Xie Shuci clung to Xie An for quite some time, and only when his boiling blood cooled down did he blush as he got off him.
"I...I'll go practice two more." After saying that, he didn't dare to look at the little blind boy and turned back behind the screen.
Seeing this, Xie An dragged the king back to the other side of the screen.
After everyone left, Xie Shuci touched her burning cheeks and muttered, "Why are you so indulgent with me? Don't you know people are greedy? What if I..."
Xie Shuci pouted. Forget it, I don't want to think about these messy things. Let's refine pills!
Xie Shuci carefully placed the elixir into the porcelain bottle, then took out another set of materials and put them into the bronze cauldron before beginning to meditate and calm his mind.
This time, Xie Shuci got into the zone in no time, and became increasingly skilled and adept at alchemy. In less than half an hour, he successfully refined another pill.
Judging from its appearance, it's far inferior to the pills his fellow disciples gave him; it's probably just a low-grade pill. But who cares? As long as it works.
Xie Shuci rested for the time it takes to burn an incense stick before starting to refine the next one.
It has to be said that alchemy is an extremely mentally and physically demanding task. After refining the third Spirit Gathering Pill, Xie Shuci was so exhausted that he could barely move a finger. He simply collapsed to the ground and fell asleep.
Half-asleep, he felt as if he had been picked up. Because the scent was so familiar, Xie Shuci instinctively leaned into the person's arms and slept even more soundly.
Xie An gently placed Xie Shuci on the couch, tucked him in, and then turned back to put the pills that he hadn't had time to take out of the bronze cauldron into a porcelain bottle.
"Aww..."
It smells so good, baby wants some!
Xie An stared blankly at the Spirit Gathering Pill in the bottle, which still had some flaws on its surface. Why had he refined three of them?
Without thinking too much about it, he put the porcelain vase back in its original place.
After doing all this, Xie An returned to the table and took the peach branch from his waist.
When the king saw this, he thought the man didn't want it anymore, so he squatted down at the man's feet, hoping that the man would give him the sweet and fragrant flower.
Xie An didn't even look at him. He wiped the table with his sleeve and then placed the peach branch on it.
"Huh?" the king asked, puzzled.
He extended his index finger, and the surrounding air was compressed, creating a sharp gust of air that sliced through his skin.
Bright red blood dripped from the wound and fell onto the peach branch. The blood was instantly swallowed by the branch, and a dazzling stream of light flashed across the peach branch, making the petals even more delicate and beautiful.
"Aww..."
The flower will drink the sweet blood and turn into a little fairy, never to wither again.
Give it back to me.
Xie An suddenly lowered his head and spoke to the king at his feet.
"Huh?"
The king looked at him with a puzzled expression.
"Petals," Xie An said succinctly.
"Waaah..."
The king stared at him in disbelief. There was only one flower, and this human was asking if it could go back? But the petals smelled so sweet, it loved them so much…
Xie An pursed his lips and held out his finger, still glistening with blood, to it. "Change."
The king stared in surprise, smelling the sweet scent of the blood. He pushed the petal he had been pressing under his palm forward a little and placed it in front of Xie An.
Xie An, unwilling to waste words, extended his fingertip to the king. The king, unable to resist the temptation, licked the blood from Xie An's fingertip.
Human blood is very attractive to them.
Xie An withdrew his hand, gathering a small amount of spiritual energy in the air to wash his fingertips and the mangled petals on the ground.
The petals were lifted by spiritual energy, as if drawn by some force, and slowly rose into the air, drifting towards the peach branch on the table, returning to the flower where they originally grew.
Seeing that the peach branch had returned to its original state, Xie An's slightly furrowed brows finally relaxed. He then tucked the peach branch back into his waistband and returned to the couch.
Xie Shuci slept soundly, the spiritual energy emanating from the bronze cauldron nourishing his weary body.
As dawn broke, he awoke from his sleep.
I woke up.
The sunlight streamed through the window, and a candle burned dimly in the room. Xie Shuci opened his eyes and saw the little blind boy's face right in front of him.
Xie Shuci's blank mind gradually came to its senses. She tried to stretch, but found herself firmly locked in the little blind man's arms, her hands folded in front of her chest, her legs slightly bent, in a "good baby" sleeping position.
"Depend on……"
Xie Shuci cursed under his breath, wondering why he always snuggled into someone's arms when he fell asleep.
"woke up?"
Xie An's hoarse voice came from above.
