Li Wei sighed as he watched Don Quixote stumble around, looking like he was about to shake his armor to pieces.

"My friend..." Don Quixote leaned against the hallway wall, his metal gauntlets scraping piercingly against it. "That damned Witch! She has placed a vile curse upon me! It feels like a fire dragon is churning in my stomach—Ugh—I feel like something’s about to erupt!"

[You have received a quest: Dispel the Curse]

[News of Don Quixote repelling the King of Dark Elves has attracted the attention of a Witch. The Witch’s curse has left him weak, dizzy, and nauseous. Find a way to help Knight Don Quixote break free from the curse.]

[Quest Reward: Free Attribute Point +0.1]

’Dispel the curse.’

Li Wei mulled it over. ’Back in the Celestial Dynasty, the usual solution was just to make someone throw up. I don’t know the protocol here in the United States of America, but I figure the principle should be about the same.’

He easily lifted the fully armored Don Quixote with one hand and dragged him into the bathroom.

The motion-activated light in the bathroom was dim, and the mold in the tile grout gave off a strange, damp smell under the moonlight.

"Is this... the Divine Hall?" Don Quixote asked, leaning on the rim of the toilet as he knelt down heavily. His armor clattered sharply against the tiles.

"That’s right. This is the altar of the Holy Spring."

With a perfectly straight face, Li Wei pointed to the clear (relatively speaking) pale-yellow water in the toilet bowl. "Knight Don Quixote, the Witch’s curse can only be lifted through a violent expulsion. You need to face the altar and vomit out the evil in your stomach."

Don Quixote dry-heaved a couple of times, but to no effect.

Li Wei thought for a moment, glanced at his palm, and then gently pressed on Don Quixote’s stomach.

The pressure nearly jolted Don Quixote out of his sleepwalking state, his eyes practically bulging from their sockets.

"GACK—"

He had no time to react. His weak stomach instantly gave way under the external pressure, and he hugged the toilet, vomiting his guts out.

After a good while, Don Quixote weakly lifted his head. "I feel... the evil has been expelled, but my soul... is so thirsty."

He paused, eyes closed. "I must drink a mouthful of Holy Spring Water."

He then used his metal gauntlet to scoop up a handful of toilet water and was just about to drink it.

’Holy shit!’

With lightning-fast reflexes, Li Wei grabbed his hand.

"Let’s have some bottled water instead." While Don Quixote was still limp and weak, Li Wei went to the kitchen, twisted open a bottle of water, and brought it over. "Here, drink this. This is the Holy Spring."

"I feel... much better."

After finishing the water, Don Quixote fell straight back, his snores as loud as thunder.

[Quest: Dispel the Curse Complete]

[Reward: Free Attribute Point +0.1 has been distributed]

Li Wei removed Don Quixote’s armor and dragged him back to the sofa.

’I wonder if he’ll remember any of this when he wakes up...’

...

Early the next morning, sunlight shone through the dusty window and onto Don Quixote’s face.

He sat up abruptly, letting out a groan.

His hangover headache felt like a lumberjack was splitting his skull with an axe.

"You’re awake?" Li Wei was sitting leisurely at the dining table, swirling his protein shake. "I made you breakfast; it’s on the table."

"Ahem..." Don Quixote’s voice was hoarse, his brow furrowed. "Did I black out yesterday? Why can’t I remember anything?"

"Yeah, you drank until you threw up," he said. "You also almost drank toilet water."

"Really?" Don Quixote rubbed his temples skeptically. "I really don’t remember any of it."

After washing up, he walked out of the bathroom, shaving as he went.

"I’m going to be busy for the next two weeks." He seemed to be back to his normal self by the time he came out. "I’m planning to renovate in October, and then I’ll either raise the rent or start looking for new tenants. That way, my 10% share should bring in over 1500 USD in net profit each month."

"Not bad," Li Wei said with a smile, downing the rest of his protein shake. "You’re about to become a rich man with a steady income."

"This is just the beginning," Don Quixote said, waving his hand dismissively. "There’s still a lot more to be done."

The sun was bright. Li Wei and Don Quixote got dressed and went their separate ways.

Over the next two weeks, Don Quixote displayed an unprecedented level of passion and zeal.

It was as if he were a completely different person. He spent every day at that dilapidated building in the Bronx, bringing along Jose and a few illegal immigrant workers he knew to personally supervise the repair of the water pipes.

The persona of Knight Don Quixote seemed to have been greatly weakened after being cursed by the Witch. During a sleepwalking episode, he declared that he needed to recuperate for a while, after which he once again fell silent.

Meanwhile, more than a month after his arrival in the United States of America, Li Wei’s immigration status was finally sorted out.

With the principal’s help, his visa was successfully converted into a one-year F-1 student visa.

Although a green card would require a much longer waiting period and review process, this at least meant he could stay here for an extended period, legally and openly.

In late September New York, the wind began to carry a chill. The sea breeze from Bei Ling Ridge grew colder by the day, but the PSAL (Public School Athletic League) football season was red-hot.

A perfect 4-0 record!

Li Wei only had to put in a little effort to completely overwhelm his opponents.

He had these high school kids wrapped around his little finger, leading the Franklin K. Lane High School team into the playoffs early.