Chapter 55: The Rejuvenation Elixir Has Its Limits (Please Read On!!!)

Under Ji Ming's gaze, Mouse Kid actually pulled another Mouse Kid out of the corner.

However, this gray‑fur mouse, though not exactly small, looked somewhat skinny compared to the sleek, jet‑black Mouse Kid.

Ji Ming first thought Mouse Kid had found a partner and was trying to play the affection card.

But he was wrong, because Mouse Kid flicked its head, tossed the skinny mouse right in front of him, and nudged forward with its nose like a dog.

Hm?

Ji Ming furrowed his brows, bent down to examine closely, and only then noticed something amiss.

The gray mouse lowered its eyebrows and closed its eyes, looking drowsy.

In fact, recalling the moment it was captured, its cry seemed rather weak.

That is clearly a symptom of being poisoned.

And Mouse Kid's "Poison Fang Bite" is literally poison.

"Mouse Kid, this isn't the substitute you captured… the new volunteer you summoned, right?"

Mouse Kid remained silent, but Ji Ming thought about it and found it absurd, unable to hold back and questioned again.

"Hey, no, this is your own kind!"

Mouse Kid stayed motionless, just standing, its beady eyes staring at Ji Ming.

It said nothing.

Yet it seemed as if it said something.

"Uh."

Ji Ming, unusually, flushed a few shades.

"I had no choice; they came at me first, I…"

He stammered trying to explain, only to find it impossible to explain.

So.

Humans can despise and hurt even their own kind, let alone Mouse Kid, which already differs from other rats like humans from monkeys.

"Actually, at the end of the day, I'm just a little mouse myself…"

He sighed in disappointment, placed the gray mouse on a wooden rack, and tied it securely with a rope.

He cut an incision on its weak hind leg, first tried applying the potion, then tried administering it orally.

Topical application naturally works faster than oral intake, but oral dosing can envelop all wounds automatically, each having its merits.

Afterward Ji Ming continued fine‑tuning the ratios, constantly seeking better efficacy and higher yield.

But regardless of the method used or the precise ratio.

The healing time cannot be squeezed into even a minute, whether alive or dead.

Although many aspects were indeed optimized, achieving certain successes.

But this Rejuvenation Elixir, merely like that, certainly does not qualify as a fifth‑generation product.

As a Huaxia, Ji Ming has always believed in the "use‑first generation, reserve‑first generation, develop‑first generation" stacked‑card super‑senior sixth theory.

But now the path of development is cut off.

He tapped the crystal bottle with his fingertips irritably, yet could not find the answer to the problem.

It was as if an invisible wall was preventing the Rejuvenation Elixir from reaching a deeper level.

……

He opened the panel, looked at the "Proficiency" stage behind "Rejuvenation Elixir Production", and a faint inspiration sparked in his mind.

Could it be that his formula actually lacks something, and to achieve full efficacy, what additional medicinal catalyst is needed?

He paced, pondering for a moment.

When his skill points are more abundant later, he'll pour in a bit more and see how it goes!

Having decided, Ji Ming no longer wasted time and methodically produced various models of the Rejuvenation Elixir.

But when he pushed the door open to send it out, the door felt unusually heavy.

"Ah!"

A light exclamation came, and Ji Ming discovered it was AdaiEr perched on the door.

"Um, is something wrong?"

"No! No!"

AdaiEr quickly shook her head.

"I just saw the doctor inside for a long time and got a bit worried…"

It was AdaiEr's first official job, and she treasured the opportunity, originally intending to sit on a chair for a while to recharge for the afternoon.

But as she drifted to sleep, she sensed a fragrance of longing that kept her awake through the night.

She swore she had already resisted it with the steadfast will of a warrior class!

But where in this world are there so many successes?

AdaiEr thought, if it's just sniffing the scent seeping through a crack, it should be fine.

Yet her spirit was too immersed, and the doctor's footsteps made no sound…

Seeing AdaiEr's flushed cheeks, Ji Ming again considered the possibility that her family name was Plankton.

However, he thought this through thoroughly.

In any case, the Rejuvenation Elixir formula is too simple.

Even if he exhausts all his efforts to increase its difficulty to crack, it will sooner or later be deciphered by a determined person.

The top priority is to find a way to leap into the next era quickly, continuing to stay far ahead~far ahead~

Rather than keep spending energy plugging the door, waiting to be swept away by an unstoppable flood.

So he only whispered a brief rebuke.

"Don't do that again in the future, okay?"

"Sorry."

Soon it was afternoon.

Just as he had finished treating two patients, Si Tong's friend, the silver‑haired swordsman named Da Si Ke, arrived.

"Doctor, do you have many appointments this afternoon? I have several youngsters here who want you to examine them."

It turned out that the Wolf Pack Squad had just completed a two‑day expedition; although they gained a lot, injuries were inevitable.

Out in the barren wilderness there were no medical facilities, and two unlucky fellows' wounds had already begun to fester, about to become a whole ecosystem.

As captain, Da Si Ke didn't want to go to the Inner City to be slaughtered, nor let the butchers of the Outer City run roughshod over his men, so there was only one answer left.

"Doctor, if you have time, you might be busy today."

It's not that the hospital is unaffordable; Ji Ming offers even better value!

Coincidentally, the debt is due tomorrow, and Ji Ming needs a big order like this to make his "penniless" condition perfectly legitimate.

"Don't worry, Captain Da Si Ke, just leave your men to me!"

Although Da Si Ke looks like a hulking, rough fellow, someone who can pull together such a large squad can't possibly be a mere nobody.

"So AdaiEr wants to learn medicine, that's why she's temporarily working here as an assistant. That's nice."

"Look at the doctor in our squad; he just smears useless rotten leaf scraps on other people's wounds!"

"When it comes to this, Dr. Ji is reliable; the moment I saw the situation, I thought of you right away."

Amidst the banter, he quickly learned from the other patients about Ji Ming's robbery.

"Damn it, and this too—beat that bastard!"

He immediately, inflamed with righteous anger, dragged others around asking this and that, investigating everywhere to find out who did it.

"This guy's acting is really…"

Ji Ming, amidst his busy schedule, lifted his eyelids to glance at him and shook his head.

He and AdaiEr worked nonstop, until the sun was about to set, before finishing the treatment of the last adventurer.

Taking the money pouch Da Si Ke handed over, Ji Ming gave it a weigh.

"That's not right, Captain, you gave too much."

"Not too much, not too much; you were busy all afternoon!"

Da Si Ke beamed with a wide smile and pulled a small knife from his waist.

The knife looked exquisitely crafted, and even its patterned sheath was made of crocodile skin.

The blade, as thin as a cicada's wing, gleamed with a chilling light; just a glance made one's eyes sting.

"Doctor, the dagger you use for surgery seems inadequate; it doesn't match your skill."

"Perfect, this thing was obtained from a few other friends; it's a decent enough piece."

"If you don't mind, keep it; it'll be a handy tool!"

Listening to that nonsense, Ji Ming raised his eyebrows.

"Huh?"