Mental Illness, family and first time refine a pill

After he done paying for the cauldron, the young man lift the silver cauldron single handily and place it at back of his Ford-F250 and start to drive home.

"sighhhh"

As the 4x4 car drove away, old Liu let out a long sigh when he see the young man drive away as if his long sigh signalling the last time he meet his customer and last day for him to open this antique shop.

Ring! Ring! Ring! Ring!

As the young man driving the car, his phone started to ring with classic Nokia 3310 ringing ringtone. With his right hand on steering wheel while his left hand searching for his phone on the dashboard he end up driving to the left side of the road and drive less than 20 km/h.

"HUPPP! Haaaaaaa!"

When the young man look at his black and white Nokia screen phone and saw that it was his sister in law call, he take a deep breath and exhale it until there are no more air in his lung only then did he answer the phone.

"Hel.."

"Jing Jing, where are you?!"

"Why you did not answer my call?!"

"Did you not love your big sister and big brother anymore?!"

"Did you know that you make us worry?!"

"We don't even know if you have eaten nor did we know that you have enough money?!"

The young man hello is short live under barrage of his sister in law question, and what more his ears hurt when he get bombarded with a question out of nowhere. It take a few seconds before he can collect his mind and answer his sister in law question.

"Big sister, sorry… I left my phone on bedroom when I using toilet just now" Lying through his teeth is one of his, Wang Jing ability that he perfected when he finish his acting class during his high school.

"No... NO of Couse I still love you and big brother, how could I forget about both of you" this time he did not lie, he indeed love his big brother and sister in law like son loving his father and mother.

"And I already eaten and also I still have money on me, don't worry big sis, I am good for now" he say to ensure his sister in law that he is fine. But strangely when he talk with his sister in law there is no longer voice that deep like tiger chuff and roar.

It is because this is his true voice, the voice that he use to talk with old Liu is not his real voice it a voice that he learn to do in acting class when he join drama class in high school. Not just a voice control that he learn but he also learn how to move like an expert in drama class.

"Thank god that you are ok! You just make me worry about you out of nothing!" Say his sister in law in tone to mother that glad her son if fine.

"Sorry, for make you worry" Wang Jing say apologetically

"Oh? You know that you make me and your big brother worry? Why don't you just come home? It not safe out there" she says as she trying to guilt trip him to return home.

"It fine, I am ok here… big sis don't worry I will come back 2 week after next week" Wang Jing say as he try to make 3 weeks sound shorter.

"by the way Jing Jing, big sis already arrange blind date for you and trust big sis this woman is beautiful!" say his sister in law.

"Blind date?!" he exclaimed

"Yes blind date" she say again to make sure his bother in law hear her this time.

"Big sis, please cancel that date… I already have a girlfriend!" he say anxiously.

"Girlfriend? Jing Jing don't lie to big sister! When did you have a girlfriend? Why I never hear of her? Don't lie to big sister or else don't blame me for breaking my promise!" she threaten him to find out more about this so called his girlfriend.

"It true, I swear I didn't lie! I really do have girlfriend!" Wang Jing lie again is desperation, well it not actually a lie because he do indeed have a girl that a friend with him and not a lover… but it still called girl-friend.

"Fine! I believe you this time, but you must bring her when you come home next week or else I telling your nephew and niece" she threaten him again to make sure he bring his girlfriend home and come home in next week not another three weeks.

"Big sis I need to go now, the pizza deliver guy already knocking at my door" he say this to end this call.

"Ok, ok don't forget to wash your hand before you eat and call us if lack of money" say his sister in law.

"Yes, yes I will… gotta go now and say hi to big bro for me…" he say again as he wanted to push the end call button.

"There no need for me to say Hi to him for you, he is listening as we speak because I use loud speaker" say his sister in law as she did not wanted to end this conversation.

"Bye"

Click!

Wang Jing did not give her chance as soon as he say bye he cut off the call.

If he did not cut off the call he might end up talking to her for hour and hours without stopping and she might end up try to convince him to return home and stay with them forever.

"Sigh" thinking about his remaining pocket money he end up sighing with relieve as he still left with 70,000 yuan and still enough for him to last for end of this month.

This month alone he end up spending 510,000 yuan for the cauldron and few old books and he hope that with this 70, 000 yuan is enough to hire an actress that just graduate from drama classes in university to be his fake girlfriend.

It not that he can't get a girlfriend, with money almost everything is possible and with his 500,000 yuan monthly pocket money, finding a beautiful girlfriend is not a hard thing to do.

Heck, he might just easily get one in less than an hour if he show off his money on social media and they will even throw themselves at him.

But for him, girlfriend is a burden that will slow him in road to pursue the truth!

If other people saw him like this and with his attire some more, they will think that he a virgin that have mental illness called eighth-grader syndrome.

To him, it not a mental illness but a way of like and for some smart people they might call it a 'Dao'. If other say otherwise they just envy that he have free spirit unlike them that let the world chain up their spirit willingly! And to him if he did not do any real harm to other it is not wrong for him to stay like this!

