Chapter 68: The Leg-Stretching, Eye-Opening Pill

In the following period, Lin Xiao assisted Li Tai in testing the pills. Lin Xiao had to admit that Li Tai’s expertise in alchemy was quite impressive. The pills they tried next never produced anything as ridiculous as the Fart Pill. Whether Li Tai was being considerate toward Lin Xiao or not, most of the pills he tested were gentle in effect, and none caused Lin Xiao any discomfort.

Whenever Lin Xiao remembered that, once the tests were over, he could choose a few of these pills for himself, he couldn’t help but let a smile creep to his lips.

Now, only the last pill remained on the table.

Lin Xiao’s gaze fell on it; it looked no different from the others. He was already prepared to take it, but noticed Li Tai had yet to hand it over.

“What’s wrong, Brother Li? Isn’t this the last one? Hurry up and give it to me—I need to rest after this.”

Li Tai didn’t answer immediately. After a while, he spoke slowly. “Maybe it’s best not to try this one.”

Lin Xiao’s heart skipped. Was there something special about this pill?

If he didn’t test it, he’d lose a bottle of pills—he certainly didn’t want to miss this opportunity. Still, before taking it, he decided to ask about its properties.

“Brother Li? What’s the matter? Is there something wrong with this pill? It’s not poisonous, is it?”

Li Tai shook his head. “Of course not. I’m an alchemist, not a poisoner—I wouldn’t make anything poisonous. Sometimes my concoctions are a little off, but never deadly. The reason I hesitate is that I don’t know exactly what this pill does.”

Lin Xiao was taken aback. Li Tai had always been able to roughly guess the effects of his pills during previous tests, and his guesses were nearly always correct. This was the first time he’d admitted uncertainty, which made Lin Xiao feel uneasy.

“Brother Li, how can you not know? Though I know nothing about alchemy or the properties of pills, surely you remember what herbs you added? You should at least have some idea of its effects.”

“That’s the problem. That day, I was drunk—completely out of it—and in that state, I made this pill. I have no recollection of the process or what herbs went in. All I know is, when I woke up the next day, the pill was ready. Maybe you should still try it—I promise it’s not poisonous.”

Lin Xiao: (;′?????`)

What kind of bizarre situation was this? A pill concocted while blackout drunk, and he dared offer it for Lin Xiao to ingest?

The urge to try it faded. Li Tai’s explanation only made him more hesitant.

Li Tai glanced at the last pill, then seemed to reach a decision. “With Sister Jiao here, nothing will go wrong. You should try it.”

Lin Xiao’s face was twisted with indecision. The memory of the Fart Pill was still fresh; he definitely didn’t want to suffer such humiliation again. He’d already tested plenty of pills—he could claim several bottles. Did he really need this one?

Li Tai noticed Lin Xiao’s hesitance. He’d been worried about Lin Xiao’s health and had considered dropping the test, but having no clue about the pill’s effect bothered him deeply.

“If you try this pill and we learn its effect, I’ll give you three bottles of pills!”

Lin Xiao’s eyes lit up immediately.

Why didn’t he say so sooner?

“Brother Li, you make it sound like I’m coveting your pills. I swear that’s not my intention—I just want to know what this pill tastes like. Still, a deal’s a deal: three bottles for this one, and that’s final.”

Without waiting for Li Tai to reconsider, Lin Xiao quickly picked up the pill and placed it in his mouth.

The moment it touched his tongue, his brows furrowed.

Damn, this pill tasted of durian.

He happened to be one of those who disliked durian.

Once swallowed, the pill melted into a warm current that flowed through his body. Since he didn’t know its exact effect, Lin Xiao watched closely for any change in himself.

He waited a long time, but nothing happened.

Li Tai kept a close eye on him, surprised to see Lin Xiao unaffected.

“That can’t be. Though I don’t remember what herbs I used while drunk, I noticed the next morning several rare herbs were missing—some so precious I only had one. Even eating those herbs alone should have produced some effect.”

So Lin Xiao and Li Tai stared at each other for quite some time.

Just as Li Tai was about to conclude the pill was a failure, Lin Xiao suddenly collapsed to the floor.

His legs flailed, his eyes bulged wide, and his body convulsed violently.

Liu Jiao was startled. She rushed to Lin Xiao’s side and immediately used Healing Spell.

To her surprise, the spell had no effect. Lin Xiao kept convulsing.

Was he poisoned?

“Detoxification Spell!”

“Major Restoration!”

“Divine Healing!”

“Sacred Wind of Recovery!”

…

Liu Jiao unleashed every spiritual ability she knew, yet Lin Xiao’s condition didn’t change in the slightest.

Now Liu Jiao was growing anxious.

“Li Tai, what exactly did you make him eat?”

Li Tai was utterly confounded. This shouldn’t be happening!

He didn’t know the pill’s effect, but he was certain it wasn’t poisonous. Even if it were, Liu Jiao’s Detoxification Spell should have worked.

Not wanting Lin Xiao to truly come to harm, Li Tai hurried to his side to check his condition.

If anything serious happened, it would be his fault.

“Sister Jiao, something’s strange. This kid doesn’t seem to be in any real danger. His vital signs are normal, and the flow of spiritual energy inside him is steady. There shouldn’t be any major issues.”

Liu Jiao, still uneasy, examined Lin Xiao herself and reached the same conclusion.

That put her mind somewhat at ease.

It seemed this might be a side effect of the pill.

“What did you feed him? Stretched-Leg Wide-Eye Pill?”

Li Tai covered his face. To be honest, that name actually fit pretty well.

“I honestly don’t know. If I’d known what it did, I wouldn’t have let Xiao Lin try it. But even so, this shouldn’t be the result. Where did I go wrong?”

Both were anxious, but neither knew how to resolve it.

“This isn’t working. Waiting won’t help—I’ll go fetch Shangguan Xi. Maybe she’ll have a solution.”

Li Tai agreed it was the only option. Liu Jiao was just about to leave when she saw Lin Xiao suddenly stir.