My health recovery is incredibly fast.

Xia Zuo bit his lip, thinking of an opportunity to deliver a heavy blow to the nearly insane old man's back.

But the wicked old man seemed to have calmed down. He braced his arms on the alchemy table, his lungs bulging and collapsing like an old, broken blower, panting heavily.

The wicked old man scooped up the boiling soup with a spoon and filled four vials with bubbling, hot medicinal liquid.

"You, drink them!" the wicked old man said, sitting on the wooden stool.

The chubby boy, the short boy, and the little-nosed boy, seemingly used to being obedient, or perhaps afraid of being beaten or scolded, immediately went to the alchemy table and drank the potion.

Leaving Xia Zuo standing there looked very abrupt.

After the three of them drank the potion, they all fell to the ground and rolled around. At first, they could still shout, but after a dozen seconds, it turned into grinding their teeth and whimpering. Then they could only curl up silently, their fingers gripping anything they could hold onto.

"You! Drink your medicine!" The wicked old man slammed his fist on the armrest of the stool.

Xia Zuo cast a detection spell on the potion, which now deducts 32 points of health over 60 minutes. No matter how many points he adds, it's useless. He can save the one free attribute point given for reaching LV.2.

Is it really over? Should we put all our attribute points into Strength and give it a shot?

"No! Wait a minute!"

The wicked old man suddenly stood up, grabbed Xia Zuo by the collar, and spat as he roared, "I remember now! You were slacking off and poured out the medicine! You little trick, I've caught you!!"

Xia Zuo was shoved against the wall by the wicked old man, and his back slammed against the wall.

"I'm going to punish you!" The wicked old man took out the three remaining basins of potion from under the alchemy table and poured them all into the crucible.

"Hehehe!" The evil old man chuckled gleefully, then picked up a spoon and stirred the crucible himself.

In an instant, a thick fog gushed out from the water, blowing the old man's wispy hair away, and his whole being exuded a powerful evil aura.

Xia Zuo stared intently at the desk and slowly moved over.

Gurgle, bang.

A bubble the size of a fist rose from the crucible, and the sound of it bursting was like muffled thunder.

Xia Zuo paused, wondering if the gas released from that bubble just now... carried a flame.

Gurgle, bang.

It definitely had flames!

Gurgle, bang.

Gurgle, bang.

The bubbles are appearing faster and faster! Wisps of flame are appearing above the crucible.

Xia Zuo frowned, hesitating whether to go to the desk or hide back in the cell corridor.

Gurgle, bang.

Gurgle, bang.

Gurgle, bang.

Xia Zuo moved in the opposite direction, quietly heading towards the door of the alchemy room.

Gurgle, bang.

Gurgle, bang.

Gurgle, bang.

Gurgle, bang.

The old man stared blankly at the flames, counted the overturned empty basins at his feet, and plunged his hands into his hair, shouting, "What have I done! What have I done! No, I have to fix this!!"

The wicked old man picked up a spoon and dipped it into the violently churning soup, but what he scooped up was half a melted spoon.

"This is bad!"

Xia Zuo gave a low shout, grabbed the dazed little nose at his feet, and dragged it forcefully toward the aisle with both hands.

As soon as he turned the corner, the sound of bubbles bursting behind him was as continuous as a machine gun firing furiously.

Thump thump thump thump

boom!!

The soup suddenly exploded, the shockwave shattered the crucible, smashed the reagent bottle, and overturned the wicked old man.

The raging crimson flames devoured all the creatures and tools in the alchemy chamber, then followed the fierce airflow into the corridor.

Xia Zuo was pushed to the ground, his hands instinctively protecting his head. The scorching red flames brushed past his body, bringing a sharp pain and shock. His ears were filled with a deafening roar, and his eardrums swelled up with excruciating pain.

Xia Zuo opened his mouth wide and let out a wail, enduring the pain for a few seconds before finally losing consciousness.

After an unknown amount of time, Xia Zuo woke up again. Before him was a gray mist that hung low to the ground, and the entire cell tunnel smelled of burning.

"How much blood do I have left..."

Blood volume 1020. Mild bruising, mild abrasions, mild concussion, minor burns, mild poisoning.

"cough cough"

Xia Zuo pressed himself close to the ground to avoid inhaling the smoke, crawling on his hands and knees toward the alchemy room, where he saw three humanoid figures made of black charcoal.

Where's that wicked old man? Is he dead?

The ground was littered with broken planks and slats of wood; the alchemy table and desk had been completely destroyed in the explosion. Where the crucible had stood, a pool of black sludge had appeared, the source of the smoke and the acrid smell.