"Ah? Right..." Xie Shuci was a little embarrassed and stepped back a little from his embrace.
"Hmm." Xie An didn't pay much attention.
There will definitely be many people going to Jingyu Mountain today, so Xie Shuci plans to go up the mountain early and find a good spot to wait.
He rolled out of bed and saw that the king was quietly lying by the bedside, behaving very well. He wondered if it was just his imagination, but the king's puppy form seemed to be a size bigger than yesterday.
Perhaps he was growing, Xie Shuci didn't take it too seriously.
After washing up, the two drank some porridge in their room and then decided to set off.
When Xie Shuci bought medicinal herbs yesterday, he also bought some dried fruit to pass the time. He didn't know how long he would have to wait on the mountain today, so he decided to treat it as a picnic.
After breakfast, Xie Shuci went to the stable to find the crane.
This fellow, like the king, was exceptionally intelligent. He must have been tired of being in the stable, because as soon as he saw Xie Shuci, he spat at him twice, and Xie Shuci quickly dodged away.
"Oh, you child, you can't blame me for this. You're too conspicuous. Unlike the king, you can't turn into a puppy. It would be too inconvenient to carry you around all the time."
The crane glanced at him disdainfully, threw two clumps of dirt at him with its hooves, flicked its tail, and acted as if it didn't care.
"Hey, why are you angry? Today is the day the startled bird returns to its nest, and I was thinking of taking you to see it. Even though you stayed in the stable for two days, you got to see the startled bird flowers, isn't that a good deal?"
Xie Shuci pulled on the reins, trying to coax it with a few words, but the crane wasn't buying it at all and didn't bother to get angry with him. The moment the door opened, it proudly raised its head and slowly walked out of the stable.
Leading the crane to the inn, the king transformed back into his original form, a bag of snacks he had bought dangling from his mouth. Upon seeing Xie Shuci, he excitedly raised his hoof and then tried to throw the two bundles in his mouth onto the crane's back.
The crane gave it a cold look and kicked its hind legs, giving off a feeling that it would kill it if it dared to throw anything at it.
The king let out a sob and immediately cowered, obediently sitting down with his bundle in his mouth.
Xie Shuci scoffed upon seeing this, "Your Majesty, you're a wolf, what are you afraid of about a horse?"
"Awooo..." the king cried out softly.
But, Diedie, everything around you is so scary.
This horse, and that human, they all smell so dangerous to the baby.
"Let's go," Xie An said.
Let's go!
By this time, it was already bright outside, and there were already quite a few pedestrians on the road. Xie Shuci didn't even need to ask where Jingyu Mountain was; he could just follow the main group.
Tired from walking, Xie Shuci straddled the Great King's back, lay down with his legs crossed, and happily examined the pills he had refined.
Xie Shuci hummed an unknown tune as he gently pinched the pill between his fingertips. Although the pill appeared to have taken shape, it was pitted and uneven, looking particularly shabby, a far cry from the pills given to him by his fellow disciples.
I wonder how their effects compare.
Xie An led the crane along beside him, walking at a leisurely pace.
Halfway there, a fine and spacious carriage slowly drove past behind them, and a little girl leaned out of the window and waved to them.
"Brother Xiaoci!"
Little Fairy Orchid looked at the two of them happily.
"Little Fairy Orchid? It's you."
"Yes! My sister, Sister Xiaolian, and I are here. Our carriage is spacious; would you like to come in and have a seat?"
Xie Shuci put away the Spirit Gathering Pill. He happened to have something to say to Luo Xianyu, so he said to Xiao Xianlan, "Xiao Xianlan, do you want to ride the Great King? It's very comfortable."
The king stuck out his tongue at her in agreement, looking utterly adorable.
The little girl's eyes lit up when she saw the tall and mighty Crimson Snow Wolf. "Me? Can I?"
"Of course you can."
Xiao Xianlan turned and said something to Luo Xianyu. The carriage slowly stopped by the roadside. After a short while, Xiao Xianlan jumped down from the carriage.
Xie Shuci flipped off the king's back.
"Brother Xiao Ci." Xiao Xianlan looked at the king expectantly.
At this moment, several passersby shouted to her:
"Miss Xianlan, please be careful."
"This is the Crimson Snow Wolf, the strongest fighting force among the wolf clan."
Xiao Xianlan thanked the passerby and explained, "I read in a book that the Red Snow Wolf is very gentle and will not harm humans."
