Chapter 23

The next day, when Feng Yi woke up, he felt as if he had been punched in the face and hit with a brick. His entire body was dazed.

The nightmares from the night before still lingered in his mind, but before he could recall them, his attention was completely diverted, leaving no time to think about the nightmares.

Nightmares, no matter how many, were just illusions, but the pain on his face was real!

His nose hurt!

Or rather, his entire face hurt, with the most intense pain centered around his nose!!

Feng Yi even suspected that he had fallen out of bed in the middle of the night, landing face-first and breaking his nasal bone, possibly even causing a concussion.

He felt dizzy, had a headache, and his nose was intensely sore and swollen.

His nose was so congested that he could only breathe through his mouth.

Feng Yi thought he had caught a cold and planned to search the medicine cabinet for cold medicine, but after taking a few steps, he realized that these symptoms were not right... Was another organ starting to evolve?

It really didn’t give him any time to react! It just hit him like this!

Feng Yi rushed to the mirror and saw the face that was so swollen it was unrecognizable. He opened his mouth wide and took a deep breath.

This time, the commotion was quite significant...

When his fangs and venom glands evolved, he could still go out wearing a mask, but now, with his face swollen like a pig, no mask could cover it! Not even a mask!

The main issue was the pain!

Every part of his face hurt! The pain in his head was so severe that it affected his normal thinking! It felt as if countless drills were buzzing and drilling inside his brain.

Fortunately, he had stocked up on supplies yesterday when he saw the signs, so he didn’t need to go out. He would just tough it out at home!

The more enjoyable his time outside had been yesterday, the more painful his time at home was today!

“What is it this time?”

He raised his hand to touch his swollen, shapeless nose, and instantly it felt as if thousands of needles were pricking his nose all over.

Feng Yi couldn’t even cry out in pain. His face contorted, and his veins bulged. It took him a while to recover.

He forced his eyes open and looked at the pig-like face in the mirror.

Upon closer inspection, he could see countless thick and thin blood vessels-like structures extending from his nose to various parts of his face.

It was quite terrifying.

So, this time it’s the nose?

What will it turn into?

Feng Yi’s hands trembled as he took out the tea leaves given to him by Uncle Dumb and brewed a pot of tea.

Although Uncle Dumb always spoke in riddles and was always busy, he had been a great help in this matter.

He had originally wanted to chew the tea leaves directly, but moving his mouth pulled on many facial nerves, especially when he chewed hard, making the pain particularly intense.

While waiting for the tea to cool down, he silently recited in his mind:

“Before a great task is bestowed upon a person, their will must be tested, their muscles and bones must be labored...”

After the labor, it will be better... right?

When the tea cooled a bit, he inserted a straw and drank it in large gulps.

The tea still had some effect, as the pain was not as intense as before.

He finally calmed down and took a deep breath.

His nose was still out of commission, as if countless nets and roots extended from it, connecting his eyes, ears, mouth, nose, and brain.

“This time, it involves a lot,” Feng Yi thought, feeling a bit worried. “The pain in my head is affecting my brain. I wonder if it will impact my intelligence.”

Feng Yi searched his memory for the information he had looked up. If it was his nose, it might be that thing.

Thinking of this, he remembered the nightmare he had last night, which was still vivid.

He had thought it would be heat-sensing pits or a forked tongue, but this was completely different from reality... No, it was still somewhat related.

Feng Yi called the old butler.

“My nose might be starting to evolve, and the impact is quite extensive.”

The old butler’s tone was calm and reassuring, “Your face is swollen? Don’t worry, once this round is over, you’ll recover and still be a handsome young man. Your nose evolving should be... something like a vomeronasal organ.”

Feng Yi thought: Indeed.

Vomeronasal organ.

Also known as the Jacobson’s organ.

A very special organ.

The forked tongue of snakes is not a sensitive taste organ. When they flick their tongues, they are actually collecting odor particles from the air and sending them to the vomeronasal organ. The vomeronasal organ is connected to the olfactory nerves and the brain, allowing it to complete the task of distinguishing scents.

It is said that a snake’s sense of smell can be dozens of times stronger than a dog’s, and this powerful sense of smell is due to this organ.

In humans, the vomeronasal organ is generally considered to be vestigial, present in fetuses or infants but gradually regressing and disappearing with age, and not used.

Research on the vomeronasal organ in humans has always been controversial. Regardless of the debate, this organ does not exist in adults or has a very weak presence, and no one knows what an evolved version of the vomeronasal organ in humans would be like.

Now, Feng Yi’s vestigial vomeronasal organ was re-evolving, and it might be evolving in a new way, different from reptiles and ordinary humans. As the old butler said, he was on a different evolutionary path from ordinary people.

“Will I grow a forked tongue?” Feng Yi was a bit worried.

The olfactory organs of snakes consist of the nasal cavity, tongue, and vomeronasal organ, which come as a set.

Since the vomeronasal organ is growing, will the forked tongue also grow?

Thinking further, to facilitate frequently extending the tongue, snakes have a notch in their snout, and some snakes’ lips look more like pouted mouths.

If this were to happen in a human...

The image was too beautiful...

Feng Yi shuddered.

The butler chuckled softly, “It shouldn’t, your evolutionary path is different from those beasts, and it’s at a higher level.”

Feng Yi felt a bit relieved.

“How long will this process last?” Feng Yi asked.

With his face swollen like this, he couldn’t go out or see anyone, or they might think he had been beaten and call the police.

But he couldn’t stay at home and avoid everyone forever while enduring the pain. If he did, he might go crazy.

The old butler laughed and said, “Not long, just about two weeks.”

Feng Yi’s eyes widened.

Two weeks! He would have to endure this pig-like face for two weeks!

Of course, as long as he didn’t see anyone, the pig-like face was manageable, but he would still have to endure the pain of evolution.

No matter how unwilling, he had to bear this hardship.

Two weeks, he could endure it!

“What kind of care does this new organ need during its development?” Feng Yi asked.

“Just don’t get hit in the nose.”

“Then, if this organ develops properly, will my sense of smell be particularly sensitive?” Feng Yi was curious.

If he had a super-strong sense of smell like a snake, would nothing be hidden from him?

The butler laughed with a deep meaning, “Of course, you will ‘see’ a different world.”

Feng Yi felt a chill down his back: “Is there... a ghost?”

The butler: “...No.”

This kid doesn’t seem very smart.

I wonder if his brain was affected during the evolution.