You Fiend, Don't Try to Distract Me from My Filial Piety! - Chapter 1
Chapter 1: The Enthusiastic Widow in the Pharmacy
[Translated By Divinity]
“That shouldn’t be, should it? A vigorous young lad like you, asking about this kind of yang-boosting pill?”
Inside the pharmacy, a beautiful woman in a dress, with delicate features and graceful movements, was appraising the handsome young man at the counter with a subtle gaze, her eyes occasionally darting downwards.
It was as if she was saying: ‘Is there something wrong with “that” of yours?’
The woman was the widowed proprietress of this pharmacy.
The young man in front of her, named Chu Wuji, was seventeen or eighteen years old, with a heroic and handsome appearance. His physique was robust and perfectly toned, clearly well-exercised.
The corner of Chu Wuji’s mouth twitched, and he explained with a calm demeanor, “I’m inquiring for a family member…”
This wasn’t a case of “I have a friend.” He truly was seeking medicine for his godmother, Bai Sujin.
The widowed proprietress’s face showed suspicion, but she was considerate and didn’t let her feelings show. She tactfully pointed to the pills on the counter:
“This pill you’re asking about, dear brother, its origins are unknown. But I can discern a few of the ingredients by smell—all old herbs that nourish yang energy and strengthen the foundation. They’ve probably been aged for more than twenty years, making them quite potent!
Guess what kind of ailment a prescription with these ingredients usually treats~?”
Just a short while ago, Chu Wuji had rushed over to this beautiful pharmacist to inquire about this mysterious pill, hoping to find out what it was.
After listening to the charming widow’s explanation, Chu Wuji revealed a puzzled expression and muttered, “That’s strange. I’ve asked several pharmacies, and they all say the same thing. They can’t identify the specific pill, but judging from the smell, they all say it nourishes the blood and qi…”
While he was lost in thought, the widowed proprietress took his arm, almost pulling him into her soft embrace. Her warm, slender fingers, fragrant with the scent of medicinal herbs, landed on the young man’s wrist, carefully taking his pulse.
After feeling his pulse, the buxom and graceful proprietress became even more curious.
Whether judging by his complexion or pulse, this handsome young man didn’t seem like someone with any health problems. His constitution was like a kirin’s, his qi and blood so vigorous that they were almost scalding to the touch. Yet, his expression suggested some unspoken trouble.
The beautiful proprietress was so curious that she wanted to check his pulse again to see the truth~
It wasn’t that she was being forward or offensive; it was just that she had never seen someone with such strong qi and blood appear deficient. She needed to encounter more complicated cases to enhance her diagnostic experience!
“Dear brother, if there’s something you find difficult to say, come to the back room and tell your sister! Any problem should be treated early, without delay~”
“It’s really not me. It’s actually an elder in my family who has fallen ill with hysteria. She’s delirious, as if she’s lost her soul. But the pills she left for herself are the ones I just showed you.”
“That’s not how you prescribe medicine! It’s completely the wrong treatment!” The widowed proprietress glared at him reproachfully and immediately wrote him a prescription.
“…This is?” Chu Wuji was bewildered.
She could diagnose and prescribe medicine without even seeing the patient? Who was really prescribing medicine randomly here?
“This is a calming soup recipe I received from a Daoist nun many years ago. It can be used for fright, palpitations, and similar conditions. Though it’s a cure-all, it’s remarkably effective. Perhaps it can help your family member. You might as well give it a try.”
Chu Wuji immediately cupped his hands in thanks and paid for two doses of medicine from the widowed proprietress. Since he had received her prescription, he felt obliged to support her business.
He further inquired, “If this calming soup doesn’t work, does Sister Proprietoress know of any other divine doctors?”
“Seeing as you describe it as so severe, you should find a Daoist priest to help call back the soul. Perhaps the soul was frightened and wandered off to some obscure corner. A Daoist priest can retrieve it.”
The method of soul-calling sounded rather mystical. Chu Wuji was dubious, but he knew that this world did possess some unnatural powers.
“Proprietress, do mountain spirits, ghosts, and monsters truly exist in this world? I’ve heard many stories, but I’ve never seen any.”
“Perhaps they do. But I’ve lived in the capital for so many years and haven’t encountered any. I suppose it’s because the capital is prosperous with flourishing yang energy, and those demons and monsters dare not set foot here. You might see them in the wilderness, though!”
The widowed proprietress continued to casually touch Chu Wuji’s wrist, her fingertip subtly trying to slip into his sleeve. Seeing Chu Wuji about to withdraw his hand, she put on an expression as if recalling a clue.
