Chives? Precious Medicine?

Beside the great bluestone at the village entrance, the smell of blood had yet to fade.

Shi Feijiao bit down on a wooden stick, cold sweat covering his head.

Chief Shi Yunfeng crouched on the ground, holding a bone talisman against the horrifying bloody hole in his thigh.

Runes flickered, stopping the gushing blood, but the edges of the wound were blackened. Some toxic, baleful force had clearly eaten into it, leaving the flesh lifeless and refusing to heal.

"The wolves Bei Village keeps have poison smeared on their claws."

Shi Yunfeng frowned and took a pottery bottle from inside his clothes, where he kept it close to his body, then poured out a black pill.

It was one of the village's few remaining supplies.

"Wait."

Shi Hou spoke up.

As he stared at the bloody hole, inspiration suddenly flashed through his mind.

He brushed a hand past his ear, and the black pot landed on the ground.

Then he reached into the pot and pulled something bright green out of its hazy gray space.

It was a stalk of chives he had casually plucked from Aunt Zhang's vegetable patch two months ago.

He had tossed it into the pot and left it alone ever since.

Now, the chives had changed completely.

The entire stalk was emerald green, like jade. Faint wisps of purple mist curled around its leaves, and its roots were crystal clear. It looked less like a plant than a work of art carved from jade.

"Oink!"

Kang, who had been dozing on Shi Hao's shoulder, suddenly twitched his snout.

His tiny, bean-sized eyes instantly went wide.

Without a moment's thought, the little fellow fluttered the pink wings on his back and shot toward the chives in Shi Hou's hand, leaving a blur behind him.

His drool traced a sparkling arc through the air.

Smack!

Shi Hou delivered a backhanded slap.

The blow carried the lingering might of two hundred thousand jin of blood energy. Even though he held back, it still sent Kang flying like a spinning top.

"Awooo..."

The pink pig rolled three times across the ground, gave a couple of aggrieved grunts, then slunk back through the air to Shi Hao's shoulder. He buried his head beneath his wings, not daring to misbehave again.

Shi Hou ignored the pig and brought the chives over to Shi Yunfeng.

"Chief, take a look at this. Can it heal wounds?"

Shi Yunfeng paused, then accepted the stalk of chives.

It felt warm, smooth, and heavy in his hand.

The old chief brought it closer and sniffed. His cloudy old eyes suddenly widened, and his hand shook so badly that he nearly tossed the treasure away.

"This... this is a stalk of chives?"

"Yep. It's been in the pot for two months."

Shi Yunfeng sucked in a sharp breath, pointing at the purple light flowing through the veins of its leaves.

"Vast blood energy, medicinal properties that are gentle yet domineering... it's like a little medicine king that's gained sentience!"

Several men nearby swallowed hard at his words.

Chives had become a medicine king?

"That would be far too wasteful."

Shi Yunfeng handed the chives back, looking pained. "Using this to heal Fei Jiao's leg would be slaughtering a chicken with an ox-cleaver. If you cooked with it instead, pairing it with the meat of a high-level savage beast, the effects..."

He left the sentence unfinished, but his meaning was clear.

Shi Feijiao spat out the wooden stick and grinned, his face deathly pale. "The chief's right. My leg will heal after a month or so. Don't waste a treasure."

"It's not a waste."

Shi Hou did not take it back. Instead, he pushed the chives farther into Shi Yunfeng's hand.

"I can have as much of this stuff as I want."

"What?"

Shi Yunfeng's hand froze, and he stared fixedly at Shi Hou.

"Those three bird eggs last time nearly drained your body dry. How could a heaven-defying method like this come without a price?"

The old man's tone grew stern, even carrying a hint of reproach.

To him, Shi Hou was burning through his own life force in exchange for this medicinal plant.

"It really doesn't."

Shi Hou scratched his head and explained, "This pot's strange. Nurturing living creatures costs a fortune, but growing plants like this... barely uses any blood energy. I checked when I took it out just now. It hadn't used much-less than the blood I lose when I accidentally cut my finger."

"Really?"

"Truer than pure gold."

Shi Yunfeng studied Shi Hou for a long moment. Only after confirming that his complexion was rosy and his breathing steady did he let out a relieved breath.

"How strange... but that's a good thing. In that case, let's use it!"

Shi Yunfeng hesitated no longer.

He pinched it between his fingers, and green juice dripped onto Shi Feijiao's blackened wound.

Sizzle.

It sounded like a drop of water falling into boiling oil.

The black fumes dispersed instantly.

Then, beneath everyone's horrified gazes, the flesh inside the bloody hole began writhing and growing wildly.

