"Speaking of Secret Medicine, most of the people who came here specifically for it ended up with nothing."
"But you're different. With Uncle Wu's and my special approval, you can receive Secret Medicine before officially becoming an apprentice..."
"Your allotment is two doses a week."
As he spoke, Chen Ping took a white, narrow-necked porcelain bottle with an antique design from his robes.
He pulled out the cork and poured its contents into his palm.
Zhou Kai's breathing tightened instinctively.
The whole process was so ritualistic that he felt as if he were in some martial arts world.
It also gave him the impression of someone in The Matrix offering him a red pill and a blue pill.
But when he saw what the Secret Medicine in Chen Ping's hand really looked like, his expression stiffened despite himself.
"Thanks, Senior Brother Chen."
Zhou Kai thanked him and reached out to take the two pills.
They felt cold to the touch, and an ominous premonition quickly spread through his heart.
Why... does this thing look more and more like some kind of Egg?
The pills were entirely black, smooth and oval, each about the size of the tip of his little finger.
He couldn't help thinking of the black, hard ball he'd dug out of the head of the corpse after killing the Diabolo parasite.
To be safe, he'd tossed everything he'd collected that time into the Nursery and purified it with Moonlight Orchid.
That was why he remembered the object's shape so clearly.
Chen Ping looked at Zhou Kai, his eyes full of anticipation. "Try taking one and see how compatible you are."
"Generally, after taking one dose of Secret Medicine, you have to wait at least four days before taking another. But there are two exceptions."
"First, a prodigy