Stared at intently by this beautiful woman, Chu Wuji had no choice but to suffer the silent loss and continue to let her take advantage of him by checking his pulse, waiting for the clue she might reveal.
“Did Sister Proprietoress remember a divine doctor?”
“I actually thought of a pill, a miraculous cure for mental ailments!”
“What pill?”
“The Black Jade Soul-Returning Pill. I hear it’s a formula passed down from those high officials and nobles… no, from immortals in the mountains, to the Lihuo royal family. Emperor Gongwen, the one who abdicated in favor of his mother the Empress Dowager, relied on this pill to sustain his consciousness, maintaining clarity in his final years while plagued by illness.”
“…”
Chu Wuji was a bit speechless, feeling both helpless and amused. He had been taken advantage of, it seemed. Just in case, he asked one more question:
“This pill can only be found in the imperial treasury, right? Does Sister Proprietoress have any other leads?”
“No, medicinal herbs of that quality for concocting pills can’t be found down here in the mortal realm.”
Chu Wuji’s face fell, his expression disappearing as he ruthlessly pulled his arm back. “I thought Sister Proprietoress had a way…”
Having obtained a potentially useful new prescription, he was eager to return home and decoct the medicine to see if it could help his godmother’s condition.
Chu Wuji paid, thanked her, and prepared to leave.
The widowed proprietress waved goodbye, but then asked suggestively, “Do you know how to decoct medicine? Want to come to the back kitchen with me, and I’ll teach you how to prepare this calming soup?”
Chu Wuji politely declined, “It’s no trouble, Sister Proprietoress. I know how to decoct medicine…”
The beautiful and charming widowed proprietress watched the young customer depart. Her smile vanished, and her bright, watery eyes blinked, transforming into eerie, demonic pupils.
She looked at her fingers. The delicate digits that had just touched Chu Wuji were now covered with burn marks, emitting a sizzling black qi.
This was demonic energy.
“With Bai Sujin, that great demon, by your side in the past, you naturally couldn’t see other demons… This handsome lad’s blood essence is truly potent; even a touch scorches my very core!”
***
Chu Wuji left the pharmacy, carrying several doses of medicine, and strode swiftly back home. He immediately returned to his room to check on his sleeping godmother, then moved to the back kitchen to decoct the medicine.
As a rather ordinary transmigrator, Chu Wuji’s beginnings were not ideal.
He started by being abandoned in a deep mountain forest. Fortunately, he was picked up and raised by his godmother, Bai Sujin, who happened to be passing by, allowing him to grow into adulthood.
During his first year in this world, his godmother carried him over mountains and rivers, searching for a wet nurse in various villages and ancient settlements to feed him. Occasionally, when they couldn’t find a village or town, they could only hope to encounter a pregnant animal in the wild and borrow its milk for sustenance.
When they truly couldn’t find a wet nurse, Bai Sujin, who had never been pregnant herself, could only let him suckle directly, occasionally feeding him a few mouthfuls of mountain dew as a substitute for food.
After completing their first decade together, Chu Wuji hadn’t learned any martial arts or similar skills, but he could already independently hunt in the mountains, exchanging his spoils at the market for necessary supplies, sharing the burden of their livelihood.
Initially, he had wanted to rely on fishing for his bounty, but after too many unsuccessful attempts, he had to resort to catching rabbits, raiding birds’ nests, hunting wolves, and even tigers… all to conceal the fact that he had wasted most of the day.
The mother and son duo traveled extensively, eventually settling down in the capital of the Lihuo Kingdom and opening a pharmacy. However, Chu Wuji had no understanding of medicine, so the management of the business fell entirely to his godmother, Bai Sujin.
In his impression, his godmother Bai Sujin was a gentle, elegant, and graceful woman with a beautiful figure. Even compared to the elegant ladies from wealthy families, his godmother was in no way inferior in temperament or appearance, perhaps even surpassing them.
However, this raised another question. His godmother’s temperament and demeanor were such that she could be mistaken for a celestial goddess from a temple. She didn’t seem like someone who had wandered through the wilderness and traveled far and wide.
Chu Wuji had once inquired about this, but his godmother’s expression became troubled, and she softly countered with, “Wuji, are you envious of a life of luxury and riches?” He didn’t dare ask further, fearing that his godmother might think he was tired of their current simple life.
