The Fox Immortal Who Made Loofah Soup - Chapter 3

Yungui found his own path.

Poison and medicine shared a common source. Some herbs grew even more potent after passing through his hands and absorbing his poisonous vapor.

Using this method, we earned a great deal of merit.

Every village around our cave now had a Hu Clinic.

Once the patients described their symptoms, I put the herbs into a hidden compartment.

“A wind-cold illness: add two portions of heat poison. Trouble in the marital bed: add an aphrodisiac. Insomnia: one portion of a sleeping drug.”

In the back room, his little face solemn, Yungui infused the herbs with poison from his body.

An ordinary physician couldn’t do that.

But another curious sight awaited us at night.

People were always sneaking into the clinic in furtive groups. “Please, Immortal, grant us loofah soup.”

Before I could organize them, they had formed an orderly queue, faces devout, each trading a roast chicken for soup.

After drinking it, a cluster of human-shaped mushrooms crouched on the ground, pondering the mysteries of heaven and earth, the primordial universe, and the truths of mortal life.

Every so often, a voice would ask, “Who am I? Where did I come from? Where am I going?”

Before long, this little village produced an imperial preceptor.

When the mortal emperor asked how he had attained the Dao, he reflected for a moment.

“An immortal stroked my head; loofah soup bestowed eternal life.”

Soon everyone knew of the Loofah Soup Immortal, who loved roast chicken.

More and more people came seeking treatment on the strength of our reputation. Yungui even found that he didn’t have quite enough poison to go around.

Of course, some things still embarrassed him.

One day, he emerged from the back room to find the clinic packed with people.

Startled, he turned to leave.

“Don’t be shy. A child should hold his head up.”

The villagers brought over a basket of eggs, with a carefully tied knot of vines and grass on top.

“Thank you for treating us, Immortal.”

Yungui, who usually preferred a cool expression, began to stammer. “J-just give them to my master.”

Holding up two roast chickens, I grinned at him.

You’re on your own, my dear disciple.

Under their expectant gazes, he forced out a dreadful smile.

Before long, it grew much more natural.

On the way back to the cave, Yungui lightly hooked his hand around mine. His voice, too, had become cheerful.

“Master, earning merit is wonderful.”

Yes. Earning merit was wonderful.

The good times didn’t last. Soon I felt a chunk of my merit drop away.

Before I could investigate, a villager rushed in.

“Immortal! Your disciple has killed someone!”

I hurried to the scene.

Yungui was in a corner, giving off poisonous vapor. Even the eggs in his hands had turned purple. The villagers stayed well away from him, shielding Xiaoniu, whose whole body was shrouded in purple fumes.

Seeing me, several villagers hurried over, all talking at once.

“Xiaoniu wanted to ask you for treatment today. I imagine your disciple’s held a grudge against him all this time. That must be why he struck so viciously.”

“Did you do this?”

Yungui said nothing for a long time.

I examined Xiaoniu. It was indeed the same poison Yungui carried.

Miao poison, too.

While I removed it, several villagers kept prattling to me about Yungui’s faults.

“Immortal, we knew from the start that little brat was no good. Look at that rebel bone at the back of his neck. You can tell he was born rotten.”

“Exactly. We’ve seen plenty of immortals, but none like him. He doesn’t look like a good person.”

“That brat’s wicked through and through. Why not dump him in the far north, Immortal?”

Ignoring them, I revealed the unconscious Yungui.

“What, he poisoned Daniu unconscious and then knocked himself out?”

No one spoke.

I poured my third improved version of loofah soup into Yungui’s mouth.

He had been unconscious; now he was howling and leaping up and down like a monkey.

Perhaps I ought to stop adding chilies when I improved it.

Someone had knocked Yungui out.

He said he’d received a letter in an old friend’s handwriting. He had intended to tell me about it before going, but someone had struck him unconscious on the way.

Everyone went in a great crowd to the place named in the letter.

A little girl sat on the bank, letting her legs sway gently with the current.

Such a peaceful scene.

It would have been nicer if this hadn’t been upstream of the river supplying our drinking water.

Yungui’s expression shifted slightly. He caught my sleeve.

I reassured him for a moment, then approached slowly.

“Child, you can’t bathe here.”

The little girl turned and gave me a suspicious look.

“A celestial fox? Aren’t those things supposed to be extinct?”

My expression changed sharply.

“Never mind. The water’s already contaminated. That will do for now.”

The girl went limp at once. A gu insect crawled out of her body, seemed to grin mockingly at me, and swiftly vanished.

Yungui’s expression changed. Trembling, he went forward to catch the girl.

But she was already dead.