Chapter 3: The Broken Cane
Xia Zuo's unease turned into reality.
He, Xiao Nizi, Fatty, and Skinny were brought together into the alchemy chamber.
Xiao Nizi's double eyelids were swollen, not having had enough sleep.
Fatty and Skinny, rarely seen cellmates, looked pallid. They hadn't eaten much bread before being brought in; their hungry legs trembled, sweat pouring down their foreheads.
Xia Zuo covered his face with hair, his posture askew, appearing listless. In truth, among the four, he was in the best state.
The vile old man made the four boys stand against the wall, watching his process of brewing potions.
This time, it wasn't a mere potion trial.
"For dozens of days, I still haven't succeeded."
The vile old man poured a spoonful of white powder into the crucible, tapped the mechanical arm, causing it to rotate, continuing to stir the thick potion within the crucible.
"I've offered you the chance to become apprentices, given you bread, given you shelter."
Turning around, the vile old man's eyes, faintly revealing a menacing glint, bore directly into the boys.
"Failure, it's still failure. You haven't succeeded. No, no, no..."
The vile old man shook his head, his right hand heavily pounding the desk, making a thunderous noise.
"It's me! I failed!" The vile old man roared.
He grabbed two bottles of ink-green potion from the alchemy table, poured them all into the crucible, and casually threw them against the wall, letting the glass bottles shatter into shards.
Then, grabbing another two bottles of potion, he repeated the same action, becoming increasingly rough and fierce.
"I've been too merciful!"
"I've been too indulgent!"
"I should've done this long ago!"
The vile old man lifted a basin of potion from under the alchemy table, pouring it into the crucible. A strange green smoke rose from the surface, bubbles bursting continuously, hot water splattering across every corner of the alchemy chamber.
The four boys cowered, huddling together.
Xia Zuo, using his companions as cover, scanned the room, searching for the retractable cane.
Found it! Right on the desk, concealed under several books, only a small part of the handle exposed.
Xia Zuo bit his lip, contemplating how to seize an opportunity to strike the almost mad old man with a heavy blow.
However, the vile old man seemed to calm down. Leaning on the alchemy table, his chest pumping like an old bellows, wheezing heavily.
The vile old man scooped up the boiling concoction with a spoon, filling four vials with the seething, spicy potion.
"You, drink them!" The vile old man sat on a wooden stool, commanding.
Fatty, Skinny, and Xiao Nizi, perhaps out of habit or fear of reprimand, immediately approached the alchemy table and drank the potion.
Leaving Xia Zuo standing awkwardly in place.
Once the three drank the potion, they collapsed to the ground, initially able to cry out, but after a dozen seconds, reduced to grinding teeth and whimpering. Eventually, they fell silent, curling their bodies and gripping anything within reach.
"You! Drink the potion!" The vile old man pounded the armrest of the stool.
Xia Zuo used his ability to sense the potion thrown this time. It deducted 32 points of health within 60 minutes... no matter how many points were added, it wouldn't help... leveling up to LV.2 and obtaining a free attribute point seemed futile...
Is it really over? Should I add the attribute point to strength and give it a shot?
"No! Wait!"
The vile old man suddenly stood up, grabbed Xia Zuo's collar, spitting angrily, "I remember! You were lazy, pouring out the potion! A little trick, I've found you!!"
Xia Zuo was shoved against the wall by the vile old man, his back hitting hard.
"I'll... punish you!" The vile old man brought out the remaining three basins of potion from under the alchemy table, pouring them all into the crucible.
"Kekeke!" The vile old man chuckled wildly, personally stirring the crucible with a spoon.
Suddenly, a billowing mist rose from the liquid's surface, blowing the vile old man's tousled hair, radiating intense malevolence.
Xia Zuo stared fixedly at the desk, slowly edging closer.
Gurgle, bang.
A fist-sized bubble emerged from the crucible, the sound of its explosion akin to a muffled thunder.
Xia Zuo paused, wondering if the gas released by that bubble carried flames.
Gurgle, bang.
Indeed, it carried flames!
Gurgle, bang.
Gurgle, bang.
The bubbles appeared quicker now! Flames crept out, one after another, in the space above the crucible.
Xia Zuo furrowed his brow, hesitating whether to reach for the desk or retreat back into the corridor of the cell.
Gurgle, bang.
Gurgle, bang.
Gurgle, bang.
Xia Zuo moved backward, silently making his way toward the alchemy chamber's door.
Gurgle, bang.
Gurgle, bang.
Gurgle, bang.
Gurgle, bang.
The vile old man gaped at the flames, counting the overturned empty basins at his feet, hands in his hair, shouting, "What have I done! What have I done! No, I need to fix this!!"
The vile old man grabbed the spoon, reaching into the violently churning liquid, but what came out was a half-melted spoon.
"It's going to be a disaster!"
Xia Zuo bellowed, pulling up the groggy Xiao Nizi at his feet, using all his might to drag him towards the corridor.
Just as he turned the corner, the explosion of bubbles sounded like a continuously firing machine gun.
Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang! Bang!
BOOM!
The cauldron of potion exploded suddenly, the blast rupturing the crucible, shattering the vials of reagents, and overturning the vile old man.
The immense crimson flames devoured everything in the alchemy chamber, creatures and tools alike, surging into the corridors with ferocious gusts of wind.
