Magic Tiger Potion

All the schools in Berely University City had finished their final exams, and the students had begun preparing to return to their hometowns for the winter break.

Lin Qi, who hadn't been home for three years for one reason or another, was finally going to visit his old man this year. Enzo, who had no parents, no relatives, and no one in the world but himself, was bored and decided to tag along with Lin Qi to Dunkirk. Enzo had always wondered what sort of family could have raised a gem like his boss.

Gram was taking a long-distance stagecoach back to Bonatu in the south. The roads were difficult to travel in the dead of winter, and the journey would take him ten days each way. Of his break, which lasted just over a month, he would spend half on the road. Even so, Gram had to go home. Every year during the winter break, he had to wrest the next year's living expenses from his father, who was even stingier than he was. It was an exceptionally grueling battle.

As a fallen noble, Yu Lian's home was in Berely. Though the year was drawing to a close and his family had fallen on hard times, even fallen nobles had their own circles. As the eldest son of his family, Yu Lian had to attend many gatherings of fallen nobles. He also had to represent his family in paying formal visits to the powerful nobles at the top. His presence was required for all of these affairs.

As for Vik, like Lin Qi, he came from a commoner family. He was taking home the year-end bonus Lin Qi had given him, which would ease his family's financial burden considerably. The thousand counterfeit Atonement Talismans extorted from Father Balin had all been sold, and Lin Qi had distributed all the profits. The core members like Vik, whose families were less well-off, had received especially generous bonuses.

After spending the night carousing at The Cripple's Shop with the last few Silver Coins in his pocket, Lin Qi waved goodbye to his brothers at dawn. Gram went to the post station to catch a long-distance coach; Yu Lian staggered home, dead drunk; and Vik also took a coach home. Lin Qi returned to the dorm with Enzo. He still had a few odds and ends to pack, things he planned to take home.

Besides, Cripple had told Lin Qi that a large ship would sail downstream at noon and reach Dunkirk at noon on the third day. Lin Qi planned to catch that ship, and there were still several hours before it set sail. The only good thing about getting passage on a ship was that it saved money. Lin Qi had only a dozen or so copper coins left in his pocket—enough for him and Enzo to gnaw on black bread aboard the ship. The ship's owner hadn't even charged them the fare, out of respect for Cripple.

Humming some nonsensical tune, Lin Qi and Enzo swayed their way into the dorm.

With Mr. Grong in charge, the school's logistics office had been quite efficient. The door, smashed just two days earlier, had been repaired, and Lin Qi's room had been tidied up. The two of them stumbled inside, laughing and weaving, when a ball of flame suddenly flared to life.

Lin Qi jumped in fright. His first thought was that Black Horse House had come with men to take revenge. He reached behind the door and grabbed a single-bladed battle-axe. Enzo reacted even faster. With a sweep of his hand, he sent a Stabbing Sword hissing through the air toward the spot where the flame had appeared.

A scream followed. Enzo's Stabbing Sword instantly glowed red, and the leather wrapped around its hilt melted. A large patch of skin burned off Enzo's palm. He flung the sword away and kicked at the ball of flame. A thin bolt of lightning split the air and struck his lower leg. Enzo screamed again, convulsed all over, and collapsed to the floor, unable to move.

Lin Qi, battle-axe in hand and ready to fight for his life, sucked in a sharp breath. Though the curtains were drawn tight, the firelight let him make out the person in the room. He carefully set the axe behind the door, closed it, and bowed respectfully. "Master Ke Cha, what brings you here?"

Lin Qi was even more astonished inwardly. He had always thought Ke Cha could only use fire magic, but today he'd discovered that Ke Cha also commanded the extremely rare power of lightning. Forget Ke Cha's mastery of secret potions—even with his lightning magic alone, he could secure an extremely high position in the empire.

A red fireball floated above Ke Cha's palm. He tossed it aside, lighting several white candles on the table. The fireball, powerful enough to turn a Stabbing Sword red-hot in an instant, went out without a sound. Ke Cha's control over it had reached the point of perfect command.

Wrapped all over in a cloak, with only the face disfigured by secret potions showing, Ke Cha gave a light cough. He glanced at Ke Cha, who lay convulsing on the floor, then beckoned Lin Qi over with a finger.

Lin Qi cautiously approached Ke Cha. A thin bolt of lightning shot from Ke Cha's fingertip, making Lin Qi tremble all over and drop to his knees in a sorry heap. Ke Cha pried open Lin Qi's mouth and poured a bottle of pale-purple potion down his throat, then slowly rose to his feet.

The moment the potion entered Lin Qi's mouth, it turned into a terrifying surge of heat that rushed into his belly. In the blink of an eye, the heat coursed through his blood vessels and bones. Lin Qi suddenly felt strength fill his entire body, and even his bones began to crack.

"This is the last bottle of Magic Tiger Potion I ever made. At your current level, it will increase your overall strength tenfold for three days. Bone strength, muscle strength, organ strength, sheer power, speed, and reflexes—all of these will improve by one to two times. Taken together, those improvements will make you ten times stronger."

Ke Cha narrowed his eyes and said coolly, "This is your reward for serving me faithfully for three years. Once you've spent the winter break and visited your family, hurry back. I have plenty more work for you. Do it well, and there'll be more rewards waiting."

Enzo, lying on the floor and convulsing, was green with envy. Damn it, they'd both been struck by lightning—so why was he left lying there with his legs twitching, while Lin Qi got such a huge benefit? Enzo knew Lin Qi was already a little stronger than him. Now that Lin Qi had taken the Magic Tiger Potion and gained tenfold strength, Enzo wouldn't stand a chance against him, even if he ran as fast as a horse!

Enzo flashed Ke Cha a fawning smile. "Honored Master, I'm Lin Qi's best friend!"

Ke Cha looked at Enzo coldly and snorted. "So what if you're Lin Qi's son? Have you ever served me?"

With a wave of his hand, Ke Cha tossed Enzo a bottle of burn ointment to make up for the skin burned off his palm.

Lin Qi nearly laughed out loud at Ke Cha's words. He sprang to his feet and solicitously helped Ke Cha up, smiling broadly. "Master, the roads are slippery and hard to travel. Let me escort you back to Master Tower! Don't worry, I'll be back as soon as I can!"

A tenfold increase in overall strength! Lin Qi grinned until his eyes narrowed to slits.