The Medicinal Soup Is Here

By the time they reached Golden Courtyard, it was nearly midnight. Yet the lights in Golden Courtyard's living room were still on. Canned Food familiarly climbed over the back wall of the courtyard, then paused in surprise. Where had all the flowers and plants she knew so well gone? Why had they all been plucked bare?

Forget it. She would stop thinking about it. Her owner could plant more later.

After tossing Li Ming and Pardo onto the living room carpet, Canned Food curled up inside the abandoned fireplace and fell asleep.

Hearing the commotion, Elysia and Hua entered the living room. Upon seeing them, they hurried over. Hua first moved them onto the sofa, while Elysia went to call Su.

"I checked them. Pardo looks like she was simply exhausted, so she fell asleep. But Ming's condition is more serious: weakness in all four limbs, damaged meridians, and a dislocated right hand. This seems to be backlash from forcibly using Inch Punch: Mountain Collapse."

After Su arrived, Hua told him the results of her preliminary examination. Su inspected Li Ming himself and looked somewhat surprised. "Your assessment was mostly correct, except the meridian damage is more severe. Aside from tears, their clothes don't have much damage. They probably encountered a wild animal. What were they doing today?"

Hua thought for a moment. "I think they went looking for Canned Food."

"So there are animals this formidable around Golden Courtyard?" Su rested his chin on his hand as he pondered. Hua also began considering the possibility of powerful beasts.

At that moment, Elysia poked her head in and pointed at her lips in confusion. "A powerful beast? But the strongest animal around Golden Courtyard is Canned Food. Look, Canned Food came back too. So whoever they encountered, shouldn't we just ask Canned Food?"

"Ask Canned Food?" Hua looked surprised, then turned to Su. After all, aside from Aponia, Su had the strongest mental power.

Does anyone understand this? They all say I'm a top student, but who knew I'd be asked to talk to a cat? I'm seriously speechless.

Su decided to distract Hua by discussing Li Ming's treatment plan. As for Elysia, he glanced back at her and said, "Elysia, haven't you streamed today?"

"Oh my, I nearly forgot my most beloved viewers!" Elysia smiled, clasped her hands together, and struck an adorable pose. "Then I'll be off first. Bye-bye!"

Not long after Elysia left, Li Ming, who had been knocked unconscious, woke up. He was still groggy. "Mm, where am I?"

"Mm, Ming, you're awake?" Hua was somewhat surprised and hurriedly said, "Wait a moment, Ming. I'll set your dislocated hand right away. Three, two, one. Done."

Li Ming's eyes flew wide open. He clenched his teeth, instantly wide awake. It was not that Li Ming could not handle pain; Hua's sneak attack had simply caught him completely off guard. The moment Hua said "three," she had already set his right hand back in place.

"I—cough, cough, cough..." Before Li Ming could say anything, Hua pressed him down onto the sofa. Li Ming did not dare move. Not one bit.

Since Hua could put it back on just now, she could naturally dislocate his arm again. Who could resist Hua, strong enough to race horses on her arm?

"Your internal meridians are seriously damaged. Su and I are discussing how to treat you. There is some minor muscle breakdown in your right arm, and slight damage to your internal organs. We recommend internal medicine, external treatment, and rehabilitation together. You should recover faster that way."

After explaining their treatment plan, Hua went off to brew medicine. Su sat nearby with his eyes closed and asked Li Ming, "There are signs of Honkai Energy corrosion in your body, but because of your physical constitution and adaptability, it has not worsened further."

"You could tell?" Li Ming smiled and shifted into a more comfortable sitting position. "I already injected serum to slow the further corrosion of Honkai Energy, so there's no need to worry."

"I can see that. Most of the Honkai Energy has been suppressed by a substance in your body, effectively preventing the breakdown and reconstruction of most tissues. It is a very interesting concept, and you clearly have a deep understanding of Honkai Energy. But it seems more geared toward solving universal problems. It also suppresses the use of energy too much, which is not quite suitable for you."

"But there's no other way. This is the only kind of serum available right now."

Li Ming sighed. It was not that he did not want to use other methods, such as fusion surgery, or collecting antibodies from a thousand people like Su's teacher had done to create serum, or even finding another path for Honkai Energy like Hua had.

