Pill of Huifu

Pain.

That was what Yihan felt the moment he woke up. It was too much for him to bear and every part of him screamed in misery. It seemed someone had crushed his bones and joined them again.

Yihan's eyes fluttered open but his exhausted body compelled him to close his eyes again and he fell unconscious immediately.

The next time he woke up, he was in a daze and his eyes stung, the bright light making it impossible for him to open them for a few moments. Yihan groaned in despair and he blinked a few times to adjust to the bright light, only to frown immediately when he noticed the familiar place.

Yihan was in his manor, in his room, on his bed and the realization made him lose his calm immediately. But the moment he moved his body, pain shot through him and he stopped right away, lying back on the pillow as he stared at the ceiling.

'How?' That was the only question he had in mind. 'How did I escape from the palace and how did I end up here?' He wondered, recalling the incident at the palace and looked around in confusion. It was no doubt his room and he was certainly not hallucinating, the pain in his body kept him wide awake and reminded him of it every moment.

'What happened?' He pondered. 'And where are Commander Khaitan and Commander Ophir?'

"Any....." His hoarse voice made him shut up immediately and he tried to clear his throat. His throat was parched and he could barely speak without hurting his throat. He desperately needed some water. But he could barely move from his place and he kept staring at the ceiling pitifully with nothing but questions to keep him occupied.

The sound of the door opening caught his attention and he turned to see one of the servants entering with a tray in hand. Yihan coughed lightly to gain the man's attention and the moment he did so, the servant's eyes widened before he smiled in joy.

"Young Master, you are awake. It is great. It is great." He cried, and Yihan raised his brows, startled to see his reaction. "I'll inform the Grand Master. He will be here soon."

The servant did not even wait for Yihan to speak before placing the tray on the table near the door and dashed out of the room, much to Yihan's disbelief.

'What did he just say? Grandfather is here?" There was only one person who was called the Grand Master in the manor and that was his grandfather. Yihan could not help but wonder when the old man had returned and what the reason behind it was.

The door opened again and in entered the old man he was thinking about with the servant following him closely.

"I see that you are awake, Yihan." The old man's warm and jubilant voice made Yihan relax for reasons he could not decipher.

It had always been that way since he was young. His grandfather was his immediate family and somehow, the old man was able to calm him down in any situation. Yihan had no idea who his mother was and his father had left him when he was just three years old. It had always been his grandfather and his uncle who had taken care of him and nurtured him to be the man he was right now.

"You must be hurting everywhere. Take this pill before you eat something."

Yihan's eyes flashed when he saw the red pill in his grandfather's hand. Although it was not the first time he was seeing it, he was still shocked to see it. The pill of quick healing or the Pill of Huifu as it was famously known was not that easy to obtain and Yihan discerned immediately how troublesome it must have been for his grandfather to get his hands on it.

The servant helped Yihan to sit up straight before he handed him the pill which Yihan swallowed under his grandfather's watchful eyes.

"Good. You will recover and return to normal in two hours or so." The old man nodded and took the chair beside the bed.

"Grandfather, how did you get the Pill of Huifu? What..."

"You do not have to worry about it, Yihan. Just focus on recovering soon. We still have a lot to do." The old man stopped him from voicing his questions.

"What do you mean, Grandfather?" Yihan frowned and sipped the water, thanking the servant silently. The cool liquid had managed to soothe his dry throat and he felt relieved at once.

"Now that Iramal is dead, we have to coronate the new king and it will not be easy considering that no one from the royal family is alive."

The old man frowned and Yihan pursed his lips in worry.

"Moreover, I have very less time here. I need to return to the God realm quickly."

Realization dawned upon Yihan and he looked at his grandfather incredulously. "Grandfather, were you the one who saved me from dying? Did you return here just for me?"

The old man's silence was his answer and Yihan sucked in a deep breath, warmth filling his heart at his grandfather's sacrifice.

"Do not fret over it. We will discuss it later. You just need to recover for the time being." The old man patted Yihan's hand to calm him down and smiled gently at him.

"I will, Grandfather. I will recover well." Yihan promised. "I will not allow your sacrifice to go in vain."

Yihan's smile vanished when he thought about the two commanders and the old man raised his brows when he noticed Yihan's brows furrowed.

"Is something the matter, Yihan?"

"Grandfather, where are Commander Khaitan and Commander Ophir? Did they..." He did not continue but the old man understood his question and he smiled at him immediately.

"They are alive, Yihan. You do not have to worry about them. They are recuperating in the other rooms, you will meet them once they recover."

Yihan let out a sigh of relief and his eyelids started to flutter as his head turned muddled.

"The pill is working." The old man assured as Yihan blinked, sleep over taking him slowly. "Sleep now, Yihan. By the time you wake up next, you would have recovered completely. It will soon be chaotic and we need to be prepared for what is about to come."