Chapter 1

Chapter 1

Deep in the mountains on the border of the Xia Kingdom, a dark-skinned young man descended the slopes, excitedly carrying a shoulder pole laden with goods.

The young man’s name was Liu Ye. He was eighteen years old and lived in Black Cow Village. He was a well-known, sturdy lad throughout the surrounding ten-mile radius.

If you didn’t believe it, you could go to the village and ask around. No matter who it was, upon hearing his name, they would invariably raise a finger in acknowledgment.

Black Cow Village, where Liu Ye lived, was extremely impoverished. Consequently, he had to head into the mountains from time to time to hunt and earn money.

But even so, Liu Ye felt incredibly happy because he had parents who loved him and kind neighbors waiting for him at home.

At the thought of their warm, friendly faces, Liu Ye couldn’t help but quicken his pace.

“Mom! I’m back!”

As he reached the front door, Liu Ye shouted out at the top of his lungs.

Inside the kitchen, a woman dressed in red-Liu Ye’s Mother-was busy cooking. Upon hearing Liu Ye’s voice, her body couldn’t help but shudder. The bowl in her hand nearly flew out of her grip.

Then, without a moment’s hesitation, she grabbed a small bottle nearby and poured its contents into the pot.

The words “Soul Severing Powder” were written in large characters on the bottle. But she didn’t stop there. Liu Ye’s Mother pulled out over a dozen more bottles from her clothes, labeled with names like Thousand Mechanisms Powder, Fierce Venom Scorpion, King Snake Venom, and more.

She peered out the window. Seeing that Liu Ye was about to enter, she frantically dumped all of them into the pot. The soup inside instantly turned pitch black.

Liu Ye’s Mother took an iron ladle and stirred the pot. When she pulled it out, only the handle remained.

Seeing this, Liu Ye’s Mother nodded with satisfaction. As she saw Liu Ye walk in, she immediately wiped her hands on her clothes, then ladled out a bowl of soup with a smile and spoke to him.

“Oh, my precious son is back. Ah, you’ve come at just the right time. Mom prepared your favorite chicken soup. Hurry, drink it while it’s hot.”

Liu Ye’s Mother smiled as she brought the soup over.

Liu Ye looked at the soup in her hands. In his eyes, the originally bizarre, Fiend-like soup transformed into large chunks of tender, fatty chicken. Slices of ginseng, matsutake mushrooms, fleeceflower root, and other precious medicinal herbs floated on the surface.

Liu Ye’s tears began to fall instantly.

“Mom, you’re too good to me!”

Liu Ye’s Mother’s mouth twitched, but she continued to smile.

“Don’t be like that. This is just what a mother should do. Come on, don’t dawdle. Hurry up and drink the soup, or it’ll get cold.”

Liu Ye’s Mother spoke with a hint of urgency.

Liu Ye looked at the soup and thought to himself: his family was in such dire straits, yet his mother still lived frugally just to stew soup to nourish his body. He looked at his mother again. Due to years of malnutrition, her face was perpetually pale with a greenish tint, and those heavy dark circles under her eyes never faded.

Now, with such a pot of nourishing chicken soup right here, how could he possibly bring himself to eat it all!

“Mom, I’m not hungry. I already ate while I was in the mountains. You should drink this soup yourself,” Liu Ye said, wiping away his tears.

Liu Ye’s Mother: “…”

Is this kid doing this on purpose?

Looking at the bubbling soup in her hands, Liu Ye’s Mother forced a smile.

“Son, Mom made this for you. How could I drink it? Hurry up and drink. Drink it now!”

Liu Ye’s Mother’s hands began to turn pitch black, and her fingernails grew over ten centimeters long. Her face turned a terrifying shade of green, and her hair began to rise as if caught in a windless gale.

The already gloomy sky outside grew even more oppressive, and the interior of the house became so dark that one couldn’t see their own hand in front of their face.

Yet, faced with this situation, Liu Ye didn’t look afraid at all. Instead, he slammed his hand down on the table.
“Mom, if you don’t drink this today, I’m going to get really angry!”

He slammed his hand on the table. Good grief-a burst of white light instantly erupted from his body, scaring Liu Ye’s Mother so much that she fell onto the floor with a thud.

“No, wait, can’t we just talk about this? Why are you slamming the table? I didn’t say I wouldn’t drink it. Look, I’m drinking it right now.”

Liu Ye’s Mother pursed her lips, looked at the bowl emitting black mist in her hand, grit her teeth, and downed it in one go.

Seeing his mother drink the soup, Liu Ye smiled with satisfaction. From the bottom of his heart, he felt that he was truly a filial son.

But this wasn’t really something worth bragging about. After all, as a son, being filial was only right. Look at how happy his mother was; she was even spitting up blood…

Spitting up blood?!

“Mom! What’s wrong?” Liu Ye crouched down, speaking with anxiety.

While vomiting blood, Liu Ye’s Mother shot him a glance.

“It’s nothing. Your mother’s constitution is just weak, and this soup is too potent. My body can’t handle such a strong tonic.”

“I’m sorry, Mom, I didn’t know. Is it serious?”

“What do you think? Can’t you see I’m throwing up like this?” Liu Ye’s Mother snapped.

“No, Mom, I didn’t mean it like that…”

“Fine, stop blabbering. Hurry up and get me a cup of herbal tea. If I keep vomiting like this, I’m going to die!”

“Oh, right!”

Liu Ye hurried out.

Just as he left, a large, fat man walked in.

This man’s skin was deathly pale, looking as if it had been soaking in water for too long. The fat on his body hung loosely, appearing as if it might fall off at any moment.

He was none other than Liu Ye’s father, Liu Shuigui.

As soon as he entered the room and saw Liu Ye running out, his first instinct was to turn around and flee.

However, Liu Ye simply shouted a greeting and rushed past him. Only then did Father Liu breathe a sigh of relief.

He walked into the room and asked, “Good heavens, why is that boy back? He gave me a heart attack… Holy crap, what happened to you?” Father Liu was startled by the state of Liu Ye’s Mother.

“Nothing much. Just had a bit too much Soul Severing Powder,” Liu Ye’s Mother said calmly while continuing to cough up blood.

“Wait, why the hell would you drink that stuff? Even though we’re already dead, we still can’t handle that kind of thing.”

Startling words tumbled from Father Liu’s mouth.

Liu Ye’s Mother rolled her eyes at him and said irritably, “Why do you think I drank it?”

Realization dawned on Father Liu, and he sighed helplessly.

“You still haven’t given up?”

“I’ve told you so many times, that kid is just a human. Even if his abilities are a bit Fiend-like, he’ll only live for a hundred years or so at most. Just bear with it and it’ll pass. Look at me-I spend my time planting trees and tending to flowers. Life goes on, doesn’t it?”

Just as he finished speaking, Liu Ye walked back in carrying a cup of herbal tea.

Initially, Liu Ye’s Mother hadn’t intended to drink it. After all, anything that came from this boy’s hands was usually a source of Terror. But when she took the herbal tea, she discovered that it was actually effective for her!

“Hmm, this tea is pretty good. Where did you get the leaves?” Father Liu also said in surprise. He took a few more sips, and his body felt warm and cozy-a sensation he hadn’t felt since he died.

After death, the only things they could feel were endless pain and a bone-chilling cold.

“I just plucked them from that locust tree by the river at the village entrance,” Liu Ye said with a smile.

Upon hearing this, Father Liu’s expression shifted to one of realization. So it was that tree. As expected of the tree he had raised since the moment he died; the flavor really was…

“Wait, what did you say?!”