Chapter 10 of 100

Chapter 10

16 min read3,963 words

Lin Huo didn't wake up from his hangover until the afternoon. Just as he opened his eyes, feeling dizzy and disoriented, he suddenly saw Wu Mian sitting by his bedside, looking at him with a strange expression. Seeing Lin Huo wake up, Wu Mian said, "I thought you wouldn't wake up until you became a Wu Zu."

Lin Huo was still not fully awake. He looked at Wu Mian with blurry eyes for a long time, trying to say something, but his mind was blank. After opening his mouth for a while, he still couldn't say a word.

"You're still drunk..." Wu Mian looked at Lin Huo with a half-smile, then bent his right thumb and index finger inward. At the point where the two fingertips met, he produced an electric arc. Before Lin Huo could see what was happening, the hand with the electric arc pressed down on his waist.

"Aaaaaah..." A current shot from Lin Huo's waist directly to his brain, instantly dispelling the alcohol from his system and clearing his mind. Although his mind was clear, the side effect was that his body curled up like a shrimp, and his muscles were out of his control, trembling uncontrollably.

"O-Okay... I'm c-clear... now..." Lin Huo used all his strength to force out these few words.

"Why didn't you say you were awake earlier?" As Wu Mian spoke, his right hand left Lin Huo's body, and the electric arc at his fingertips disappeared. At this point, Lin Huo finally returned to normal, feeling only a tingling sensation in his body with no other discomfort.

After finally catching his breath, Lin Huo looked at Wu Mian with some fear and asked several questions: "How did you do that just now? Was that witchcraft? Why haven't you ever mentioned that you know witchcraft before?"

"It's just a small trick. When you're out and about, you need to know a few things to protect yourself." Wu Mian smiled faintly, paused to look at Lin Huo's expression, and then continued, "In a few years, when you become a Wu Zu, you'll look down on such tricks used to scare people." The small trick Wu Mian mentioned was one of the techniques recorded on the bamboo slips left by Xu Fu in the cave in Liaodong's Yan Mountains.

Hearing this, Lin Huo blinked his eyes, as if thinking about something. After a while, he said somewhat dejectedly, "Even if I become a Wu Zu, I probably won't be able to do such tricks." He paused, looking at the hand Wu Mian had used to shock him, and continued, "Teach me this trick... I've heard that you people have rules about bowing to learn things, right?"

After saying this, he got up, bent his knees, and knelt down in front of Wu Mian, then bowed forward. Wu Mian didn't stop Lin Huo; instead, he moved aside as Lin Huo bowed.

After Lin Huo finished his bow, he looked up and saw that Wu Mian was no longer there. Seeing the young man with white hair change positions, Lin Huo was stunned, not understanding Wu Mian's intentions.

Wu Mian looked at the bewildered Lin Huo and said slowly, "This small trick isn't worth your bow. If you want to learn, I'll teach you anytime. Besides, I have something even better to give you." As he spoke, Wu Mian opened his other hand, revealing a black pill inside.

Lin Huo looked at the pill and asked somewhat confusedly, "What is this?"

Wu Mian looked at the pill in his hand and said, "Someone once said that taking this pill would grant immortality. I took it, and it seems I have already achieved immortality. Do you want to try it?"

"Immortality?" Lin Huo laughed and continued, "I saw you get caught in a trap. You almost didn't survive that. How can you be immortal..."

Before Lin Huo finished speaking, Wu Mian lifted the pant leg of his injured leg, revealing no trace of the trap wound. Lin Huo was stunned and muttered, "It wasn't like this when I changed your bandages three days ago."

"What you saw was what I wanted you to see." Wu Mian put down his pant leg and continued, "Don't worry. If I wanted to do anything to you, I wouldn't have kept you around. I have countless opportunities to send you to the next life every day..."

As he spoke, Wu Mian threw the pill to Lin Huo and said, "I'll leave the pill with you. Whether you take it or not is up to you, but there's one thing I need to say first. Not everyone's constitution is suitable for this pill. There are two possible outcomes after taking it: immortality or immediate death. Which one happens depends on your luck."

Lin Huo's hand holding the pill trembled slightly. He believed Wu Mian's words to a large extent, but the last few sentences made him uneasy. Seeing Lin Huo's expression, Wu Mian said, "You don't have to take it right away. Think about it and make your decision. If you don't want to take it, return the pill to me. I'll be gone for a few days, so think it over..." With that, he turned and left the bamboo house, leaving Lin Huo staring at the pill in his hand.

After leaving Lin Huo, Wu Mian returned to his residence. He had accumulated some food over the past few days, but unfortunately, they were still in a barter economy, and he couldn't find a place to spend his gold coins.

Wu Mian took the food back into the forest. During his recovery, he had Lin Huo draw a map of the mountain. Although it didn't connect with Xu Fu's map, he thought that by exploring more, he might find some valuable clues.

Nineteen days later, Wu Mian reappeared in the Miao village. He still hadn't found the location on Xu Fu's map. Five days ago, his food had run out, and he had been surviving on wild fruits and hunting. The wild fruits were fine, but the recent heavy rain made it impossible to start a fire, so he had to eat the meat raw. He was thoroughly disgusted and decided to return to the village to at least have a hot meal.

The Miao villagers were simple and kind, and they all knew he was a friend of the next Wu Zu. So when Wu Mian returned, the locals didn't show any extra emotion. However, when he returned to the bamboo house where he had stayed, he found someone waiting for him. As soon as this person saw Wu Mian, he rushed out and said, "I took the pill you gave me... and I didn't die."

This person was Lin Huo, who had been troubled for nineteen days. However, Wu Mian didn't believe him. Looking at Lin Huo's black, shiny hair, Wu Mian said, "You took it... but you don't look like it."

Back in the bamboo house, Wu Mian took Lin Huo's pulse. Lin Huo's meridians had undergone a dramatic change compared to the last time. However, in Wu Mian's view, this change was still far from the reaction he had after taking the pill. It was clear that Lin Huo had taken the pill and hadn't experienced any adverse reactions, but why was the effect so minimal, and his hair hadn't even turned white? If Xu Fu were here, he might have been able to figure it out. Wu Mian could only guess that it was due to individual differences in constitution.

Hearing Wu Mian's explanation, Lin Huo wanted another pill. However, Wu Mian didn't agree. Looking at Lin Huo, who had changed somewhat since their first meeting, he said, "It might be due to your constitution. Taking more won't help much. Forget it. You've absorbed a fair amount of the pill's power, which is a form of immortality."

Lin Huo looked disappointed but realized he wouldn't get another pill from Wu Mian and had to find another way.

In the following days, Wu Mian stayed in the Miao village again. Every day, he compared the map Lin Huo had drawn with the one in his memory, but still couldn't find any matching points. Wu Mian was busy with his own affairs and didn't notice that Yang Xiao, who used to appear with Lin Huo, had disappeared. He wouldn't have thought that the next time he saw Yang Xiao would be over two thousand years later, by which time they had both forgotten each other's faces. And that was another person's story...

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