The young apprentice performed quite well, and the fat man no longer bothered him, allowing him to arrange their lodgings. After settling Ye Tiancheng and Hou Mingzhu, the fat man issued another command.
“Although we’re not hungry now, we definitely will be later. Prepare a little something to eat. It would be quite vexing if we couldn’t find food when hunger strikes.”
Upon hearing the fat man’s orders, the young apprentice was very perceptive and immediately nodded.
“Understood. I’ll go cook now. It might not be a fancy meal, but it will surely fill you all up.”
Seeing the apprentice’s humble demeanor, he didn’t seem like the type to cause trouble. After all, he was barely twenty, perhaps just old enough to be considered an adult, and likely didn’t have a complicated social life.
“Alright, thank you for your hard work. Don’t worry, little brother, your efforts won’t be in vain. Besides the money for your master’s car repair, I’ll give you a separate reward before I leave tomorrow.”
Bullying the weak and fearing the strong was the behavior of thugs. Since the apprentice had already put in the work and they were running a business, he deserved compensation. The fat man had no intention of taking advantage of him or forcing him through sheer power. He merely looked fierce; in reality, he was quite reasonable.
“Thank you very much, then.”
With that, the young apprentice hurried off. He had no idea how much money the fat man would give him, nor did he care. He already had other plans: to find some local ruffians and teach this group a lesson.
This young apprentice was no pushover. His meekness in front of the fat man was merely an act to avoid a beating and to keep the group complacent.
Once they let their guard down, the apprentice realized it was the perfect opportunity for revenge.
After going to the kitchen, the apprentice cooked a large pot of noodles and added a substance that could harm people.
The repair shop was located in a remote area, so it often had issues with snakes, insects, and rodents. At his master’s instruction, the apprentice had bought medicine for this purpose, never imagining it would one day be used on people.
The apprentice wasn’t foolish; he knew the medicine wouldn’t be fatal but would cause significant discomfort. He wasn’t stupid enough to be unaware of such matters, so he used a very small dosage.
He tried to keep it within a certain range, not wanting to cause too much trouble.
He wanted them to experience some discomfort, perhaps a stomachache, but nothing too serious. If he were to kill someone, his own life wouldn’t be enough to repay three lives.
After adding the medicine, the apprentice served the entire pot of noodles. The fat man divided them into several bowls and took one to Ye Tiancheng’s room, where Ye Tiancheng was tending to Hou Mingzhu.
“I don’t want to eat. I’m not hungry at all. I haven’t digested the porridge I had earlier. Let’s skip this and eat again in the morning when I’m hungry. I’ll just rest for now.”
Since Hou Mingzhu had said so, Ye Tiancheng couldn’t force her to eat. He exchanged a few words with her and then left the room.
Hou Mingzhu had a slight fever and was experiencing some nausea, side effects of the curse, indicating it hadn’t stopped. After this incident, Ye Tiancheng lost his appetite, feeling agitated and unwell.
“Fatty, I’m not eating either. I wish we hadn’t bothered them. If you’re hungry, eat something. Don’t deprive yourself; you’ve already done too much for us on this journey.”
“It’s fine, Brother Ye. You don’t need to worry about me. My digestive system is incredibly robust. I ate not long ago, and I’m hungry again. I’ll have another bite. My stomach can’t handle hunger; it makes me feel uneasy and uncomfortable.”
Even when not hungry, the fat man felt the urge to eat. It was a habit; going even a day without eating made him feel deficient.
“Then go ahead and eat. You’ve worked hard too, and you should replenish your energy.”
After a few more words with Ye Tiancheng, the fat man quickly went to eat. The smell of the noodles had already made him salivate, and he’d been eager to eat. He had already delayed at Ye Tiancheng’s, and he didn’t want to waste any more time.
The fat man quickly devoured two large bowls. While others ate noodles, for him, it was more like drinking them. He slurped them down, feeling incredibly greedy. Some innate traits were simply unchangeable.
“So fragrant.”
The fat man patted his stomach, feeling immensely satisfied at that moment. For him, eating delicious food was the true meaning of life. Asking him to lose weight or abstain from good food would be akin to asking him to die.
However, the medicine soon took effect. The fat man’s stomach began to ache, and the pain was abnormal, making him realize something was wrong.
The fat man immediately understood that this wasn’t just a simple stomachache; he had been poisoned.
Even with his shovel, his trusty artifact, it was useless. He had been tricked. Unlike Ye Tiancheng, the fat man had no cultivation. When eating, he wouldn’t have noticed if he were poisoned. Ye Tiancheng, with his true qi, could sense such things while eating.