The little fool, the king, grinned at the passersby with a silly grin. One of the children, curious, tried to touch the king, but was taken back by his parents.
"Doggy..." the child stretched out his hands toward the king and called out in a childish voice.
"Awoo!"
It's a wolf! A wolf! Your Majesty!
To display his heroic bearing, the king let out a long roar to the sky.
Upon seeing this, Xie Shuci slapped it on the head and scolded, "Alright, stop scaring it."
"Awoo..."
The child wasn't scared at all; instead, he giggled, and everyone else who saw this couldn't help but laugh too.
The king was initially a little down, but when it saw everyone laughing, it foolishly followed suit and laughed too.
Xie Shuci couldn't help but step forward and rub its neck, "Lie down."
"Aww!"
The king bent his hoof and obediently lay down on the ground.
Xie Shuci helped the little girl sit down by supporting her arm.
After Xiao Xianlan was settled, the king stood up. Xiao Xianlan quickly hugged the king's neck, her eyes filled with laughter, and called out to the carriage, "Sister, Sister Xiaolian, look at me!"
The carriage curtain was lifted by a hand, and Luo Xianyu sat by the window looking out. Perhaps it had been too long since she had seen Xianlan so happy, her expression softened, and she said, "Be careful."
Xie Shuci turned around, exchanged a few words with Xie An, and then jumped onto the carriage.
Xie An said nothing, led the crane and walked forward with the king, while the carriage slowly began to move.
As he stepped into the carriage, Xiao Lian and Luo Xianyu both looked at him.
Xie Shuci greeted them warmly, "Hello, both of you!"
Xiao Lian leaned against the carriage wall, her expression languid. "Young Master Xie, you've approached our Immortal Jade time and again. Do you have some ulterior motive?"
"Plotting something?" Xie Shuci looked at her in surprise, found a seat and sat down, and said in a serious tone, "Sister Xiaolian, you think too highly of me. How could I dare? Besides, I have already decided to seal my heart and love and dedicate my life to this. Amitabha."
The two of them burst out laughing.
Luo Xianyu asked, "Did you need something from me?"
"Hmm." Xie Shuci nodded, then glanced at Xiao Lian, wondering if she knew about Luo Xianyu's condition.
Luo Xianyu guessed why he had come to see her, so she lowered her eyes and said, "You might as well speak frankly. Xiao Lian knows about my condition."
"That's good." Xie Shuci breathed a sigh of relief.
He took the porcelain bottle out of his small pouch, looked it over, and then asked the two people in front of him, "Do you have a handkerchief? Can I borrow it?"
The two were puzzled. Luo Xianyu took out a brand new handkerchief from her bosom and handed it to Xie Shuci.
Xie Shuci took the handkerchief, poured out two Spirit Gathering Pills from the porcelain bottle, wrapped them in the handkerchief, and placed them in front of Luo Xianyu.
I didn't think it looked too bad when I made it myself, but now that I'm putting it in front of two beautiful older sisters, it's a bit embarrassing.
Seeing the two looking at him with suspicion, Xie Shuci awkwardly touched the tip of his nose and said, "Well... don't mind it. Don't be fooled by its ugly appearance, it's a genuine elixir."
Small
Lian picked up the handkerchief and examined it closely. "A low-grade Spirit Gathering Pill?"
"Ah..." Xie Shuci lowered his head in disappointment, "It really is low-grade."
He's far inferior to his fellow disciples, even though they all came from the same school.
Xiao Lian looked at him in surprise, "You made this?"
Xie Shuci said rather dejectedly, "Yes."
He used the most precious bronze cauldron in the alchemy world, but what he produced was a low-grade elixir with a pitted and uneven surface.
"Are you a pill cultivator?"
"I guess you could say that."
Xiao Lian and Luo Xianyu exchanged a glance, both seeing a glimmer of hope in each other's eyes.
Xiao Lian then asked, "Can you refine any other pills?"
Xie Shuci frowned in distress and shook his head, saying, "This is my first time refining pills; I've never refined any other pills before."
Upon hearing this, Xiao Lian's expression froze, while Luo Xianyu lowered her eyes and remained silent.
Xiao Lian sighed almost imperceptibly, and seeing Xie Shuci's rather dejected expression, she couldn't help but purse her lips and said, "You don't seem very satisfied?"
"yes."
"You're still not satisfied? This is your first time refining pills! Do you know how many failures a typical pill refiner has to go through before they can refine even a single low-grade pill?"
