Lin Shu didn’t know what internal conflict meant.
But he always suspected others held grudges against him.
When he first learned poison-making as a child, other students would receive their teacher’s praise for their creations. Yet whenever he successfully brewed a poison, everyone around him would scream and flee, some even abandoning their pants in their panic, running bare-bottomed in chaos.
As he grew older and was selected as the leader of Poison Cultivators, people called him “Venomous Fiend.” The title never sounded complimentary no matter how he heard it. He wasn’t evil at all – he genuinely enjoyed healing and saving lives!
Why was it that when others saved lives, they were called “miraculous physicians, reincarnated Buddhas,” but when he did the same, people accused him of “vicious intentions and unforgivable crimes”?
Such double standards!
Later came even worse misfortune. While peacefully researching poison refinement at home, a large group suddenly swarmed in, overrunning Five Venom Mountain. They slaughtered all his relatives and friends while shouting about “eliminating evil,” then captured him and threw him into Death Row Prison.
They even cast a restraining spell on him, twisting his body into a pile of mud!
What had he ever done to deserve such hatred? He didn’t even recognize the people who captured him!
Why couldn’t he have mind-reading abilities? When people fell silent around him, were they secretly badmouthing him? Had someone secretly resented him without speaking up, then gathered forces to destroy his home while nursing their grudge?
Furious, he decided to never interact with people again.
Since so many people detested him, he would ignore them all too.
Anyway, in his current condition, avenging his loved ones was impossible, and no one would help him seek justice. He’d just remain in this Death Row Prison forever, never going anywhere!
But since Yun Ji entered the prison, he began having second thoughts.
It wasn’t narcissism – truly not narcissism – but from any perspective, he felt he should be slightly better than Wei Sheng, that pretentious, arrogant, delicate, crybaby nuisance who acted like some young master who’d escaped his leash.
Nor would he behave like Shen Yinshuo with his split personality, sometimes rigid and taciturn, other times roaring with manic laughter, extremely temperamental and clearly mentally unstable.
And that cowardly Guard who seemed incapable of understanding Yun Ji’s words yet got coaxed into becoming utterly devoted! He even mustered the courage to bring Yun Ji meat, vegetables, and lamps!
Since Yun Ji could get along so well with them, he must be an exceptionally good person!
Most importantly, the poison in Yun Ji’s body was extraordinary – unlike anything he’d ever seen.
Yun Ji himself was miraculous too, having died then revived.
After reviving, he could even bounce around energetically!
Where did such vigorous vitality come from?
How he wanted to dissect him and find out…
He was brimming with curiosity about Yun Ji, yet dared not disturb him recklessly.
What if Yun Ji didn’t dislike others, but specifically hated him?
Would Wei Sheng and the others badmouth him behind his back if he approached?
Would his current muddy form appear disrespectful? And arriving empty-handed – though he couldn’t possibly prepare gifts in his condition?
While he wrestled with these thoughts, Yun Ji collapsed.
He rushed over without another thought.
Yet his self-doubting nature remained unchanged.
When Shen Yinshuo heard his name and doubted him, he thought: Shen Yinshuo must hate me now. She’s definitely cursing my weird, unpleasant name in her heart—maybe even secretly mocking me! They always love calling me with wicked titles! Do I still look evil even after turning into mud?
When Wei Sheng interrupted him, he thought: Wei Sheng must hate me too. He can’t even bear to listen to me—I haven’t said much and he’s already impatient! Was I too impolite? Should I add “please” next time? Or use formal terms like “you, sir”?
But the hardest blow came when Yun Ji, whom he’d painstakingly saved, woke up and ignored him entirely.
See? He really was this unlikable. Even Yun Ji wouldn’t like him. But what exactly had he done to upset her?
Was he not polite enough? Was he less attractive than a Human Cauldron? Or was he simply too insignificant?
Before he could wallow in self-pity for long, Yun Ji suddenly praised his voice.
It was the first time anyone had ever complimented his voice!
No—it was the first time he’d ever been praised at all!
Everyone just took it for granted that he, as a Poison Cultivator, possessed exceptional medical skills. His talent was treated as inevitable, so no one ever praised him.
But Yun Ji had praised him the moment she woke up!
She truly was a good person, genuinely kind to him!
He should respond with equal sincerity!
Bubbling with joy, Lin Shu poured out all his heartfelt thoughts to Yun Ji for the first time.
Yun Ji was stunned.
She blinked several times in succession.
If blinking didn’t require all her strength right now, she would’ve leaped up to grab the mud’s hand.
Forget figuring out where the mud’s hand was—she’d once struggled with similar insecurities herself.
Seeing a fellow overthinker was like meeting an old friend in a distant land!
Even if he was just a pile of mud, she’d take it!
While Yun Ji patiently explained to Lin Shu that she held no grudges against him, Wei Sheng briefly updated her on what happened after she fell unconscious.
For instance, this pile of mud was actually a renowned Poison Cultivator with astonishing medical skills—and he was the one who’d saved her.
Tears welled up in Yun Ji’s eyes as she expressed fervent gratitude to Lin Shu.
Lin Shu bubbled vigorously in response, splattering muddy droplets all over Wei Sheng.
Wei Sheng: “…”
“So,” Wei Sheng said, ignoring the mud stains, “this pile of mud needs a Human Cauldron to refine medicine. But the only cauldron here currently contains… something. To borrow it, I tried removing its contents.”
Yun Ji asked curiously, “Did you succeed?”
Wei Sheng: “No. The talismans on the cauldron were hard to break. But Lin Shu claimed he could refine medicine without harming what’s inside, so he started directly. The contents, however, didn’t seem convinced.”
“A soul emerged from the… body inside, summoned a whirlwind, and swept us all into the sky—”
Yun Ji had witnessed the aftermath.
She glanced at Shen Yinshuo, unconscious and covered in flesh fragments.
Then at Wei Sheng, disheveled and splattered with viscera.
Recalling the scene she’d woken to, she struggled to find words to describe the situation.
“So,” she said with a peculiar expression, “Lin Shu and that… uh, tornado-summoning spirit are both our cellmates now?”
Her prison companions were certainly… unconventional.
Are other transmigrators like her? If not, would anyone write a novel with her as the protagonist? She felt she totally resembled a main character now—everyone around her had such eccentric quirks!
Of course, no protagonist only gets to live for three months after transmigrating. To be realistic, she was probably more like a minor cannon fodder…
While Yun Ji was lost in thought, Wei Sheng suddenly rested his head on her hand.
Under her puzzled gaze, his tears instantly streamed down as he sobbed and complained:
“Enough about that. I’m just so glad you woke up. While you were unconscious, they bullied me so badly—Shen Yinshuo scolded me, Lin Shu splattered mud on me, and that nameless one threw me—”
The moment Yun Ji collapsed into unconsciousness, Wei Sheng’s mind went completely blank.
What followed was an exceptionally clear thought:
He couldn’t accept Yun Ji dying.
He wanted Yun Ji to leave this place full of despair—to leave alive and well.
To be precise, he hadn’t known Yun Ji for long, yet her presence mattered far more than he’d ever imagined.
So he decided: he would never act spoiled or difficult in front of Yun Ji again. No matter what happened from now on, he would never be harsh with her!
…And then, a medical miracle occurred once more.
Yun Ji, horrified, shoved Wei Sheng away.
This person who could act cute toward her definitely wasn’t Wei Sheng!
Definitely not!
Wei Sheng: ?
Wei Sheng started cursing furiously.