The fat man rushed to find Ye Tiancheng. By the time he reached him, he had nearly exhausted all his strength. He felt utterly unwell, with a strong urge to vomit blood.
“Brother Ye, that apprentice tricked me. He gave me noodles with something terrible in them. I can’t even imagine how horrifying it is. I think I’m dying.”
A腥甜 (xīng tián - fishy and sweet) sensation had been rising in his chest. After speaking with Ye Tiancheng, the fat man coughed up a mouthful of blood and collapsed to the ground. It was evident he had suffered a severe blow and was in critical condition, possibly on the verge of death.
Ye Tiancheng immediately used his true qi to protect the fat man’s heart and then investigated the poison. It was potent, designed to cause pulmonary fibrosis, leading to death by suffocation for an ordinary person.
“I never expected this young apprentice to be so malicious. It’s truly outrageous. Such a person pollutes the very air of this world. They should be chemically processed into a pool of blood.”
If Ye Tiancheng hadn’t used his true qi to protect the fat man’s life, he wouldn’t have lasted a few more days. After enduring considerable pain, he would have eventually died. This made Ye Tiancheng furious. The apprentice was too cruel, capable of such actions, completely crossing Ye Tiancheng’s moral boundaries.
Just as Ye Tiancheng was about to fully heal the fat man, he realized his true qi was insufficient. He could only temporarily sustain the fat man’s life. Ye Tiancheng was frustrated with himself, feeling useless at such a crucial moment.
“How could this happen? This is outrageous!” Despite his anger, Ye Tiancheng didn’t forget to care for the fat man. “Fatty, how are you feeling? Tell me if you feel anything uncomfortable. I’ll do my best to save you. I truly care about you.”
“I’m just feeling a bit cold, Brother Ye. I’m not that weak; I should be fine soon. I just feel a bit cold. Could you cover me with a blanket?”
The poison was continuing to erode the fat man’s body. If Ye Tiancheng hadn’t used his true qi to preserve his life, the fat man would likely be unable to speak by now.
“Of course, I’ll get you more blankets. Wait a moment.”
Ye Tiancheng and Hou Mingzhu quickly helped the fat man onto the bed and wrapped him tightly in blankets. Ye Tiancheng then forced himself to release more true qi, finally stabilizing the fat man for the time being.
Ye Tiancheng couldn’t stomach this injustice. He rushed out and dragged the apprentice into the room. “You poisoned my brother with rat poison! Do you know he’s already coughed up blood? You’re trying to kill him!”
The apprentice was stunned. He had only intended to teach them a lesson. As a local thug, he was accustomed to being the one in control. Today, being bullied by the fat man had left him resentful, but he had never intended to kill anyone. Murder was too far removed from his capabilities and his courage.
A minor thug would only resort to despicable means to punish enemies, never to take a life. Their psychological fortitude was simply not that strong.
“No, I only used a little bit. This medicine isn’t very potent. I… I just wanted to make you have diarrhea. Even at my worst, I wouldn’t kill anyone. I know murder carries a death penalty; I’m not that foolish.” The apprentice was terrified, stammering as he tried to explain. “How old am I? I still want to live. I would never do something like this; it’s utter damnation. My future is ruined.”
“Then look! The person is lying right there, having just coughed up a pool of blood on the floor. Look with your own eyes.”
Ye Tiancheng grabbed the apprentice by the scruff of his neck and pushed him to the ground. The apprentice immediately knelt, right beside the pool of blood, trembling uncontrollably.
“How could this happen? I never intended for things to escalate this far. Someone must be trying to frame me.”
The terrified apprentice trembled. Ye Tiancheng slapped him. “Shameless wretch! You’re still shifting blame? You’re the one who administered the poison; who else would frame you?”
The apprentice finally realized the gravity of his mistake and began kowtowing frantically. “I truly never intended to kill anyone. Please, save me! Hurry and get this fat brother to the hospital for emergency treatment; there might still be hope.”
“Where would you find a hospital in this dump? I say an eye for an eye. Since my brother is dying, you’ll accompany him in death. Your death will repay the pain of losing my brother.”
As Ye Tiancheng spoke these words, his heart ached. He clenched his teeth, closed his eyes, his eyelashes trembling slightly. It was an incredibly difficult process for him.
“I’m sorry, truly sorry. I know I was wrong…”
The apprentice begged for mercy on his knees, but Ye Tiancheng kicked him a considerable distance. He rolled several meters before crashing into the wall, completely stunned. He muttered incoherently.