The Medicinal Soup Is Here

It was nearly midnight by the time they reached the Golden Courtyard, yet the living room lights were still on. Canned Food, familiar with the place, scaled the back wall of the yard and slipped inside. He was a bit surprised, though. Where were all the familiar flowers and plants? They'd been completely stripped bare.

Never mind, he thought. I'll just have the master replant them later.

He dropped Li Ming and Pardo on the living room carpet, then curled up in the disused fireplace to sleep.

Hearing the commotion, Elysia and Hua entered the living room and rushed over. Hua first placed them on the sofa, while Elysia went to call Su.

"I've checked. Pardo seems to have just collapsed from exhaustion and is asleep. But Li Ming is in a bad state. His limbs are weak, his meridians are damaged, and his right wrist is dislocated. This looks like a backlash from forcibly using the Inch Punch: Avalanche."

Upon Su's arrival, Hua relayed the results of her initial examination. Su conducted his own check and was somewhat surprised. "Your assessment is mostly accurate, though the meridian damage is more severe. Besides tears, his clothes aren't heavily damaged. He must have encountered some wild beasts. What were they doing today?"

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

"So, are there such powerful animals around the Golden Courtyard?" Su mused, stroking his chin. Hua also began to consider the possibility of powerful wild beasts.

Just then, Elysia poked her head in, pointing to her lips and asking curiously, "Powerful beasts? But the strongest animal around the Golden Courtyard is Canned Food. Look, he's back too. So who did they run into? Why don't we just ask Canned Food?"

"Ask Canned Food?" Hua was surprised, finally looking at Su. After all, besides Apponia, Su had the strongest mental power.

My family, who understands? They all say I'm a top student, but who knew it would be me talking to a cat? I'm so grateful.

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

"Oh my, I almost forgot my dearest viewers!" Elysia said with a smile, clapping her hands together in a cute gesture. "Then I'll be going now, bye-bye!"

Not long after Elysia left, Li Ming, who had been knocked unconscious, woke up, still feeling groggy. "Huh? Where is this?"

"Ah, Li Ming, you're awake?" Hua said, surprised. "Li Ming, wait a moment. I'll fix your dislocated hand right away. Three, two, one... done."

Li Ming's eyes widened, his teeth clenched, and he instantly became alert. It wasn't that Li Ming couldn't handle pain; it was Hua's sneaky move that caught him off guard. The moment Hua counted to three, his right hand was already set back in place.

"I, cough cough cough..." Before Li Ming could say anything, Hua pushed him back onto the sofa. Li Ming didn't dare to move, not one bit.

If Hua could put his arm back on just now, she could just as easily take it off again. Don't you love Hua, who can do whatever she pleases with your arm?

"Your meridians are severely damaged. Su and I are discussing how to treat it. There's some muscle necrosis in your right arm and minor internal injuries. We're recommending a combination of internal and external medication along with treatment. You should recover faster this way."

After explaining their treatment plan, Hua went to boil the medicine. Su sat beside Li Ming, closed his eyes, and asked, "There are signs of Honkai Energy erosion on your body, but due to your physical condition and adaptability, it hasn't worsened further."

"You noticed?" Li Ming smiled and shifted into a more comfortable position. "I've already injected the serum, which has slowed down the further erosion of Honkai Energy, so you don't need to worry."

"I can see that. Most of the Honkai Energy is being suppressed by a substance in your body, effectively preventing most tissue decomposition and reconstruction. It's an interesting concept, and you have a deep understanding of Honkai Energy, but it leans more towards solving universal problems. Moreover, suppressing the energy too much might not be ideal for you."

"But what can I do? This is the only serum I have right now."

Li Ming sighed. It wasn't that he didn't want to try other methods, like fusion surgery, or collecting antibodies from a thousand people to create serum like Su's teacher, or even finding another path with Honkai Energy like Hua.

But these were all beyond his current capabilities. Therefore, this restrictive serum became his only, albeit reluctant, choice.