He didn’t have the slightest dissatisfaction; on the contrary, he felt that those days were carefree and enjoyable. Perhaps they could have continued living happily like that—until a year ago…
His godmother, Bai Sujin, suddenly fell ill. It was as if she had lost her soul, her consciousness muddled. She spent most of her time in a quiet slumber, but when she occasionally woke, she didn’t recognize anyone, her gaze vacant and lost. The only fortunate thing was that she didn’t become violent or deranged.
As if anticipating her condition, she had left behind several bottles of pills before falling ill, instructing him on paper to feed her the medicine at regular intervals.
However, the pills were almost gone, and his godmother showed no signs of recovery.
During this time, Chu Wuji had sought out famous doctors through various channels and inquired about relevant prescriptions.
He was also currently trying to find a way to obtain the “Black Jade Soul-Returning Pill” mentioned by the widowed proprietress.
***
The sudden waft of medicinal fragrance brought Chu Wuji back to his senses, reminding him that the decoction was ready.
He skillfully poured a bowl of the medicine and heated a basin of water, then quickly made his way to the room in the inner hall.
The room was quiet, filled only with the sound of soft breathing.
On the bed, an ordinary-looking woman lay peacefully. She wasn’t striking in appearance, but there was a strange, contradictory feeling about her.
If one caught a glimpse of her in their peripheral vision, they would subconsciously judge her to be a graceful beauty based on her aura. But upon closer inspection, they would be greatly disappointed, wondering why she had such plain features, typical of an average woman in the marketplace.
Chu Wuji’s fingers reached into the edge of the woman’s collar, hooking onto a red string. With a gentle tug, a white jade pendant, nestled within her bosom, appeared in his hand. The jade pendant felt warm and smooth against his skin, seemingly carrying a faint, milky fragrance.
After removing the jade pendant, a mist spread across Bai Sujin’s face. As the hazy vapor dissipated, her true appearance was revealed.
It was a dignified and beautiful face, elegant and refined, like a blooming flower. Her sleeping face was youthful and smooth, her long, black hair cascading down her back. The contrast of her snowy skin and raven hair made her resemble a celestial maiden from a traditional painting.
It was this magical jade pendant that made Chu Wuji realize this world was not simple, but his godmother rarely mentioned it, only saying that she had obtained it by chance.
Chu Wuji wasn’t touching his godmother’s jade pendant for the first time. He had been doing so since childhood and was no longer surprised by it. His attention was mainly focused on the beautiful woman’s face before him.
Judging by her complexion alone, Bai Sujin’s lips were rosy, and she seemed perfectly healthy.
But that was only how she appeared.
“Mother, were you in such a hurry? Why couldn’t you leave a note explaining what happened to you? If the pills run out and there’s no improvement, who should I seek help from…”
“Today, I got you a cure-all calming soup. It’s said to be a prescription from a Daoist nun. Let’s see how it works, hopefully, it will help a little.”
After feeding her the medicine while muttering to himself, Chu Wuji intended to wipe his godmother’s face and body, but the water in the basin was still scalding, so he had to wait a little longer.
“Should I scald her a bit? Maybe that would shock Mother awake… Forget it, I’ll go wash the dishes. The water should be about the right temperature when I get back.”
As he got up to wash the dishes, a graceful figure with a rosy glow flitted past like a ghost. Her soul was injured and weak, her aura fluctuating. Suddenly, she was pulled by an unknown force, unable to resist, and plunged straight into Bai Sujin’s body.
The woman sleeping on the bed woke up. She looked around in confusion, murmuring in bewilderment, “Strange, how could there be such a powerful vessel here? And they even fed it soul-summoning soup, aren’t they afraid of attracting demons and evil spirits?”
If demons or evil spirits were to occupy this body, the consequences would be unimaginable!
While the woman was pondering, she heard movement outside the door and quickly lay back down, feigning sleep. A possibility flashed through her mind:
“Could it be that an evil cult is planning to summon a great demon to harm the people here? Unfortunately, I’m currently injured… I’ll observe what’s going on first.”
This was the capital of the Lihuo Kingdom, a human nation. If a great demon were to be summoned here, the consequences would be disastrous!
Chu Wuji returned after washing the dishes and tested the water temperature in the wooden bucket with his hand. Nodding in satisfaction, he efficiently soaked the towel and wrung it dry.
He walked towards the woman, continuing to mutter to himself, “Mother, the water isn’t hot anymore. I’ll wipe your body, and then you can sleep comfortably.”
… Mother, wipe her body?!
The woman, who was pretending to be asleep, grew suspicious. Suddenly, she felt the young man’s warm, large hand reach for her waist, and she immediately sat up in alarm:
“Wait!”