm, bringing about a reddish tinge to show on Fan Zhuo’s face.
Fan Jin was gobbling up the feast on the table quickly while Jun Wu Xie was taking her own sweet time to nibble and chew. After a few moments, Jun Wu Xie’s chopsticks suddenly stilled.
“What is it?” Fan Jin asked of Jun Xie over his emptying bowl. Fan Jin could not help but ask when he saw that the dishes picked out for Jun Xie had not lessened by much and the bowl of rice was still almost full.
“Is the food not suited to your taste?” Fan Zhuo put down his own chopsticks and asked Jun Xie, concern written over his face.
Jun Wu Xie frowned and her lips were pressed together. She stared at the spread before her on the table and suddenly stood up to snatch the chopsticks from Fan Jin’s hand and threw them upon the floor.
“Wh….. I am not finished…..” Fan Jin stared, his eyes blinking in confusion at Jun Xie.
“Do not eat.” Jun Wu Xie said suddenly.
Fan Jin was horrified, and his expression suddenly changed. He immediately pulled out a silver chopstick he carried around with him and tested all the dishes on the table with it. But he did not see any signs of the silver chopstick turning dark as he pulled it out from the various dishes before him.
“There’s no poison.” Fan Jin said.
“It’s not poison. It’s the tonic.” Jun Wu Xie’s eyes narrowed. The room was filled with the fragrance of food from the meal spread out on the table before them. But masked under the myriad smells present, Jun Wu Xie detected a very faint smell of herbs.
The smell was not distinct but Jun Wu Xie was certain that it was not poisonous, but it was some kind of tonic.
“Tonic?” Fan Jin was even more confused.
Jun Wu Xie lowered her head in thought as the question that had bugged her all this while suddenly had an answer.
“Fan Zhuo’s relapse was not a coincidence but was caused by someone’s hand.” Jun Wu Xie reaffirmed her suspicion all this while aloud.
“What! ?” Fan Jin stood up in anger, his face incredulous as he stared at Jun Xie. “Little Xie, are you saying….. someone had drugged these dishes?”
Jun Wu Xie nodded.
“In the beginning, when I had taken Fan Zhuo’s pulse, I had thought that something felt out of place. Based on the condition of Fan Zhuo’s bodily health at that time, his pulse shouldn’t have been that chaotic.”