Chapter 2257: The Miao Border Youth Fiercely Loves 20

Grand Ceremony.

The torches on the altar cast the blue‑stone floor in flickering light, Nan Yixing stood at the very front of the crowd, his fingertips unconsciously rubbing the tassels on his medicine pouch.

When Jin Chen walked over in the Holy Son's robes, his breath caught involuntarily.

The silver‑threaded Hundred Gu pattern appeared and disappeared on the deep‑purple robe, the silver ornaments glittering, scattering fine light with his steps and producing a clear tinkling sound.

A silver ornament tied across the youth's forehead, with a red ruby hanging at the brow, making him look ever more captivating.

"My goodness, the young master is really handsome." Chu Wan sighed behind Nan Yixing.

As Jin Chen passed by, the silver bell chain lightly brushed the back of Nan Yixing's hand.

Only then did he realize he had been staring, lowering his eyes, yet he saw Jin Chen step over the fire altar, his ankles likewise wrapped with silver bells that glowed eerily in the firelight.

【Well, the Main God has been stealing glances at you again and again; he must be utterly smitten with you!】

Ling Gun Gun naturally wouldn't miss such a chance; after sighing, it clung to Jin Chen's shoulder, looking down on the villagers.

He didn't forget to make room for the Red Snake.

Jin Chen tipped back and drained the holy wine; those below looked up and thought it was even more blazing than the fiercest mandara of the Miao Borderlands.

"Place the crown—" the elder and high priest stood to the side as witnesses, while the Miao King personally conducted the rite.

The silver crown pressed onto Jin Chen's braid, but the falling bead curtain could not hide the light in his eyes.

The torches on the altar crackled, and the villagers raised their cups to share the holy wine.

Jin Chen stood on the high platform, his silver ornaments flashing in the firelight.

He held a smile at the corner of his mouth, but his gaze kept sweeping toward Nan Yixing in the crowd.

"Ah!"

Suddenly, a villager clutched his stomach and fell to his knees, crying, "No, this wine… there's something wrong with it!"

The crowd immediately erupted in an uproar.

Luo Xiao's men at once shouted in the crowd, "It's divine punishment! The mountain god of Thousand Screen Mountain does not accept this Holy Son!"

"What's going on?"

"My stomach hurts too……"

"Could it really be that the gods are displeased?"

Voices of discussion rose and fell.

Jin Chen narrowed his eyes, looking at the chaotic scene below the platform.

His Red Snake slipped silently from his sleeve, flicking its tongue to observe everything.

Ling Gun Gun realized, 【So this is the framing method.】

Jin Chen smiled, pulling at the corner of his mouth.

I had thought Luo Xiao would pull some dark trick, after all he found nothing wrong with the wine.

As it turned out, they were just using the gods as a pretext.

Whether it's the mountain villagers or their simplicity, Zero Egg couldn't imagine such a foolish scheme.

【Ga!】Ling Gun Gun smacked Jin Chen's braid with a wet slap.

The high priest furrowed his brows: "Silence! Test the wine!"

Several elderly shamans stepped forward, producing the poison‑testing tools they carried.

They inserted silver needles into the wine vat and released several gold silkworms for toxicity testing.

Moments later, the lead shaman shook his head: "There's no gu poison in the wine."

"Impossible!" a villager wailed, curled up in pain, "Then why are we all… could it really be the gods' displeasure?"

Luo Xiao stepped forward at the right moment, solemn-faced: "Perhaps… I have a way to uncover the truth."

He turned to Jin Chen, earnest: "Holy… no, Young Master, for the safety of the village, may I try?"

Jin Chen chuckled lightly, the silver bells on his wrist jingling as he raised his hand.

"Sure, go ahead."

Nan Yixing stood at the edge of the crowd, his fingers unconsciously rubbing his medicine pouch.

He noticed Bai Wan quietly stepping back, her face unusually pale.

Luo Xiao went through the motions of producing an ancient tortoise shell, muttering incantations.

Just as he was about to "cast the spell," A Si leapt out from the crowd.

"Wait, if it's not gu, maybe someone poisoned it—let Doctor Nan have a look first."

