Genshin Impact, I'm Slime

"We're looking for Uncle Tian!"

The traveler's clear and hurried voice broke the tranquility in front of the hut.

"What... Heavens!"

Agui's concerned expression froze instantly, as if the name had burned her tongue.

He instinctively leaned forward, raising one hand to cover the traveler's mouth, but froze, stopping less than half a foot in front of the traveler.

Men and women are different, especially since the other party is a well-known traveler.

Agui's raised hand awkwardly twitched, his fingers unconsciously gripping the air twice before hastily withdrawing it, tightly clutching the hem of his light gray robe, the fabric crumpled into a ball in his palm.

Agui quickly glanced left and right, as if afraid that someone might overhear, before turning to the side and lowering her voice to a whisper, her voice a mixture of hurriedness and panic as she tried to appear calm.

"Wha...what Uncle Tian? You must have come to the wrong place. This is a legitimate clinic. We keep a register of all our patients, and there's no one with that name..."

Agui's gaze dared not meet the traveler's clear yet firm eyes; it drifted somewhat to the herbs beside the steps.

"A-Gui, you're lying!"

Paimon stamped his little feet in frustration, his voice filled with anger and anxiety at being deceived, directly exposing the other party's deception.

"We all know, Uncle Tian was clearly inside, but... has something happened to him?"

Paimon's little hands gripped the traveler's clothes tightly, as if they were his only support.

Agui's face flushed even redder, and fine beads of sweat appeared on her forehead.

He opened his mouth, as if he wanted to argue something, his eyes scanning back and forth between the traveler's resolute expression and Paimon's anxious little face. His lips moved a few times, but it was as if an invisible rope was strangling his throat, leaving only a pale and embarrassed expression of helplessness after being exposed.

Just as the group was deadlocked, FAMAS silently stepped onto the last step.

He didn't deliberately quicken his pace, but in an instant he arrived at the center of the dispute.

The boy first glanced at Agui, whose face was flushed, then at the traveler with his lips tightly pursed and his expression serious, and at Paimon, who was anxious. His eyes were unreadable, and his calmness seemed particularly abrupt in the tense atmosphere.

Meanwhile, in the corner, the little zombie Qiqi, who had been silently observing, began to move her usually dull purple eyes little by little.

While everyone's attention was focused on the standoff at the door, she quietly moved her feet and carried the empty medicine basket, which was almost as tall as herself, on her back.

The bottom of the bamboo basket gently tapped against the ground, making a soft clicking sound that could be clearly heard in the silence.

She carefully bypassed the threshold blocking her way, like a weightless leaf drifting slowly towards the outside of Bubu's hut, her steps hesitant yet her goal clear.

Qiqi doesn't understand these things. Qiqi is going to gather herbs.

Famas's keen eyes caught Qiqi's small figure trying to quietly leave, and his eyes narrowed almost imperceptibly.

Then, as if completely ignoring Agui's presence, he turned directly to the Traveler and Paimon, his lazy voice breaking the suffocating silence.

"What are you explaining to him?"

"Let's go straight in."

Famas's gaze passed over Agui's stiff body and landed on the curtain leading from the front desk of Bubulu to the inner hall.

These words were like a release from a shackle; the traveler no longer hesitated and immediately stepped forward to bypass Agui and venture inside.

"Wait...wait! You can't..."

Just as Agui, pale-faced and with trembling arms, was still stubbornly trying to stop the traveler and Paimon.

The thick curtain leading to the inner hall of Bubulu was gently lifted by a hand with distinct knuckles and a slightly pale appearance.

Bai Zhu's figure slowly walked out of the inner room, which was filled with the rich aroma of herbs.

He was still dressed in simple and light clothing, with a gentle yet enigmatic smile on his face. His eyes were curved like crescent moons, and his emerald snake-shaped earrings swayed gently on his cheeks with each step, shimmering with a faint luster.

Bai Shu ignored the argument in the hall, his gaze calmly sweeping over everyone. When it landed on Famas, his smile seemed to deepen for a moment, carrying an indescribable sense of inquiry and understanding.

