FRGNM -Chapter 173 Medicinal Bath

“Strip him completely—what are you standing there for?” Frowning, the busy Ling Ruoxi didn’t even notice Luo Mingyu’s expression. She quickly tossed the medicinal ingredients in. With a flick of her right hand, the specially refined medicinal powder fell into the water. The once-calm surface instantly began to bubble as if boiling.

Completely?

Luo Mingyu placed the naked man into the bathing tub. Yu Chou’s bluish-purple complexion looked more terrifying than anything else. Yet Ling Ruoxi, fully focused on the treatment, had no mind to notice any of this.

“Listen carefully. Yu Chou’s condition is extremely special. The poison inside his body has already begun to invade his heart. This medicinal bath can only temporarily force out the excess toxins. Later, we’ll have to change the water. Every time we change it, the medicine must be added again—no less than the exact amount. After the bath is over, I’ll perform acupuncture to help unblock his clogged meridians.” Rolling up her sleeves, Ling Ruoxi placed all the herbs into bottles and jars nearby, carefully marking the required quantities on each.

Staring at the man soaking in the tub, she dipped her hand into the water to test it. Looking at Yu Chou’s pale face, she said calmly, “Yu Chou, this medicinal bath works gradually. Right now, you won’t feel much, but later it’ll be extremely painful. If you really can’t endure it, just scream. Oh, and Luo Mingyu—don’t change the water until the entire tub turns red.”

“Ordering me around like this—shouldn’t there be some compensation?” A glint flashed in Luo Mingyu’s eyes as he chuckled softly.

Ling Ruoxi’s mouth twitched. She shot him a fierce glare and raised an eyebrow. “We’ll talk after this is over. Watch things here. I need to refine some pills in the room next door. The smell might be really pungent—bear with it.”

“Go ahead.” Luo Mingyu said no more. Watching the girl who still worried about her companion leave, a sharp light flashed in his eyes.

The temperature in the room suddenly plummeted, as if death itself had descended. Luo Mingyu stared coldly at the man in the tub. “Is what you’re doing… really worth it?”

“What do you think?” The man who had never smiled actually curved his lips at that moment. Weakly leaning against the edge of the tub, his eyes unfocused, he murmured, “When you meet a woman you love, you’ll love her for a lifetime. Aren’t you the same?”

“Heh… don’t compare me to you. At least I wouldn’t just stand by and watch my woman die.”
Like a sharp blade piercing his heart, Yu Chou’s expression twisted with even greater pain.

His hands clenched the edge of the tub. As the medicine took effect, the searing agony nearly tore him apart. Deep within his mind, it felt as though an invisible blade had seized his sealed memories and was mercilessly carving them open.

Beneath a vast black void, that figure drifted farther and farther away, growing smaller and smaller. He tried to grab her hand—but couldn’t even catch the hem of her dress, only watching helplessly as she vanished before his eyes.

Xuan’er…

The wound in his heart grew heavier. Yu Chou shut his eyes tightly, refusing to think about the past. Veins bulged on his arms as streaks of red blood spread into the water and vanished.

“You…”
Sharp light flickered in Luo Mingyu’s eyes as he watched the man in the tub. Two lines of bloody tears slid down from Yu Chou’s eyes—so full of helplessness, so full of pain.

Even Luo Mingyu couldn’t see through this man.

Indifferently lifting his gaze, Luo Mingyu stopped paying attention to him.

After the time it takes for an incense stick to burn, everyone in the inn came rushing out, covering their noses.

“What the hell is that smell?!”

“So stinky—worse than shit!”

“My god, I’m about to pass out! Waiter, waiter, what on earth is going on?!”

In an instant, the entire street was filled with people clutching their noses and staring at the inn. The bizarre stench nearly made them vomit. Where could such a disgusting smell possibly be coming from?

Even the waiter was flustered, completely at a loss—he didn’t know where the smell was coming from either.

“What’s all the noise?” Just as the crowd was clamoring, a man with long silver hair stepped out, his nose covered with a white silk cloth, holding a long incense stick as thick as an arm.

After taking only a few steps, he yanked off the cloth and took a deep breath of fresh air. “Damn, that stinks! If Luo Mingyu’s still inside, won’t he get stunk to death?”

“Oh! So it’s you people. Tell me—what are you doing in my inn? You stank all the guests out! Did you take a dump in your room or what?!” The waiter rolled up his sleeves and was about to rush forward to fight.

Raising an eyebrow, Silver Wolf scoffed. “Who takes a dump that stinks this bad—you? Listen carefully, waiter. We’ve booked this entire place.”

Reaching into his robe, he pulled out a thick stack of thousand-tael banknotes and stuffed them into the waiter’s hands. “Anyone who wants to leave can take money from him and go. Anyone who stays can stay. We’ve booked the inn.”

“Ah? Y-yes, yes, honored guest!” The waiter’s eyes practically sparkled. So many notes—at least thirty thousand taels! That was enough to buy ten inns like this one.

Who cared if this one got stunk up?

“Tch.” With a disdainful snort, Silver Wolf handed the incense to the waiter. “Go—fumigate every corner of the inn!”

