HTCYH Ch 14

Chapter 14: Reality (Taking Medicine)

Tu Si stared blankly at the departing back of Wuming, wanting nothing more than to turn around and jump out of the window to escape. He felt like he had completely recovered; there was no need to drink that bitter medicine anymore. Tu Si, who was tasting bitterness for the first time in his life, had no desire to try it a second time.

As he turned his head to assess possible escape routes, the corner of his eye caught sight of the cell phone and the obsidian dagger on the table. Tu Si quickly stuffed the dagger into his chest pocket, only to realize there was already an arm bone inside — his undershirt pouch was stuffed full and bulging.

He took out the arm bone and carefully inspected the marrow, scrutinizing it closely to see if there were any damages or imperfections. Finding it still smooth and lustrous without even the faintest scratch, he finally relaxed and tucked the arm bone beneath the blanket, intending to ask the kind-hearted Captain Wuming to buy him a backpack the next time he came to deliver medicine.

After hiding the arm bone, Tu Si once again picked up the black cell phone and opened the Ascension app.

Cultivator Name: Tu Si

Ascension Stage: Foundation Establishment

Experience Required for Core Formation Stage (300/1200)

Game Completion Rewards: Ascension EXP +500, Points +20, Bone Fragment (Claimed)

Game Item: Crimson Peach Blossom Sphere

Crimson Peach Blossom Sphere: Crimson, crimson — its “brilliance” outshines all heroes, irresistible charm radiates without end. Wearing this item increases one’s allure, making one loved by people and favored by all living beings.

Points Shop: Unlocked — Points (20)

When Tu Si opened the shop interface, the first thing that greeted him on the homepage was a skull priced at 2000 points, with a very simple description:

Skull: A human skull; purely ornamental.

Tu Si was silent for a moment, then looked over the other 2000-point items. All of them possessed miraculous effects or strange abilities, but this skull was simply hanging there on the homepage, blatantly meant to fleece him like some hapless leek to be harvested.

He looked at his pitiful 20 points. If each game only awarded 20 points, it would take 100 games to buy it. Considering humans have 206 bones, with the skull alone consisting of 29 bones, if the person behind the scenes were cruel enough to split the remaining bones piece by piece and scatter them throughout the game rewards, then Tu Si would never have to worry about not having 2000 points to buy a skull — he’d be stuck forever. Surely no one else would be foolish and rich enough to buy such an ornamental skull, right?

Tu Si had spent over a thousand years collecting bones; now, staring at the 2000-point skull, he strangely felt relieved. Having a target was better than searching blindly like fishing for a needle in the vast sea. Closing the phone, he burrowed into the blanket, hugged the arm bone, and went back to sleep.

Meanwhile, in the next room, Wuming, watching Tu Si’s every move through the surveillance feed, silently smiled. Then he dripped two drops of blood into a concoction of cooked coptis, bitter ginseng, and snake bile, waiting for Tu Si to wake up for his nightly feeding.

Perhaps because he was hugging the arm bone, Tu Si slept extremely well.

He felt like he was floating in a warm spring, the water enveloping him like a balloon drifting in the boundless cosmos — light and free.

No one knew how long he drifted until suddenly, the warm-spring balloon burst. Tu Si plummeted, a wave of weightlessness washing over him before he tumbled out of the dream bubble and jolted upright, legs kicking as he sat up.

Blinking, his gaze landed on Wuming, seated calmly at the bedside, holding a bowl of steaming black medicine. The bitter stench wafting from it overwhelmed even Wuming’s natural fragrance. Tu Si’s eyes widened in terror at the sight of the concoction that looked more poisonous than medicine, unconsciously scooting backward.

“You’re awake? Here, drink the medicine. It’s cooled to just the right temperature — if it cools any more, it’ll lose its efficacy. This one needs to be taken before meals; drink it, then you can eat.” Wuming’s gentle, clear voice carried a faint fragrance, echoing softly in the quiet, empty room. It was enough to make Tu Si’s hair stand on end; he looked at Wuming as if at a ghost.

“I! I! I’m fine! Really! No need to drink it! Truly!” Tu Si’s panic rose as the bowl drew nearer, every hair on his head rebelling against the black liquid. He wanted nothing more than to snatch it and hurl it out the window.

But Wuming seemed to read his mind. Just as Tu Si reached for the bowl, he withdrew it, picked up a spoon, stirred the medicine clockwise, and then scooped up a spoonful — intending to feed it to Tu Si directly.

As the spoon neared his lips, Tu Si clutched the blanket and bolted toward the corner by the window, crying out, “I! I won’t drink it! I can join the Bureau! But only if I don’t have to drink the medicine!”

He was so desperate he even tried to use joining the Bureau as a bargaining chip.

Yet Wuming’s hand was steady; despite all of Tu Si’s frantic movements, not a single drop of the full spoonful spilled.