"Gentlemen... you've arrived at just the right time."

Bai Zhu's voice was as gentle as ever, his tone relaxed, as if he were greeting an old friend he hadn't seen in a long time.

His gaze finally settled on Famas, the probing intent deepening. Since their hasty last meeting, Famas, this mysterious demon god who seemed capable of bringing the dead back to life, had vanished as if into thin air.

Bai Shu, with his meticulous mind, had already pieced together Famas's approximate identity from scattered information from various sources and the subtle clues on his person.

The secret of immortality was an irresistible temptation for him. Bai Shu had considered countless plans to get close to Famas, but all of them were ultimately rejected.

He couldn't very well just run up to Famas and ask how to achieve immortality, could he?

Such an abrupt question is not only absurd and ridiculous, but may also lead to unforeseen dangers.

Bai Zhu had no choice but to wait for an opportunity, but unexpectedly, the other party took the initiative to come to her door again.

"Mr. Bai Shu, it's been a long time."

"I am very grateful for the pastries that Qiqi sent last time. They tasted very good."

Famas's calm voice interrupted Bai Shu's thoughts. His gaze also fell on Bai Shu, and his tone was neither polite nor sincere, more like an opening remark.

Qiqi, who had already quietly moved to the threshold, was about to step out of the door of Bubulu when Famas's words, "Give me the pastries that Qiqi sent," were like a small pebble, accurately thrown into her little head, which was as still as a lake.

"Sending pastries...?"

Qiqi's movements froze instantly, like a small stone statue suddenly frozen in place.

She turned around awkwardly, her small face filled with blank confusion, her eyes gazing blankly in the direction of FAMAS, her small brows furrowing little by little, as if she were struggling to search through the thick fog of her memories.

When did she send pastries to FAMAS? She has absolutely no recollection of it.

Qiqi's mind was blank; that memory seemed to have never existed. Her small eyes were filled with pure confusion.

But in that brief moment of stagnation, Qi Qi's thought process, worn down by time and secret techniques, subconsciously completed a leap of self-consistency.

Oh... it's normal not to remember.

After all, she doesn't have a good memory.

Many things, like morning dew, disappear as soon as the sun comes out.

This thought acted like a universal disclaimer, instantly calming Qiqi's confusion.

The little zombie's furrowed brows slowly relaxed, and the brief moment of confusion faded away, returning to its usual emptiness.

She stopped dwelling on Famas's words, and her small body resumed its rhythmic movement. She continued carrying the medicine basket that was far too big for her, and slowly but purposefully shuffled out of the threshold of Bubulu, heading towards the herb-gathering spot that vaguely existed in her memory.

"Mr. FAMAS, you're too kind. If you like, I can have Qiqi make some more for you."

Atractylodes macrocephala responded very politely.

The leisurely small talk between Famas and Dr. White made the traveler and Paimon anxious.

Shouldn't we be checking on Uncle Tian's safety first? Why are these two chatting like this?

During their eye contact, FAMAS keenly sensed something unusual.

The man before me, Bai Shu, still appeared to be the same gentle and composed renowned doctor, but beneath that seemingly calm exterior lay an extremely subtle yet undeniable sense of unease.

A sense of weakness, as if the very source of life is nearing depletion.

Like a candle flame that has burned out, barely maintaining its light through sheer willpower, and more importantly, the white snake Changsheng, which was almost inseparable from Bai Shu and had been coiled around his neck for years, was nowhere to be seen.

The space was empty, with only faint marks left by the fabric.

Famas instantly understood.

A thought flashed through the darkness like lightning, suddenly illuminating the fog before my eyes.

The fact that the deadly poison that Tian Shu was poisoned did not kill him immediately was perhaps due to an unexpected variable: it was none other than the frail, barely breathing physician Bai Shu himself, whose symbiotic spirit beast had also temporarily disappeared.

He used himself as a medium to bear or transfer the deadly poison.

A chilling realization flashed through Famas's mind, and his gaze returned to Bai Shu's increasingly pale face. (End of Chapter)