CHAPTER 2: Why Don’t You Just Rob Me?

Yu Youyou handed over the thirty wen and reached out to take the discarded pill.

But the young man didn’t let go. His heart ached as he emphasized again, “The ingredients alone cost me three thousand—”

Yu Youyou sighed and began explaining.

“Look, this pill wasn’t even refined properly—it’s a useless failed pill. I don’t even know what kind of pill it is, so it probably won’t cure my illness. To me, it’s completely worthless.”

The young man was a little dazed. “Is… is that so?”

Yu Youyou pried his fingers open one by one and took the pill. “But I’m still willing to spend all my money on it. That means I’m not valuing the pill itself—I’m valuing your exquisite pill-refining skills.”

“There may be many people who appreciate the three thousand taels’ worth of ingredients, but I’m the only one who appreciates your craftsmanship.”

The young man was stunned.

It sounded so reasonable—almost touching—but why did something feel off the more he thought about it?

Before he could figure it out, Yu Youyou had already run off with the pill.

She wove her way through East Street, past the rows of coffins and funeral paper sellers, and bought two steamed buns. As she ate one, she made her way toward a small alley at the end of the street.

This alley was essentially the slums of Tonghua County. The people who lived here were either impoverished locals or sickly patients who had spent all their money on treatment.

Granny Zhang had actually been quite wealthy, but she was stingy to an extreme—when she bought a courtyard, she chose the smallest and cheapest one.

Yu Youyou had already sold all the furniture to afford medicine. At this point, there wasn’t even a single broken bed left in the house.

But after surviving the apocalypse, she had endured all kinds of hardships. Even wrapping herself in a tattered blanket and sleeping on a pile of straw wasn’t an issue.

In fact, the makeshift bed she had built out of dry leaves wasn’t too bad. It looked shabby, but it was actually quite soft and carried the fresh scent of paulownia leaves.

After setting aside the remaining steamed bun, Yu Youyou began preparing to make painkillers.

She retrieved a simple tea set from the corner—something she had deliberately kept for medicine-making.

The apocalyptic world had harsh conditions, and she was constantly being chased into the wilderness by zombies. Even as the top medical professor, she had long adapted to using crude tools and methods.

High-potency painkillers were common in the apocalypse, and their production process wasn’t too complicated.

But the ingredients required some processing. Some needed to be dried and ground into powder, while others had to be soaked in water for several days. It would take at least ten days to complete.

Yu Youyou quickly glanced at the markings on the wall.

Including today, she had been in this world for eighteen days.

And in just twelve days, the next bloodline backlash would occur.

Good. There was still time.

She didn’t dwell on it and swiftly organized the medicinal ingredients. Once all the preparation was done, she finally took out the pill she had bought earlier.

Yes, “pill”—except it wasn’t even shaped like one. It was just a clump of herbs crudely mashed together into a lump the size of a thumb.

But for Yu Youyou, this was actually good news.

She took a needle and carefully pried the pill apart. Instantly, the faint fragrance of Drunken Heart Flower became much stronger.

The Drunken Heart Flower had anesthetic and hallucinogenic effects. Yu Youyou held her breath and grabbed her tail, pressing it against her nose.

Good, this thing was still useful.

After carefully picking out the crushed Drunken Heart Flower bit by bit, Yu Youyou let out a breath.

In the post-apocalyptic world, many plants had gone extinct, and medicine was extremely scarce. There were several types she had only ever seen in books.

However, including the Drunken Heart Flower, none of them were poisonous. Most were actually tonics, safe to consume directly.

All of them were good stuff!

Since she still had some leftover materials from making painkillers earlier, Yu Youyou took some out and mixed them with these tonics in proper proportions.

Before long, she had produced three new pills.

Her tools were crude, and these three pills were just as ugly as the last batch. But with the improved formula, the effects had doubled. She took one, dissolved it in water, and drank it. Immediately, her sore arm felt noticeably better.

After working for a long time, Yu Youyou stretched and only then realized that the sky had darkened.

Just as she was about to gnaw on a cold steamed bun, a commotion and the barking of a dog suddenly came from outside the courtyard.

“Which shameless scoundrel dares to climb over the wall? Think you can bully this girl just because there’s no one at her house?”

“Goudan, bite him!”

