Ling Shuai had heard that Wang Hong was not only skilled in Alchemy but also adept at crafting various Spirit Meals.
Therefore, he couldn't think of a more suitable person than Wang Hong for the task at hand.
After examining the infant girl, Wang Hong pondered for a moment before speaking, "I can only do my best. I cannot guarantee success."
"As long as Daoist friend can save my daughter's life, from now on, my life is at your command," Ling Shuai said firmly.
After witnessing the tragic death of his Dao Companion, Ling Shuai's life goals had narrowed down to two: raising the only descendant left behind by him and his Dao Companion and seeking revenge on the Demon Clan when the opportunity arose.
With his daughter's life hanging in the balance as the primary goal, he was willing to sacrifice anything else.
"Daoist Ling, your words are weighty, and I will do my best."
Wang Hong was somewhat confident in treating the infant girl.
Although complete recovery was not guaranteed, he was confident that he wouldn't cause harm.
Without this confidence, he wouldn't dare to intervene and treat the child.
Some people, in their desperation for a cure, would agree to anything and promise anything. However, if the actual outcome didn't meet their expectations, there was a high probability of turning hostile.
"I can prepare a Spirit Meal suitable for the infant to cultivate essence blood and vitality. Additionally, I will concoct a Spirit Elixir, but it will take some time for the refinement process."
Creating a Spirit Elixir tailored for an infant, while not as challenging as devising a new Pill Recipe, still required modifying existing formulas, which was not a task accomplished in a day or two.
"In that case, I am truly grateful, Daoist Wang!"
Ling Shuai deeply bowed in gratitude.
"Very well! Please wait here for a moment; I will go and prepare the Spirit Meal for you."
Wang Hong entered the kitchen, selecting ingredients that were gentle and suitable for infant nourishment, adding a few pieces of mutated Astragalus aged a hundred or two hundred years.
Gradually adding these materials to the pot, he poured in Spirit Spring Water improved by Space, refining it slowly. After an hour, a pot full of ingredients had transformed into a thick soup. The originally large pot of Spirit Spring Water had condensed into a bowl of concentrated soup.
Wang Hong poured this soup into an Earthen Jar and left the kitchen.
"You only need to feed a few drops of this thick soup to the infant each day to sustain her life."
"Thank you, Daoist Wang!" Ling Shuai received the Earthen Jar and eagerly fed a drop to the infant. Shortly after consumption, a hint of color returned to the baby's face.
"Given the urgency of the situation, I used readily available ingredients. I'll provide you with a list of ingredients. In the future, you can collect them, and I'll assist in the refinement."
Wang Hong handed Ling Shuai a Jade Scroll containing the names of various ingredients, which inevitably included some items Wang Hong needed.
"This jar of Spirit Meal soup should last for about seven to ten days. When you come next time, I'll refine the Spirit Elixir for you."
The formula and refinement method for the Spirit Elixir required further study and experimentation.
After Ling Shuai left, Wang Hong began researching the preparation method for the Spirit Elixir. With the rich heritage of the Cultivation World, there were naturally many similar formulas, and Wang Hong had mastered several of them.
However, these formulas were not entirely suitable for the current condition of the infant girl. Therefore, Wang Hong had to modify the original formulas.
He took on this task not only because of his acquaintance with Zhang Chunfeng and Ling Shuai but also out of a sense of compassion.
The primary reason was that solving these challenges could enhance his Alchemy skills.
He had never feared difficulties; each challenge resolved brought about progress, and that was what he enjoyed the most.
In the following days, he worked on concocting Spirit Elixir, modifying formulas. Finally, on the sixth day, he successfully refined a Spirit Elixir that satisfied him.
On the eighth day, Ling Shuai arrived at Wang Hong's residence carrying the infant girl. After consuming Wang Hong's refined Spirit Meal, the baby's complexion had improved somewhat, at least temporarily removing the threat to her life.
"Thank you, Daoist Wang, for saving my daughter's life. Please accept this small token of gratitude," Ling Shuai said, handing Wang Hong a Jade vial.
Opening the vial, Wang Hong found over thirty Nourishing Essence Pills inside, which left him both amused and touched.
These thirty-plus pills were extremely precious for Ling Shuai. Since he couldn't practice Alchemy himself, every batch of Pills he received from an Alchemist would yield only two or three Pills, at most. Gathering enough materials for this amount wasn't an easy task.
However, for Wang Hong, these Pills were relatively insignificant. He couldn't tell Ling Shuai that he didn't value them and ask for a different gift.
"Ling Shuai, this is too valuable. As fellow Alchemists, I have no shortage of Pills in my daily life. Please keep these for yourself," Wang Hong suggested tentatively, not particularly needing them.
Thinking it was just customary politeness, Ling Shuai insisted, "Master Wang, you must accept them; otherwise, my heart will be uneasy!"
Unable to refuse further, Wang Hong accepted the generous gift.
"This is the Spirit Elixir I refined specifically for you. When you return home, prepare a large basin, fill it with warm water, drop ten drops of Spirit Elixir each time, and let the infant soak for the duration of an incense stick. Repeat this once a day."
Wang Hong handed the Jade vial filled with Spirit Elixir to Ling Shuai, providing detailed instructions and precautions.
Then, Wang Hong refined another batch of Spirit Meal for him. This time, Ling Shuai brought some good-quality ingredients, resulting in a higher-quality Spirit Meal.
Ling Shuai left with the Spirit Elixir and Spirit Meal, expressing his gratitude profusely.
Over a month later, when Ling Shuai came to Wang Hong for the fourth time, the infant girl had undergone significant changes.
She was no longer in a deep sleep; occasionally, she would open her eyes and look around. Although still weak, it was a considerable improvement.
Filled with gratitude toward Wang Hong, Ling Shuai, to express his thanks, once again gifted Wang Hong over thirty Nourishing Essence Pills.
After this period of experimentation and modification, Wang Hong had further improved the formula of the Spirit Elixir.
During this time, there was also good news in Boundary Citythe Spirit Stone veins had been reopened, and they were now producing Spirit Stones. Rumor had it that there were even several high-grade Spirit Stones among them.
However, the manpower was insufficient, and the current production was not high. They were recruiting Qi Cultivators to mine Spirit Stones.
This tempted Wang Hong a bit. Should he disguise himself as a Qi Cultivator and sign up to mine Spirit Stones?
After some consideration, he decided against it. He didn't really need Spirit Stones at the moment. If he ever did, he had plenty of second-tier Spirit Wine hidden in his Space. He could easily sell some secretly, yielding higher income than mining Spirit Stones.
[Read at /shanefreak, and heartfelt thankyou for your support!]