Lamenting Mediocrity

Dragon's Return City's night sky held neither stars nor moon, only the ceaseless currents flowing across the water curtain. If the lights were switched off now, there would not be a trace of brightness left. Everything would be pitch-black, dead as a grave.

Jie An lay in that deathly silence, holding up a medicine pestle. Clouds and wind were carved into the dark-gold pestle, its handle shaped like a half-open lotus. It was an exquisitely crafted work of art, something that ought to have been solemnly enshrined in a ritual, not clutched in the greasy hand of a cook.

Jie An felt he should not be holding it either. It was far too spiritual; even in this ink-black night, it glowed of its own accord, the lotus petals reflecting his ugly face. What a humiliating expression—he was a grown man in his thirties, yet he looked on the verge of tears. Still, the suffocating pressure kept surging from his heart, crushing what little dignity he had left. His grip loosened by accident. The pestle fell and struck his forehead. It hurt. He opened his mouth wide, wanting to scream, but no sound came out. He howled silently.

A few seconds later, as if realizing his own foolishness, Jie An gripped the pestle again, threw on some clothes, and headed outside. The headquarters building was always lit. He hesitantly made his way toward the dormitory building, then stopped as he passed the lounge.

The assassin stood at the doorway, quietly watching him.

"Want to talk?" Chu Hengkong asked.

"Sure." Jie An said. "Let's talk."

An unfinished bottle of liquor sat on the table—the cheap booze Chu Hengkong had bought last time. It had originally been half full, but now only thirty percent remained. Ji Huaishu was curled up on the sofa, drinking gloomily. Jie An was briefly surprised. He had not expected the two of them to be close enough to drink together late at night. But he quickly understood the truth. Like him, they could not sleep, so without making any arrangements, they had all thought to come find someone to talk to.

Chu Hengkong poured Jie An a glass as well. "Tell me what's going on."

As he spoke, he looked at Ji Huaishu. The blonde girl drained her drink and said softly, "You can probably guess. Dragon's Return City went through a great war, and Dad was seriously injured because of it. We've worked to maintain order in the city because we wanted Lord Huilong's strength to recover, hoping he could heal Dad... but now it seems there isn't enough time."

Chu Hengkong nodded and asked, "What happens if Mr. Ji dies?"

Ji Huaishu flared with anger for a moment. She had not expected the question to be so cold-blooded. Before the conflict could erupt, Jie An spoke. "Dragon's Return City will be finished."

"Why?"

"The enemies that started the war never left. They're still waiting for their chance. You've seen plenty of demons so far, but outside the city are things even more terrifying than demons..." Jie An said softly. "Once Mr. Ji dies, they won't have any more misgivings. They'll turn the city into an inferno."

"We still have Huilong."

"It won't be enough."

No one spoke after that. The air seemed dead. Yet Chu Hengkong still looked as he always did, with little expression, impossible to tell what he was thinking.

"Then we need to find a way to save Mr. Ji," Chu Hengkong said. He said it so naturally, as though he could actually do it. "You can't be relying on Huilong alone. Jie An, you must have some other way. I heard Youyou asked you to make medicine."

"Yes, I can make medicine," Jie An sighed. "But I can't make good medicine."

He gently placed the lotus pestle on the table and pushed it forward. Chu Hengkong noticed a trace of hope hidden in his eyes. He took out the Silver-Eyed Tome and set the pestle upon its pages. Silver words rapidly formed, and this appraisal text startled him.

"This...!"

[Jingzang Suffering-Erasing Pestle]

[Rating: Level 5]

[Origin: Orthodox Profound Palace, Dragon Spring Township]

[Effect: The "Holy Renown Cup" of Great Master Jingzang Jiewen. Can record prescriptions and use the pestle to pound medicine. Greatly enhances the effects of all medicines during refinement.

The first refinement requires gathering the medicinal ingredients. Spirit medicines successfully refined before can be generated with vitality and blood.

Recorded prescriptions: 3187]

This was the highest-ranked relic Chu Hengkong had seen so far—a Level 5 relic! He now understood the relic rating system. Its level corresponded to the rank and power of the relevant particle. A Level 5 relic signified that it had once belonged to an Ascendant of Particle Five, a powerhouse beyond anything they could currently imagine.

Chu Hengkong eagerly clutched the book, about to say something when his gaze caught the final words that appeared.

[Warning: Due to the forced inheritance across 5 particles, the number of currently usable prescriptions is 1.]

[Thought: Xiao An, find the final ingredient.

Live well.]