Yu Youyou hurried outside and saw that Aunt Hua, the neighbor, was holding a bowl of noodles while cursing and commanding her yellow dog to attack.

Meanwhile, another person was scared stiff by the dog, clinging desperately to the top of Yu Youyou’s courtyard wall, too afraid to come down.

That young man also spotted Yu Youyou and quickly waved. “Hey! It’s me! I already said I know her!”

Yu Youyou was a bit surprised—it was that guy from the alchemy session earlier?

After hearing Yu Youyou confirm that she knew him, Aunt Hua finally held back her dog. But she still wasn’t reassured and shoved the bowl of noodles into Yu Youyou’s hands, then shot a glare at the young man.

“Yu girl, eat slowly. If anything happens, just call me loudly.”

The young man looked innocent. “Do I look like a bad person? Why is she still guarding against me?”

Blocking the entrance with the bowl of noodles, Yu Youyou remained wary. “Why are you at my house?”

Had he finally realized his mistake and come to take back that pill?

However, the young man didn’t bring up the pill at all. Instead, he clumsily climbed down from the wall. “Can I at least sit down and have a drink first? I’ve been hanging onto that wall all afternoon—my legs are numb.”

This time, Yu Youyou didn’t stop him. She actually stepped aside and let him in.

But as soon as the young man stepped inside, he was dumbfounded.

There was… nothing here?

Yu Youyou sat cross-legged on a paulownia leaf, eating her noodles, and casually handed him a cup of tea.

The young man’s legs were sore from hanging onto the wall for so long, but he didn’t complain. He immediately followed her example, using a leaf as a cushion, then grabbed the tea and gulped it down in one go. He even praised, “This tea tastes pretty good.”

Yu Youyou ignored him.

He cleared his throat and introduced himself. “I’m Qi Nanfeng, a local of Tonghua County. I accidentally got lost and ended up at your place today…”

“A local getting lost? And you just happened to end up clinging to my wall? You think I’d believe that?” Yu Youyou exposed his lie without mercy.

Qi Nanfeng wanted to cry.

Although he had already asked someone to check the pill formula beforehand and confirmed it was correct, it was still his first time refining one, so he wasn’t entirely confident.

Earlier, he had been too excited about buying a new pill furnace, so he took it straight to West Street, bought medicinal ingredients on the spot, and started refining pills right then and there. Originally, he had planned to impress the crowd with his skills. But after the pill was actually sold, he suddenly started worrying—what if it really poisoned someone?

But he couldn’t just admit that he was trailing her all the way here to secretly check whether she was still alive, right?

That would make him seem way too insecure!

Qi Nanfeng quickly changed the subject. “So, you actually live here? Where’s your family?”

Yu Youyou replied calmly, “All dead.”

Qi Nanfeng was stunned.

For some reason, she said that in such a lighthearted tone?

A terrible thought popped into his head.

Could this girl have lost all her family and decided she didn’t want to live anymore? And judging by her appearance, she did seem like she was seriously ill.

Her home was this run-down, she had said that thirty copper coins were all she had left… Could she have purposely bought random medicine to consume in an attempt to end things?

Qi Nanfeng’s expression turned serious as he earnestly tried to persuade her. “You’re still young, you have plenty of chances ahead of you.”

Yu Youyou: “???”

Qi Nanfeng, putting on a mature air, continued in a solemn tone, “There are doctors everywhere in Tonghua County. You can definitely be cured.”

“If ordinary doctors can’t help, you can always seek out a pill cultivator from the Pill Cauldron Sect.”

At this point, Yu Youyou finally became interested and asked the question she had been meaning to ask for a while. “What exactly is a pill cultivator? And what is the Pill Cauldron Sect?”

Her scummy father was a sword cultivator, so the original novel barely mentioned pill cultivators.

The only one who appeared was a beautiful female pill cultivator who refined a healing elixir for him using her own heart’s blood. The novel didn’t explain anything about alchemy principles or the process—it only focused on how her father and this beauty dual-cultivated together.

Entertainment options were scarce in the post-apocalyptic world, and this was the only novel Yu Youyou had on hand. Back then, she had reread that part at least seven times.

Qi Nanfeng wasn’t surprised by Yu Youyou’s ignorance. She still looked young, and it was normal for ordinary people not to know about pill cultivators.

