Chapter 7: Intentionally Provoking Hatred (The Three Heroes of Shu in the First Volume)

  The intense match on the football field continued, with the water clock beside it almost empty. The current score was 8:2, and in the second half, the Hsi River team scored two more goals thanks to Liu Yen's excellent performance, while the Tung River team was defeated without any momentum.

  At this time, Yao was slowly walking into the edge of the court with a medicine bottle in his hand, carefully looking at the pills inside the small bottle, feeling very special, and under the drive of curiosity, he took it out to take a look.

  Open the bottle cap, and pour out a pill in the palm of your hand. The whole body is pitch black, which is very different from ordinary pills, and it also has a pungent smell.

  "This... this taste is just like... it's like the Divine Power Pill! How can that be, how can that be?!" Zheng Yao suddenly felt a wave of panic, and the black pill in his hand fell to the ground.

  "Liú Gōngzǐ actually took the Divine Power Pill, how is this possible?" Zhèng Yáo couldn't believe it, but had no choice but to trust, although he himself had never taken the Divine Power Pill, in his childhood he often flipped through Yuán Fèngmíng's medical books and knew some of its characteristics. Although the Divine Power Pill wasn't a banned substance like Wǔ Shí Sàn, it was still an elixir refined from Wǔ Shí Sàn, so logically speaking, it absolutely couldn't be used on the Cuì Jū field.

  Moreover, the Ming Code clearly stipulates that those who take Wustone Powder should be sent to the border as soldiers. Taking drugs is no laughing matter.

  "If this is discovered, Liu Gongzi may be disqualified from the competition and even affect his future imperial examination. However, if we don't expose him, the competition will lack fairness and justice, and more importantly, Liu Gongzi may continue to take the divine power pills and eventually become addicted."

  Zheng Yao was hesitant and indecisive in his heart, with conflicting thoughts, and for a moment, he really couldn't think of any perfect solution. All he saw was that although he was already standing at the edge of the field at this moment, he didn't move for half a day.

  Suddenly——

  But then, on the court, an unexpected scene appeared - Liu Yan suddenly got up from the ground, just about to exert himself and shoot, when he suddenly stumbled under his feet, his whole body involuntarily convulsed in mid-air for a moment, and he fell directly to the ground without warning. At this moment, Liu Yan's face was even more pale, with not a hint of blood on his lips.

  "Whoa——" Everyone in the audience widened their eyes, holding their breath as they stared at what was happening before them. Ning An and Xiao Xi even directly rushed onto the cuju field.

  "Medicine... medicine! I want medicine!" Liu Yan fell from mid-air, but instead of feeling pain, he was convulsing and shouting "medicine" non-stop.

  At first glance, he thought that Liu Yan must have had a relapse of his opium addiction. He immediately rushed forward and shouted loudly at the person who was still in a daze: "What are you still stunned for? Quickly call the doctor! Call the doctor quickly!"

  After finishing speaking, Zheng Yao immediately bent down and lifted Liu Yan up with one hand, letting him lie in his own arms, and made some adjustments to his breathing.

  "Medicine! You have medicine, give... give it to me! Hurry up and give it to me!" Liu Yan saw that Zheng Yao was holding his familiar bottle, and he excitedly said, his two hands trembling with excitement as if he wanted to snatch the bottle from Zheng Yao's hand.

  In his heart, however, he was in a state of utter turmoil. If he were to give the Spirit Revival Pill to Liu Yan, Liu Yan might show some improvement, but this was by no means a solution to the root problem.

  "Give it to me!" Just as Zheng Yao was considering whether or not to give Liu Yan the medicine, Liu Yan suddenly used force and directly snatched the bottle from Zheng Yao's hand, leaving him unprepared.

  "Not allowed!" Just as Yao was about to come back to his senses, he quickly snatched the medicine bottle back.

  But ——

  Suddenly, a hand emerged and snatched the medicine bottle away. The person was none other than Xiao Xi. Xiao Xi must have also practiced martial arts, and it seemed that he was even stronger than Zheng Yao. With the medicine bottle in hand, he opened the lid, and without saying another word, he poured out a pill for Liu Yan to take.

  "What's going on? Who can tell me what's going on? And, he's like this now, why don't you give him medicine yet!" At this time, Ning An rushed forward and saw clearly that Zheng Yao was using his hand to grab the medicine bottle from Liu Yan's hand, as if not letting Liu Yan take the medicine.

  It's this woman again!

  Zheng Yao was indeed in a difficult situation, and even jumping into the Yellow River couldn't wash it clean. However, he didn't make any excuses and instead said: "You barbarian woman, nothing good ever happens when I meet you! You'll be the death of him!"

  Facing this, Zheng Yao's anger in his heart was so intense that he couldn't help but want to slap Ning An and Xiao Xi immediately. At this time, Yuan Haiyun rushed over with big strides from the other half of the field, "Is there a need for another doctor here?"

