The Protagonist is Always Intimidating Me - Chapter 19

“Mo Lengsui, come here!”

“…It doesn’t look good. He’s got severe burns all over his body, and some of the deeper wounds are mixed with gravel. He can’t be saved. We should just wait…”

Mo Hankui held Bai Meng tightly in his arms, his beast-like eyes fixed on Mo Lengsui with a terrifying intensity that sent a shiver down the latter’s spine.

“…Wait… wait for rescue, I mean.”

“……”

—Hey! Don’t be such a coward!! Say it again if you dare!!! (Thoughts from others)

“Um… Hall Master,” Mo Lei stepped forward, hesitation in his eyes. “There’s still one type of medicine left in the storeroom. It can heal all wounds, but the effects of that medicine…”

“……”

Bai Meng twitched his little finger. Voices were buzzing continuously in his ear. He opened his eyes just a crack and overheard what Mo Lei was saying to Mo Hankui.

At this moment, Mo Hankui’s face was dark and gloomy, his expression terrifying.

He knew the effects of that medicine and knew that Bai Meng’s only hope now lay with it. But…

He didn’t want him to suffer; he didn’t want him to be in pain. But he was powerless, unable to save him…

Mo Hankui’s body was tense, like a wounded beast, the taste of blood spreading through his mouth, mixed with an underlying sense of helpless despair. Suddenly, a cool hand lightly touched him, snapping him out of his trance.

—Don’t be angry.

Bai Meng struggled to give Mo Hankui a comforting smile. His dark eyes were filled to the brim with stars that seemed ready to overflow.

Mo Jiuge stood at a distance, shrouded in shadow, with the sunlight at his back. His expression was unreadable to those around him.

Mo Lei sent someone to fetch the medicine. Bai Meng reached out to take it, then smiled reassuringly at the hesitant Mo Hankui, his gaze lingering on the inconspicuous little transparent bottle in his hand, where a dark liquid swirled like mercury.

—It was Fuxing¹.

“…Are you sure? Though the effects of Fuxing are indeed remarkable, but…”

“Will it weaken me? Disfigure me? Turn me into a monster? Will it…” Looking at everyone’s drastically changed expressions, Bai Meng randomly threw out a series of questions.

“…None of those.”

Mo Yu suddenly interrupted Bai Meng, a hint of lingering complexity on his handsome face. He glanced down at the item in Bai Meng’s hand.

“Fuxing has saved many, but it has killed even more.”

“?!”

“Yes, Fuxing can be considered the best healing medicine, and it can even suppress some congenital diseases. If the body adapts to it, even physiological defects will never recur after recovery. But conversely, at the moment of ingestion, the effects of Fuxing are so strong that they can even backfire on the body. If you can withstand it, it’s the best cure. If you can’t endure it… you might end up in eternal slumber, and when you reach the age limit, you’ll die in your sleep…”

“…Wait, I have a question.”

Bai Meng toyed with the Resurrection medicine, a troubled expression on his pale face after listening to Mo Yu’s explanation: “If the medicine is so potent, why not dilute it???”

“……”

Huh?

Is that even an option?!

The atmosphere suddenly became awkwardly quiet.

“…Never mind, not worth fussing over.” Bai Meng muttered before turning to Mo Hankui. “Lord Hankui, I’m a little thirsty.”

Hearing Bai Meng call his name, Mo Hankui paused for a moment. He then carefully leaned Bai Meng against the bed and went to get water himself, only to hear the sound of drinking from behind him!

“!!!”

The bowl in his hand fell to the ground with a crash. Mo Hankui turned around to see Bai Meng tilt his head back and drink down the liquid in the bottle.

The bitter medicinal taste slid down Bai Meng’s throat into his stomach. Wherever the mucus-like substance touched, it felt as if sharp spikes had grown, burning every part of his body, scorching hot.

“Bai Meng!”

“…Your Highness, please calm down! Hold him down and don’t let him hurt himself!”

“Restrain him! Don’t let him move!”