He explained, “Pill cultivators are a type of cultivator. Their ranks range from first-grade to seventh-grade, and in the presence of a high-grade pill cultivator, there is no illness that a single pill cannot cure. If there is, then just take two.”

“Because talent in this field is extremely rare, and advancement is difficult, pill cultivators are highly revered throughout the entire cultivation world.”

Seeing that Yu Youyou was listening attentively, Qi Nanfeng felt a little proud. He extended his hand and coughed. “Talking too much made me thirsty.”

Yu Youyou immediately handed him a second cup of tea.

Satisfied, Qi Nanfeng continued explaining.

“As for the Pill Cauldron Sect, it is the only sect in the entire Eastern Territory dedicated to pill cultivation, holding an extraordinary status. Anyone who joins the Pill Cauldron Sect is undoubtedly a genius among geniuses.”

Yu Youyou nodded, then asked a soul-piercing question: “So, are you a disciple of the Pill Cauldron Sect?”

Qi Nanfeng was momentarily at a loss for words. “I… I’m not yet…”

He quickly added, “But the entrance examination for the Pill Cauldron Sect is in ten days! I’ll soon be an outer disciple of Pill Cauldron Sect!”

Seeing Yu Youyou’s sickly appearance, Qi Nanfeng shared another piece of information. “Every year during the entrance examination, Pill Cauldron Sect opens its gates. Many sick people go there to kneel and beg the pill cultivators for medicine. You could try as well.”

Yu Youyou nodded thoughtfully.

Qi Nanfeng, relieved that he hadn’t poisoned anyone, was ready to leave.

Recalling the large yellow dog at the entrance, he hesitated. “I can’t find the way. Could you guide me out?”

Yu Youyou, being surprisingly kind, escorted him to the courtyard gate.

However, just as Qi Nanfeng was about to leave, Yu Youyou suddenly reached out to stop him.

“Two taels for the tea. Thank you.”

Was she serious? One tael per cup of tea?!

Qi Nanfeng was immediately displeased. Though he had plenty of money, he didn’t consider himself a fool.

Just as he was about to roll up his sleeves and argue, his movement suddenly froze.

At Yu Youyou’s feet, the large yellow dog named Goudan was staring at Qi Nanfeng, baring its teeth and growling lowly.

Qi Nanfeng: “…”

Under the threat of the fierce dog, Qi Nanfeng was forced to pay the two taels for the tea.

Afraid of being bitten, he cursed under his breath while making a hasty escape.

But as he ran, he suddenly stopped in his tracks.

“Huh? My leg doesn’t hurt anymore?”

Not only was his swollen, stiff leg pain-free, but he also felt entirely revitalized—like he had taken a powerful tonic!

After thinking for a moment, Qi Nanfeng stopped dwelling on it and happily exclaimed, “As expected, I’m naturally gifted! A perfect candidate for cultivation!”

….

For the next few days, Yu Youyou remained busy.

The weather was on her side—after half a month of gloomy skies, sunlight finally returned to Tonghua County. Yu Youyou dried her medicinal ingredients and ground them into powder, managing to roll them into more than ten small pills just in time on the tenth day.

The backlash from her half-demon bloodline grew stronger each time, and the pain she would experience this time would be even more unbearable than what she recalled from the original body’s memories.

If she didn’t create an effective painkiller soon, she might end up dying again.

It was clear now—her only chance of survival lay in trying her luck at Pill Cauldron Sect. Besides, having spent her entire life researching medicine, she was genuinely intrigued by the profession of pill cultivators.

After carefully placing the painkillers on her person, Yu Youyou slung on her travel bag and stepped out the door.

The sky was still dark, and Goudan was curled up by the entrance, sleeping soundly. Ever since Qi Nanfeng had climbed over the wall, Aunt Hua had instructed the dog to guard Yu Youyou’s home.

The alley was filled with poor folks, struggling to get by, yet they still tried their best to look out for her.

Yu Youyou patted Goudan’s head and pulled a steamed bun from her bag, breaking off a piece to share with the dog.

Passing by the well at the alley’s entrance, she paused for a moment before tossing in her last remaining tonic pill.

Stepping into the misty dawn, her heart filled with determination, she set off towards the towering mountain outside the city.

A quarter of an hour later.

Utterly exhausted and seeing stars, Yu Youyou panted heavily, leaning on a wooden staff to flag down an ox cart.

“Uncle, fifty wen. Can you give me a ride?”