||To Change a Destiny||

{~Chapter 12: The Pursuit to Pain~}

*HIC!*

The small noodle shop shook violently as Bai He let out another shockingly violent hiccup.

"This is the worst case of hiccups I've ever seen!" Pigsy exclaimed, pulling himself up from the floor. "How'd this even happen?!"

Red Son sighed. "Do you remember before we went out to get food earlier to not enter that beef ball eating contest happening right across the street?"

"Under no circumstances, yeah." The pig nodded. "Why are you—?"

Mei pulled her phone out and shoved it in his face, showing a photo of the little girl shoving beef balls into her mouth, with Red Son facepalming in the background.

"HIC—! Five hundred— HIC—! Beef balls in five minutes!" The small child cheered, oblivious to the concerned glances she was getting from the others. She let out another hiccup, which once again violently shook the whole building.

"How in Buddha's name did a small girl manage to consume that many beef balls...?" Tang muttered under his breath.

"Yeah... we think they may have been cursed." Mei said, a dark look flashing across her eyes. Pigsy facepalmed.

"Why did you even join in the first place? I strictly said—!" The chef was cut off when Red Son elbowed him.

"Apparently, beef balls are one of the girl's favorites. Plus, it took her mind off of our... current situation." The demon muttered so that Bai He couldn't hear.

Before the pig could respond, Mei piped up again, bringing in the younger girl.

"We tried everything! I tried rubbing her belly, Red Son tried giving her a scare, and I tried hitting all her pressure points! But nothing worked!" The girl stressed. She turned to the scholar.

"Mr. Tang! You have to know some ancient techniques for these sort of food poisoning curses! Right? Right?!"

Sandy chose this moment to speak. "Well, I find when I'm not feeling so hot, a special brew of tea perks me right up!"

"Oh, Sandy is in this one I see." Mr. Tang turned to stare at the author. The author sweat dropped.

Bai He let out another hiccup, which somehow managed to throw everyone back into the walls.

"Sandy, something tells me that a bit of loose leaf ain't gonna help us in this particular scenario!" Pigsy shouted once he had once more pulled himself up.

"Don't underestimate the power of the tea leaves!" The blue giant declared as he reached into his beard and pulled out his book.

"Besides, I'm not talking about any old tea. I'm talking about tea made from the leaf of the wild Crimson Jimsonweed. An ancient and powerful flower said to have influence over mortality itself! In the wrong hands? Deadly. In the right ones? Deadlier!"

Mr. Tang looked concerned at that last statement. "Uh, we're not trying to kill the girl, Sandy. We just wanna cure her hiccups."

"Cure, kill, you say potato, I say potato." Sandy replied. "However, the Crimson Jimsonweed only grows in the mystic jungle of the Emerald Lynx. So, who's gonna get it?"

There was silence, as everyone in the room looked from one to another before directing their gazes back to Sandy. The blue giant's eyes widened.

"What? No, no, no, no! I'm strictly a 'water adventure' kinda guy." He said.

"Bai He's life is at stake, Sandy!" Tang argued.

With that, Sandy's attitude did a total one-eighty.

"I'll do it! For my friends!" He announced.