"You're not wrong, but you still have opportunities for many things, and everyone will help you. I'll discuss a solution for you with Mei and Mobius. However, you actually have a quicker and more effective option right now," Su said with a smile, crossing his arms.

"A quicker and more effective option?"

Li Ming looked at Su, completely confused. Did I trigger a hidden quest?

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

At this, Li Ming understood. "Are you saying I can resolve this issue through Divine Sound Surgery?"

"Divine Sound Surgery originally relies on Apponia's [Precept] to achieve adaptation to Honkai Energy. However, Hua's ability to adapt to Divine Sound Surgery is related to her special aptitude, physical condition, and the age at which she participated in the experiment."

"Then I don't have a chance, do I?" Li Ming, already not thinking clearly, was getting dizzy from all the twists and turns. But this was a rare moment of clarity for him.

Su just smiled at him. "Do you underestimate [Precept] too much?"

Li Ming still didn't understand why Su said that. How powerful is [Precept]? Although he knew Apponia was indeed very powerful.

"You'll have to ask Apponia about this yourself. We don't fully understand the situation, and if you want Apponia to act, you'll have to go yourself. As the saying goes, the heavenly secrets cannot be revealed."

Li Ming looked at Su, his expression like he was staring at a charlatan, showing nothing but disdain.

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

She glanced at the two silent men, then poured a bowl for Li Ming and another for Su. "The medicine is ready, drink up quickly."

The two men exchanged glances. Su's eyes narrowed as he looked at the dark green medicinal soup in the basin, where bubbles were still rising. Li Ming looked at the bowl, which contained "special ingredients" that Hua had skillfully scooped up. He swallowed hard. If only my university professors had such skillful hands.

"Hua, we don't dare to drink it!" Li Ming said, his mouth still defiant despite his body being weak. Su subtly gave Li Ming a thumbs-up, but Li Ming's next words made his face darken. "Su said... he said you put poison in it."

"Hey! It was already hard enough for me to make this big pot, and you're slandering me? Drink it while it's hot. I won't bother you. I'm leaving!"

Hearing this, Su frowned and looked at Hua. His eyes, which had been closed, opened at some point, his light red pupils fixed on Hua's retreating back. "If you leave, we won't dare to drink it. If you didn't put poison in it, drink this bowl of soup yourself."

"Fine, I'll drink it. What am I afraid of? Drinking soup is such a pleasant thing!" Hua flipped her bangs aside, held the bowl in one hand, stood on the sofa, and praised, then gulped it down. After finishing, she smacked her lips. "See? I told you nothing was wrong. Su just likes to talk nonsense. Drink up, while it's hot."

Even Li Ming could tell something was off with Hua. He tentatively asked, "Long live the great Herrscher of Knowledge?"

"Hmph, even if you... cough cough cough, Li Ming, you have to take the lead. Drink up quickly."

Hua looked at the two men, but neither of them made any move, just staring at her.

"D-d-d, why are you looking at me? Drink it!" Hua's face still held a bright smile, which, at a glance, was full of knowledge.

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

Just as he reached for it, Su extended his hand and pressed down on Li Ming's. Seeing that neither of them would drink, Hua pouted. "So hard to serve. My mission is complete, so I'm leaving!"

With that, Hua walked away with an unbothered stride, leaving the two men looking at each other in bewilderment.

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

"Mhm, this must be a lingering effect of the Divine Sound Surgery. It's nothing serious, it's happened before, you'll get used to it."

"Right." Li Ming nodded, figuring it must have been Little Shi. He then put down his bowl. "Then what about this medicinal soup?"

"It should be fine, you can try it." Su said with his eyes closed, his expression calm, a faint smile on his face.

"Uh..." Li Ming fell silent.

"Mmmph, what's this? It smells so good!" Pardo, who had been asleep, got up from the floor, sniffing the air groggily. She stood up, looked at the medicinal soup, and then picked up the basin and started drinking.

