At the foot of mountain range lies a small seculaded village. There are fewer than 15 families in this village, that's how small it is. A boy came out of a dilapidated house and made his way to the mountains.
He was only about 15 years old, and even though he was wearing old, torn clothes, they couldn't hide how handsome and charismatic he looked.
There were two old men sitting at the exit of the village, looking at him with pity in their eyes.
"Sigh... it's been hard on him."
"It's just life, everyone has to go through it."
These two spoke after he left the village to enter the mountains.
He always went into the mountains to find some herbs that could be helpful in healing his sick mother.
His mother was the only kin he had left in this world. His father had died while hunting when he was 2 years old, and now his mother had been bitten by a poisonous snake. Although the poison had been treated, it was only partially treated, so she fell ill, and her condition worsened day by day.
He made his way deeper into the mountains and came close to a cave so hidden that even he had found it by chance when he fell there.
Last time when he came here, he ran away without even thinking of stopping, but this was the only place where he had any hope of finding treatment for his mother. So, he could only grit his teeth in fear and step into the cave.
The reason he was so scared last time was that he had heard a voice in his head when he was in the cave. That voice scared him to the core, so he ran away.
But now that he thought about it, if the ghost had wanted to hurt him, he wouldn't have been able to escape last time. He had already tried everything and couldn't save his mother, so this was the only thing left to do. Since the ghost wanted to speak with him last time, maybe he could trade with him for a cure.
"Haah... you came back."
Just as he entered the cave, he heard the voice he feared previously. A chill ran down his spine as he still couldn't see anyoneâonly the voice was present, and it was also inside his head.
This time, he steeled his resolve and began to do what he intended to do. Should I address him as a ghost or a senior? No, I shouldn't address a ghost as a ghost. What if it gets angry?
He bent his back and cupped his hands in greeting.
"S-Senior, sorry for showing you such a pathetic sight last time."
"Ohh... hehehe. I thought you would never even pass by here again, as last time you were so scared that you might have even peed if I had pressed a little more."
His face turned red after hearing that, but he still maintained his composure.
"Senior, you must be joking. I was exhausted that day and thought that some beast was staying in the cave, so I ran away in a hurry."
"Hehehe... who are you trying to fool? Since you came back this time, you definitely need something, or else you wouldn't have dared to even set your foot here."
After being seen through, he became even more embarrassed, as it was the truth.
"Senior, you are wise."
He hesitated a little and continued,
"Senior, my mother was bitten by a snake, and the poison was only treated partly. Her health is worsening day by day. Senior, do you perhaps know any medicine that can help her?"
"Hm... since you are a mortal, I will assume your mother is also a mortal. Then it's very simple. I can give you the cure directly, but what will I get in return?"
After hearing that, he was stunned. He couldn't see anything in the cave, so how was he going to get the cure? No matter what, he couldn't voice it out. It was better to believe it than regret it later.
"Senior, I doubt I have anything that can get your attention, but I will do my best to fulfill your request."
"Good, good... don't worry. You definitely have the thing that I want. All I need is just your life."
Hearing that, he was rooted to his core. The only thought coming to his mind was to escape right now.
This ghost is definitely a scammer, and he shouldn't have believed it.
"What?... Thinking that I am scamming you? Hehehe... how about this, I will give you the pill that can heal your mother, and you promise me that you will come back here after your mother is cured."
He got stunned again. In fact, if the pill could really cure his mother, then he could sacrifice his life for her without hesitation.
"Senior, if that is the case, then please give me the cure. If my mother gets healed, I promise I will come back."
"Good... you didn't disappoint me. Very well, here's the cure."
After he finished speaking, a small white bottle appeared in the center of the cave.
This gave him another shock. Today, he had really seen things of legend.
He was old enough and had already heard about immortals who could fly and do things that mortals couldn't even think about.
When this senior had asked him if his mother was mortal, he had already figured out that this wasn't a ghost but some immortal.
