Chapter 13: Master of Secret Medicine

Blue smoke billowed over Lin Qi’s head. His hair, burned by the intense heat of the small fireball, turned to ash and drifted upwards. Not just his hair, Lin Qi’s eyebrows, eyelashes, and the faint beard above his upper lip were also reduced to ash by the heat. The upper half of his body felt like it had been dipped in boiling water, scorching him so painfully that he screamed in agony.

“Cursed old monster!” Facing a fireball potent enough to kill him in one strike, Lin Qi gambled everything. He pulled out a heavy single-edged machete from a hidden pocket in his pant leg. With a fierce battle cry, Lin Qi slashed at the side of the fireball, using all his strength to shove the seething ball of flame aside.

The machete instantly glowed red-hot. An acrid smell of burning flesh rose from the palms of Lin Qi’s hands. He screamed again and let go, releasing the knife handle. The fireball was deflected by less than half a foot, skimming past Lin Qi’s cheek before crashing heavily into the iron door behind him.

The rose-branch pattern runes on the iron door flashed once. The formidable power contained within the fireball was silently absorbed by the rune formation.

Breathing heavily and drenched in sweat, Lin Qi’s knees buckled, and he collapsed onto the floor. Muttering curses under his breath.

The owner of the laboratory, the person Lin Qi served, the Empire’s highly esteemed specially appointed guest professor, Master Kocha the Master of Secret Elixir, soundlessly appeared before Lin Qi. A cold, dry hand grabbed Lin Qi, lifting him up, and promptly poured a bottle of bloody red liquid down his throat.

The potion emitted a strong, pungent odor. As soon as it entered his mouth, it turned into a wave of heat surging into his belly. Lin Qi’s depleted strength recovered rapidly. The burn on his cheek from the fireball was also healing quickly. Lin Qi heaved a heavy sigh of relief, a sycophantic smile already spreading across his face. He stooped respectfully, bowing to Kocha. “Respected Master Kocha, I haven’t received a summons from you for several days now. Is there any service you require today?”

Kocha wasn’t tall, standing a good head shorter than Lin Qi. A large, coarse black robe, riddled with holes, draped his thin frame. The robe was stained with all sorts of strange-colored blotches, the result of juices splattered during his handling of various medicinal ingredients. Lin Qi couldn’t even make out what Kocha looked like, for his face was just one huge scar.

Likely the result of some past accident involving Secret Elixir experimentation, Kocha’s face had been completely disfigured. From his face down to his chest stretched a patchwork of scars, grotesque to the extreme. His nose and ears had been corroded away by potion juices, leaving only dark, empty holes exposed. The scar tissue, a mishmash of red, white, and black, shifted faintly with each movement. Every breath Kocha expelled carried a thick, heavy scent of medicines.

Casually dropping the empty crystal bottle onto a nearby square table, Kocha released Lin Qi and mumbled in a low voice, “Is that so? Feels like it’s been a few days since I saw you. Hmm, there are indeed some things you need to arrange quickly. My lab provisions are completely depleted. Get me a fresh batch immediately.”

As Kocha spoke, his stomach rumbled audibly several times. His scarred face contorted violently. Had he not eaten for several days?!

Lin Qi dared not speak carelessly. He hastily nodded his acceptance.

Kocha’s personality was exceptionally eccentric and reclusive. Besides Lin Qi, the university-appointed server, he forbade anyone else from approaching his laboratory. Furthermore, Kocha was notoriously unpredictable, prone to sudden, violent fits. Even Lin Qi wasn’t safe; any entry into the lab risked an attack.

After four or five janitors in a row had been reduced to ashes by Kocha’s spells, his laboratory had become the most dangerous forbidden zone in the entire Master Tower. Besides Lin Qi, truly no one dared to approach it recklessly. Hence, when Lin Qi hadn’t visited for several days and Kocha’s food ran out, the Master, unable to send anyone else to replenish his stores, had literally been starving.

Lin Qi felt a twinge of remorse. He had been incredibly busy these past few days. The six rapiers alone had taken significant effort and scheming. Add to that the arrest of Brotherhood branch members by the Dragoons, forcing him to scramble for bail money, and all these overlapping crises had caused him to forget the troublesome and dangerous Kocha.

The thought of the Empire’s prestigious, specially appointed Master of Secret Medicine starving to death in his own laboratory conjured terrifying consequences. Even the notoriously bold Lin Qi couldn’t help but cringe inwardly.

Reaching into his sleeve, Lin Qi felt around and retrieved half a loaf of white bread. It was something he had casually pocketed at Ironhammer’s welcoming banquet, intended as a late-night snack. It now proved providential.

The moment Kocha spotted the half loaf of bread, his eyes turned a sickly shade of green. He snatched it away and began devouring it ravenously. His teeth, stained black and fragmented by potent toxins, grinding together like those of a mad dog, produced an unpleasant sound like metal grinding on stone.

The sizable chunk of bread vanished down Kocha’s gullet in a matter of moments. Satisfied, he let out a loud belch and mumbled darkly, “If you hadn’t come today, I would’ve had to sustain myself with potions. And had that happened, I assure you I’d have turned you into a lump of rendered human tallow.”

Kocha let out a few low, unnatural chuckles. A chill crept down Lin Qi’s neck. So that was why a fireball greeted him upon arrival; Keocha had been venting her anger! Thankfully, he made it just in time. Had he remembered Kocha a few days later… well, when Kocha said he’d render you into tallow, you wouldn’t end up merely mummified.

For this bizarre old monster, what was killing a few unlucky servants? Those cursed Copper Helmets would never dream of troubling such a creature over a mere servant.

Nourished and feeling his strength return, Kocha twisted his deformed lips and unleashed a torrent of abrasive, gravelly criticism at Lin Qi. Lin Qi kept his head bowed low, posture meek, listening obediently to the barrage. Lin Qi was desperate for money, acutely so. Master Kocha was his most substantial source of income. Thus, even as Kocha cursed him, berating Lin Qi’s ancestors as wild boars who somehow produced this buffoon, Lin Qi had to endure it silently.

After a solid half-hour of this insane, vitriolic tirade, Kocha finally seemed satisfied. He paused, pulled a piece of tough parchment from his sleeve, and thrust it at Lin Qi.

“This is a list of the herbs I need immediately, and the quantities. Go fetch them, and be quick about it!”

His gaze dark and menacing, Kocha glared at Lin Qi, adding venomously, “And tell those incompetent fools in the Supply Department that those Five-Leaf White Crow Herbs they delivered last time were inadequately aged! The preparation was also atrociously wrong. The result? My batch of Strong Energy Potions transformed into Powerful Aphrodisiacs! If they dare mess up like that again, I swear I’ll force them to drink down that potion – the one potent enough to make a bull’s privates explode!”

A jolt of fear shot through Lin Qi. Yet, simultaneously, an overwhelming wave of glee surged within him. He clutched the parchment tightly, his heart practically leaping with joy.

A short while later, Lin Qi, whistling cheerfully and looking immensely pleased with himself, was leaving the Master Tower. He carried twelve bottles of what Kocha termed ‘failed’ Strong Energy Potions. For years, Lin Qi had been the sole handler for Kocha’s discarded brews.

An aphrodisiac potent enough to make a bull’s privates explode? Lin Qi’s pupils shone with a glint uniquely characteristic of gold coins.