  Yuan Haiyun immediately squatted down and took Liu Yan's pulse.

  "Master Liu's complexion is weak, this isn't just a matter of one or two days, I think Master Liu has been relying on medicine to sustain himself. Hmm? This is..." Yuan Haiyun seemed to have caught onto something.

  "That's right, this is the Divine Power Pill." Zheng Yao said with some difficulty. He understood that if he didn't say it himself, then with Yuan Haiyun and other doctors diagnosing and treating him, they would soon discover what the black pill was. It was all the same whether he spoke early or late, so he might as well clarify things now.

  "What's Shen Li Wan?" The people around looked at Zheng Yao with a shocked expression. These people who didn't understand medicine, how would they know what Shen Li Wan was? Ning An was the most shocked, as if questioning Zheng Yao to give a reasonable explanation.

  "Shen Li Wan is a medicine." Yuan Haiyun said calmly.

  Ning An suddenly said with dissatisfaction: "Right! Look, he's a doctor, and he says that Shen Li Wan is a kind of medicine. But you won't let Master Liu take it. What are you thinking? You say..."

  "Shut up! You're a barbaric woman! What do you know?!" Just as Yao was about to get angry, he suddenly let out a loud shout, and Ning An and Xiao Xi were both startled by this stern rebuke. Unconsciously, they both shut their mouths, and the two of them had never seen this fool's angry face before.

  "This Divine Power Pill, although it's a medicine, is only used in certain specific places and the dosage must be very small each time. It must be taken according to the doctor's orders, otherwise, it will lead to unimaginable consequences." Yuan Haiyun continued, gradually, everyone slowed down their breathing, looking like this Divine Power Pill was indeed extraordinary.

  "That's right, to put it bluntly, this Divine Power Pill is just a diluted version of the Five Minerals Powder!" Zheng Yao continued.

  As soon as this was said, it shocked the people around. Shen Li Wan didn't know, but Wu Shi San was notorious on the streets. This forbidden medicine, known as a human devil, made ordinary people shudder at the mere mention of it.

  That's right, Wu Shi San is a poisonous drug. Once you're addicted, even if you have a lot of money wrapped around your waist, even if you are in a high position, you may be ruined by that bloodthirsty poison, and lose everything. This is not a joke, so ordinary people usually don't dare to touch it at all.

  "What Zheng Yao said is correct, Liu Gongzi's body is weak and lacks energy, he can only rely on the divine power pill refined from the diluted Wushi San to maintain his sub-healthy physique. If he stops taking the medicine once, it will be like just now, with a lack of strength throughout his body and convulsions all over. However, Liu Gongzi has not overdosed at present, if he has determination, he can definitely get rid of the devil's claws." Yuan Haiyun's words caused another stir among the audience.

  Just then, the surroundings began to buzz with discussion, and the entire competition came to a halt. Meanwhile, Ning An and Xiao Xi on the side looked embarrassed, this time unexpectedly not scolding Zheng Yao, but instead feeling that they had been too impulsive just now.

  Just as the whole field was in an uproar, suddenly saw the host of this competition, Du Shuijian Huang Tingyong, walking over with a serious face, and naturally, he was accompanied by Guan Dao, the county magistrate of Guan County.

  At this time, Guan Dao was also pale with rage. His own official position was not as high as that of the Water Control Officer Huang Daren, who was equivalent to a governor-general. Naturally, he had no right to speak and could only glare at his useless son Guan Zhen in anger.

  "Although the game is not over yet and Hsi West team is leading by a big margin, since someone from Hsi West team has taken banned drugs, I hereby declare that the winner of this match is... Hsi East team!"

  Huang Tingyong loudly declared, believing that no one present could not hear. As soon as the result was announced, it immediately caused a commotion around, with some people thinking it should be so, others thinking the penalty was too severe, and others thinking it should be replayed. Some were secretly booing, and for a time, the scene became even more chaotic.

  "Alright! The competition has ended, now let's start the awards ceremony!" After finishing speaking, Huang Tingyong immediately turned around and headed towards the rostrum.

  At this time, Liu Yan had fully recovered and suddenly pushed Zheng Yao away. He buried his head and rushed out of the court like a Spanish bull, disappearing from sight in an instant.

  "It's all your good deeds!" Ning An saw Liu Yan not say a word, turned around and walked away. Suddenly, he also had fire in his chest, pointed at Zheng Yao with one hand, swung his arm, shouted loudly, and chased after him in anger.

  Zheng Yao stood alone on the spot, staring at the medicine bottle on the ground, but his heart was uneasy.

  "Was it really something I did wrong?"

  A confused look in his eyes, he scratched his head and asked himself repeatedly, but couldn't figure it out. He looked around again, only to see others rushing to the stage to receive their awards, and since staying longer was pointless, he turned around and left.