Raising an eyebrow at Tu Si cowering in the corner, Wuming thought he looked very much like a bristling kitten refusing a shot — pitifully curled up, speaking the harshest words with no real threat behind them.

Retracting the spoon, Wuming’s gaze softened, though he didn’t relent. “This isn’t something you can bargain with. The contamination in your body hasn’t been fully cleansed — you must drink this medicine. Even if you don’t join the Bureau, you still have to drink it.”

Tu Si’s eyes began to drift toward the window, silently calculating his escape route. Then Wuming’s voice rang out again: “That arm bone you’re clutching… it’s part of a pair, isn’t it? After the game, another one appeared in my reward. Do you want it?”

A thunderclap exploded in Tu Si’s ears. Stunned, he turned to Wuming, who remained seated with that gentle, scholarly smile, his long, clean fingers idly stirring the spoon at the bottom of the bowl.

At first blush, the words sounded like coaxing a stubborn child to drink medicine with a promised reward — but Tu Si heard the deeper meaning: threat and temptation. Wuming knew about the bones, even understood their importance to him.

Now Wuming could exchange a bone for a bowl of medicine. Wouldn’t the skull on the shop’s homepage one day become another bargaining chip in Wuming’s hands? Tu Si was certain Wuming could easily afford the 2000 points to buy the skull.

With that thought, Tu Si forced an air of indifference onto his face. “Oh! Even if you give me the arm bone, I still won’t drink! I like skulls, sure, but that doesn’t mean I’m willing to drink bitter medicine for them! This stuff’s too bitter!”

Wuming’s smile deepened. He nodded. “Mm, the medicine is unpleasant. How about this — drink it today, and tomorrow I’ll turn it into pills. But I can’t manage that tonight. Bear with it just this once, okay? These herbs are rare and precious; it would be wasteful otherwise.”

Tu Si eyed the black bowl, unable to help but ask, “If I drink it, will you give me the arm bone?”

Wuming smiled softly. “If you like it, I’ll give it to you — it has nothing to do with the medicine. It’s a token of thanks for purifying the contamination. I’m sorry you were hurt and had to endure such bitter medicine.”

Tu Si, who could never resist kindness, rushed forward, grabbed the bowl from Wuming’s hands, and gulped it down in one go. Tears welled in his eyes as he sniffled, “It’s okay, you don’t have to apologize! It’s not like I absorbed the contamination for your sake anyway!”

Watching Tu Si’s face scrunch up from the bitterness, Wuming’s smile grew even gentler. He brushed aside a stray strand of hair sticking to Tu Si’s lips, ran his fingers through the smooth, golden locks, then rose to retrieve the insulated lunch box from the door, setting out a simple meal of porridge and side dishes.

Tu Si was startled — the food looked plain yet balanced, meat and vegetables in harmony — but more shocking was the aroma he could actually smell. He picked up his chopsticks, lifted a piece of stir-fried romaine lettuce, and bit down. Crisp and sweet — perhaps not the greatest delicacy in the world, but it was Tu Si’s first time discovering what stir-fried lettuce actually tasted like.

Without hesitation, he grabbed the bowl and devoured everything before him, finishing in no time and gazing longingly at Wuming.

Wuming’s eyes were exceedingly gentle, as though watching a stray cat starved for far too long — though this illusion vanished the moment Tu Si met his gaze fully. In an instant, Wuming’s eyes became an unfathomable abyss, so deep one instinctively looked away.

After Tu Si set down his chopsticks, Wuming calmly collected the dishes and spoke: “My cooking skills aren’t great, so I hope you don’t mind. You’ll need to eat lightly for the next few days and avoid certain foods.”

“You cooked this yourself, Captain?” Tu Si was surprised, though it somehow felt natural — Wuming was different in many ways. Perhaps only food made by his hands could have flavor for Tu Si.

Wuming merely smiled and nodded. “Mm. I’m picky with food, so I usually cook for myself. For convenience, I brought you a portion too, instead of fetching something from the cafeteria downstairs. Hope you don’t mind.”

Tu Si shook his head furiously, showering him with compliments and flattery until Wuming finally agreed to personally cook for him in the coming days.

At once, Tu Si felt the world turn radiant, life impossibly beautiful. Joining the Bureau became a certainty, and as for Wuming — he was someone Tu Si absolutely intended to cling to tightly.

Footnote:

• The Foundation Establishment and Core Formation stages are traditional realms in xianxia cultivation novels, representing early milestones in a cultivator’s spiritual journey.

• The 206 bones reference is an anatomical fact — an adult human skeleton typically comprises 206 bones, with 29 forming the skull.

• Ingredients like coptis, bitter ginseng, and snake bile are traditional Chinese medicinal materials known for their extreme bitterness but potent detoxifying properties.