Xia Zuo was thrown to the ground, instinctively shielding his head with his hands. The searing red flames grazed over his body, causing a wave of pain and shock. His ears rang deafeningly, the eardrums throbbing painfully.
Gasping, Xia Zuo let out a howl of agony, enduring the pain for several seconds before finally losing consciousness.
...
After an unknown span of time, Xia Zuo woke again. Before him lay a dense fog blanketing the ground, the entire dungeon tunnel reeking of charred remnants.
"How much blood do I have left?"
【Blood level】10/20 (Mild concussion, light abrasions, slight contusions, minor burns, mild poisoning).
*Coughs*
Xia Zuo hugged the ground, avoiding inhaling the smoke, crawling toward the alchemy chamber. Inside were three humanoid charcoal figures.
Where was the vile old man? Was he dead?
The ground was littered with shattered wood and debris. The alchemical table and desk were obliterated in the explosion. Where the cauldron once stood, now lay a pool of black sludge, the source of the smoke and charred odor.
The figure of the vile old man lay buried in a heap of charred debris, with only his legs visible.
Xia Zuo halted at the entrance, feeling his nostrils prickle beside Xiao Nizi... Perhaps his eyes were stung by the smoke, causing a few tears, nothing serious.
He continued to crawl, sifting through the debris.
The vile old man was undoubtedly dead, a sharp shard of glass embedded in his chest, staining his robe black with crimson blood.
Searching around the vile old man's waist, Xia Zuo found a keyring and a shriveled coin pouch containing some round, hard objects.
There were six keys for the cell, all identical. The key for the alchemy chamber was slightly longer. The remaining, longest and thickest key certainly corresponded to the iron door behind the desk.
Xia Zuo, amidst the smoke, located the lock under the iron door after several attempts and successfully undid the latch.
He positioned himself sideways, feet against the wall, hands gripping the heavy door, but even with all his might, he managed only to create a slight gap.
His strength was too feeble; the metal door was as thick as three fingers and immovable.
Right, that cane could serve as a lever.
Returning to the vile old man's side, Xia Zuo retrieved the cane from beneath him.
He wedged the cane into the gap, leaving half inside the door, and once again exerted himself while lying sideways.
Creak~ The rusty door hinge forced its turn.
Crackle-crack~ The cane, after turning the door a bit, snapped into two pieces, revealing its intricate dual-layered structure.
The broken telescopic cane might fetch some coins...
Xia Zuo pocketed it, then wriggled out through the gap.
Beyond the iron door lay an upward-sloping earthen tunnel, steep and narrow, with roots and crawling creatures visible within the soil. The thick smoke from the alchemy chamber diffused through the tunnel.
Crawling on hands and knees, Xia Zuo reached the tunnel's end, sealed off by a wooden plank.
"One, two, three, push!"
The grass-covered plank was shoved aside, sunlight pouring in, fresh air revitalizing his tortured lungs.
"I'm out! I'm out!"
Xia Zuo emerged from the burrow, arms wide, rejoicing, inhaling the scent of grassy freshness, squinting at the sky, then surveying the surroundings.
This was a clearing in the woods, silent and secluded, surrounded by clusters of trees, like silent guardians watching the emergence of the boy from the hole.
There's a bit of an issue, though.
Why did this forest look the same from every angle?
Xia Zuo turned left, right, forward, backward. Whichever direction, it was a scene of dense trees, the only difference being in their thickness and color.
There's... no path at all. Where did that vile old man hide his alchemy chamber...
He lifted his gaze, judging the cardinal directions based on the sun's position, then returned underground to the alchemy chamber to search.
Upon resurfacing, he carried a bundle on his back, containing the last of the provisions—a few rations and fresh water, along with a pouch holding three silver coins.
He securely bound the broken cane with a hemp rope, still serviceable.
The silver coins he found on the vile old man were not small thumb-sized coins.
They were palm-sized, authentic silver coins, gleaming with patterns and inscriptions reading "Kingdom of Starry Night, Province of Rosak, 1 Silver Unit" and the like.
The surface of the coins shimmered brilliantly in the sunlight, clearly precious.
There was no paper information in the alchemy chamber.
Everything from the vile old man's identity, his alchemical experiments, to maps and more, all turned to ashes in the earlier inferno.
Unfortunately, Xia Zuo had never learned any wilderness survival skills before the crossing, relying solely on his own speculation to choose a direction.
Under the trees to the east, there were more thickets. To the west, there were more thickets and more scattered stones.
He ventured a few steps into the southern woods, returning pale-faced after a short while.
It was the burial ground of a deceased boy... The stench was overpowering, a half-rotten arm protruding from the ground.
By normal logic, the vile old man would have chosen a direction with no passersby to dispose of the body.
Conversely, in the opposite direction, to the north, there might be human presence.
Xia Zuo secured the cloth bag, using the cane to split the thorny bushes, swatting away insects, and trudging through the forest.
And so, he walked through the entire day.
Until the evening when the sun lowered in the western sky, still no sign of any human activity.
At one point, he doubted if he had taken the wrong direction or been circling around the burrow, but ultimately suppressed the urge to turn back.
Doing so would only waste time in back-and-forth travels. It was better to continue north until nightfall, until the provisions ran out, until utterly drained of strength.