“Yes, yes!” Bowing and scraping, the waiter no longer feared the smell. If he’d known these people were walking gods of wealth, he’d never dared offend them.

Stretching lazily, Silver Wolf yawned and looked out at the street. Since Ling Ruoxi could sneak out to have fun, why couldn’t he? With the waiter helping out, he didn’t need to do much anyway. At the very least, he could enjoy the local food.

“Ahhh—!”

A piercing scream echoed through every corner of the inn. The agony was far worse than all the pain Yu Chou had endured over tens of thousands of years combined. It felt as if every single cell in his body were being butchered by countless blades—knives of varying rhythms carving into his flesh at once. The sensation of wanting to live but being unable to, of wanting to die but being denied, was unbearable.

His whole body burned as if soaked in chili water and deep-fried in boiling oil. Cold sweat poured from Yu Chou’s forehead. He clenched the edge of the tub and bit his lip hard, his body trembling uncontrollably.

Looking at the water almost entirely dyed red with blood, even Luo Mingyu couldn’t help inhaling sharply. How much blood did it take to reach this point? Human blood was limited—so was a demonic beast’s. If this went on, he would inevitably bleed to death!

Quickly draining the murky blood-filled water, Luo Mingyu watched as Yu Chou entered the fresh bath. Once again, the clean water turned red. His heart jolted violently. He shouted for Silver Wolf several times, but that guy was nowhere to be found.

“Where did he go? Damn it.” The hot water wasn’t enough—there were still several more soaks needed. It seemed he’d have to do it himself.

Without hesitation, Luo Mingyu rushed out of the room and headed for the kitchen.

Trembling in agony, Yu Chou’s face twisted grotesquely. The water in the tub churned violently. A thick, long tail emerged from the tub and dragged across the floor. Leaning over the tub, scales began to appear along his arms. Like a monster, a sharp horn grew from his forehead, his eyes slanted upward—and even his forked tongue flicked out.

“So stinky… what on earth is that smell? Those people didn’t look like country bumpkins—how did they make such a stink?” Holding the incense, the waiter frowned and waved it as he walked inward. The closer he got, the clearer it became that all the stench was coming from one room.

What on earth was inside? Frowning, the waiter pressed his hand against the door—

Creaaak.

The door, not fully shut, opened on its own.

“Waaah!”

Inside the tub was a half-human, half-demonic beast monstrosity, most of its upper body exposed, its writhing tail sweeping across the floor.

Screaming in terror, the waiter flung the incense away and bolted outside like a madman.

“This is bad…”
If humans outside saw him like this, they’d definitely think he was a transformed demonic beast. If that happened, his identity—

Trying to stand, Yu Chou realized he had no strength left at all. Even the water in the tub had turned a deep crimson.

Luo Mingyu… Silver Wolf… Master…

At that moment, Ling Ruoxi’s hand trembled. The pill circling inside the alchemy furnace dropped into her palm. Light flashed in her eyes. Her right eyelid twitched violently, an inexplicable sense of unease washing over her—as if she had forgotten something important.

Smelling the odor outside, she knew it was about time.

“Forget it. I’ll refine the last pill later. I need to check on things first!” She quickly opened the door and rushed to the next room—

The instant she stepped inside, her pupils shrank abruptly.

The room was empty.

Only Yu Chou remained—half human, half beast—his form exposed, the blood in the tub already murky and thick.

The man who had been guarding him was nowhere to be seen.

“Luo Mingyu, you bastard! How could you just leave?!” Swiftly lifting the thick tail and tossing it back into the tub, Ling Ruoxi flung a handful of yellow medicinal powder into the water. The murky blood instantly dispersed.

“Quick, swallow this.” She shoved a pill into Yu Chou’s mouth and glanced at the now-empty tub. “Xiao Bai! Luo Mingyu! Both of you, get out here!”

She shouted for a long time, but neither of them appeared. Yu Chou, too, had lost consciousness. Under the effect of the medicine, his tail and scales slowly began to recede.

“What happened?” Luo Mingyu asked, carrying hot water upstairs, frowning as he looked at the scene.

Ling Ruoxi’s expression darkened further. Shaking her head, she said, “This is bad. Why did you leave midway? This process cannot be interrupted—we have to change the medicine immediately. You didn’t replace the bath in time, and he revealed his true form. There can’t be even the slightest mistake now. If he transforms again, not even the gods themselves will be able to save him.”

“Hm?” Luo Mingyu’s gaze fell on Yu Chou’s arm—the traces of scales were still there. He simply nodded.

“Where’s Xiao Bai? Where did that idiot run off to?” Ling Ruoxi asked grimly.

At the same moment, an anxious voice rang out in her mind:

“This is bad, Ling Ruoxi—run! These humans have gone crazy. They’re saying there’s a demonic beast and they’re coming to eliminate you!”

“You damn bastard! Where did you go?! Didn’t I tell you to guard this place and not let anyone near it? Who told you to run off?!” Ling Ruoxi was furious. Now Yu Chou couldn’t move, and they couldn’t possibly fight those humans head-on. At this moment…