Without waiting for Luo Xiao's agreement, A Si and Jiu Tian bumped in, shoved Luo Xiao aside, and made space for Nan Yixing.

Luo Xiao: "……"

He snorted angrily: "Fine, Doctor Nan's skills are superb—maybe he can solve it."

He could solve a fart!

Luo Xiao didn't believe it—Nan Yixing could never neutralize the toxin of the Blood Gu Mother!

When Nan Yixing and Jin Chen lose face together, he'll conveniently turn today's ceremony into his own chance to shine!

Nan Yixing turned and locked eyes with Jin Chen on the altar; the latter tugged at his lips, signaling him to take the pulse.

A few seconds later, Nan Yixing told the villager, "Indeed, it's not poison."

Before Luo Xiao could even feel relieved, he heard Nan Yixing say calmly, "It's croton seed powder—there's croton in the wine."

"What?!!"

All the villagers were shocked, clutching their stomachs.

"Ooh… now that you mention it, I actually feel a bit…"

"Impossible! Nonsense!" Luo Xiao smashed the bamboo, splinters flying into the wine vat, "Nan Yixing, you're an outsider—what do you know about gu poison? How could it be croton?"

Nan Yixing's expression remained calm as he pinched the brown powder between his fingertips, "Croton bean powder mixed with realgar turns cinnabar red; this is the most basic pharmacology."

"Chu Wan, go fetch the antidote."

"Sure." Chu Wan nodded.

Luo Xiao shouted in a sharp voice, veins bulging on his forehead, "This is clearly a backlash from the mountain god!"

Jin Chen on the altar finally spoke, sounding somewhat surprised, "Luo Xiao, how do you know it's not croton bean?"

"You even brought a tortoise shell specially to cast a spell? Even the mountain god isn't as divine as you."

Luo Xiao's face changed abruptly, his fingers unconsciously moving toward the tortoise-shell magical device at his waist.

"I... I am the priest's son, naturally..."

"What a coincidence."

Jin Chen snapped his fingers, and the young master immediately hoisted a white jade gu vessel onto the altar, "I also brought something."

Luo Xiao's pupils contracted sharply, and he staggered back two steps.

"Wh... white gu mother?"

"The white gu mother can detect all gu poisons that ordinary people cannot notice!"

"But Jin Chen isn't the holy son... how could he possibly summon the white gu mother!"

The Great Elder's bronze staff struck the ground heavily, "Please have the white gu mother test for poison!"

Jin Chen lifted the vessel's lid, the wholly translucent white gu mother slowly writhed.

He scooped a ladle of sacrificial wine and poured it into the vessel; the white gu mother's tentacles immediately flailed wildly, yet produced no poisonous threads.

"Looks like just ordinary croton bean powder." Jin Chen tilted his head toward Luo Xiao, "You agree, right?"

Luo Xiao's face turned deathly pale, bean-sized beads of sweat rolling down his forehead, "Yes..."

"What's going on!"

In the crowd, Bai Wan also closed his eyes and exhaled in relief.

"Why not test that one as well?"

Jin Chen raised his hand again, his slender fingertips pointing at the wine that A San had brought out.

Luo Xiao and Bai Wan's breaths caught again.

A San immediately said, "Let me tell you, last night I saw Luo Xiao and this person from the South Gate—oh, the doctor expelled from the South Gate—skulking around the altar, which is why he switched the wine jug."

Jin Chen scooped the wine from the altar and poured it into the gu vessel.

The white gu mother immediately thrashed violently, spewing countless blood threads that coalesced into a cocoon-like shape.

The crowd erupted in an uproar.

"Blood... blood gu mother!" the villagers' legs went weak.

Jin Chen exclaimed, "Looks like someone wants to invoke the god's name..." a cold light flashed in his purple pupils, "... while actually doing harm."

The Great Elder's bronze staff pointed directly at Luo Xiao, "Wicked spawn! How dare you secretly keep living gu mother's blood!"

Luo Xiao's face was ashen, his complexion shifting like a palette—now green, now white.

The Miao King clasped his hands behind his back, "Luo Xiao... I admit I haven't treated you unfairly, yet you hate my grandson so much you'd deceive the entire village for him!"