Zhang Ruofeng Awakens

When Zhang Ruofeng slowly regained consciousness, he found himself lying in a stone bathtub. His upper body was bare, and the water was freezing cold, scattered with Kao Flower petals used for calming the mind. While his upper body was clean, he was still wearing his trousers, though the water was tinged with a faint red. It reminded him of how, at the peak of his agony, his body had begun to seep blood, his capillaries rupturing and healing in an instant. The memory alone made his skin crawl; the sensation had been so unbearable that he had even entertained the terrifying thought of suicide.

"Hahaha... I was wrong, I was wrong." A voice echoed from outside, but Zhang Ruofeng felt completely drained. Every slight movement of his body triggered a sharp, aching pain, making it impossible for him to rise from the tub.

As Zhang Ruofeng pondered this, the bathroom door was pushed open. A short figure darted in and, in the blink of an eye, stood at the edge of the tub. "Ghost, I didn't think you'd actually use that stuff. You two are a real headache. I gave you the highest-grade Dragon Blood, but I never expected you wouldn't mention it to your goddess. She knows about this Dragon Blood; if you had told her, she would have had you dilute it or apply it topically. To think you actually drank it... you're lucky you're still alive, kid." Perman squeezed Zhang Ruofeng's muscle, causing his expression to twist instantly, which made Perman frown.

"One of the ingredients in this Dragon Blood is the fruit of a Dragon Saliva Grass found in the 8th-floor elite monster habitat. Because those monsters possess traces of dragon blood and can spew flames, the pharmacological effect is incredibly potent. You're the third person to orally ingest this shortly after joining a Familia, before your vessel had even fully formed, and you're the earliest one yet. It hasn't even been a month, and you dared to drink my Dragon Blood." Perman inspected Zhang Ruofeng's upper body and, seeing no external wounds, realized he hadn't suffered any lasting damage. Using her own unique method, she confirmed he had no internal injuries either; aside from severe muscle fatigue, he was out of danger.

"You have the nerve to say that." Evan grabbed Perman by the collar from behind and set her on the floor. "The first two adventurers you mentioned—weren't they killed because you wanted to test the drug's effects? The first one was tricked by you into drinking a whole bottle of Dragon Blood, only to bleed from his seven orifices and die in the Dungeon in a gruesome state. The second one drank a quarter of a bottle you gave away for free, went on a rampage in the Pleasure District for a night or two, and literally worked himself to death." Evan couldn't fathom why she had ever taken a liking to this former witch, Perman. Perman was the polar opposite of her own personality, yet she was her Familia head. Evan felt speechless at least a few times a day because of her; Perman sneaking into the rooms of other female Familia members to sleep with them or do even more outrageous things was a common occurrence. Most of the women in their Familia had already declared that they were beyond marriageable.

"When I was making this potion, I felt its effects couldn't be that simple. It couldn't just be a high-grade healing potion, which is why I sought two people to test it. But Level 2 adventurers are experienced and wouldn't accept my tests, Level 3 adventurers wouldn't feel any effect from oral ingestion, and Level 1 adventurers couldn't handle it at all, so I didn't know what the result would be," Perman said helplessly. "Until that day I saw Zhang Ruofeng come into the shop. His internal organs were vibrating, causing him to bleed internally, yet he acted like nothing was wrong while shopping with Xin Mu. It wasn't until they separated that he rushed to me, swallowing the blood surging up his throat. I knew then that this man's tolerance was far beyond any rookie I'd ever known. But I still didn't dare to test it on him. Giving him the medicine was an investment, as I said, but I never expected he would actually drink it."

Goddess Evan's face darkened instantly, and she smacked Perman on the head. Although the strength of gods, who were comparable to normal humans, felt like a cotton punch to a Level 2 adventurer, Perman feigned a collapse, and her goddess shook her head.

"Drink some water first. Give him the saline solution I prepared—yes, that bowl." Seeing Zhang Ruofeng too weak to speak, Perman had Xin Mu and the goddess, who had been standing behind her, bring over the freshly mixed saline. The goddess supported Zhang Ruofeng while Xin Mu slowly fed him the solution. Despite his extreme thirst, Zhang Ruofeng restrained himself and drank the bowl slowly.

"I diluted some stamina recovery potion in this water; you should feel better after drinking it," Perman added from the side. "Eh? Xin Mu, why is your face so red? Could it be..." Perman gave a sly smile, looking at the blushing goddess and Fura with malicious intent.

"N-nothing!" Xin Mu was uncharacteristically flustered, then immediately tried to appear calm so she wouldn't be led by the nose by Perman again.

"Hmm?" Zhang Ruofeng tested his voice; it was raspy. "What time is it now?"

"It's probably the middle of the night. You've been asleep for a few hours," Xin Mu replied. Zhang Ruofeng realized that Xin Mu and the goddess must have been so worried that they called Evan and Perman Aisulus over in the middle of the night.

"I never thought two people who seem so calm would be so reckless," the goddess lectured beside Zhang Ruofeng. "Is the fruit given by a witch something that can be eaten so easily?"

"Alright, I was wrong, I was wrong, Fura." Perman raised her hands in surrender; it seemed the relationship between her goddess and Perman was quite good. "I suggest you update his status now. He is the first Level 1 adventurer to survive Dragon Blood. I don't know what kind of changes will occur, but this is what you're interested in, right?" Perman dangled the most tempting bait for a god and then turned to leave the bathroom.

"I'll excuse myself as well, though I am indeed curious." Evan adjusted her glasses. "As the Medicine God, I am quite interested in studying an otherworlder, but I must abide by the pacts between gods. If you feel it's appropriate later, tell us what changes happened to Zhang Ruofeng." With that, Evan also turned and walked out of the bathroom.

"Hmm..." With only three people left, an awkward atmosphere suddenly filled the bathroom. Zhang Ruofeng sat in the tub, confused. Why were the two women's expressions so vivid? Did something happen after he passed out?

"Did I lose control after I fainted?" Zhang Ruofeng asked. A wave of intense self-reproach exploded in his heart, and the pain was so sharp he nearly fainted again.

"No, no, you didn't do anything." Fura noticed Zhang Ruofeng's distress and quickly supported him from behind, offering words of comfort.

"Then why are you two...?" Zhang Ruofeng caught his breath and asked.

The two women looked at each other, both blushing, which only made Zhang Ruofeng more curious. "Well, how do I put this?" Finally, the goddess began to speak slowly. "After Xin Mu knocked you out, you were still emitting heat and seeping blood. Xin Mu and I had no choice but to move you to the bathroom and put you in cold water." Zhang Ruofeng understood this part, but he still couldn't grasp why the goddess was hesitating again. "Well... then we saw that the blood on your body had soaked through your clothes, so we helped you take them off, and then... and then..." The goddess looked at the crimson-faced Xin Mu, stamped her foot, and continued: "We intended to take off your trousers to clean them and help you dissipate heat better."

At this point, Zhang Ruofeng understood, and he realized why the two women had such strange expressions. "Although it's not the first time I've seen it—every child is born in a state of filth—but... Ruofeng, your... specifications are really not small." The goddess's face turned red as well. She had lived for tens of millions of years and had never uttered such words.

"Ahhhhhhhhh!" Realizing the truth, Zhang Ruofeng screamed in overwhelming shame, a sound even more miserable than when the Dragon Blood was torturing his body.