Chen Ye pulled out the stopper and tipped the pill out of the bottle.
A rich medicinal fragrance immediately spread, filling the room with its scent.
He looked down to see a pill the size of a longan resting in his palm. It was emerald green, like fine jade, with a crystalline sheen across its surface. He could faintly make out light flowing within it.
He studied it for a while, then brought it to his nose and sniffed, confirming that its medicinal fragrance was rich and nothing seemed amiss.
After a moment of deliberation, Chen Ye decided not to take it just yet.
As he hesitated, a cat meowed outside the window, giving him an idea.
A small piece of steamed bun left over from earlier that day still sat on the table. He broke off a little bit.
Then he rummaged through the room for a dagger, carefully scraped off a fingernail-sized piece of the pill, and tucked it into the bun.
Chen Ye put the pill back in its bottle, pushed open the door, and went outside.
Sure enough, a stray cat crouched at the foot of the wall.
Its emerald eyes glowed faintly in the darkness as it watched him warily.
He walked over to the wall, set the piece of bun on the ground, and backed away two steps.
The stray hesitated for a moment, but hunger eventually won out. It approached, sniffed the bun, and swallowed it in a few bites.
Chen Ye crouched on the threshold, his gaze fixed on the cat.
The time it took to drink a cup of tea passed.
The cat licked its paws, showing no sign of anything unusual.
Finally, under Chen Ye's watchful gaze, the stray sprang lightly onto the wall and disappeared into the night as