"Haha, so good, it's delicious! There are even beans in it, crunchy, chicken-flavored! *Waaah, so sleepy, waaah, is it that late already? Sleepy sleepy..."

Still not fully awake, Pardo glanced at the sky and sleepily drifted back to sleep.

At this moment, Li Ming exchanged a look with Su, then glanced at the bowl in his hand. "This should be okay now, right?"

"Then you try it." Su was indifferent; after all, Hua had already drunk his. Whether Li Ming drank it or not didn't matter to him.

Li Ming hesitated, then made up his mind. Gritting his teeth, he pinched his nose, preparing to force himself to drink it.

But before Li Ming could react, Canned Food, who had been sleeping by the fireplace, seemed to sense that its owner had found something delicious. It wagged its tail and crawled out of the fireplace.

"Meow~ Mrow~"

As soon as Canned Food emerged, it saw the delicious food in the hands of the kid it had beaten up. Its owner had said it was delicious, so it must be good.

With that thought, Canned Food licked its whiskers, leaped lightly onto Li Ming, and then buried its head in the bowl, draining the entire bowl of soup in one go.

"Ah, this, I..."

Li Ming's face was dark. These two, really... He glanced at Su, but Su didn't say anything, just told him to rest well before slipping away. With no other choice, Li Ming found a blanket and added it to Pardo, who was already sleeping on another blanket.

The next day, before dawn, Pardo, curled up in her blanket, twitched her ears. She thought she heard Canned Food's meow. Right, Canned Food and Brother Li Ming had found it yesterday.

"Meow! Mrow~"

"Canned Food, stop meowing. Brother Chrono will make breakfast soon."

Suddenly, Pardo felt a rumble in her stomach, a feeling of bloating. "Ugh, what is it? My stomach~ it feels a bit uncomfortable!"

"Meow! Meow!"

Pardo felt her cheeks getting wet. She opened her eyes to see Canned Food lying beside her, looking distressed as it licked her cheek. Seeing that she was awake, Canned Food rubbed its own belly with its paws.

"Huh? Stomach ache?" Pardo sat up groggily, and her own stomach suddenly ached. "Eeeek, my stomach hurts so much! No, bathroom, bathroom, bathroom!"

Pardo scrambled to her feet and hurried towards the bathroom, with Canned Food right behind her. However, upon reaching the bathroom door, the closed door immediately deterred Pardo.

"Who's inside? Come out quickly~"

"Is that Pardo? Sorry, it's me inside. Uh, you can go upstairs, no one should be on the second floor."

"Eek, Sister Hua! I can't hold it, I'm going up! I can't hold it~" Pardo rushed upstairs, but she couldn't walk too fast, her stomach hurting badly.

Finally, with all her might, she managed to reach the second floor. "Ah, I've finally survived."

But she squatted there for a long time, yet her stomach continued to ache.

A full half hour passed. Li Ming, who had just woken up, wanted to wash up. But seeing that the downstairs bathroom was occupied, he went upstairs. Before he could enter, Li Ming saw Canned Food, tears streaming down its face, scratching at the door. A pool of 'chocolate' had already spread on the floor.

"Ah, what is this..."

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

"Brother Li Ming, call—the doctor!"

Pardo's voice drifted out weakly. Li Ming quickly went to call Su. But when Su and Li Ming arrived at the bathroom door, Canned Food was still lying by the door, and Pardo showed no signs of coming out.

Canned Food continued to vomit chocolate. The two of them had no choice but to clean up Canned Food's mess first. Afterward, Canned Food was hung on a tree in the yard to fertilize the plants.

"Pardo, how is it? Come out quickly, I've asked Su to come over."

"Just a moment, Brother Li Ming. You guys go to the living room first. My legs are numb!"

After Li Ming and Su went downstairs, they saw Hua walking out of the bathroom with a crab-like gait. The two exchanged an extremely awkward glance.