Chapter 4738: X-Royalty: Rebirth (19)

Schiller remained expressionless. "Herbal medicine is bitter by nature. Did you expect it to be seasoned with modern condiments? There is an old Chinese saying: 'Good medicine tastes bitter.' Drink up."

Tony Stark coughed violently. "What do you mean 'bitter by nature'? The one Steve gave me was clearly quite sweet..."

Schiller turned to look at Steve, who took out the empty packet. Schiller glanced at the Chinese characters on it and thought: The Anquan Bureau is quite thoughtful; knowing the mutants have the mental maturity of children, they sent pediatric cold granules.

"I didn't offend you, did I?" Tony asked, appearing even weaker. "Wait, who prescribed this medicine?"

"Shi Difen. But he knows nothing about Traditional Chinese Medicine. Do you really think he would go out of his way to sort through the herbs just to pick out the bitter ones for you?"

"Is that something he wouldn't do?"

"Don't slander me." A portal appeared in the center of the room, and Strange stepped through. "I didn't go out of my way to get this; it's an over-the-counter medicine sold in pharmacies in Hong Kong. It tastes the same for everyone."

Tony stared in disbelief. "Do you lack a sense of taste?!"

"This isn't even the bitterest among Chinese medicines," Schiller said. "After all, this formula is for a cold, not for reducing internal heat; otherwise, they would show you the true limit of bitterness."

"Are there any more?" Strange asked curiously. "The weather has been erratic lately, and I'm afraid I might catch a cold too. Give me a packet as well."

"I happened to decoct a few extra portions," Schiller said. "Go out the back door; the pot hanging over the fireplace is the one. Pouring it out should yield exactly two bowls. If there's too much, just decoct it a little longer."

Steve went to get the medicine. Tony sat to the side like a condemned criminal awaiting execution, restless and uneasy. Strange snorted coldly, wanting to make a sarcastic remark, but realizing Tony was still ill, he held his tongue and went to find Matt to look over the case files.

"If you hadn't been so resistant to using antibiotics, we wouldn't be in this mess," Schiller shook his head. "While the overuse of antibiotics is bad, one shouldn't give up eating for fear of choking. If you're this repulsed by the taste of herbs, how will you drink the decoction made from the Krakoa Flower later?"

"I am seriously considering using antibiotics now," Tony said, heartbroken. "How exactly did the Chinese manage to precisely select these foul-tasting plants out of so many? If they've been drinking this to cure illnesses for so many years, their sense of taste must have devolved..."

"You've got it backward. It's because it works that they can endure the taste of these plants. Your body has almost no drug resistance; one bowl of this Chinese medicine and your illness will surely be gone."

Tony knew Schiller was stating a fact. On one hand, he had always been healthy and rarely fell ill, not even with common colds. On the other hand, he almost never used any modern medicine, including herbal remedies. The last time he used antibiotics was when he returned from Afghanistan and replaced his arc reactor, using them to treat inflammation.

Precisely because of this, he had no drug resistance. At this point, taking two anti-inflammatory pills would naturally cure him. Yet, he remained quite resistant to doing so.

He knew that many of his variants were addicted to alcohol or drugs. They had even fallen ill during their time in Battleworld. That looked far too pathetic and unsightly; he absolutely could not become such a monster.

Not long after, Steve returned, carrying two bowls of pitch-black medicinal liquid. Perhaps because it had been decocted longer, it looked even more terrifying than before. As soon as it was brought over, Tony began to gulp uncontrollably.

Steve chose one of the bowls. "Shall we toast?"

Tony shook his head like a rattle. "You drink first, Uncle Rogers."

Steve burst into laughter. He could tell Tony was terrified to the extreme, to the point where he could even call him 'Uncle' without a thick layer of sarcasm. If he had known this stuff could keep Tony in check, he would have been brewing medicine for him from dawn till dusk.

Steve picked up a bowl and drained it in one gulp. Halfway through, his brows furrowed; by the time he finished, his facial features were twitching.

For someone who had never drunk it, this was an entirely new experience. It wasn't just bitter; it was sour, astringent, and even a little spicy. All these flavors combined felt like a shot of anesthesia to the brain. Only the first sip and the final swallow had any distinct taste; the middle part was so stimulating that the brain's protective mechanism kicked in, causing him to forget it all.

Steve pursed his lips. "It's actually alright. It's about the same as the concentrated military rations coffee I drank on the battlefield back then, which had evaporated until only a little was left and had gone past its expiration date. The flavor is just a bit heavier."

"Heavier than expired, concentrated military ration coffee?!" Tony nearly jumped up.

"Don't act like you've actually drunk that," Steve shook his head. "It's just a metaphor, not entirely accurate. After all, it's been a long time, and I've almost forgotten."

Watching Tony grimace, Schiller said helplessly to Steve, "Stop scaring your nephew. In a moment, he'll be acting like your grandson."

Tony couldn't care less. His soul had been more than half-drained by the black medicinal liquid. After a long while, he shook his head again. "Give me two anti-inflammatory pills, I'm serious."

"I'm afraid that's not possible," Schiller shrugged. "Antibiotics are considered strategic supplies in every country. If the Anquan Bureau could provide them on a large scale, they wouldn't be giving out these cold granules. Mutants are very short on antibiotics; we probably really can't get our hands on anti-inflammatory pills."

