It was only when she was dragging me out that I realized that I was unable to move my body.
Despite the negligible force Pu Lao had exerted earlier, my limbs were broken.
The wind fox brought me down to a single room in the bas.e.m.e.nt and threw me onto the bed.
The adrenaline started to wear off and I felt pain returning to my body.
"I can"t. I need the hospital," I groaned out.
"Hospital? Do you really think you can leave this place?" the fox sneered.
The pain was becoming unbearable. "It hurts so much! I"m going to die!"
The wind fox let out a groan like I was the one being unreasonable before exiting the room, closing the door behind her.
Only my brain was active.
I looked around the room.
It was plain and simple.
I tried moving a hand and discovered that I had no strength to do so.
Pu Lao had merely pushed me onto the ground.
I experienced a whole new level of fear as I imagined how easily he could"ve killed me.
I recalled his words. Pa.s.s his test and I"ll be safe.
Fail and I"ll be put on display for the rest of my life.
I was curious, however, about what animal he would turn me into.
But of course, it was ideal that I do not become a part of this fake zoo.
It was brilliant of him, though. There were wild dogs all around town.
This fake zoo attracted a high volume of tourists and it was clearly a profitable business. It was no wonder Pu Lao had such a large influence.
What he said about dragons possessing a certain att.i.tude... does he really regard me as a dragon?
Tao Tie did offer me a piece of his soul. Could that be the reason?
Something else came to mind.
Previously, as the wind fox was about to attack me, I had heard a frail old voice advising me.
And the wind fox was indeed afraid of my roar.
Perhaps that roar contained some dragon breath that could subdue demons?
I started roaring.
Nothing in the room changed.
All I heard was a voice coming from outside: "Why are you howling? It"s so noisy!"
I turned my head slowly toward the door as an ancient doctor-like young fellow walked in.
He had white hair and he was dressed in a white gown. He put his medicine box down.
"Who are you?" I asked anxiously.
"Looks like you"re enduring the pain well. You, youngsters, are st.u.r.dy, indeed. I should"ve eaten before coming since it looked like an hour"s wait wouldn"t kill you, anyway."
"Youngster? You look much younger than me. Do you think you"re all that great just because you"re dressed like Ning Caichen? Get lost! Go find your little lover!" I yelled in anger.
"Ning Caichen? A long time ago, when I was treating him, he did ask if he could write me into a book," he mused.
Pu Songling? The writer of Strange Tales from a Chinese Studio? Treating?
I calmed down instantly, figuring out that those working for Pu Lao weren"t normal humans.
Which era was Pu Songling from? And what about this young man?
"Are you going to treat me, brother? Hurry, please." I was suffering beyond belief and I really couldn"t care less about his treating methods right now.
"What an att.i.tude, young man! Don"t you know that even that old fellow, Pu Lao, won"t utter a word even if you die under my care?"
Pu Lao can"t do anything to this fellow?
I thought about probing. This young doctor was definitely an old demon.
Treating patients? Treated Pu Songling?
The most powerful ancient doctor? The Legend of the Divine Farmer?
"Hey, do you know the Divine Farmer?" I asked.
The doctor rolled out a white cloth with all kinds of needles placed neatly on top.
"Divine Farmer?"
"Yeah, him."
Water filled his eyes immediately and tears started rolling down his face.
I was stunned.
"Do you know who wrote the first-ever book about herbs and medicine?" he managed as endless tears continued flowing down.
"You"re talking about Yellow Emperor"s Internal Canon and Divine Farmer"s Compendium of Materia Medica?" I clarified. Thankfully, I had been exposed to medical books back in the temple.
"They were written by the same person," he explained before wiping his tears with his sleeves.
The Yellow Emperor is also the Divine Farmer?
"You"re saying they"re the same person?"
"No. Divine Farmer is a group of people."
" Divine Farmer is a group of people?" I repeated.
"The Legend of the Divine Farmer? Do you really think you humans can test so many species of plants for poison and not die? There are 25 of them who sacrificed their lives to compile a record. Only three survived after the list was sufficient for publishing," he explained.
The words that I was about to say turned into a high-pitched screech.
He had just stuck a needle right into my inner thigh.
"You"re telling me that Divine Farmer is made up of 25 individuals and that both books were written by one person? But weren"t there 25?" I asked between breaks because it hurt so badly.
"Because they"re accepting orders from one person," he answered, his tears still continuing to flow.
"Yellow Emperor?"
It seemed as though the mere mention of the Yellow Emperor would open the floodgates.
Who was this Yellow Emperor, exactly?
He injected the second needle into my right arm. By now, I had little needles all over my body.
A tear fell onto my body. As I felt the warmth of it, he started reciting an ancient poem:
The Emperor patrols the East Ocean and ascends Soapberry Mountain to reach the sh.o.r.e where the white marsh beast resides.
He asks about all supernatural things of the world, but as the white marsh beast tells simply, ancient energy essence has turned into matter a nd wandering spirits into infinite mutations.
The beast then urges him to share it with the world with imagery and words, which he does, through this song.
I eyed the young doctor up and down and exclaimed in shock, "You"re White Marsh, Baize!"
"You"ve made me recall a lot, young man. I was good friends with Yellow Emperor. A pity he was human and had to depart from this world when his time was up." He wiped his eyes with his sleeves once again.
My body was now covered with needles and I was still unable to move.
Baize bent down and took out a bottle from his medicine box.
There was a puff of black smoke squirming within.
"What is that?" I shouted.
"This is good stuff. A piece of Pu Lao"s soul. I"ve been wanting to exchange something for it but to no avail, yet he"s giving it to you for free."
