Li Danshu glanced at Ziluo, picked up the fan beside him and fiercely waved it under the furnace a few times, turning the serious alchemy process into something resembling the simmering of bone soup.
He asked, “Ziluo, what brings you to me so late at night?”
“Fourth Uncle, I’ve come to ask you for medicine,” Ziluo said as she pushed Zanxing towards Li Danshu, “This junior sister’s face was injured by the aura of a ‘Yu’. Master said ordinary spiritual medicines couldn’t remove the scars, so he asked you to think of a solution.”
Li Danshu squinted his eyes, “A ‘Yu’? It’s rare to see a ‘Yu’ these days.” He motioned for Zanxing to come closer, “Come here, let me take a look.”
Zanxing approached, and Li Danshu pinched her face, examined it, then released her, saying, “It’s not difficult. Just refine a Skin Rejuvenation Pill and take it.”
Zanxing thought to herself, Isn’t this stuff supposed to contain lead? Eating it would kill someone, right? But in a cultivation novel, what was the use of science?
“That’s great, Fourth Uncle,” Ziluo was fully committed to advocating for Zanxing, “Please, help Zanxing refine the pill!”
“Easier said than done,” Li Danshu glanced at her, “Ziluo, my disciples are all males, and very few are skilled in this type of alchemy. To refine this pill, it requires quite a few ingredients, but most importantly, it needs a section of the Night Vine Branch. Without it, the Skin Rejuvenation Pill cannot be made.”
Ziluo looked at him, speaking with suspicion, “Fourth Senior Uncle, I heard from Master that you’ve been working on a new pill, and it happens to lack Night Vine Branch…”
Li Danshu cleared his throat, “Regardless, the Night Vine Branch is essential. Whether to refine this pill or not depends on this girl’s choice.”
Zanxing thought, ‘… Isn’t this taking advantage of the situation?’
She asked, “May I inquire, is the Night Vine Branch expensive? Where can I find it?”
Li Danshu’s eyes brightened, and he chuckled, “It’s easy to find, and not expensive at all! Night Vine Branches can be found right here on Gufeng Mountain. In three days, all of you inner disciples will be going up the mountain to pick medicinal herbs. At that time, you can bring back the Night Vine Branches.”
Ziluo was a little angry and said, “Senior Uncle, Zanxing is a disciple of our sect. How can you be so calculative?”
Li Danshu turned his head to look at the giant pill furnace without even looking at Ziluo. He snorted twice and said, “I’m still your martial uncle. Why so petty?”
Ziluo was helpless. Zanxing pulled her and thanked Li Danshu, “Thank you, Fourth Senior Uncle. Once I find the Night Vine Branch, I will immediately give it to you.”
After leaving the main hall, Ziluo shook her head disapprovingly and said, “Junior Sister Zanxing, you don’t know. The Night Vine Branch grows in an extremely shady place, near the Black Marsh. It is very dangerous. Even if I go to get it, it will not be easy. If it were that easy, why would Fourth Senior Uncle ask you to get it? You were a bit impulsive in agreeing just now.”
“I just agreed for now, it doesn’t mean I’ll definitely get them. I’ll figure it out.” Zanxing remembered Li Danshu’s words from earlier, “By the way, Senior Sister, Fourth Senior Uncle said that three days later, we’ll be going up the mountain to pick medicinal herbs. What does that mean?”
“In our Taiyan Sect, the sect’s spiritual herbs and grasses are abundant, and we have no shortage of elixirs. This is because the spiritual energy of Mount Gufeng nourishes people, and there are countless spiritual beasts, flowers, and grasses in the mountains. These flora and fauna are both precious and dangerous. Every once in a while, inner disciples will go into the mountains to pick medicinal herbs and fruits. This serves two purposes: replenishing the sect’s storage and familiarizing disciples with medicinal knowledge, which counts as part of their training,” Ziluo explained with a touch of emotion. “If we talk about our Sect Master, even he obtained an opportunity in Mount Gufeng back then, which led to his current achievements. So every opportunity to enter the mountain is precious.”
Zanxing understood now. It meant that disciples of the Taiyan Sect were essentially free labor. The Taiyan Sect provided food, clothing, shelter, and cultivation, while the disciples worked to fill their storerooms.
This system was good because it had a complete cycle. It ensured the sect wouldn’t collapse due to lack of resources. For a “social animal,” this was quite reassuring.
“For newly arrived inner disciples, the herbs and fruits they pick during their first trip into the mountains can be used for themselves, as a reward for the sect’s assessment. After you go into the mountains, remember to gather some spiritual herbs that will help with rest and breakthroughs,” Ziluo reminded Zanxing. “There’s nothing else going on these days. You were injured during the previous assessment, so take this time before going into the mountains to rest properly.”
Zanxing smiled, “Thank you, Sister.”
“No need to thank me. Maybe…” She wanted to say something more but held back, saying, “It’s getting late today, Zanxing. You should go back first. You can sleep in a bit tomorrow.”
After Zanxing left, Ziluo returned to the hall.
She approached Li Danshu, who was sitting on the ground, and said, “Fourth Senior Uncle.”
Li Danshu snorted, “Gone?”
“Gone.”
“You mean, it’s this little girl who found the ‘Qing’e Flower-Picking Staff’ and even performed the ‘Mirror Flowers, Water Moon’?” Li Danshu raised his eyes and asked.
“It was Senior Brother Yueguang who said it himself,” Ziluo replied. “Fourth Senior Uncle, did you notice anything special just now?”
Li Danshu took off his hat and shook it, causing a bit of dust to fly out. He then put it back on properly and said, “She doesn’t seem particularly special. She’s just an ordinary girl. Her constitution and spiritual roots are not suitable for cultivation at all. I wonder how the ‘Qing’e Picking Flowers Staff’ chose her?”
“Perhaps there’s something special about Zanxing,” Ziluo suggested. “Right now, the Sect Master is in seclusion. He should be out of seclusion before the assessment for selecting the direct disciples of the Sixth Senior Uncle. If the Sect Master learns that the ‘Qing’e Flower-Picking Staff’ has resurfaced, I wonder how delighted he’ll be.”
“Of course, he’ll be delighted. It’s been nineteen years…” Li Danshu sighed and looked at the cauldron with a somewhat absent-minded gaze. “Who would have thought that someone could still perform the ‘Mirror Flowers, Water Moon’ in this world?”
Zanxing returned to her small wooden building.
It was already late at night.
Usually at this time, Duan Xiangrao, dressed up, would just be leaving. The scent of jasmine, her favorite, still lingered in the room. With one of the two beds removed, the original vacation cabin now seemed somewhat lonely.
She took off her outer garments, sat down on the soft couch on the first floor, poured herself a cup of Lingquan tea, and took a sip.
She had thought that becoming an inner disciple would heal the wounds on her face, but she didn’t expect to have to personally go into the mountains to pick herbs. This was different from what she had imagined. From Ziluo’s tone, it seemed that Gufeng Mountain was full of dangers, not just an ordinary scenic area. If there were any accidents, with her heavily scarred body, who knows what might happen?
After all, there was still the world of the original work eyeing her.
Wait, the original work?
In the original work, there seemed to be such a plot.