Strange Liquid

His next sentence was spoken in a hushed whisper. "Otherwise, we'll have to pack up and flee tonight!" Naturally, He Chunhua standing nearby still caught it and slapped a hand over his forehead. Knowing what hung in the balance, Lingguang leaped over to the old bull's side. The creature was foaming green at the mouth, its four limbs thrashing ceaselessly. Lingguang pulled open one of the bull's eyelids to examine it. "The red veins in its eyes have faded. It seems that after passing through two hands, the drug's effect on it has grown markedly weaker. That's great news. Hmm, let me draw some blood and see." He Lingchuan could not help cursing under his breath. "Weaker" was a relative concept. The mad bull's antics just now were clearly the result of a massive high; had it gulped down just a bit more green sap, it probably would have swum across the river to wreck the Xunzhou camp! If all three hundred bulls were like that... Hmm? That thought seemed rather remarkable. While the hornbill, carrying Zhao Pan's earnest entreaties, flew over to the bull chieftain with apologies, assurances, and soothing words, Lingguang used a hollow reed to draw a little bit of blood from the bull on the ground. Roughly two jin or so. Then it began adding ingredients to the bull's blood with a flurry of fierce, lightning-fast motions. Everyone present, He Lingchuan included, stared dumbfounded, their eyes barely able to keep up with the ape's blurring hands. The herd of savage bulls gathered around, stamping their hooves irritably. He Lingchuan even saw Lingguang dip a finger into the concocted blood and pop it into its own mouth to taste. "Hey..." He rushed forward and grabbed Lingguang. If even the medicine ape went mad, he truly had no idea how they would ever clean up this mess. Fortunately, Lingguang proved reliable this time. After smacking its lips for a few seconds to savor the taste, it leaped and danced with joy. "Done, done! I figured it out!" The He father and son, along with their subordinates, breathed a long sigh of relief. Then Lingguang set about brewing the medicine. It was trembling violently, spilling half the liquid over the sides. He Lingchuan felt his temper flare. "Can you stop shaking?" "I can't!" Lingguang's entire body was shuddering. "I've been hit by it too; the drug hasn't worn off yet." It was already exercising supreme self-restraint by not following its ape instincts to howl at the top of its lungs, dash into the woods, and fling branches at the crowd. Zhao Pan's army physician, having watched from the side for a long while, hurried forward. "Let me." Lingguang called the shots while the physician handled the work; monkey and man coordinated with surprising harmony. At last, the potion was prepared. Under the glare of hundreds of bovine eyes, the physician poured the concoction down the fallen bull's throat. After a mere dozen breaths, the bull's frenzy was subdued. It lowed several times, and its four limbs stopped flailing. The hornbill perched on its horns, acting as a simultaneous interpreter. "It has regained its senses. No need to keep it tied up." He Lingchuan untied its ropes. The bull struggled to its feet, took two trembling steps, but couldn't keep its balance and slumped back down, panting. "Give it some time to recover." Lingguang signaled a soldier to fetch a bucket of fresh water and set it beside the bull. "It should be fine now." "All right, all right, nothing to see here!" The officers stepped forward to disperse the onlookers. The bull chieftain came over to inspect, and once satisfied that its comrade was out of danger, it shook its head and led its herd back to graze. Zhao Pan's expression relaxed as well. Looking at He Lingchuan, he said, "Since you redeemed your blunder with a cure, I'll spare you punishment out of respect for Master He. From now on, no more nonsense in my camp!" He Lingchuan nodded hastily, while the medicine ape beside him gulped down a dose of the medicine as well. The disturbance finally blew over. After a few reprimands, He Chunhua let the matter drop, even patting He Lingchuan on the shoulder before leaving. "When I shoved you forward earlier to let General Zhao do as he pleased with you, it was only because I knew full well he wouldn't actually do anything." Seeing his eldest son curl his lip in impatient disdain, He Chunhua took no offense. Clasping his hands behind his back, he departed with Wu Shaoyi and the others. Watching his father's receding back, He Lingchuan felt the old man seemed quite cheerful, even warmer toward him. Cheerful about what? Happy that his son had stirred up trouble—that He Lingchuan was still the same old He Lingchuan after all? Come to think of it, ever since transmigrating into this world, the trouble and blunders "He Lingchuan" caused had visibly dwindled. Could He Chunhua have grown so accustomed to his son's antics that seeing him well-behaved actually made him uncomfortable? He Lingchuan shook the strange thought from his mind and carried Lingguang back to his tent. The rock wolf was already there, joyfully gnawing on a tattered leather strap scavenged from who-knew-where. The scoundrel had hidden itself remarkably well, nowhere to be seen when the savage bull went on its rampage. He Lingchuan truly wanted to ask: what was the point of having a wolf bodyguard? After taking the medicine, Lingguang had lost all its energy, slumping limply across the table. "What exactly is the deal with Dong Rui's medicine?" He Lingchuan recalled the question they had started with. After all that commotion, they still hadn't arrived at an answer. Lingguang looked utterly exhausted, retaining barely enough strength to speak. "The primary ingredient in Dong Rui's medicine was likely diluted and compounded beforehand." He Lingchuan froze. "He already diluted it once?" Dong Rui had diluted it once, and Lingguang had diluted it another hundredfold; after passing through two hands, it could still cause a wutong tree to grow