Chapter Eight: The Witch’s Medicine

"Alright, come in."

Bai Ye saw Lie enter and responded with a calm, indifferent tone.

Upon hearing Bai Ye's words, Lie finally walked in, clutching a purple carrot to his chest. He carefully placed the vegetables in the corner, his face flushing red as he stammered,

"Hehe... Big Brother, I came this time... to bring you some vegetables from my father..."

As the young man spoke, his eyes darted left and right, his words faltering, nothing like the spirited confidence he showed when speaking to her.

Li Le turned her head and, upon seeing the boy’s awkward expression, couldn’t help but smile. She glanced at the cold, sharp-featured Bai Ye, and saw that his expression had indeed softened a little.

"Uncle Liu is very thoughtful," Bai Ye said, his demeanor still reserved, but serious.

Lie seemed to recognize the sincerity in Bai Ye’s voice and, cheeks still burning, replied,

"Big Brother, when will you come to our house for a meal again? My father has made a lot of dishes lately, they’re really delicious..."

Bai Ye turned to look at the boy, his voice cold as ever, "Next time."

Lie, as if receiving a great promise, brightened visibly. "Alright then, Big Brother, I’ll head back now..."

Just as Lie was about to leave, brimming with excitement, Bai Ye’s cool voice called out, "What stage have you reached?"

Li Le saw Lie stiffen almost visibly, turning his head with obvious anxiety to answer,

"Big Brother, I haven’t been slacking... I’ve already reached the second stage of the foundation..."

By most standards, this was no small achievement—many children from other districts hadn’t even reached the first stage—yet every time Big Brother asked him, he felt a chill run down his spine.

His expression was exactly like Li Le’s used to be in her previous life, when the homeroom teacher would pull her aside to ask about unfinished homework.

Bai Ye’s face remained cold and unreadable, and he said nothing.

Li Le felt anxious on the boy’s behalf, unconsciously holding her breath, oppressed by a familiar sense of being dominated by unfinished assignments.

Finally, Bai Ye spoke, though sparingly, "Not bad. You can now stay in the Death Mist for half an hour."

The two exchanged a glance and simultaneously let out a long breath of relief.

"So... Big Brother, I’ll be going then?"

Grilled about his progress, the boy had no desire to linger, and spoke up quickly.

Bai Ye nodded.

Li Le watched as the boy, like a rabbit with its tail on fire, darted out of the house and closed the door at the fastest possible speed.

Li Le: "..."

If that boy always moved that fast, his father would never be able to catch him...

---

Moreover...

Did he just say the second foundation stage? And Bai Ye said he could survive half an hour in the Death Mist?

So there really are martial ranks or something like that in this world? Or is it all based on one’s resistance to the Death Mist?

Li Le pondered deeply.

But now, Bai Ye had already sat down at the wooden table and called to her,

"Come and eat."

Li Le returned to reality and faced the bowl of food before her.

She spoke hesitantly, "Um... Bai Ye..."

Bai Ye, stone spoon in hand, looked up at her, "What is it?"

From his expression, it seemed he had no idea what she might be concerned about.

Li Le steeled herself and said frankly, "Bai Ye, I can’t finish this..."

"Can’t finish?" Bai Ye’s brows knit, confusion flickering across his face.

He paused, then said, "Just start eating. If you can’t finish, we’ll see."

He clearly didn’t believe her.

Left with no other choice, Li Le picked up the stone spoon and began to eat from the bowl.

The food resembled a kind of mixed grain porridge, with bits of meat mixed in. It looked good, and though it didn’t smell particularly fragrant, it tasted soft and wholesome.

Bai Ye ate quickly, but with swift, efficient movements. Li Le, for her part, tried her best, but her bowl barely seemed to empty.

When Bai Ye finished his meal, Li Le had only managed to eat a thin layer from the top of hers.

Under Bai Ye’s doubtful gaze, Li Le even let out a small burp.

Li Le: "..."

Just let me die, please.

She was inwardly frantic.

"Alright, that’s enough," Bai Ye finally said, seeing her state. Now he was convinced that some people truly only ate so little each meal...

Yet his gaze at her was mostly sympathetic, as if convinced that she must have never had enough to eat as a child, and that was why her appetite was so small now...

He resolved to make sure she ate more in the future... Children should grow up plump and healthy...

---

Li Le, of course, had no inkling of Bai Ye’s thoughts. She simply breathed a sigh of relief at being spared from eating more.

Her mind shifted, and she spoke again, "Bai Ye, my family are no longer in this world, and I’ve been muddling along since I was little. I know nothing of how this world is divided, or the ranks you just mentioned… Could you explain it to me?"

Her eyes were sincere, her words half-truth, half-lie. With her deceptive appearance, it was hard for anyone to refuse her.

Bai Ye lowered his gaze, avoiding her eyes, and answered quietly,

"I don’t know which city you’re originally from, but I can tell you about Cloud City."

"Cloud City is divided into Inner City and Outer City. The Outer City is home to ordinary mist dwellers, who are generally weak and are easily killed or forced to migrate to other cities for various reasons..."

"The Inner City accepts some children and strong individuals to reside within, to defend Cloud City. The Inner City itself is divided into thirteen special districts by region; we are currently in District Thirteen..."

"The ranks I spoke of to Lie refer to physical strength... Usually, one’s rank is determined by how long a mist dweller can survive in the Death Mist during its Annihilation Phase, relying only on their physical body..."

Li Le absorbed this information hungrily, etching Bai Ye’s words deep into her memory. She quickly followed up with a question,

"Bai Ye, you said those weaker mist dwellers migrate, but if they're so weak, how can they survive such long journeys?"

Bai Ye paused briefly, glanced at her, but still answered,

"There are two main reasons..."

"First, the Death Mist doesn’t only have the active, annihilating ‘Annihilation Phase’; it also has a dormant, vanished ‘Safe Phase.’"

"During the Safe Phase, the Death Mist completely dissipates, revealing the buried roads. Many mist dwellers seize this chance to migrate..."

"Second, during the Annihilation Phase, a unique fungus called the ‘Life-Death Mushroom,’ together with other rare herbs, can be combined to make a shamanic medicine that temporarily resists the Death Mist..."

"Other herbs, though rare, are still obtainable, but only the Life-Death Mushroom can survive and grow during the most active period of the Death Mist, making it the rarest of all..."

The Life-Death Mushroom only survives during the Annihilation Phase?

It can be used to make medicine that resists the Death Mist?

Li Le’s mind spun.

No wonder Bai Ye and the other guards were so shocked when she took out so many of those mushrooms...

No wonder, during trade, Bai Ye never mentioned that she had brought back the mushrooms, but claimed he had saved them himself...

So he was trying to keep her out of trouble...

So there were so many gaps in her story?

Her thoughts were in turmoil, and she didn’t even notice when Bai Ye had cleared away the spoons and bowls and gone to the kitchen.