A gentle and cozy breeze brushed past his face. He could faintly hear the chirping of birds and the gurgling of water when he caught the familiar scent of herbs. The light before him made his vision a bit blurry and hazy. In a trance, he seemed to have arrived at a meadow filled with blooming flowers and precious herbs. He looked through his medical book, one by one, selecting the herbs he needed and placing them in a basket. As he turned around, however, he stepped on thin air and fell endlessly into what seemed like a bottomless abyss.“Argh-” he screamed, but it was not loud, more like a whimper. He snapped awake, his eyes wide and drenched in sweat. Clenching his hands at his sides with his eyes widening, he was soaked through and gasping for fresh air as if he had just crawled up from a deep pond. Mingled with the scent of herbal medicine, the air filled his lungs. It was only then that he gradually regained his senses. “You’re awake, huh?” The familiar voice was calm.
Although his wrist pulse was weak, it reflected his true condition. Dominic knew Austin could slowly recuperate from his weak state by drawing out the toxin with the silver needle coupled with the herbal medicine. “Hmm…” Withdrawing his hand, he nodded. “Not bad indeed.”Then, Dominic gestured at Austin with his chin. “Take off your clothes.”Austin was reluctant. Although it was not the first time, Dominic was his granduncle. He was rather shy, and his fingers paused momentarily. Lowering his head, he then slowly unbuttoned his shirt. “Tsk!” Dominic clucked his tongue. ‘Why is this brat so bashful?!’Having unbuttoned the shirt, Austin revealed his chest. He had stayed indoors without leaving the house, so his skin had an unhealthy pallor. However, Dominic was glad to see that the outlines of his muscle groups had started to blur. His muscles, which used to be scary and almost make his skin burst, seemed to have become normal over time, and his skin had gotten looser. “Uncl
Austin sat quietly, then got up and left his room. The spacious house seemed unusually quiet, with no signs of anyone around. He noticed the open backyard door, crossed the hall, and went outside.When he arrived at the backyard, he caught the unique scent of various herbs. Dominic stood thoughtfully among the herbs with his hands behind his back.Austin did not interrupt his granduncle and remained quiet for a while. When he turned to leave, he heard Dominic’s voice, “Since you’ve regained some strength, why don’t you help me pick some herbs?”Austin was surprised but still walked over and picked up the basket Dominic had placed aside.“I’ve written whatever I need, but can you still recognize them?” Dominic pointed forward with his chin without looking at his grandnephew.Austin gazed down and saw a piece of paper inside the basket. Several names of uncommonly used herbs were on it, but he knew what they looked like. Austin smiled, swung the basket over his shoulder, and walked
Michelle hurried over and realized she had forgotten herself when she got near. She slowed down but soon came close and greeted Dominic courteously, “Hello, Uncle Dom.”Then she quickly took out a tissue to dry Austin’s sweat. “You’re not well yet. What are you doing out here in the breeze, all sweaty? What if your sickness worsens?!”“I’m all right. I’ve gotten much better!” Austin knew his mother was worried, so he smiled and took the tissue to wipe his sweat. His other hand was still holding the basket. “Uncle Dom, where should I put this?”“Take it inside. Someone will put it away.” Dominic said as he blandly looked into the distance.“Then you…”Dominic turned and walked away, saying, “I’d like to be left alone. Don’t mind me.”In other words, he wanted them to leave.“Then we’ll go to the foyer. We shouldn’t stay too long here since it’s cold.” Austin expressed concern, then took his mother’s hand and led her away.Michelle wanted to help him carry the basket, but he ref
“Of course, it has something to do with it! If you hadn’t studied herbal medicine, you wouldn’t have gone to that so-called research institute and met that b*tch who put you through this!” Michelle blamed everything on her son’s profession.‘If he hadn’t studied this, he wouldn’t have gone there and suffered so much. Thinking back, I shouldn’t have let him learn herbal medicine from Dominic in the first place.’Austin grew somewhat upset when he heard what his mother said. “If that’s the cause, perhaps you shouldn’t have given birth to me. I wouldn't have suffered if I weren’t even born, right?”“Are you…” Michelle also got upset and was on the verge of crying. “Are you blaming me now?”“No, I’m just trying to point out that it has nothing to do with me learning herbal medicine. The guilty ones are the perpetrators who don’t value human lives, not us, okay?” Austin held his mother’s shoulder.Then he patiently continued, “I know you feel bad for me, but you shouldn’t say that. Per
‘If the organization no longer values her and their conspiracy is about to be exposed, it’s not unfathomable for them to murder her to hide the truth. But when I recall every detail, everything seems weird. Even my escape was too easy.’Austin had tried to escape before that but had consistently failed. However, his last attempt went so smoothly that he thought it was a dream. He even tried hurting himself to ensure it was real. Only after slowly pulling himself together did Austin finally accept that he had escaped.As for Mike, Austin wondered if the organization would figure out that Mike was the one who let him go.‘If so, what would happen to Mike? Why did he help me? If he was sincere about it, why didn’t he do that on the first day instead of waiting so long?’The more Austin thought about it, the more suspicious he got. Still, he could not come up with an answer. Besides, he had not fully recovered yet, so there was no point thinking about other things when he could not eve
Lily could not leave for the time being. More accurately, even if she went over, she could not do much. She had analyzed the blood on the needle but needed more time to further investigate certain substances. Only when she knew what they were could she devise a counteracting medicine to cure Cameron. Although she had done it fast enough under the circumstances, Anastasia could hardly wait. Cameron was in a position of authority where many people wanted to speak with him daily. It was difficult for a young woman like Anastasia to deal with their requests to see him.It was okay to claim he had been sick for two days, but people would get suspicious if he remained that way. “Not yet.” Lily pondered for a moment. While conducting an analysis, she examined the liquid inside a test tube.“Then, how much longer do we have to wait?” Anastasia was anxious. “It’s not that I want to rush you, but it’s truly…”Holding her phone tight, Lily said solemnly, “Tasia, I know you’re in a tigh
“Okay!”As the servant turned around, they heard a commotion downstairs, followed by hectic footsteps. There seemed to be more than one person, and it was rather crowded. “Miss Rollins?” Shocked, the servant looked at Anastasia. She was also surprised but merely waved dismissively. “Don’t panic. Let’s go check it out.”Anastasia led the way, and when she got to the stairwell, she saw a dozen or more burly men below and heard voices. She could tell one of the voices belonged to another servant. “Mr. Moore, Secretary Rollins would be mad if he finds out you’re misbehaving in the house.”“Then let him come out and give me an earful!” Fabian shouted boldly. “I don’t care even if he beats me up! No matter what, I must see him. I’d like to ask him if he treats me as his family!”“Miss…” The servant beside her whispered. Anastasia stopped her by raising a hand, then went downstairs. “I was wondering who was making a ruckus. It turns out to be you, Uncle Fabian.”Her voice drew e