He realized something was wrong. If Jie An could truly wield the relic freely, he would not be nothing more than a cook. And after reading the words, the hope in Jie An's eyes vanished. He lowered his head like a disappointed child.

"My dad was Mr. Ji's friend." His voice was hoarse. "Back then, he risked leaving the city to gather medicine, hoping to heal Mr. Ji's injuries. But the world outside the city was too dangerous. By the time he came back, he was dying too. Dad could only entrust the pestle to me. His blood runs through me; only I could inherit his mantle..."

"But I just had to be useless! I don't have even a shred of talent. Even after inheriting the pestle, I'm only a mere 'Foundation.' Dad could make countless spirit medicines back then, but I can't even make one properly... not even one!"

Jie An desperately covered his face and burst into tears. Chu Hengkong could understand that feeling. He believed everything was his own fault. His father and elders had been men who held up the sky and stood upon the earth, yet he had inherited what was once a divine weapon and could only be a cook. That kind of powerlessness could grind anyone down.

"Jie An, you haven't done anything wrong," Ji Huaishu said softly. "Uncle Wen's prescription was incomplete to begin with. Dad has only survived these past ten years because of you..."

"I should have been able to complete the prescription!" Jie An roared. "I'm his son!"

The man shot to his feet, his fists clenched tight. His shattered self-esteem, years upon years of self-torment, and endless self-blame had pierced his heart like nails. He knew none of this was his fault. He knew all of it was his fault. At that moment, Chu Hengkong understood where that hope had come from. Jie An had hoped the pestle's appraisal text would contain a clue to the prescription, but all he had found was an impossible charge.

That message crushed the incapable son. Ten years of forced smiles collapsed in a single night.

Ji Huaishu wanted to offer some comfort, but her own heart hurt just as much. Then she noticed that Chu Hengkong still wore that detached expression, and she could not help feeling anger at his coldness. Yet she knew it was misplaced anger. This outsider had already done too much for Dragon's Return City. He had no obligation to give more emotionally as well.

"Go back," Ji Huaishu said, squeezing her eyes shut. "We still have patrol tomorrow."

Chu Hengkong remained seated. He was still carefully reading the final appraisal text. He truly had not been moved emotionally, because he was still thinking. What other options were there now? What means could get them more information?

"Jie An, make another pill," Chu Hengkong said slowly.

"...What for?" Ji Huaishu asked blankly. Chu Hengkong said nothing, only looked into Jie An's eyes. "You can't sleep anyway, so make one more."

The other two froze, unable to understand what he was still thinking about. "Fine." But Jie An nodded numbly. Perhaps because he had nothing else to do, or perhaps because he still harbored a self-deceiving hope—that the outsider's knowledge contained a solution. He left for half an hour. When he returned, his face was like gold paper, and he held a glossy black pill in his hand.

"Give it to me."

Chu Hengkong took the pill and placed it on the book. He swallowed, hoping he would not be given another chance for grief.

Then words appeared on the Silver-Eyed Book.

The silver words formed unhurriedly, not a moment slower than usual. They contained its name, its effects, and the "Thought" he valued most!

[Pill-Type Basic Relic—Healing]

[Rating: Level 4]

[Origin: Myriad Secret Realm—Dragon's Return City]

[Effect: Cleanses unorthodox contamination at Particle 4 and below.

Suppresses unorthodox contamination below the Second Abyss.]

[Thought: Great Master Jingzang's only son has mediocre aptitude. He searched for ten years and found nothing, never knowing that the gold he dreamed of lay in the marsh.]

All three of them stopped breathing. The confusion in their eyes turned into belated understanding, and then that understanding was drowned beneath surging hope. "What does that mean?" Ji Huaishu's voice trembled. "What is the gold?"

"Yes, what is the gold?" Chu Hengkong asked. "What could Jie An possibly dream of?"

He could not help smiling. There had to be hope, because Jiewen, a Particle Five, would not have been a fool who made unreasonable demands of his son. He had entrusted the incomplete prescription to Jie An because the final ingredient was in the city!

"I don't know," Jie An stammered. "There are too many possibilities. It could be the root of some plant. Or metal. Animal scales. Or..."

His tears had not yet dried, but the corners of his mouth lifted of their own accord. Everyone was smiling as if they had gone mad, their eyes shining. "Anyway, we have to find it! Gather intelligence!" "I'll look for files related to gold." "I'll go get Youyou!"

Then they ran out of the lounge. There was no time to rest, no time to grieve. Hope had appeared before them. From this moment onward, it was a struggle to race death.

"Let's get moving, everyone." Chu Hengkong put away the tome. "Our next objective is to search the swamp for medicine!"