Cultivation is Just That Scientific - Chapter 1: Coercion

“Don’t make a sound, or I’ll kill you!”

A hoarse voice sounded next to his ear, and Li Shiming felt a slight sting on the back of his neck.

He was being held by a sharp weapon!

He never would have thought that while walking in the back garden of the Nanjing Prefecture’s yamen, inside his own family’s estate, he would be taken hostage.

“Don’t do anything foolish. I don’t want to hurt you. I just need you to help me with something!” the hoarse voice continued.

Li Shiming dared not move. As the person behind him drew closer, a thick smell of bl00d filled his nostrils.

The man behind him seemed pleased with Li Shiming’s cooperation; there was no impulsive reaction of a typical scholar. If he had any other choice, he wouldn’t have resorted to threatening the prefect’s son.

“What do you want me to do?” Li Shiming asked in a steady voice, calming his mind.

“Young Master Li, before you help me, swallow this pill first!” the man behind him said, withdrawing his weapon.

A bl00d-stained hand then presented a black pill next to Li Shiming’s head.

Hearing the man call out his name, Li Shiming’s heart trembled. If the person dared to abduct him knowing his identity, he was either someone desperate or someone absolutely confident in his plan.

Though the sting on his neck had disappeared, he still didn’t dare resist. This body was only that of a fifteen-year-old scholar. In two lifetimes, aside from the simple exercises in his previous life’s school, he hadn’t learned any combat skills.

He took the pill from the bl00d-stained hand and swallowed it without looking closely.

Of course, he wasn’t foolish enough to actually ingest an unknown pill. At the moment he “swallowed” it, with a thought, he stored the pill in the server room space.

The server room space — a space that had traveled with him during his transmigration.

Three days ago, when he realized he had transmigrated, he discovered that his university library’s server room had, through some bizarre means, become part of him.

As long as Li Shiming thought about the server room space, his consciousness could enter it.

At the core of the server room space was a large IBM z15 server housed in four server racks. Beside them was a specialized uninterruptible power supply (UPS), and a toolbox with maintenance tools on the other side.

Due to the UPS having no power, the IBM z15 server was just decoration.

However, he found that the server room space could function as a storage space. He could store any objects he came into contact with inside.

Seeing Li Shiming swallow the pill, the man behind him finally breathed a sigh of relief.

Having Li Shiming’s identity made things much easier. If anyone else tried to buy what he needed, they might attract suspicion. But no one would question Li Shiming, no matter what he purchased.

“Young Maste Li, the pill you took is called the Three-Day Soul-Breaking Pill (三日断魂丸). If you don’t take the antidote within three days, your body will rot, and you’ll die. Don’t think of finding a physician. Even if you gave the method to Nanjing Prefecture’s most skilled doctor, they wouldn’t be able to create the antidote in time!” The sound of a sword being sheathed came from behind, followed by the hoarse voice.

“Can I turn around? I’m not comfortable talking to someone like this,” Li Shiming said in a deep voice.

“Young Master has guts!” the man behind him praised and stepped back.

Li Shiming turned around to see a middle-aged man missing his left arm, with the stump still bandaged and bl00d faintly seeping through.

Li Shiming quickly recalled the major case his servant Mo Yan had mentioned. Yesterday, at the Tianxiang Tower (天香楼 – Heavenly Fragrance Tower), a man in white had killed seven escorts from the Weiyuan Escort Agency (威远镖局), and only Chief Escort Wang (王总镖头) had escaped.

More importantly, Chief Escort Wang had lost his left arm during his escape.

“Chief Escort Wang, can you tell me what you need me to do?” Li Shiming asked calmly.

Being identified didn’t surprise Chief Escort Wang much.

As the prefect’s son, it was natural for Li Shiming to know about major incidents like the one at Tianxiang Tower.

“I bear no personal grudge against you. As long as you help me, I swear to the heavens that I will give you the antidote. Poisoning you was a last resort!” Chief Escort Wang bowed his head slightly, his face showing genuine apology.

Li Shiming’s heart remained unmoved. Having lived two lifetimes, he understood human nature all too well.

Regardless of Chief Escort Wang’s reasons, the fact remained that he had poisoned him.

“This is a prescription. Please buy the herbs and prepare the medicine, then bring it here. I trust you’re smart enough not to tamper with it. If there’s anything wrong with the medicine, I’ll know immediately, and you’ll never get the antidote to the Three-Day Soul-Breaking Pill!” Chief Escort Wang handed Li Shiming an old piece of paper, his tone threatening.

The paper was worn and detailed the quantities and ages of various herbs, along with instructions for preparation.

“Some of these herbs will take time to procure. I’ll do my best to deliver the medicine tonight,” Li Shiming said, glancing at the prescription.

According to his memories, some herbs on the list were very rare. Even with the influence of his family, gathering them would take time.

Though the Three-Day Soul-Breaking Pill didn’t threaten him, he still needed to keep up the act.

“Fine, I’ll wait behind the rock garden!” Chief Escort Wang knew the herbs weren’t easy to obtain; otherwise, he wouldn’t have gone to such lengths.

“I hope you keep your word, Chief Escort Wang!” Li Shiming pocketed the prescription and gave him a deep look.

With that, he turned and walked away. Chief Escort Wang watched him leave, admiration flashing in his eyes.

But admiration quickly turned to murderous intent. No matter what, he couldn’t let Li Shiming live. He had completely offended him. Even if he gave up the antidote, once the prefect found out, not even nine lives would save him.