"Nonsense, you just want me to drink this." Tony leaned back in despair, looking exactly like the 'crying cat' meme.

However, feeling his physical weakness, the dull ache in his throat, and his rising body temperature, Tony gritted his teeth, picked up the bowl, and gulped it down.

He shut down his brain and took several large gulps until the bowl was empty. He reflexively wanted to vomit, but Steve quickly rushed over to cover his mouth, and Schiller helped hold him down. After a long while, Tony finally climbed up from the sofa.

"You two bastards! Get me some water!"

"No, you can't drink water," Schiller shook his head. "Drinking water now will dilute it and make it useless. If you don't want to do this all over again in a while, just endure it."

Just then, Strange walked in, handed over a paper package, and said, "I bought this specifically outside the pharmacy. I forgot to give it to you earlier."

Schiller opened it to find candied fruit. Hong Kong indeed had many time-honored pharmacies that sold candied fruit outside. Because many Chinese medicines and herbal teas cannot be followed by drinking water, and rinsing one's mouth isn't enough to suppress the bitterness in the throat, many people buy some sugar or candied fruit when they buy medicine. Strange, as the Sorcerer Supreme living in Kamar-Taj, had some understanding of Chinese medicine and was quite thoughtful.

Tony picked one up to look at it, using his expression to fully convey his distrust. Schiller ignored him, picked one up, threw it into his mouth, and chewed while saying, "Not bad. But it's a bit too sweet; I still prefer something with a sour kick."

"Are you sure this isn't sour?" Tony asked soulfully. He looked at Strange and said, "None of the specialties you bring back from Kamar-Taj are edible. Those things made of highland barley, the salty milk tea—I couldn't stand any of them. Are you sure this is sweet?"

Steve really couldn't take it anymore; he directly stuffed a preserved plum into Tony's mouth. Tony was about to spit it out, but stopped to chew, then chewed some more, and finally swallowed it.

"Not bad, actually." Tony nodded, looked at Strange, and said, "I guess you have a bit of a conscience."

Strange rolled his eyes and left. Schiller smiled; despite their constant bickering, their relationship was actually quite good. It was just that the specialties Strange brought from Kamar-Taj were indeed hard for Westerners to stomach. Schiller himself wasn't very fond of things made from highland barley; while the milk tea and cheese were decent, the regional flavors were a bit too intense, only good for an occasional taste.

Tony was about to pick up another piece of candied fruit to stuff into his mouth, but Schiller stopped him. "This stuff is too sweet; don't eat too much, or watch out for your teeth."

Tony was truly on the verge of a breakdown. "Why do I have to live with you cyborgs? I want to go back to ordinary society, to catch colds and fevers just like them, instead of acting like a fragile weakling in front of you!"

"Why would you think that?" Steve asked, surprised. "I already said I'm afraid of catching colds and need to drink medicine to prevent it; otherwise, why would I drink that bitter herbal concoction?"

"You catch colds too?"

Steve suppressed the urge to roll his eyes. "If you throw a cyborg into the sun, they'll die too. Any carbon-based life form will experience adverse reactions due to changes in body temperature. As long as the temperature is low enough, any carbon-based life form will catch a cold."

Fearing Tony wouldn't believe him, Steve added, "Take that stormy night the day before yesterday; if I had stood outside all night, I would have caught a cold too. The only reason we'd mock you is that you have a daughter, yet you still don't know to close the window tightly when you sleep."

"Don't look at me." Schiller said, "I have an outer god of constant temperature on me, so of course I won't catch a cold. But if the Gray Mist weren't there, I'd get sick just like any ordinary person."

"Shi Difen is even more so," Schiller explained. "You think he doesn't get sick because magic has transformed his body, but that's not the case at all. It's because he eats a light diet, pays attention to staying warm, practices martial arts to strengthen his body, and is very focused on health preservation. But he must have been sick before; otherwise, how would he know the taste of Chinese medicine?"

"In the entire Avengers, it seems like no one has never caught a cold... oh, wait, there is one. Natasha has never caught a cold, but not because she's a cyborg; it's because she's resistant to the cold."

The Doctor Strange of the Central Universe and the Main Universe had already swapped back. The Doctor Strange of the Main Universe had gone to the front line after returning from the Shi'ar Empire. He was currently slaughtering on the front line. Calling him back might affect the situation on the front line.

"Then why doesn't she just say so?" Tony was easily distracted.

"Then you'd have to ask why, according to American labor law, dysmenorrhea doesn't qualify for paid leave."

"But PTSD doesn't either, right?" Steve asked curiously. "I applied before, and Nick wouldn't approve it."

"If she says she's having an episode, I rush over to treat her, which allows us to claim travel expenses, plus there's overtime pay. We split it fifty-fifty, and that counts as her salary."

Steve and Tony cursed in unison. But they weren't cursing the two of them; they were cursing American labor law.

"If she says she's sick, I'll rush over to treat her, and I can get reimbursed for travel expenses, plus overtime pay, and we'll split it fifty-fifty, just treat it as her salary."

Steve and Stark cursed in unison. However, they weren't cursing the two of them, but cursing the U. S. labor law.