"What are you trying to do?" I asked nervously.
"This has been in his body all along, and because his body is abnormally strong, it is not something ordinary monsters could swallow. It will be harder for you since you"re half human," he said, ignoring my question.
"Are you really going to put this in my body?"
Baize smiled. "Why? Don"t you believe me? I"m the holy physician, Baize. No one would dare claim to be the first even if I claimed second."
"Why don"t you take the first spot, then?" I mocked.
Baize raised his head, his tears streaming generously down his cheeks.
He cried out, "The first? Uncle Yellow Emperor deserves to be the first!"
Having lived tens of thousands of years disguising as a young fellow, Baize was filled with deep emotions as he called out the ancestor"s name.
He lowered his head slowly and opened the bottle.
He inverted the bottle and grabbed the black substance in his hand before stuffing it into my mouth.
He held it firmly against my mouth.
I felt something going crazy within my body. It was difficult to bear.
It was totally different from when Tao Tie gave me a piece of his soul.
I felt swollen and bloated.
With a bitter smile, Baize relayed, "Pu Lao said you"ll get your freedom if you pa.s.s this test. If you fail, you"ll become paralyzed and he will take care of you, as an animal, for the rest of your life. Someone will feed you every day and you can just lie around. He"s already decided that you"ll be a sloth."
I wanted to speak up but I can"t.
Baize kept his hand on my mouth.
At least one of my questions was answered. I would be a sloth.
Indeed, since I wouldn"t be able to move at all.
Amidst of my suffering, a frail old voice fell upon my ears. "Couple strength with gentleness. Resist it and it will do the same but worse."
Baize sighed, "So Tao Tie left a piece of soul with you. You must"ve saved the world in your previous life. Why else would everyone be so eager to help you?"
I didn"t take much of his words in as I was preoccupied with that old voice.
Couple strength with gentleness?
I shouldn"t resist? Won"t I die if I don"t, though?
Not having much choice, I loosened my limbs and imagined myself as a sloth, naked and hugging a tree.
As soon as I relaxed, I felt the pain being reduced slightly.
Baize took his hand off and I could finally breathe in some fresh air.
A puff of black smoke rose from my mouth before making its way in soon after.
My stomach was churning and my limbs were tensed.
Baize walked toward the door and opened it.
I saw the wind fox standing outside.
"Is it done, sir?"
Baize nodded. "The rest is up to him. Remember to get your master to pay me for those needles."
"Of course," the wind fox rea.s.sured.
It was then that I realized that those needles were still on my body.
But I could actually move.
My first reaction was to grab the needles, but I discovered that they were entering my body bit by bit.
With my right hand, I tried grabbing the end of a long needle.
Baize turned around. "Wanna take it out? Don"t wanna live anymore?"
Helpless, I let go and watched as the needle slowly entered my body.
This... am I going turning into Wolverine during security checks?
"I know what you"re thinking. Wolverine? What a joke. If you had taken the needle out, you would really have become a sloth. You gotta learn how to count your blessings."
He could read minds? Strange.
I tried to organize my thoughts.
Thoughts about Yellow Emperor, Divine Farmer, and all that Baize had said.
You"ve made me recall a lot, young man.
In that case, he must"ve read that I was trying to figure out his relationship with Yellow Emperor.
I see.
I stared at him as he left the room.
The wind fox came in and commented, "To think you were trying to take it out."
"What are these nonsensical needles, exactly?" I asked with much effort.
"Nonsensical? These are the green dragon"s beard. It takes the dragon a hundred years to grow a centimeter. Yes, he likes gambling, but do you know how difficult it was to get him to use his beard as collateral? That set of needles cost my master half his fortune," the wind fox rambled.
My swollen body started to return to its original state but it was burning hot.
I quickly removed my clothes and felt much better.
I could move nimbly now.
The moment I took my clothes off, I saw the green needles moving about non-stop.
They appeared and disappeared at times as did the green veins in my body.
I even noticed a green dragon tattoo surfacing on my skin, extending from the front of my body to the whole of my back.
It trembled from time to time like a live creature.
"What is this?" I asked worriedly, although it was pretty bizarre and exceptionally cool-looking.
"Quit boasting. Do you think your body can block off my master"s soul? Although the green dragon is considered a mixed breed, it is already beyond humans." The wind fox touched my body before grabbing me forcefully by my chest.
I looked into the wind fox"s eyes. She didn"t mean it when she said my body was weak and inferior.
She released me. "Put your clothes on. You"ll stay here for a month and Teacher Baize will teach you some manners and etiquettes. I"ll be settling your expenses."
"Can I give my family a call?" I asked.
She waved her hand. "As you wish."
"Can I ask a question first?"
"As you wish," she repeated.
"Where did Baize come from and why is he here?" I asked curiously.
"He"s our veterinarian. He treats our sick animals."
"He treats the dogs when they fall ill?" I asked, surprised.
"Say it one more time and see what happens," she warned.
I shut my mouth instantly.
"Should"ve gotten Teacher Baize to set you straight," she scoffed and left the room.
I was left alone, still bedridden.
I contemplated for a long time before pulling out my phone and giving Master a call to explain the situation.
Of course, I fabricated a story and said that Zhao Bayi had me stay on as a guest.
I also informed him that I would be back a month later.
I even hid the fact that Senior was in the hospital and lied that he was with me.
Master chided us for being rebellious kids and accused us of trying to form our own establishment.
I could only laugh and explain that only dummies would refuse free lodging and money.
Master grudgingly agreed and reminded me to bring the other half of Zhao Bayi"s fees home.