But the appearance of the bottle out of nowhere still shocked him.
He went to the center, picked up the bottle, and checked inside it. There was only a single small pill inside.
"Break that pill and put a fingernail amount of it in a bowl of water. Make sure that your mother takes one sipâno more than that. After drinking, she will be cured in a minute."
Hearing that, he held the bottle of pills even more carefully. How precious is that pill to heal his mother in a minute with only a fingernail-sized amount, further diluted in water?
"Thank you, senior. I will definitely be back by noon."
If what this senior said was true, he wouldn't need to wait long to fulfill his promise. He just felt sad thinking about how his mother would live without him. He hoped she would never find out that he sacrificed himself for her; she definitely wouldn't survive after that.
He made his way to the village. He was the most loved person in the villageâeveryone loved him and praised him for his intelligence. Since the village was small, everybody lived like family. They had done everything to save his mother, but it still wasn't enough.
He made his way to his house and found that the old nanny was still there.
"Hao'er, you are back."
"Yes, Grandma, and I found something that can cure Mother."
"What!... You are not mistaken, right? This poison is very lethal; I have never seen anything like it."
This grandma was very skilled in medicine, and she was the one who had partly cured the poison, or his mother wouldn't have survived until now.
"Don't worry, Grandma. I met an immortal by chance in the mountains. He was the one who gave me the cure."
"Impossible."
He was surprised by her refusal. Why wouldn't she believe it?
"Sigh... Hao'er, you are young and don't know much about immortals. We mortals are like ants to immortals. They don't even like seeing us, much less helping us."
Hearing the sentence that immortals viewed mortals like ants really stunned him. He didn't know this. But all things aside, he had a feeling that Grandma wasn't lying.
Maybe that was the reality of this world, but it had nothing to do with him. He was about to die, and the only thing he wanted to do was save his mother.
"Grandma... see this."
He opened his hands and showed her the pill bottle.
"I got it from the immortal, and he said it can really cure Mother. Grandma, how long do you think Mother can last?"
The old lady was stunned after seeing the bottle. This was definitely a pill bottle, and it was impossible to get one unless an immortal was truly willing to give it.
"Grandma, how long can Mother last?"
This question stunned her again. She knew that with the way her condition was, she would definitely pass away tomorrow.
"Fine... let's try it. What choice do we have?"
After that, they didn't waste time and prepared the bowl according to the instructions he had been given.
Then he poured a single sip's worth into another bowl, steeled his resolve, and brought it to his mother's mouth, making her drink it. After doing so, he held his breath in anticipation.
After 10 seconds, he could already see sweat forming on his mother's face. Her body, which had been growing colder, was already warming up.
After only 30 seconds, her eyes fluttered and opened.
"Hao'er..."
"Mother, I am here."
He held back his tears and responded to her while holding her hands.
The old nanny was also very relieved and stunned. It was really an immortal pill. But she was still skeptical about it. Why would an immortal help him?
"It's good that you are here... I thought I wouldn't see you again."
His mother cried while caressing his face. But when he heard it, he was reminded of his promise and couldn't bring himself to look into her eyes.
He could only hope that his mother wouldn't be too devastated after his death. Reneging on a promise that saved his mother's life was not something he could do. He can only make up some story to give her some other hope.
He still had some time left, so he spent it in her arms.
Grandma also left to share the news with the other villagers. I already told her to not let them come here as i want to spent some time alone with mother.
"Hao'er , how did i got healed"
Here it comes..he sighed internally after hearing that. He had never lied to his mother, but today he has to do it
"Mother, actually there is a cave in the mountain's where and immortal senior lives , i found it by an accident long ago and when we failed to find any cure for you , i made my mind went there to ask help"
"Senior agreed to it but..."
He hesitated a little..but after seeing questioning look in her eyes he spoke calmly
"He said for the price of cure i have to follow him from now on".