But none of those were things he could accomplish under his current circumstances. Thus, this serum that restricted him had become his only helpless choice.

"That is true. But you do have opportunities for many things, and everyone will help you. I will discuss a solution for you with Mei and Mobius. Still, you currently have a faster and more effective option." Su crossed his arms and smiled at Li Ming.

"A faster and more effective option?"

Li Ming looked at Su with a puzzled expression. Had he triggered some hidden quest?

Su nodded. "Do you know about Divine Sound Surgery?"

Li Ming immediately understood. "You mean I can solve this problem through Divine Sound Surgery?"

"Divine Sound Surgery originally relies on Aponia's Discipline to achieve adaptation to Honkai Energy. But Hua's ability to adapt to Divine Sound Surgery was related to her unique talent, physical condition, and her age when she took part in the experiment."

"Then doesn't that mean I've already missed my chance?" Li Ming's mind was already foggy, and all these twists and turns had thoroughly confused him. Still, he was unusually clear-headed at that moment.

Su merely smiled at him. "Are you underestimating Discipline too much?"

Li Ming still did not understand why Su said that. Just how powerful was Discipline? Though he did know Aponia was indeed very powerful.

"You will have to ask Aponia about that yourself. We do not understand the situation very well either. But I cannot explain it clearly, and if you want Aponia to act, you will have to go to her yourself. As the saying goes, heavenly secrets must not be revealed."

Li Ming looked at Su as though he were some charlatan. The disgust in his eyes could not have been more obvious.

About half an hour later, Hua entered the living room carrying a basin of dark green medicinal soup. "Hahaha, the medicinal soup is here!"

She looked at the two silent men, ladled a bowl for Li Ming, then ladled one for Su as well. "The medicine's done. Hurry up and drink."

The two exchanged a glance. Su narrowed his eyes as he looked at the dark green medicinal soup in the basin, where bubbles continued to rise. Li Ming looked at the bowl in front of him, filled with all the ingredients Hua had skillfully scooped up, and swallowed. If only his university teachers had possessed hands this skilled.

"Hua, we don't dare drink it!" Though Li Ming's entire body was weak, his mouth was still stubborn. Su quietly gave Li Ming a thumbs-up, but Li Ming's next sentence made Su's face darken. "Su said you poisoned it."

"Hey, I already had a hard enough time making such a huge pot, and you're slandering me? Drink it while it's hot. I won't disturb you. I'm leaving, I'm leaving!"

At those words, Su frowned and looked at Hua. His eyes had opened at some point, and his pale red pupils fixed on her retreating back. "We won't dare drink it if you leave. If you didn't poison it, drink that bowl of medicinal soup."

"I'll drink it, then. You think I'm afraid of you? Drinking soup is such a wonderful thing!" Hua swept up her bangs with one hand, held the bowl with the other, planted a foot on the sofa, praised it, and gulped it down in several huge swallows. Once she finished, she smacked her lips. "See? I told you it was fine. Su just loves talking nonsense. Drink it while it's hot."

Even Li Ming could tell something was off with Hua. He cautiously tested her. "Long live the great Herrscher of Knowledge?"

"Hehehe, even if you—cough, cough, cough. Li Ming, you have to set an example. Hurry up and drink."

Hua looked at the two of them, but neither made any move. They merely stared at her.

"Wh-what are you looking at me for? Drink!" Hua still wore a brilliant smile, one that practically radiated knowledge.

For some reason, Li Ming suddenly felt hungry. The bowl of medicinal soup before him looked fragrant and delicious.

Just as he picked it up to take a sip, Su reached out and pressed down Li Ming's hand. Seeing that they still would not drink, Hua curled her lips. "You people are so hard to please. My mission is complete, so excuse me!"

With that, Hua strutted away as if nobody in the world mattered, leaving the two of them staring at each other.

"That wasn't Hua just now, was it?"

"Mm. You could consider it a side effect of Divine Sound Surgery. It's fine, nothing serious. It isn't the first or second time. You'll get used to it."

"Mm." Li Ming nodded. That was probably Little Senti, but he set down the bowl in his hand. "Then this medicinal soup...?"

"It should be fine. You can try it." Su closed his eyes, calm and composed, with a faint smile on his face.

