Chapter 6: Negotiation

Juliana's soft lips moved as she spoke, like a feather gently brushing Harlan's lips. That gentle tickle spread from his lips all the way to his heart. Harlan was distracted. At that very moment, Juliana struck him hard with her knee. "Ouch!" As soon as Harlan's crotch was hit, his face turned pale, his hand strangling Juliana loosened, and he bent over in pain. "Juliana!" shouted Harlan, covering his crotch and gritting his teeth. He had never been defeated by anyone before, let alone by a woman. But today, he had already lost to her twice! Juliana was already sitting on the sofa, playing with the fork in her hand, raising her eyes to look at him blandly: "I'm the only one who can give you the cure for the poison. Are you sure you want to kill me?" She had brought this fork up with her after dinner to defend herself. Harlan looked at her coldly: "This is how you detoxify me?" Juliana glanced down at Harlan's hand covering his crotch. It showed how hard she had hit him just now. Juliana: "You can be a little more pure-minded. The poison I'm talking about is not the aphrodisiac, but the neurotoxin in your body." Old Mr. Wood had not put aphrodisiacs in Harlan's food. Harlan stood up straight despite the pain and looked at Juliana with dark eyes coldly. Juliana, not afraid of him, looked up and met his eyes: "Your mania, insomnia, and dreaminess come from the neurotoxins in your body." "You'll die within a year if your poison is not detoxified." Harlan stepped forward and stood in front of Juliana, his tall figure looming over her like a small mountain. He looked down at her coldly: "You're not Juliana!" Everyone said that Harlan was a crazy and violent person since he was twelve years old. And the doctor concluded that he would not live to be twenty-eight years old. But others did not know that Harlan had difficulty falling asleep and that he had nightmares once he fell asleep. It could only be controlled with medication, but the more medication was used, the worse the effect was. Harlan's health was getting worse and he had not slept for three days this time. Therefore, it was strange for Juliana to know that he did not sleep but dreamed a lot. Juliana raised her eyes to look at him: "Does it matter? It only matters that I can detoxify you, doesn't it?" Harlan did not say anything but only looked at her coldly. His sharp eyes seemed to see her through. Juliana did not avert her gaze but calmly met his eyes. Her slanted eyes were pretty and were as bright as the stars in the dim light. Harlan couldn't help but believe her because of her frankness. But still, he questioned her, "My family has found the world's best doctors for me, but none of them can cure me. Can you, a young lady who has neither learning nor skill, do that?" Juliana looked up at him, "You're assuming I can't without trying?" Harlan: "How?" Juliana said softly: "I need some medicinal materials and silver needles. I will make you sleep well without dreaming, how about it?" Harlan stared coldly at Juliana and finally nodded his head after a while: "Okay." There was something about her that made him trust her. Juliana: "I need cortex albizia, jujube seeds, polygala root..." Harlan wrote down the medicines she needed as she read them out and Harlan's face darkened when she got to the last one. He looked at her coldly: "Deer pizzles?"