What more he not a virgin!

Even his big bro and big sis jealous of him. That what he think, but deep down he know that they just only concern with his wellbeing.

For other people they might find it hard to believe that a sister in law and her brother in law can have a strong bond. Other might think that he betray his big brother, but the truth is far from that. He, Wang Jing is second and last son of one of top 20 richest family in Red Flag Country.

Wang Jing is unplanned baby from his father at age of 60 years old while his mother at age of 55 years old. For rich family it not hard to take care of baby even if they are at old age, but his case is different.

His brother and sister in law successfully convince his mother and father to let them take care of him. It all because even after 10 years of marriage they still did not have any children this cause their relationship to be unstable and desperate.

Even after going to clinic and doing medical check- up they find that both of them did not have any problem, heck they even try using IVF but still end up with no children.

Because of their desperation, their end up taking Wang Jing as their adopted child even though clearly he is their brother.

Wang Jing name is not a given to him by his parent but by his sister in law and big brother.

Instead taking care of him like brother, they take care of him like their own children and dote on him heavily.

But it all chance when he reach 5 years old and his big brother reach 45 years old while his sister in law 40 years old. His life change drastically when his sister in law pregnant with twin.

The parents love that he receive from his big brother and sister in law change, they no longer dote on him like before… but… but they dote on him more heavily.

They think that because they take care of him that god bless them with children and he is a lucky child, a lucky Koi fish to them.

Because of this thinking, his nephew and niece receive less love from their own parent.

It make him somehow have complicated feelings about this and end up taking care of his nephew and niece himself even if he only 5 years old.

He clumsily yet carefully change their diaper, burping them after eating and drinking and he end up learning how to count and read at alarming rate just because he wanted to teach his nephew and niece.

To him, although he can just ask maid to do it, he did not. To him, since young he somehow know that a baby needs a lot of love and attention from their family to develop properly and devoid of trauma.

Wang Jing think that if he do a good deeds, the heaven will reward him generously.

Oh boy! He is wrong, it backfired horribly and he almost lost his freedom!

They become too clingy and possessive until now he did not know where he did wrong and how did it go wrong.

He teach them how to think like normal people (obviously not to think like himself), he even teach them critical thinking skill and common sense.

But along the line, it somehow go wrong.

There one time that, his niece best friend call him creepy because how he dress and how he keep acting like a martial art master.

From best friend, his niece end up bullying her into brink of suicide, not only that she use her critical thinking skills that he teach and somehow make her ex-best friend get kick out of school and fail to get into any university.

If he did not stop her, her ex-best friend might end up scuba diving at Atlantic Ocean wearing a concrete shoes. His nephew ain't any better. This episode make him somewhat afraid of his niece and nephew.

To make things better he decided to send them to better university far away from home, so they do not become more attached to him.

And they refused him, and that how he end up using old brick like phone to avoid his nephew and niece tracking him down, heck even his big brother and sister in law did not know where he live at.

At the end they end up going to the university that he ask them to go and if not, he ain't gonna see them again and by god he even use other people name and bank card to avoid tracking, they ain't gonna see him again unless they follow his instruction.

"Sigh…. Life is sure hard, even if you do good deeds it might end up back fired"

As he reminisce about his life, his car end up stopping in front of double storey bungalow. He arrived at his house without him even realizing it as his body on autopilot mode.

Arrive at his house, he pick up his new cauldron and bring it to the basement, where he put all his 'treasure'.

The old shop owner really did not lie to him, although this silver cauldron look big and heavy, it weight is really feels like less than 10 kg.

In his 1000 sq. ft. basement, there a lot of bookshelf standing at each corner of the room forming a perfect square with middle of the room empty.

Clang!

after he put down the cauldron, He go to the first floor of the house to pick up the herbs that he place in refrigerator and burner that he buy yesterday just for this occasion.

As soon as he done the preparation, he hurriedly searching a thick book name 'Thousand Pills Refinement'.

"No not this one… not this either… Yes! Yes! This one!" Wang Jing shouted excitedly as he flipping the 'Thousand Pills Refinement' and finding the pill formula that he planned to refine since yesterday but end up stopping because he did not have a cauldron.

"First warm up the cauldron for 20 minutes with big flame" he says as he lift the cauldron put it on the burner and light it.

"Then weight the herbs" he say out loud as he unpacking the herbs.

"300 grams of 500 years old ginseng"

"35 grams of Red Sage"

"100 grams of Chinese Yam"

"25 grams of Codonopsis root"

"50 grams if Solomon's seal"

" and lastly 48 grams of Chinese Angelica roots"

After Wang Jing cutting and weighing the dry herbs and sitting on the chair right in front the cauldron while waiting of the timer to go off.

He look at the cauldron with great interest, it first time he look carefully at the cauldron design after he bought it.

Only now that he realizes that he somehow have seen this design in mythology book he read.

