Chapter 87: The Mysterious Man

The man took a black bottle from his storage pouch, and upon opening it, the stench was overwhelming. Yet he brought it to his nose, inhaled deeply, and smiled with satisfaction. He even enjoyed the smell lingering on his fingers, licking them with a look of endless savoring. Such perfection, he thought, could only be crafted by me, Du Xuetao. It’s a pity that my pill must be fed to this fool; you’ve only yourself to blame for your incompetence.

He gave the one-horned dust mouse a casual kick, then pried open Dao Sansheng’s mouth, dropping the pill inside. The pill dissolved instantly, flowing directly into Dao Sansheng’s dantian. Gradually, it circulated through his meridians with spiritual energy, absorbing the blackish-red residue from his channels and skin.

Dao Sansheng had been poisoned the entire night. At this moment, within his sea of consciousness, he sat on the grass, witnessing everything before him with disbelief. He realized his survival was due to the starry sky within his consciousness, which illuminated his spirit and protected him. Ever since a wisp of black energy had entered his body yesterday, it had wrapped around his sea of consciousness, wreaking havoc on his body and leaving black marks along his meridians. He’d fought against these marks all night, nearly victorious, but now the black imprint had vanished. Dao Sansheng was about to rest when someone slapped his face.

“Boy, wake up! Hurry up and wake up! Look, our little friend here is beside himself with worry.”

With that, the man kicked the anxious one-horned dust mouse and continued slapping Dao Sansheng’s face. Soon Dao Sansheng opened his eyes, gazing at the man before him. He suddenly understood, taking in his surroundings to confirm his suspicions.

“Senior, are you the owner of this thatched cottage?”

Dao Sansheng looked the man up and down. He appeared to be around fifty, his face weathered, his skin tinged with black and a hint of green, radiating a dark green glow. He wore battered leather boots, his clothes stained with something black and glossy, a gourd slung across his back, its green hue unsettling to behold.

The man grinned, revealing his teeth, and shouted fiercely at Dao Sansheng, “Get up, boy! You’d better do as I say, or you’ll wish you were dead. I advise you to behave—don’t provoke me. I can end your life at any moment. Do you understand?”

A drop of green liquid fell from the man’s hand, landing on Dao Sansheng’s lips. Before Dao Sansheng could react, he’d already absorbed it. With his hand halfway raised, he stared at the man’s smiling face.

“What on earth did you make me eat?” Dao Sansheng asked, licking his lips to confirm the substance had vanished. Only then did he rise, meeting the man’s gaze.

“Don’t forget your place, boy. If not for this little fellow pleading for you, I wouldn’t have saved you. The poison was about to invade your sea of consciousness—no one else could cure what I concocted. What you just took is the result of years of my research. If you disobey, I’ll turn you into a puppet immediately.”

The man snapped his fingers, and Dao Sansheng was instantly writhing in pain on the ground, screaming as sweat soaked the earth beneath him.

“Not bad, eh?” The man laughed. “Hahaha…”

Dao Sansheng looked at the man’s face, that smiling visage now appearing demonic—a true fiend in his eyes.

“From now on, your daily tasks are to cook, fetch water, clean, and then take my poison. Don’t worry, you won’t die—you can rest at night. Not bad, right?”

With a lick of his lips, the man’s voice echoed in Dao Sansheng’s ears. Dao Sansheng nodded and took the bucket outside, the one-horned dust mouse trailing behind. Watching the little creature follow, Dao Sansheng patted its head. The mouse adorably rolled over, then sprang up and dashed ahead.

Following the path shown by the little creature, Dao Sansheng soon found a pond. From a distance, it wasn’t large, but the water was crystal clear; standing on the shore, he could see every stone within. Dao Sansheng and the mouse stood at the edge, the mouse mimicking Dao Sansheng’s posture, standing motionless. The pond reflected their images with clarity. Dao Sansheng picked up a stone and threw it into the water.

With a “plop,” the stone landed. Unexpectedly, the little creature jumped in after it, splashing Dao Sansheng with water. For a long while, though the pond was clear to the bottom, the stone he’d thrown in was nowhere to be seen, nor was the mouse. Dao Sansheng began to panic.

If the little creature was gone, would he even survive upon returning? Yet after about half an hour, the mouse reappeared, running over from the opposite side. Dao Sansheng followed the wet trail left by the mouse, the creature rubbing against his shoes and pant legs as it dried itself.

The journey took another half hour, the trail of water growing fainter as time passed and gradually absorbed; fortunately, they were in this place—outside, it would have dried up quickly.

Finally, Dao Sansheng saw a larger pond ahead, much bigger than the previous one. Pointing at it, he said to the one-horned dust mouse, “You came out from this pond, didn’t you? Nod if it’s true.”

He demonstrated with his finger, then tossed a spirit stone to the mouse. The creature dashed forward, grabbed the stone in its mouth, swallowed it, then nodded and wagged its tail.

Without another word, the mouse dove into the pond, disappearing from Dao Sansheng’s sight, as if to prove its claim. Dao Sansheng hurried toward the other pond, and another half hour passed. He stood, panting and bent over at the water’s edge, eyes wide as he watched the still pond.

Soon, ripples appeared beneath the surface, and a figure emerged from the stones at the bottom—it was none other than the one-horned dust mouse. The mouse shook off the water, droplets falling away, then opened its mouth and wagged its tail, squatting at Dao Sansheng’s feet as if awaiting a reward.

Dao Sansheng took a large spirit stone from his hair tie and fed it to the creature, finally letting go. After eating, the mouse seemed unsatisfied, squatting and licking its lips as it gazed at Dao Sansheng.