The Elixir is for You, The Poison is for Me

#224 - Outspoken

"What's the rush?" Lu Jing asked, puzzled.

"Don't you want to know why it's targeting those people? Why not… go see for yourself."

As Song Bing spoke, she handed Lu Jing an incense stick. This stick was shorter than the ones usually burned, but it was much thicker.

Even before lighting it, Lu Jing could smell a strange, subtle fragrance, as if it could reach the deepest depths of his heart.

Then, Song Bing pointed to the thatched cottage and said, "Go inside."

"Senior Ye… doesn't he dislike outsiders entering?" Lu Jing hesitated upon hearing this.

"My master has already left. There's no one inside now," Song Bing said calmly.

"Senior Ye left? When?" Lu Jing was stunned. He had been outside the cottage the whole time and hadn't seen anyone leave.

Song Bing said impatiently, "That's none of your business. Hurry up and go in, or all my preparations will be for nothing when that civet cat wakes up."

Lu Jing wasn't one to be fussy, so he didn't ask any more questions. He strode into the cottage that he had previously been unable to enter.

The interior was simply furnished with only a couch, a desk, and two chairs, making it seem quite austere.

However, Lu Jing paused when he saw the furniture.

Then, he realized that he wasn't the only guest in the house. Besides the black cat that Song Bing had brought in and the mountain spirit that had fled here to avoid him, there was also a very large parrot.

It was standing by the window, tilting its head and curiously sizing him up.

Lu Jing was about to take a closer look, but Song Bing's voice sounded again from behind him, "Drink the remaining bowl of medicine on the desk, and then light the incense."

"Alright."

Lu Jing picked up the bowl of medicine on the desk. Without asking Song Bing what it was for, he drank it all in one gulp. He drank it quickly, as he was a little thirsty after just practicing a set of leg techniques.

Then, he picked up the flint and steel, lit the incense stick in his hand, and placed it in the incense burner next to him.

Before long, the strange, subtle fragrance filled the entire cottage.

Lu Jing felt his mind relax, his brain gradually emptying, and his defenses dropping, putting him in a semi-conscious state.

Song Bing's voice seemed to come from the other side of the world, "You… go lie down on the couch."

He could tell that her voice was somewhat reluctant, but she finally gritted her teeth and said those words.

But then he heard Lu Jing shake his head and say, "No, that's your bed. I'd rather not go there. I'll just stand here."

However, before he could finish speaking, his body swayed, and he had to reach out a hand to support himself on the desk to avoid falling to the ground.

"That's not my couch; it's my master's," Song Bing hurriedly retorted upon hearing Lu Jing's words.

But before she could finish speaking, she heard Lu Jing chuckle, "How much longer does Senior Ye plan to keep this from me?"

Song Bing was stunned by these words, then stammered, "You… what nonsense are you talking about? How could I be Senior Ye?"

"Uncle Wu told me that Senior Ye has always lived in seclusion alone and doesn't have any servants," Lu Jing said. "However, I heard noises coming from inside the house earlier and almost believed your story.

"But then you revealed your familiarity with strange creatures, and I couldn't help but suspect you again. However, I couldn't be sure until I entered this cottage, which made me completely believe that you are Senior Ye."

"What… what's wrong with this place?"

"Those tables and chairs were made not long ago, and their height doesn't match the height of a normal adult. Instead, they're convenient for you to use. Don't tell me that Senior Ye and a servant live together, but Senior Ye has to accommodate the servant's lifestyle. Heh heh, as for the noise coming from inside the house earlier…"

Not only did he return all of Ye Gongmei's previous difficulties to her, but the damage was even greater. However, Ye Gongmei couldn't blame Lu Jing in this state, and as a result, she was actually forced to cry.

Tears streamed down her cheeks.

However, Ye Gongmei didn't expect to even cry comfortably. Just as she wiped away her tears, she saw Lu Jing suddenly close his eyes, and then his body leaned backward, not only pressing her directly to the ground, but also hitting her forehead with his head.

Ye Gongmei only felt a pain in her forehead. After she finally managed to push Lu Jing off of her, she reached out and touched the spot that had been hit, finding that a large bump had already risen there.

Looking at Lu Jing's head again, nothing had happened to him.

Ye Gongmei's mentality completely collapsed, and she began to cry loudly in the room.

However, Lu Jing was completely unaware of this at this time, because he had already entered a dream, but this time the dream was a bit strange.

He found himself running on the eaves, and he was doing it on all fours.

Who am I?

Where am I going now?

Lu Jing asked himself, but even these two simple questions, he couldn't get an answer in his dream. He was just running on the eaves.

Feeling the oncoming breeze and the smoke, the sky was approaching evening, and every household was starting to cook. Lu Jing felt his stomach grumbling.

He saw the noodle stalls on the street, saw the steaming baked cakes, and various other delicious snacks, but strangely, none of these foods could arouse his appetite.

When did my mouth become so picky?

Lu Jing ran past a restaurant, but the delicacies from land and sea above still didn't arouse his interest. It wasn't until he saw a fat merchant in the restaurant that he finally stopped.

Lu Jing narrowed his eyes and licked his lips.

For some reason, Lu Jing found the fat merchant so appetizing, that he couldn't help but drool.

No, more precisely, it was something in the fat merchant's body that made his appetite soar.