"The snake circling the cauldron and… it eat its own tail… where did I see this…" he thought deeply as he look at the cauldron design.

"This? Aren't this Ouroboros?!" he exclaimed

"Wait did I get scammed by that old man? He say that this cauldron have been passing down from his ancestors… and the shape of this cauldron doesn't seem like it from western nor Egyptian… strange…." He thought to himself.

Ring! Ring! Ring!

The timer go off as he thinking about the origin of this cauldron.

"Never mind, I will think about this later after I refine my first pill!" he push out this thought to back of his head as he stood up from the chair and walk in front of the cauldron to see if it was hot enough.

"hmmm… HMMMM?! Why it still not hot? Strange…" he is shocked and puzzled as he could not feel any hit coming from this cauldron even after 20 minutes heated by big flame.

Even after placing his hand all over the cauldron he still can't find anything that out of place, so he proceed to searching inside the cauldron in hope that he can find something that make this cauldron cool as cucumber in summer days.

"hmm, there is nothing strange inside…hmm… ouch!" placing his hand inside the cauldron searching around within inner wall he find nothing strange nor something that out of place until he exclaimed from touching something sharp.

Without his realizing a few drop of his blood drop inside the cauldron got absorbed in blink of eyes and the Ouroboros motif on the cauldron began open it red eyes.

Feeling pain on his finger, he hastily pull out his hand from the cauldron and look at it.

"Dammit! I should have wear glove when touching this dam cauldron, now look I got hurt for nothing!" he cursed as he run upstairs searching for medical box.

He need to sanitise his wound or else god know what kind of bacteria or virus he will got from this few generation cauldron.

10 minutes later after he treated his wound, he come down to basement with frown on his face, wandering where he could find another cauldron if this one is unusable. He surely can't go back to that antique shop after boasting that he only need one cauldron for whole life.

He surely did not have thick face even if he dress like.

"IT hot!"

"Thanks God!"

He shouted excitedly as soon as he come down to basement and feels blaring heat wave slapping his face and the bottom of the cauldron become red like heated metal.

As he too anxious to refine the pill he ignore the strangeness of the cauldron and proceed rushing to the table where he put the herbs that he done cutting and weight.

Wang Jing then carefully put the herbs by the order in the recipe from 'Thousand Pills Refinement' and steer is with wooden ladder as he can't use Qi yet… it not that he did not want to hire people that can use Qi but until now he did not see anyone who could use it but he did find a few scammer who he send people to beat up in dark alley.

CLANG!

After he steer the herbs he close the lid and control the fire according to time suggest by 'Thousand Pills Refinement' book.

His face shine with orange to almost red as he sit in front the cauldron while managing there fire by turning the stove knob this process last for almost 30 minutes when the timer rang off again.

Wearing the oven mitts he open the cauldron lid and expecting brown smudge that he need to knee into medicine pill, but to his surprise he find that there is no brown smudge what so ever inside the cauldron instead he find a perfect round silver pill that emit medicine aroma.

"Dammm!! It really a pill silver pill and not brown smudge! It must be because I am too talented in pill refinement"

"It must be it!"

He shouted excitedly as he grab the hot pill by using BBQ thongs and place it on the oven mitts.

"hmmm"

"so aromatic"

Wang Jing say as he smell the silver pill, although the pill smell good he is not foolish enough to eat it, he planned to buy a few white mouse to feed it to them and look for any side effect before eating it himself.

But as he walking toward the stair, somehow he feels irresistible sense of hunger washing over him, his body started to sweat, his legs shake his heart beats beat faster and faster.

From walking straight he started to sway from left to right, his mind is empty and his mouth started to drooling as he look at the silver pill.

Fail did he to stop himself from eating the pill as hunger is only thing in his mind even dry bark will taste like A5 wagyu steak to him now.

Plop!

He fall face first to the ground as he lost consciousness as soon as he eat the pill. The room temperature drop drastically from 25°C to -100 °C in less than an eyes can blink.

The book start to freeze, so do the wall and bookshelf, but strangely the silver cauldron started to melt like ice cream during summer day as if law of physics mean nothing to it. As it melting and formed a serpent as big as adult male hand and long as 10 meter.

The silver liquid snake slithering toward Wang Jing slowly as if it is on vacation and as soon as it near him the silver snake stood on its tail and jump into air and dive right into Wang Jing heart.

Strangely the silver snake dive did not cause any injury toward Wang Jing instead it enter his body like water flowing down the drain.

And when the last bit of the silver snake gone, the temperature inside the basement rise rapidly from -100°C to 1000°C.

BOOM!

The book started to burn and the propane gas inside the bottle explode!

The fire raging from inside the basement move slowly toward the 1st floor of the house as if it eating the house to it heart content.

But strangely Wang Jing body temperature keep dropping lower and lower amid the blaring heat of house fire.

It keep getting lower and lower until a crack akin to broken crystal started to form on his body and bamm! His body explode in countless grain of ice crystal and disappear into nothingness.