The Antidote (1)

As the morning sun rose, the chill still lingered in the air. Warm sunlight pierced the clouds, waking the slumbering world.

The entire campus suddenly came to life.

"Third Brother, you're still not up? Don't tell me you forgot you have class this morning?" Zhang Bo ruffled his hair a few times. He looked disheveled, but his voice was clear and loud.

"Hey, Third Brother, this is a rare sight. You actually slept in?" Zhuge Yun fussed with his unruly hair, teasing him. Third Brother was always the first one up in their dorm. His disciplined routine was enough to leave the others in awe.

Had the sun risen in the west today? Third Brother had actually overslept?!

"Third Brother, are you feeling unwell?" Zhao Luzheng was a thoughtful kid. His first thought was that something might be wrong with Third Brother's health.

Unlike those other two thickheaded guys.

Xiao Xiao was a little touched.

"I'm fine. Maybe I caught a bit of a chill yesterday. My head doesn't feel great."

"Could you tell the teacher I'm taking the day off?"

After the dorm room door closed, Xiao Xiao couldn't help groaning.

"Damn it, why does my head still hurt so much?"

Last night, he'd practically dragged himself back one step at a time, barely making it to the dorm before curfew.

Just thinking about it brought tears to his eyes.

As soon as he got back to the dorm, he collapsed onto his bed and didn't move. His head felt like a lump of paste.

But though he was utterly exhausted, his head hurt so badly that he couldn't fall fully asleep. He'd been stuck in a state halfway between sleep and wakefulness all night.

Even after a night's rest, he didn't feel refreshed at all. If anything, he felt even more tired.

It was downright depressing.

If he'd known summoning Ling Yao would come at such a terrible cost, he would've thought twice before doing it!

Now that he thought about it, maybe Qin Yuan and Ear Mouse could've dealt with Banzhen. Why had he been so set on summoning Ling Yao?

Why use a butcher knife to kill a chicken? Get it?

Xiao Xiao groaned with one hand over his head, full of regret.

Xiao Xiao rolled over and felt something beneath his back. He reached out and touched it, immediately recognizing what it was.

Huh? Was it his imagination, or had the headache eased a little?

Xiao Xiao grabbed the Monster Compendium and focused on the sensation.

Something seemed to flow from the Monster Compendium through his fingertips.

A cool, gentle stream traveled up his arm and into his brain, soothing the ache in his head as though a knife were vigorously twisting inside it.

Xiao Xiao was overjoyed and clutched the Monster Compendium tightly.

Even one night of this headache had been more than enough.

The furrow in Xiao Xiao's brow, which had been there since last night, finally eased a little.

His head still hurt, but the pain was within what he could bear.

And the Monster Compendium could probably only reduce the pain this much, right?

Xiao Xiao held it for a while longer, but the headache didn't ease any further.

That was as far as it could go.

Though his headache hadn't gone away completely, Xiao Xiao was still delighted. This Monster Compendium really was a treasure.

It was both the villain and the hero. It had drained his essence, but it was also healing him.

At least it saw things through to the end, right?

Heh. Xiao Xiao managed a weak smile.

Xiao Xiao finally recovered a little strength.

He climbed out of bed, washed up, then took out his tea set to make himself some tea.

His throat felt awful—dry and constricted—and his voice was just as bad, hoarse and feeble.

Right now, he desperately needed a cup of clear tea to soothe his wounded heart.

Xiao Xiao's family ran a teahouse, and he'd grown up surrounded by tea. Naturally, he knew how to brew it well.

The dorm's facilities were limited, but he didn't fuss over the details.

The balcony doors stood wide open, and sunlight poured into the dorm, casting dappled shadows.

Xiao Xiao was pale, looking as if he'd just recovered from a serious illness. But his gaze was calm, his expression focused, and his hands moved with effortless grace, like a breeze beneath a bright moon, without a trace of worldly fuss or the slightest hesitation.

The clean, mellow fragrance of tea rose in delicate wisps, mingling with the pale golden morning light. It was so beautiful it left one holding their breath, entranced.

Inside the lustrous, translucent plum-green teacup, the apricot-yellow tea was clear and bright. The Junshan Silver Needles, which had stood upright in the water when first steeped, had sunk to the bottom, still standing vertically.

Xiao Xiao sat upright, pinching the rim of the cup between his thumb and forefinger and supporting its base with his middle finger. He gave it a gentle sniff, and the tea's fragrance filled his nose. He took another deep breath and felt a refreshing energy flow through him. Even the pain in his head seemed to ease a little.

Xiao Xiao took a large mouthful of tea. He let it linger briefly in his mouth, then swallowed.

Its initial bitterness only made the sweetness that followed all the more satisfying.

A clear, refreshing feeling rose from his throat. Xiao Xiao felt invigorated, and much of his discomfort faded.

Only after finishing the whole pot did Xiao Xiao set down his teacup, still reluctant to be done.

Good. He'd recovered about seventy percent of his strength. Now it was time to take care of business.

Yanjing Third People's Hospital was as bustling as ever, filled with people and noise.

As Xiao Xiao made his way through the crowd, he no longer felt the irritability and stuffiness he'd felt before.

Even the smell of disinfectant, which he'd always hated, was easier to bear.

The reason was simple: he was in a good mood.

"Hello, Uncle and Auntie." As expected, he ran into Lin Zhenzhen's parents outside her hospital room. The smile that had been tugging at the corners of his mouth ever since he arrived grew wider.

"Xiao Xiao?" Lin Zhenzhen's parents were rather surprised. He'd come just yesterday. Why was he back again today?

"Xiao Xiao, could it be..." Lin's Mother suddenly remembered what Xiao Xiao had said the day before—I'll heal Lin Zhenzhen's face—and blurted out the question, only to swallow the rest of her words. She wanted to know the answer, but was afraid it would be no. Her heart began racing uncontrollably, and she could hardly breathe.

Lin's Father watched him intently. He was much more levelheaded than Lin's Mother. In truth, she was simply too worried. If Xiao Xiao wasn't confident, why would he have come to the hospital the day after making that promise?

Still, Lin's Father could hardly believe it. The illness was practically a death sentence, and every doctor was helpless. Could a student really have a way to treat it?

"Yes. I got the antidote."

"The antidote?"

"That's right. It's the antidote to the poison on Lin Zhenzhen's face."

Xiao Xiao went into the hospital room with Lin Zhenzhen's parents.

Lin Zhenzhen hadn't been sleeping well, so she opened her eyes as soon as they entered.

When she saw Xiao Xiao, Lin Zhenzhen froze, then abruptly sat up, staring straight at him.

Yesterday's promise and tears were still fresh in her mind. Beneath the covers, Lin Zhenzhen slowly brought her hands together and clenched them into fists. Her nails, bitten into ragged shapes, dug deep marks into her tender palms.

Xiao Xiao didn't waste time. Looking at the girl before him, who had grown frail and gaunt in such a short time, he knew she'd already endured too much.

"Drink this."

Xiao Xiao handed Lin Zhenzhen a small glass bottle. Inside was a scarlet liquid, its gently rippling surface shifting through shades both light and dark. There was something oddly sinister about its eerie beauty.

These were Banzhen's tears.

They were also the antidote to the poison on Lin Zhenzhen's face.