Translator: Cinder Translations
Upon emerging from seclusion, Ji Yin first came to inspect the spiritual field. He was quite satisfied with the growth of the spiritual herbs.
"Not bad, keep up the good work."
After hypocritically encouraging Song Wen with a couple of sentences, he left the spiritual field.
He had more important matters to attend to now. This time, his alchemy process went extremely smoothly, breaking new ground by refining two pills in one furnace. This meant that his alchemy skills had greatly improved.
With this success, he was full of confidence in his production of the Blood Qi Pill this time. He felt certain that this time he had truly refined the Blood Qi Pill.
"Er Niu, Zhang Cheng, both of you come up to the second floor with me. I have prepared something good for you."
Ji Yin shouted loudly, and without waiting for Er Niu and Zhang Cheng's reaction, he went upstairs on his own.
Zhang Cheng eagerly opened the door and hurried up to the second floor.
Master had been in closed-door alchemy for so long, and summoning him immediately upon emerging must mean he wanted him to take the pill to enhance his strength.
Master had promised that as long as he advanced to the second stage of Qi cultivation, he would grant him leave to visit his family.
By then, not only could he walk outside with the status of a core member of Tian Sha Gang, but he would also receive a considerable amount of silver each month.
Thinking of this, Zhang Cheng's steps quickened involuntarily, rushing eagerly towards the second floor.
With a slightly slower movement, Er Niu, after opening the door, hesitated.
The memories of his struggle after taking the pill last time were still fresh in his mind. Although his strength had greatly improved after taking the pill, it had almost cost him his life.
If Master hadn't provided him with a large amount of replenishing medicine, Er Niu even doubted whether he could survive for three days.
He had never imagined that less than a month later, he would have to take the Blood Qi Pill again. He really didn't want to eat it again.
Although aware of the side effects of the Blood Qi Pill, Er Niu, being honest, did not think too much. In his simple heart, he never imagined that Master, whom he regarded as a second parent, would do anything to harm his life.
In the end, Er Niu still stepped up to the second floor.
"Come, these are the pills I refined for you. After taking them, your cultivation will greatly advance. Take the pills in my room, and after swallowing them, immediately start circulating and refining the medicinal power. I will be on the side to protect you."
Excited, Zhang Cheng expressed gratitude and immediately swallowed the pill.
After hesitating for a moment, Er Niu, ultimately lacking the courage to question Ji Yin, also swallowed the pill.
A moment later, after taking the pill, both of them began to emit wisps of mist from their heads, their faces showing painful expressions.
"Hold on, continue circulating and refining. Interrupting now will waste all your efforts. Not only will it fail to enhance your strength, but it might also cause your cultivation to regress."
Ji Yin sternly admonished from the side.
Upon hearing this, both gritted their teeth and persisted.
The body temperature of both began to rise sharply, and their skin gradually turned red, resembling boiled river shrimp.
Seeing their reactions, Ji Yin suddenly felt uneasy.
Er Niu suddenly let out a piercing scream of agony, then collapsed backward, his body convulsing uncontrollably.
As if triggering a chain reaction, Zhang Cheng followed suit, falling unconscious.
"How could this happen!"
Ji Yin's face showed panic and unwillingness.
He could feel the surging spiritual energy and rapidly depleting blood qi from the two.
Indeed, their cultivation had greatly improved, but just like with previous medicines, it still involved rapidly consuming their blood qi, and now the speed of blood qi consumption was even more severe.
Although Er Niu and Zhang Cheng had collapsed unconscious, the effects of the medicine were still active.
Their life essence continued to be rapidly consumed, transforming into spiritual energy. However, since they were not circulating it, this spiritual energy began to escape uncontrollably into the surroundings, gradually increasing the concentration of spiritual energy in the room.
With the continuous depletion of their essence and blood, the visible weakening of their bodies became evident. Their skin gradually loosened, covered with wrinkles.
Er Niu, who was trying the medicine for the second time, even developed age spots on his body.
Their breaths also weakened gradually, visibly nearing the end of their lives.
Ji Yin's expression became extremely ugly. He had failed once again, losing two test subjects at once.
"I should have only had one person try the medicine just now."
Ji Yin regretted inwardly.
After a moment, Ji Yin gathered his thoughts, his eyes becoming fierce.
"It seems next time I can only let that kid outside try the medicine. I planned to let him live a bit longer, but fate did not comply with my wishes. Selecting a new test subject must now be prioritized. If another shortage of test subjects delays me like last time, it will be troublesome."
Ji Yin opened the door and walked out, not bothering to look back at the two still faintly struggling on the ground.
Meanwhile, on the first floor, Song Wen was observing the situation. His eyes coincidentally met Ji Yin's as he stepped out of the room.
Song Wen suddenly felt like he was being stared down by a fierce beast, as if he could be devoured at any moment.
With a heart full of fear, Song Wen's face remained indifferent as he turned away from Ji Yin, no longer paying attention to him, and focused earnestly on working in the spiritual field.
Throughout the day, Song Wen kept an eye on the movements on the second floor.
He hoped to see Er Niu and Zhang Cheng safely descend from upstairs.
However, he waited for a long time, but there was no movement upstairs.
As evening approached, two Tian Sha Gang members ascended to the second floor, each carrying a large burlap sack, then left the courtyard.
Song Wen was already certain in his heart that Er Niu and Zhang Cheng were no longer alive, and the next test subject would likely be himself.
That night, Song Wen suffered from insomnia once again, unable to remember how many times this had happened.
The next day, Ji Yin found Song Wen and informed him that he would once again enter seclusion, instructing Song Wen to take good care of the spiritual field.
After respectfully seeing Ji Yin off, Song Wen's heart was both excited and nervous. He understood that the next ten days, during Ji Yin's alchemy, would be his final chance to escape.
He absolutely could not afford to sit idly and wait for death.
Determined to escape from the back mountain tonight, Song Wen immediately stopped thinking about tending to the spiritual field.
He found a sturdy hoe in the tool shed and identified four small trees in a spot far from the perimeter wall.
His plan was to fell these four trees after nightfall, tie them together with ropes, and construct a ladder to climb the cliff.
With only himself in the courtyard and guards stationed on the periphery, as long as he was cautious while chopping wood, it should not attract the guards' attention.
Moreover, with his current cultivation at the mid-stage of the first layer, both his strength and agility had greatly improved.
There was still a considerable chance of escaping.