Mo Hankui didn’t hesitate to put his arm into Bai Meng’s mouth. As Bai Meng’s canine teeth sank into his flesh, blood spurted out, yet he seemed oblivious to the pain. His gray eyes locked onto the youth, his expression filled with darkness, his brows furrowed. Everyone around him felt as if they were small boats in a storm, swayed by his turbulent emotions.

Mo Hankui watched Bai Meng’s face contort in pain. He didn’t dare touch him. The boiling blood pounded wildly in his temples. His head felt like it was being crushed, about to explode, with something wanting to pour out from his eyes.

Before long, Bai Meng’s entire body was drenched in blood. He felt as if he had fallen into a bottomless abyss, darkness weighing on him like a mountain, drowning him like an ocean. He couldn’t utter a single word or take a breath, and no words could describe the agony he was experiencing…

Bai Meng’s body was powerless, the intense pain seemed to tear him apart into countless fragments, yet cruelly kept his consciousness intact. The suffering from his limbs clearly registered in his brain.

The darkness swallowed him whole, and in the haze, he saw a man dressed in black standing before him, smiling at him gently, a smile that was both familiar and warm.

[Xiao Bai Meng.]

The man was calling him.

“…Bai… Bai Fan…”

……………

Thousands of years ago, in the ancient wilderness, the cultivation world was called Manhuang.

—It meant a savage wasteland.

Rugged mountains and treacherous terrain were dominated by strange beasts, fierce monsters, demons, and sea clans, occupying half of the continent. The western region was mostly inhabited by a mixture of strange beasts, fierce monsters, and the witch clans. The eastern region was controlled by the dragon clan, the southern seas by the sea clans, and as for the northern region… it was an icy wasteland, home to only a few powerful yao².

The human race resided in the Central Plains, surrounded by beasts, monsters, demons, and sea clans, struggling to survive in the gaps.

Although human survival was difficult, they persevered—fighting against the heavens, the earth, fierce beasts, demon clans, and even against fate…

In the end, after dragons and phoenixes were driven to extinction, and as the great demons bowed their heads, humans began to grow stronger, cultivating powerful physiques and a variety of techniques.

In short, during this time, there wasn’t a single human who was easy to mess with—they were all wild creatures raised on brutality!

At the foot of an unnamed mountain, an endless forest of giant trees stretched out, with all kinds of familiar and unfamiliar flora spreading across the ground, leaving no space to step on.

From the quiet of the forest and the relaxed demeanor of the small animals, it was clear that no bloodthirsty humans had disturbed this place yet. But today, a group of intruders suddenly entered, leaving behind blood soaked into the soil and leaves, before the forest returned to its usual tranquility.

Due to its remote location, few powerful yao came here, ensuring the safety of this land’s creatures.

Tuanzi was the only creature in this forest who had cultivated to a decent level of spiritual power. As a pure white silver-fox hamster, he was particularly delicate and willful. Even in a place like Manhuang, where it seemed safe, it only meant that the predators were different. Tuanzi understood this from an early age, so he began cultivating diligently. His strength was enough to let him live safely in this small place.

Tuanzi’s daily routine was foraging and storing food. He thought his life would pass like this, until one day, he found someone—a particularly beautiful person.

In fact, there were quite a few yaoguai in this forest that had gained sentience, but Tuanzi was the first among them to transform into a human form. He achieved this simply by eating and sleeping at his leisure every day, and suddenly, he transformed?! This was enough to make the sparrow yao on the tree gnash its beak in jealousy, flaring its feathers in fury.

“Tuanzi! Why are you so lucky?!”

The sparrow yao asked him again and again.

Luck…?

Tuanzi paused in his act of stuffing a nut into his mouth, his dark eyes full of innocent laughter: “It’s not luck! It’s Bai Fan!”

“Bai Fan?”

“Yep! And I have a name now! It’s Bai Meng!”

TL Notes:

1. Fuxing – 複生 (fù shēng) can be interpreted as “resurgence,” “rebirth,” or “revival,” referring to the idea of coming back to life or recovering from a near-death state.

2. 妖 (yāo): This character can refer to goblin, witch, devil, monster, phantom or demon. It often carries the connotation of something that is magical or otherworldly, and can be either bewitching, enchanting, mischievous or malevolent in nature. In folklore, “妖” is used to describe creatures with magical abilities.