"Uh..." Li Ming fell silent at once.

"Hmm? What is that? It smells so good!" Pardo, who had been asleep, climbed up from the floor. Still groggy, she followed the scent with her nose, then spotted the medicinal soup and picked up the basin to drink from it.

"Ha, so good! It's delicious! There are even beans in it, crunchy like chicken! Ugh, I'm so sleepy. Is it already this late? Sleep, sleep..."

Still not fully awake, Pardo glanced at the sky and groggily fell asleep again.

Li Ming exchanged a look with Su, then looked at the bowl in his hand. "This should be fine now, right?"

"Then try it." Su did not particularly care. Hua had drunk his bowl anyway, so it made no difference whether he drank any or not.

Li Ming hesitated for a moment, then finally made up his mind. Gritting his teeth and pinching his nose, he prepared to force it down.

But before Li Ming could react, Canned Food, who had been sleeping in the fireplace, seemed to sense that her owner had eaten something tasty. She wagged her tail and crawled out of the fireplace.

"Meow~ woo~"

The moment Canned Food came out, she saw the boy she had beaten up holding something delicious. Her owner had just said it was tasty, so it had to be tasty.

Thinking that, Canned Food licked her whiskers, lightly leaped onto Li Ming, then dipped her head into the bowl. In one slurp, she emptied the bowl of soup.

"Uh, I..."

Li Ming's face darkened. One after another, seriously... He looked at Su, but Su said nothing. He merely told Li Ming to rest well before slipping away. Left with no choice, Li Ming found a blanket and covered Pardo, who was sleeping face-down on the carpet.

Before dawn the next day, Pardo's ears twitched beneath her blanket. She seemed to hear Canned Food's voice. Right, Canned Food had been found by Li Ming yesterday.

"Meow! Woo~"

"Canned Food, stop meowing. Chrono will have breakfast ready soon."

But Pardo suddenly felt her stomach gurgle. It felt bloated and uncomfortable. "Ugh, what is this? My stomach... feels kind of bad!"

"Meow! Meow~"

Pardo felt something wet against her cheek. When she opened her eyes, Canned Food was beside her, licking her face with a pained expression. Seeing that she was awake, Canned Food kneaded her own stomach with her paw.

"Huh, your stomach hurts?" Pardo groggily sat up, but her own stomach suddenly began to hurt too. "Eek, eek, eek! My stomach hurts so much! No, the bathroom, bathroom, bathroom!"

Pardo scrambled up and hurried toward the bathroom, with Canned Food close behind. But when they reached it, the firmly shut door stopped Pardo in her tracks.

"Who's in there? Come out quickly~"

"Is that Pardo? Sorry, I'm in here. Ugh, you can go upstairs. The second floor should be empty."

"Huh, Hua? I can't hold it anymore. I'm going upstairs first!" Pardo hurried to the second floor, but she could not take large steps because her stomach hurt too badly.

At last, after exerting every ounce of strength she had, she finally climbed to the second floor. "Ahh, I finally survived."

But she squatted there for a long time, and her stomach still kept hurting.

A full half hour passed. Li Ming, who had woken up, wanted to wash up, but found someone in the first-floor bathroom, so he went to the second floor. Before he could enter, he saw Canned Food crying and scratching at the door with her paws. The floor was already covered in "chocolate."

"Huh, this is..."

Li Ming pinched his nose, then heard Pardo's pained cries from inside the bathroom. "Pardo, what's wrong, Pardo? Pardo?!"

"Brother Li Ming, call—a doctor!"

Pardo's voice drifted weakly from inside. Li Ming hurried to call Su, but when Su and Li Ming reached the bathroom door together, Canned Food was still collapsed outside it, and Pardo showed no sign of coming out.

Canned Food was still constantly vomiting chocolate, so the two had no choice but to clean up Canned Food's mess first. In the end, Canned Food was hung from a tree to fertilize the courtyard.

"Pardo, how are you? Come out quickly. I brought Su over."

"Wait, Brother Li Ming. You... you guys go to the living room first. My legs are numb!"

After Li Ming and Su went downstairs, they saw Hua emerging from the bathroom with a crab-walk. The two exchanged a look, both deeply embarrassed.