The Eye of Oblivion

Chapter 13: The Bone-Strengthening Toxic Elixir

Another year passed in serene calm.

A youth of approximately five feet tall trudged towards the village, bearing a small tree on his shoulder and a pitch-black steel sword in his hand. Though described as a small tree, it was still as wide as a large basin and about twenty feet long. Its immense weight left shallow footprints on the ground as he walked.

“Another day of chopping wood for the Li family lad!” Several village women greeted him with wide grins, their eyes lingering on his muscular chest and thighs with undisguised admiration and envy.

“Hehe!” In response to their gaze, Yahan could only manage the characteristic, somewhat foolish grin of the village men.

Before Yahan could get far, the women gathered in a lively huddle, whispering among themselves.

“That Li lad is truly strong. I wonder which lucky girl will end up marrying him.”

“I tell you, when I visited the maternal clan’s village last time, I saw a promising girl. Even at seven, she could already do a lot of work. She’s strong, can endure hardship, and has a round figure. She’ll surely bear a child well. We should discuss it with the Li family women later.”

As Yahan walked along, he stumbled slightly, his grin stiffening. He resolved never to seek out a wife.

“Boom!” Arriving at his doorstep, he set down the tree and idly waved the steel sword. The tree trunk, far sturdier than those on Earth, was swiftly cut down under the sharp blade, like tofu. With a few more flashes of cold light, the trunk was severed into several sections.

He turned and entered the house, retrieving a small stool and sitting down. Grabbing a piece of wood, he began chopping it into firewood with a slow and steady rhythm.

“So boring, so boring! When will this end?” Yahan muttered to himself, his chopping growing increasingly sluggish.

His eyes occasionally darted towards a dilapidated shack in the center of the village. It was the priest’s dwelling, its once yellowed and cracked wooden door now shut tight, and the priest had not been seen for days. An unpleasant, nauseating odor frequently emanated from the shack, occasionally accompanied by wisps of strange smoke.

“Always so mysterious. I wonder what he’s up to. That foul smoke won’t poison him,” Yahan thought, sneering inwardly.

“Boy, are the firewood ready?” came the voice of his aunt from inside the house.

“Ah! Oh, Aunt, it’s done. I’ll bring it over shortly,” Yahan replied, hastening his movements. With a flash of the blade, the remaining wood was swiftly reduced to splinters. He embedded the steel sword, which contained a trace of planetary core material, into the ground, then lifted a pile of firewood and hurried to the small house.

After delivering the firewood, Yahan’s curiosity became an itch he could no longer ignore. Summoning his courage, he decided to sneak around the priest’s shack.

The priest’s house had always been a forbidden place for the village children, none of whom dared to approach it. The foul odor from inside made nearby houses scarce.

The entire priest’s dwelling occupied a large, isolated plot in the village center, exuding an eerie and sinister aura.

From twenty meters away, Yahan crouched down, hesitant to approach further. His dark eyes darted around, peering through the cracks in the door to observe the interior.

Inside, the room was shrouded in smoke, filled with various bottles and jars. He also saw several heaps of bloody animal entrails carelessly strewn about but no sign of the priest.

His heart raced as if it would leap from his chest. Terrified, he was about to retreat when a chilling voice unexpectedly called out:

“Li family lad, come in!”

The long-unused door creaked open slowly.

“Discovered!” Yahan’s heart skipped a beat, and a cold sweat broke out on his back. Summoning his resolve, he stood and walked slowly towards the mysterious and ominous shack.

Upon entering, he saw the priest sitting cross-legged in a corner. The dim light made him blend almost seamlessly with the darkness.

Before him was a rock-lined earthen stove with glowing charcoal inside, and a pot atop it was bubbling, emitting an indescribable steam.

The priest’s withered, claw-like hand stirred the pot with a stick, occasionally adding colorful insects or animal organs. The smell in the shack grew increasingly bizarre and revolting.

The noxious odor churned Yahan’s stomach violently, and he had to suppress a surge of acid.

“Auntie, do you need something? If not, I’ll be going. Mom called me for a meal earlier,” Yahan said, already regretting his curiosity and eager to leave.

“Li lad, are you afraid of me?” The priest’s head lifted to reveal a face as gaunt as a skeleton, with a sinister grin.

“No, no, Uncle, I see you’re busy. I’ll leave you to it,” Yahan stammered, beads of sweat forming on his forehead as he hurriedly spoke.

“Hehe, not disturbing, not disturbing. Since you’re here, stay for a meal. This pot of Hundred Poisons Bone-Strengthening Soup has been brewing for over five years and is almost ready. It just needs a bit more blood replenishing herbs and three blue-scaled scorpion venom fangs.”

“Hundred… Hundred Poisons!” Yahan gasped, stammering in shock.

“This soup blends a hundred kinds of toxins with over twenty herbs or animal organs that strengthen bones and flesh. It’s a powerful tonic. However, if the brewing fails and the toxins don’t balance, it becomes a deadly poison. Drink it, and within a minute, your body will decay into a pool of blood. But don’t worry, Li lad; I’ve brewed it three times without mishap!” The priest chuckled with pride, revealing a set of yellowed teeth.

He then selected various animal organs, picking up a blue tooth and adding it to the pot. The color of the mixture became even stranger, and the pot shook violently as if something alive were tumbling within.

Yahan was at a loss, unable to stay or leave, his mind chilled by the thought of such a strange and poisonous concoction.

“Hmm, something seems off. I almost forgot to add the Corrupted Blood Grass. Where did it go?” The priest mumbled, his voice barely audible but clear to Yahan. His face went ashen, drained of color.

“Uh, Uncle, look at me. I’m strong and don’t need any more supplements. Um, my dad’s hunting team is coming back soon. If they can’t find me, they’ll get angry. I should check on them!”

“Alright, alright, come back to drink it later.” The priest looked up, only to find the Li lad had already vanished without a trace.