Ghost Billionaire
Chapter 87: Medicine and Poison

Chapter 87: Medicine and Poison

"Drink," Dr. Muni said. "You need to steady your core after that field."

Matthew lifted the cup. The steam smelled mild, nothing unusual. He took a careful sip. Dr. Muni was right. If he had wanted to kill him, he would have done it already. That field wasn’t simple at all. Matthew didn’t understand a lot of things, but he knew one wrong move could have gotten him killed inside that place.

Death.

If he wasn’t careful enough, then he could easily die in this new world.

Dr. Muni watched him. "The question stands. How did you become a Nexian?"

Matthew placed the cup back on the tray. "If my being a Nexian means... when I started seeing a ghost, then it was after I took a stone from this place," Matthew said.

"A stone?" Dr. Muni frowned.

Matthew nodded. Judging from Dr. Muni’s reaction, he must be thinking about a spirit-stone awakening.

"So, you awakened on your own?" he asked.

"If by awaken you mean having nightmares and feeling like I almost died after I touched that stone, then yes. I was alone. Now... can you tell me what a Nexian is?"

Dr. Muni sighed. "Come closer."

Matthew frowned but obliged.

Dr. Muni placed two fingers against Matthew’s forehead. A faint warmth spread through the skin.

"Hold still," he said. "I am imprinting basic constructs. Absorb them one strand at a time or your brain will tear."

A dull pressure pushed behind Matthew’s eyes. Lines, symbols, and short phrases slid into his mind as if written on flashing cards. He tensed.

"Slow your breath," Dr. Muni instructed. "Pull energy from your chest to your navel, then let it circle. That point is your nexus core."

Matthew inhaled through his nose, exhaled through his mouth. He pictured a small whirlpool turning just below his ribs. The new information drifted into the current, settling layer by layer. A spike of pain stabbed his temple, he grimaced.

"Keep it turning," Dr. Muni said. "The ache means a strand has found a slot."

Matthew focused. The whirlpool smoothed. The pain ebbed to a throb, then faded.

"I added a thread of my own energy," Dr. Muni said. "It will shield you once. Use it wisely."

More fragments clicked into place. Each term carried a clear image, as though he had studied it for weeks.

Time blurred. When the last strand settled, the whirlpool slowed on its own. The pressure vanished.

Matthew opened his eyes. He immediately saw Dr. Muni sitting across the table, cup in hand, watching him.

"That was faster than I anticipated," the old man said. "You retain well."

"So touching that stone turned me into a Nexian?" Matthew asked, feigning surprise.

"That’s right. I believe you already know this from what I just introduced into your brain. There are three ways to become a Nexian: by awakening with a spirit stone, by using an Elder’s help, or by a ritual. You awakened on your own using a stone and survived." Dr. Muni set his cup down. "Very few do that without an Elder. My hunch about you was correct."

Matthew blinked. Aside from the third method, nothing Dr. Muni said differed from what the ghost girl had already explained. Everything about Nexians, classes, even seeing ghosts were exactly the same. "What hunch?" Matthew asked. At least that ghost wasn’t lying that time.

Instead of answering, Dr. Muni slid a slim, time-worn booklet into Matthew’s hands. The cover was scuffed leather, its corners frayed, pages yellowed but light, as if half the paper had crumbled away.

"I can guide you," he said. "Yet some lessons you’ll need to learn yourself."

Matthew turned the thin volume over in his hands. Why would Dr. Muni help him at all? In his first life, the man had been involved with Lenox. Matthew had promised himself to stay away from anyone who had helped Lenox before. If it were up to him, he’d keep his distance. Still, he needed to act. "This—"

"You look unsure," Dr. Muni said.

"It’s not doubt, exactly," Matthew answered. "A week ago, I thought I’d just opened a third eye and started seeing ghosts. Now you say you’ll guide me. I don’t mean to sound ungrateful, but... why did you pull me out of that field? Why help me at all?"

Matthew kept his grip loose on the booklet. Matthew already lived two lives. He was confident in his acting skills. Naturally, he had his reasons to act like this.

He knew that if he pressed too hard, Muni would smell deceit. If he acted too meek, Muni might try to force him into something he couldn’t escape later. He needed curiosity, not competence.

"I pulled you out because the hunt was beyond your level," Dr. Muni said, fingers tapping once on the table. "You were useful to me alive."

Useful. Matthew filed the word away. It matched Lenox’s old stories: Muni never spent effort without return.

"What—what does—" Before he could finish, Dr. Muni flicked two fingers.

Something cold and smooth darted from the sleeve and shot into Matthew’s mouth before he could close it.

Matthew gagged, doubled over, and tried to cough it out. Nothing came up.

"Stop wasting effort," Dr. Muni said, watching him struggle. "That is a spiritual tablet. It will dissolve where it is needed."

Matthew wiped his lips. His throat tingled, then warmed all the way to his chest.

"What did you force on me?" he asked, breath unsteady.

"Medicine. It will push your core forward and keep it from cracking. You are only useful to me alive."

"And if I decide not to be useful?"

Dr. Muni folded his hands behind his back. "The compound is balanced. Without continued training, it turns caustic. Help me later and it remains medicine. Refuse, and it becomes poison. Simple."

Matthew tightened his grip on the booklet. "You’re binding me."

"I am investing," Dr. Muni corrected. "Payment will be named when you can afford the price."

He stepped to the door, sliding it open.

"I will be away on pilgrimage for several weeks, perhaps months," he said. "Use that time. Finish stabilizing your initiate stage."

Matthew gritted his teeth. He needed to know what that tablet was, he thought. "Anything else?" he asked.

"Watch the moon." Dr. Muni paused at the threshold. "A blood moon approaches. Fools will attempt rituals. Stay clear unless you seek early death."

He then left without another word. The screen clicked shut, leaving Matthew alone with the faint scent of tea and a growing heat swirling in his core.

"Damn old man!" Matthew hissed.