uncontrollably. And the savage bull had merely ingested a bit of the tree's sap—not even swallowing more than a few leaves—and went stark raving mad! "Just how potent was the raw ingredient of that primary medicine?" "It should be..." Lingguang paused. "Though I couldn't definitively categorize it, based on my observations, it's very likely a kind of blood." "Blood?" He Lingchuan could hardly believe it. "Blood that flowed from some kind of creature?" "Not necessarily flowed—it could have been extracted..." Lingguang muttered weakly. "Yes, it must be blood. I swear by my thirteen years as an alchemist." "A tiny bit of blood, diluted multiple times, and it still holds such power?" He Lingchuan was baffled. "Could it be from an ancient divine beast, or a true immortal?" "I'm not sure either; after all, I've never tested the blood of a divine beast," Lingguang shook its head. "However, every biological organism I tested showed a violent rejection reaction to it. That's why one rabbit grew three rumps, and the wutong's bark turned purplish-blue. These changes that defy natural traits happened because their bodies were invaded and damaged, mutating in response to severe stress." He Lingchuan's gaze shifted slightly. "Just like the ghost ape and the werewolf under Dong Rui, and that monstrous bird?" The ghost ape could sprout a second pair of eyes behind its head and an extra pair of arms from its back—four eyes and four arms. Not to mention that staggering defense. As for the werewolf, it had completely broken free from the lupine form, shifting toward a human posture. That ran directly counter to natural laws. Lingguang pondered before adding, "And because the mutation was too violent, all my test subjects couldn't endure it and died quickly. Looking at it more deeply, it acts as a deadly poison to most living creatures." "So it could also be a kind of toxin?" Lingguang considered it. "I still lean toward it being blood, only with an overwhelmingly powerful catalytic effect on living things. Or to put it the other way around, the test subjects were simply too weak." "Yet the savage bull and you survived, which proves its potency diminishes as it's passed along," He Lingchuan mused. "Dong Rui likely unraveled its mysteries long ago, allowing him to effectively govern the mutations of his demon puppets—making them stronger rather than killing them. Hmm, where on earth did he get his hands on such stuff?" This was probably the core secret of a demon puppet master. "Give me a little more time," Lingguang blinked. "I believe the formula can be refined further. Perhaps Master can even put it to use in battle down the road." "If I use this in battle, will I end up like you afterward?" Like a quadriplegic. "...Which is why it needs refinement," Lingguang wheezed faintly. "Right now, my internal organs are burning as if being boiled alive." "Bring water!" He Lingchuan called toward the tent entrance out of habit. "Maotao, bring water..." Midway through his call, he suddenly froze. The rock wolf looked up as well, staring intently at him. He Lingchuan fell silent. Just then, Shan Youjun poked his head inside and asked, "Master, did you want water?" He went to pour a cup of hot water, and He Lingchuan supported the monkey as he slowly fed it to him. Lingguang was at a loss for words as well. Once it finished drinking, He Lingchuan fetched a blanket, covered the ape, and said softly, "Go to sleep." What an ordeal of a day. He stepped out of the tent, stretched his limbs, and looked up at the sky full of stars. He opened the window, and a blast of frigid air hit him in the face. He Lingchuan poked his head outside, only for a clump of white snow to fall from a treetop and smack right onto his forehead with a soft thud. "Brr, so cold." Even on the front lines of Xiazhou, the frozen earth had already thawed and the rivers rushed swiftly once more, yet here the cold remained biting. From this alone, he knew he had returned to the Panlong dreamscape. He hadn't dreamed in quite a few days. The air of deep winter was always crisp and clean, chilling one to the core with a single breath. For some reason, every time He Lingchuan entered the dreamscape, he felt exceptionally lucid. There were no missions today, so he intended to seize the time to cultivate. After many days on the march in reality, he had fallen behind on his exercises. He was also planning to go out and look for a good saber. Last time he hunted monsters in the city, the creature's hide had been so tough that the long saber he redeemed from the Pengcheng Office broke, leaving him without a handy weapon to this day. Yet when his hand habitually brushed against his waist, he froze. Wait! This texture? He Lingchuan looked down. It was actually the familiar hilt and scabbard—the very set he saw every day, every waking hour in reality. The treasured saber Fusheng hung at his waist. He drew the blade inch by inch, and its latent luster bloomed along with it. It truly was Fusheng! Was he dreaming? Wait, he was already in a dream. He Lingchuan drew the prized saber fully and flourished it through the air. Mmh, it still responded to him as naturally as his own arm, just like in reality. That telepathic, effortless thrill wasn't diminished in the slightest—a sensation no weapon he had ever wielded in the dream could match. Did this treasure suddenly follow him into the dream because he had reforged the broken saber and renamed it? Or was it because of his wish last time to find a replacement weapon in the dream as soon as possible? Either way, having his handiest treasure appear was like giving wings to a tiger. He flicked the blade with his finger and asked the saber, "Did you know I was in need of a good weapon?" The blade answered with a resonant hum. The chilly wind howled into the room; it was far too cold. Just as He Lingchuan was about to shut the window, he suddenly heard a strange sound. *Click, click, click.* Three sharp snaps in succession, like someone clicking a clicker.