"It itches! It itches so much!"

Shi Feijiao clawed at the dirt, gritting his teeth as he growled.

A quarter of an hour.

Only a quarter of an hour.

The bloody hole that had gone clean through his thigh vanished completely, leaving only a patch of pale pink new flesh.

Shi Feijiao tried moving his leg, then abruptly stood and jumped twice.

"It's healed?! Just like that?"

The man's face flushed crimson with excitement. He hugged Shi Hou and moved in to kiss him. "Skinny Monkey! You're my own dear father!"

"Get off, get off! You've got the generations mixed up!" Shi Hou shoved away his large, stubbly face in disgust.

With the wound healed, the mood immediately relaxed.

"Time to eat!"

Shi Hou swept his hand through the air.

Everyone had just survived a bloody battle today, and this was precisely when they needed nourishment.

He tossed the Redflame Bull meat the hunting party had brought back into the great pot.

The familiar BGM played once again.

Once again, the whole village enjoyed a gluttonous feast.

An hour later.

Not even a drop of broth remained at the bottom of the pot.

Every villager glowed with health. Their hidden injuries had been soothed, and their blood energy was so abundant it seemed ready to overflow.

Everyone dispersed and returned to their homes.

Shi Hou followed his parents, strolling slowly toward their stone house.

Ahead of him, Shi Shoushan walked at an unhurried pace. Thick strips of beast hide were wrapped around his left arm, with faint traces of blood still seeping through.

A poisoned arrow from Bei Village had grazed him there.

Though the wound was not serious, it had still injured his muscles and bones.

Watching his father's back, Shi Hou felt a tightness in his chest.

His father had recovered considerably after eating the meat, but that injury would definitely still need a few days to heal.

"Um... Dad."

Shi Hou hurried forward a couple of steps, his voice a little uncertain.

"What is it?" Shi Shoushan did not turn around.

"The chives... there was only that one stalk. Uncle Fei Jiao was badly hurt, and if his leg had been crippled, he wouldn't have been able to hunt anymore, so I..."

Shi Hou had not finished speaking.

Smack!

A large palm slapped him straight across the back of his head.

Shi Hou staggered from the blow and looked up in astonishment.

Shi Shoushan's face was dark, his leopard-like eyes blazing with anger.

"You little brat! What kind of man do you take your father for?"

The man jabbed a finger at his own nose, spittle flying.

"Am I the sort to fight my brother over medicine? Fei Jiao took that spear while covering Lin Hu! His life was on the line! All I got was a little broken skin. If you used that divine medicine on me, would you want the whole village pointing fingers behind my back?"

Shi Hou froze.

"You did the right thing."

Shi Shoushan's expression softened. With his large, calloused hand, he gave his son's head another vigorous rub.

"That's what a real man does. Stop fussing over every little thing all day. You don't need to explain."

Having said that, the man seemed to find it too sentimental and turned his head away awkwardly.

"Scram! Go do your own thing! I can walk by myself!"

With his hands behind his back, Shi Shoushan strode forward, his back ramrod straight.

Walking behind him, Lin Yun gave her son a gentle look, her eyes brimming with smiles.

"Shoushan, stop pretending. While we were eating just now, I saw your grin nearly reach your ears. Our Skinny Monkey really is something now. Stop knocking him on the head all the time. What if you knock him stupid?"

"What the hell does a woman know? That's a loving caress!"

Shi Shoushan's vigorous retort rang out from ahead.

Shi Hou stood where he was, rubbing the back of his head as the corners of his mouth slowly lifted.

The night breeze was a little cool, but his heart felt warm.

"Bei Village..."

Shi Hou clenched his fists, and the warmth in his eyes vanished instantly.

This debt had to be settled.

If he wanted to fight, he first had to stock up on supplies.

Since plants did not cost much blood, he would strip every vegetable patch in the village bare.

Shi Hou turned and headed toward the vegetable patch behind his house, stuffing all the radishes, cabbages, scallions, and garlic into the pot.

Kang's tiny, bean-sized eyes instantly gleamed on his shoulder.

He glanced at Shi Hou, who was engrossed in pulling radishes, and made sure no one was watching.

Whoosh.

Fluttering his little wings, he darted into the neighboring vegetable patch.

Before long, Shi Hou had gathered all the vegetables into the pot and brushed the dirt from his hands.

"That should do."

He straightened up, considering how to discuss a plan for revenge with the chief.

Still thinking, he headed toward the chief's house.

He never noticed that the pig who usually stuck to him like a medicinal plaster had disappeared.