Kind-hearted Grim Reaper

Ah Dai held the leather-bound book in his hands, his eyes reddening. He had never imagined that he would have the opportunity to read. With sincerity in his voice, he said, "Thank you, Master. Please go and return quickly; Ah Dai will miss you."

Goris paused for a moment, then turned away, his voice cold. "I do not need your sentimentality, Ah Dai. Make sure you study well. When I return, I will test you. Understand?" With that, he walked away without looking back.

Ah Dai hugged the book even tighter to his chest, tears streaming down his face. In his heart, he had just added another person more important than steamed buns.

After Goris left, in order not to disappoint his master, Ah Dai spent every day memorizing the contents of the notes, except when he was eating or meditating. Goris' writing was easy to understand, and after all the time they had spent together, Ah Dai had a basic understanding of it. The more he delved in, the more he was drawn to the incredible content. Yet, being an obedient child, he never ventured into the lab to try anything himself.

One day, shortly after awakening, he skimmed through the notes. It had been more than a month since Goris had left, and Ah Dai's relentless efforts had paid off; he had managed to memorize everything. As he reached the end, he noticed that the last page had been torn out. He didn't give it much thought, assuming that Goris had removed it lest its complex content confused him.

After refreshing his memory with the notes, Ah Dai headed towards the orchard, intending to gather food for his meals that day. As he entered the orchard, he was hit by a sudden, intense fragrance. Drawn in, he followed its source. He knew the orchard well enough to navigate it even with his eyes closed.

The aroma was coming from deep within the orchard, and its richness triggered Ah Dai's senses. It smells so good! I wonder what it is.

After exploring, Ah Dai finally found the source of the aroma. He found a small fiery-red tree, which hadn't been there previously and seemed to have sprouted overnight. The tree had no leaves, and its red trunk was crystal-clear, akin to a jewel. At its peak, it bore a milky-white fruit; its skin seemed to shimmer with an inner light. Waves of fragrance originated from this fruit. Ah Dai squatted down and examined its detail, trying to compare it with the plants mentioned in the Alchemy Chapter of the notes.

What fruit could this be? It smells heavenly! Ah Dai gingerly touched the fruit, and it fell from the tree. Taken aback, Ah Dai subconsciously caught the fruit. It gave off a warmth that made him feel good. The red tree began to wither immediately after the fruit fell off, retracting into the ground within seconds.

Although he didn't recognize it, his morning hunger urged Ah Dai to bring the fruit to his mouth and examine it. Such a delicious aroma couldn't possibly be poisonous. With this thought, he took a bite out of the fruit. A cooling juice flowed into his mouth, and he swallowed it without a second thought. The sensation of coolness was like liquid relaxation. In just a few bites, he devoured the fruit.

As he was about to stand up and return to the cabin, a sudden chill enveloped Ah Dai from within. The coldness quickly spread throughout his body, leaving him incapacitated. As the cold seeped into his bones, Ah Dai realized he might freeze to death due to his momentary gluttony.

A layer of frost began to coat Ah Dai's body, blurring his vision. In his gradually fading sight, he noticed a flickering red light from where the tree had once stood. Trembling, he instinctively grabbed another soft red fruit on the ground. Its warmth immediately revived his frozen fingers. Despite not knowing if it was poisonous, he crammed the fruit into his mouth while he still could.

As hot as molten lava, the fruit slid down his throat and spread throughout his body, combating the freezing sensation.

Ah Dai barely let out a sigh of relief when sudden abdominal pains attacked him. The cold and hot energy streams within his body split into two opposing forces, causing unending torment. He screamed, rolling on the ground in agony.

The sweat poured down his face like a river, his complexion shifting between pale and flushed under the ruthless energy onslaught. The trauma was such that it caused him to continuously convulse. However, he didn't realize that had it not been for the Nine Generation Marrow Pill gifted by Goris, his frail body would have died from the energy onslaught.

The two fruits Ah Dai had consumed were not ordinary; even the cautious Goris would not recognize them, let alone consume them. Known as the Fruit of Past Lives, these took thousands of years to mature and embodied the essence of the world. The fruits unleashed their true power only when consumed together. Though their effects were overwhelming, the consumer's life energy would expand indefinitely, turning them into a precious treasure sought after by church monks. The ability to stem dark energy damage was the real charm of the Fruit of Past Lives.

Ah Dai's torment was evident from the beads of blood seeping from his skin. Experiencing prolonged pain caused him to throw up a mouthful of blood, which sprayed on the nearby plants. The plants instantly withered on one side while getting frosted on the other.

Not until nightfall did the two opposing forces within Ah Dai's body amalgamate into a warm current circulating within.

Ah Dai exhaled in relief; his clothes were soaked in sweat. He was exhausted from the relief of surviving the ordeal, and he was surprised to see a faint white light exuding from his skin. As the warm current circulated warmly within him, he lay on the ground, looking up at the sky. His mind was unusually clear as passages from the notes kept flashing across it. Ah Dai thought to himself, So it's finally over. Am I still alive? I mustn't consume anything randomly in the future.