The old man's figure was buried in a pile of charred slag, with only his two legs sticking out.

Xia Zuo stopped at the entrance of the alchemy room. He felt a stinging sensation in his nose next to Xiao Bizi. His eyes were probably stung by the smoke, which was why a few tears came out. It was nothing serious.

He continued crawling, rummaging through the pile of slag.

The wicked old man was completely dead, a sharp shard of glass embedded in his chest, his crimson blood staining his robe black.

Xia Zuo rummaged around the old man's waist and found a keychain and a shrunken little purse containing some round, hard objects.

The six keys to the cell are all the same type, making them easy to identify. The key to the alchemy lab is a bit longer. The remaining, longest and thickest key must correspond to the iron door behind the desk.

Xia Zuo repeatedly blew smoke under the iron gate, and after several attempts, he found the keyhole and successfully unlocked the lock.

He lay on his side, his feet planted on the wall, his hands gripping the heavy door panel, and with all his might he could only manage to open it a crack.

I was too weak; the metal door was as thick as three fingers, and I couldn't pull it at all.

By the way, that cane can be used as a crowbar.

Xia Zuo returned to the old man's side and found his cane under him.

He tucked his cane into the gap, leaving half of it inside the door, and then lay on his side again to exert force.

The creaking, rusty door hinges were forcibly turned.

With a snap, the cane made a crisp sound and broke into two pieces after the door panel rotated a certain angle, revealing the intricate double-layer structure inside.

A broken telescopic cane might even be sold for money.

Xia Zuo carefully put it away and crawled out through the crack in the door.

Outside the iron gate was a steep, narrow, earthen tunnel that stretched upwards, with grass roots and crawling insects visible in the soil on either side. Thick smoke from the alchemy chamber drifted outwards along the tunnel.

Xia Zuo used both his hands and feet to reach the top of the tunnel, where it was sealed off by a wooden plank.

"1, 2, 3, push!"

The wooden planks covering the turf were pushed aside, and dazzling sunlight streamed into our eyes, while long-awaited fresh air filled our nostrils, soothing our long-suffering lungs.

"They're out! They're out!"

Xia Zuo emerged from the burrow, opened his arms in cheers, and inhaled the fresh air, which was filled with the scent of grass. He squinted at the sky and then looked around.

This was a clearing in the woods, the forest silent and deep, surrounded by a grove of trees. They seemed like silent guardians, watching the boy emerge from the hole in the ground.

There's a situation that's not looking good.

Why does this forest look so similar from every angle?

Xia Zuo turned to the left and right, and then looked in front of him and behind him. No matter which direction he was in, he saw a forest of trees. The biggest difference was that the trees were of different thicknesses and colors.

There's not even a path here. Where has that wicked old man hidden his alchemy lab?

He looked up and, by observing the position of the sun, roughly calculated the cardinal directions, then returned to the underground alchemy chamber to search for it.

When they returned to the ground, they had a cloth bundle on their backs containing their remaining dry rations and fresh water, as well as a money bag containing three silver coins.

The broken cane was firmly bound together with a hemp rope and could still be used with difficulty.

The silver coins found on the wicked old man were not the kind of thumb-sized coins.

They were genuine silver coins, about the size of a palm, with designs engraved on both sides and inscribed with words such as "Starry Night Kingdom, Rosac Province" and "Face Value 1 Silver Dollar".

The coin's surface reflects a dazzling silver sheen in the sunlight, making it look very valuable.

No paper documents were found in the alchemy room.

Everything—the old man's identity, his alchemical experiments, the map of this place—was reduced to ashes in the previous fire.

To make matters worse, Xia Zuo had not learned any wilderness survival skills before crossing over, and could only rely on his own deductions to choose the direction of travel.

There are more bushes under the trees to the east. There are also more bushes and more pebbles under the trees to the west.

He walked a few steps into the woods to the south, and soon turned back, pale-faced.

The stench was overwhelming at the burial site of the deceased boy, with half a rotting arm sticking out of the ground.

Logically, the wicked old man would choose a direction where no one would pass by to destroy the body and cover up the crime.

In the opposite direction, that is, to the north, there may be human presence.

Xia Zuo tightened his cloth bag, used his cane to split open the thorny bushes, waved to shoo away mosquitoes, and struggled forward through the forest.

This walk took up the entire day.

Even as evening approached and the sun hung low in the western sky, there was still no sign of human activity.

He once doubted that he had gone the wrong way, and even circled around the cave, but in the end he restrained the urge to turn back.

That would only waste time on the round trip. It would be better to head north until nightfall, until we run out of food and water, until we are completely exhausted.

Chapter 4 The Circus