Ch. 152 - Heartstone

Ace and King of Spades suddenly trembled, engulfed by a fear of death.

King of Spades quickly tried to explain, "Sir, I admit, we did tell a small lie. We didn't create the Type-III potion, but… its effects are real."

Ace of Spades also hurried to explain, "Sir, we meant no harm. We lied just to take credit. We didn't realize you would see through us. Actually, the basic idea of the Type-III potion comes from Zhou Qingfeng's Type-II potion.

"We stumbled upon a rare material that looked like a heart-shaped stone on the Other Side. It was a material never recorded before. By accident, the Type-II potion spilled on the stone, and it merged with the potion. After testing, we found that the Type-II potion, now infused with the heart-shaped stone, became much more potent. So, we named it Type-III.

"Since the rare material was one of a kind, it made mass production impossible. That's why we didn't report it and instead used it ourselves. After taking it, our strengths did increase significantly, but we didn't achieve a perfect physique and couldn't perfectly control the power. This is the last of the Type-III potion, and we wanted to give it to you as an apology."

Fang Xiu then understood. The two hadn't poisoned the potion but had merely hidden its origin.

Considering that the material came from the Other Side, he guessed that the Pokers organization must have a way to get there. Those people were rarely seen, likely because they went to the Other Side.

Unfortunately, Fang Xiu couldn't ask about it. Since he had just pretended to summon a monster from the Other Side, asking how to get there would surely reveal his identity.

Suddenly, a perfectly shocked expression appeared on Fang Xiu's face. He asked, "What did you just say? A heart-shaped stone?"

Ace of Spades was slightly startled, thinking that the heart-shaped stone must be important.

"Yes, sir, a heart-shaped stone. It was on top of a flower, at the very heart of the flower," he explained.

"Heartstone! I can't believe you two found such a rare material," Fang Xiu said with slight admiration. Since they didn't know what the heart-shaped stone was, he got to name the stuff whatever he liked.

Ace and King of Spades quickly noted the name "Heartstone," as if they had learned a secret.

'Mr. Fang is so knowledgeable! Being around him and getting one or two pieces of advice from him may benefit us for a lifetime!'

Then, Fang Xiu looked disappointed. "Using something as amazing as the Heartstone just to make a Type-III potion? What a waste. No wonder this potion is trash. Did you guys know that to use the Heartstone right, you need to mix it with other items with opposing properties?

"The item you mix, how much you use, the order you add them in, when you make it, and the temperature—all of it has to be just right. If not, the medicine gets all mixed up and will not reach its potential. Even a little bit of Heartstone can make the Type-II potion way better."

Hearing this, Ace and King of Spades were shocked, realizing they had made a big mistake. They had no idea how special the Heartstone was and had just wasted it. It was like they had killed a goose that laid golden eggs.

"Don't worry about it. There's still a bit of the potion left. I'll see if I can get the Heartstone out of it," Fang Xiu said, then gave them a serious look. "You two have taken the Heartstone too, right?" he asked.

After talking about getting the Heartstone out of the potion, hearing this question made them go white.

They knew what Fang Xiu was hinting at. It looked like Fang Xiu was thinking about using them to get the Heartstone back. They couldn't believe their gift had turned into such a nightmare, now making themselves part of the gift.

"Sir... We..." Ace of Spades started to stutter. He wasn't the sharpest, but he understood what Fang Xiu was suggesting.

Right then, they were too scared to even think about running away because they were too weak, so weak that they couldn't even beat Fang Xiu's 'pet.'

So, they knew trying to run away from Fang Xiu would be like asking for trouble. But if they begged well enough, maybe there was a tiny bit of hope.

Just as they were bracing for the worst, Fang Xiu said, "Never mind. You guys passed the test earlier and made it through, so I'll let it slide this time."

They felt a huge weight lift off their shoulders and started to thank him over and over.

While they were thanking him, they decided they wouldn't say a word about the Heartstone or the Type-III potion to anyone, even if it was the last thing they did.

They figured if someone as powerful as Fang Xiu could think about using them for a potion, it would be really bad news if others found out.

Seeing how they reacted, Fang Xiu knew he had made his point.

Fang Xiu made up the Heartstone story to scare Ace and King of Spades. He had a clear goal in mind; he wanted to keep the Type-III potion a secret and make sure they were scared of him. He aimed for their respect but also wanted them to keep their distance since he wasn't ready to show his true colors yet.

If he had happily taken the potion, they might have felt they had obtained his favor. That could lead to them showing off to others in their group or maybe even telling their higher-ups later.

But now, they'd likely prefer to pretend they didn't really know Fang Xiu, worried he might change his mind and decide to use them in his potion experiments.

Then, Fang Xiu gave them a sharp warning to keep quiet about him to anyone.

After giving them a way to get in touch, he told them to leave.

They nodded like crazy, promising to zip their lips.

They were seriously spooked. They wouldn't dare cross Fang Xiu, scared he'd find any reason to turn them into potion ingredients.

As for making up the whole Heartstone thing, Fang Xiu wasn't worried about it at all. They'd be too scared to ask around about Heartstone, worried it might slip out that they'd taken it. Since they wouldn't talk about it with anyone, they'd never catch on to his deception.

Long after they were gone, Fang Xiu slowly stood up from the couch. He grabbed a dark gold metal box from the table and pulled out a potion as red as blood.

He examined it closely, his mind racing.

This potion could help him sync up better with Specter. There was even a 10% chance it could tweak his body to match Specter's perfectly, giving him total control.

Fang Xiu thought for a bit, then touched his right eye and hair.

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