Sun Buqi

Sun Qi had been half-blind since childhood, and burdened with a strange illness that no cure could touch. He had always believed it was because of that illness that he had been abandoned. Fortunately, Heaven had given him an extraordinarily keen sense of taste. Even with the most similar herbs, one taste was enough for him to tell their properties apart. Angelica root was sweet on the tongue with a faintly pungent warmth, soft and gentle in texture; Chuanxiong carried a sharp pungency that ran along the sides of the tongue, brisk and forceful the moment it touched the mouth; Poria tasted almost of nothing at all, only revealing the slightest trace of clean sweetness on closer savoring. Relying on this gift, he became almost obsessive about testing medicines on himself, jotting down every result in a little notebook he kept on him, in handwriting like ghostly scratches. Over time, the strange illness that had plagued him for years was gradually cured through trial after trial. Then, by chance, he took goji berry and vitex fruit together. The fog that had clouded his sight for years suddenly cleared, and for the first time in his life, he saw the world as it was. The first thing he saw clearly was the ancient tree in the village, the one everyone called the "Tree of Eternal Life." It was a strange tree. Half its branches had long since withered, with crows nesting in the deadwood, while the other half remained lush and flourishing, heavy with dense clusters of fruit. He had tasted them before. The fruit of the Tree of Eternal Life could not grant long life at all. It was probably called that simply because the tree itself had lived so long. And perhaps because, in this village ravaged by pestilence, everyone longed to live just a little longer. The plague had arrived in a way that felt deeply unnatural. He watched the sick collapse one after another while the local physicians could do nothing but shake their heads and leave. Only those willing to follow Sun Qi and test medicines on themselves had any chance of clawing out a sliver of hope. Enduring her pain, she asked him, "Brother A'Niu had a fever that wouldn't break a few days ago. Is he better now?" Sun Qi replied, "Mm. The fever's gone." A'Niu had long since been buried beneath the withered half of the Tree of Eternal Life. Of course he was cold now. "And Brother Gouzi? He was covered in rashes not long ago, crying in pain all through the night. Has he recovered too?" "Mm. He's quiet now." Gouzi was under the tree as well, keeping A'Niu company. He would never make another sound. "You're incredible, divine healer. When my brother comes back and finds out you cured his brothers, he'll be so grateful." A secret thrill stirred in Sun Qi's heart. These people had once mocked him for being blind and weak. Now, with nowhere else to turn, they came to him begging for medicines, begging to be healed. With only the slightest trick, he could repay all the humiliation they had once dealt him. When he looked up, he saw that a few fresh buds had sprouted from the withered branches of the Tree of Eternal Life. The girl's condition improved day by day, and her brother finally returned. He did not come to give thanks. He came with a band of strongmen, broke down the door, and decided that Sun Qi had been harming his sister. They pinned him to the ground and forced every herb he carried down his throat. His sense of taste had always been far sharper than other people's. He knew at once what he had swallowed: aconite, langdu, li lu, raw arisaema... all of them violent poisons. Pain surged through him. His face was pressed into the dirt, his senses dim and unsteady, until all that remained was the numbness of someone on the verge of death. He did not believe he had done anything wrong, and so he did not bother to defend himself. Through the haze, he heard crows calling and felt the marked stone beneath his hand. When he groped farther, he found freshly turned loose soil, and scraps of ruined cloth—the place where he had buried them had been dug up. He should have understood it earlier. These people had only come for revenge. In this whole village, perhaps he alone had truly cared whether the girl's illness could be cured. Whether it was sheer stubbornness to survive, or simply that he could not bear the thought of being buried alongside such fools, he dragged himself forward with the last of his strength. A "longevity fruit" dropped from the branch above and struck him squarely. Its faintly bitter, astringent juice slid down his throat. And in that moment he thought: one day, he would grow a true fruit of long life. But if one sought true immortality, who knew how many times one would have to die first. Again and again, people came to hate him, to make trouble for him. Again and again, he was driven to the brink of death.He had long since lost count of how many times he had clawed his way back from the gates of death. Someone wiped the mud from his face with clean water, then skillfully drove silver needles into the acupoints all over his body. He had read of such lifesaving needling in medical texts. He knew this person was trying to save him, not harm him. "Feeling any better?" The voice was unexpectedly bright and young. Sun Qi's throat was dry and hoarse. With difficulty, he said, "My eyes... I still can't see." "You're exceptionally gifted at recognizing and judging herbs. Don't test poisons on yourself again. If you need herbs in the future, just come to me." Sun Qi felt around himself and realized that his notebook had somehow slipped away without his noticing. Still, hearing the girl speak in such a solemn, grown-up tone, he could not help teasing her. "You're making that up. My handwriting's so bad, only I can read it." The instant the words left his mouth, a needle drove hard into the spot between his brows. His eyes flooded with sudden soreness, and tears burst out. He could see again. The sunlight was blinding.