Xie Shuci said, "I also failed once."
Xiao Lian: "..."
"You failed once, yet you managed to refine a low-grade pill?" Xiao Lian asked, speechless.
Seeing that her expression was a bit off, Xie Shuci hesitated and asked, "Is...is there a problem?"
Upon hearing this, Luo Xianyu couldn't help but glance at him a few more times.
Xiao Lian sat up straight immediately. "This is a huge problem! Alchemists are already extremely rare. For an ordinary alchemist to successfully refine a low-grade pill, it takes at least hundreds or thousands of failures to accumulate experience. As far as I know, the leader of the number one alchemist sect in the cultivation world, who is known as a genius with exceptional talent, only managed to refine his first low-grade pill after five failures. I have never heard of an alchemist like you who can succeed after just one attempt."
Xie Shuci was stunned by her words, "So, you're saying I'm actually...very capable?"
"Absolutely amazing!"
For some reason, Xiao Lian gritted her teeth and said, "I knew it! How could that crazy woman Ye Changxuan so easily hand over her token to you? So that's why..."
After saying that, she glared fiercely at Xie Shuci.
Xie Shuci blinked innocently.
He could see it now: Xiao Lian and Ye Changxuan really didn't get along.
Seeing Xiao Lian's angry expression, Luo Xianyu sighed and asked, "Are you going to give me the pill?"
Xie Shuci immediately remembered the important matter and said seriously, "Yes. The Spirit Gathering Pill can temporarily replace the Golden Core. I want to give one of them to Xiao Xianlan. After she takes the pill, she will be able to communicate with others and see the blooming of the Jingyu Flower through their eyes and feelings."
After hearing what he said, Luo Xianyu was stunned.
She stared blankly at Xie Shuci, unsure of what to say.
"You...you're going to give it to Xianlan?"
“Even a low-grade pill is priceless in the hands of mortals. Are you really going to give it to Xianlan?” Xiaolian couldn’t help but ask.
"Yes, it's fate that we met. I really like Little Fairy Orchid. And you are Sister Ye's friends. It's just two low-grade Spirit Gathering Pills, nothing much."
Even so, Xie Shuci still quite enjoyed the way the two of them stared at him in disbelief, which satisfied his little vanity.
“Xianlan’s eye disease is congenital and cannot be cured with pills. She is not a cultivator and cannot form a golden egg. The only way to allow her to see thousands of colors is through the inner core of a demon, which is to use the Spirit Gathering Pill to connect with the spiritual consciousness of others,” Xiaolian said with a complicated expression.
Actually, using the word "see" isn't quite accurate. Being spiritually connected with someone doesn't mean she can truly see the colors of the world, but rather that she can sense how others perceive the colors of the world. Moreover, everyone's perception of color is different.
In any case, this is an extremely rare opportunity for Luo Xianlan.
Luo Xianyu remained silent for a long time. In the slowly moving carriage, she suddenly knelt down and kowtowed to Xie Shuci.
"Hey! No!" Xie Shuci quickly stepped forward to stop her. "No, sister, I'm scared of you doing this."
Luo Xianyu lowered her eyes, her eyes reddening, and her voice trembled slightly, "Young Master Xie, you are Xianlan's great benefactor. I kowtow to you on her behalf..."
"No, no! You really don't need to!" Xie Shuci couldn't let someone kowtow to her. She held her shoulders and wouldn't let her move. "You, you just treat Xiao Xianlan as my first experimental subject... uh, like a drug test subject. Just treat her as someone who is testing drugs for me."
"Thank you, young master." Luo Xianyu raised her eyes, tears glistening in them, "I..."
"Alright," Xiao Lian interrupted her in time. "If you really want to repay me, just offer yourself to me. You won't live much longer anyway."
Xie Shuci: "..."
She had only said it casually, but Luo Xianyu seemed to take it seriously. She looked at Xie Shuci with unwavering eyes and said firmly, "Young Master Xie, if you don't mind, Xianyu is willing..."
Outside the carriage, Xie An, who was leading a crane, suddenly stopped and looked back.
His brow furrowed slightly, and he didn't seem to be in a good mood.
"Brother Xie An?" Luo Xianlan looked at him in confusion.
"No, sister! I've already decided to seal my heart and lock away all worldly love and affection. Please don't do this. Two low-grade pills really aren't enough," Xie Shuci hurriedly said.
Luo Xianyu lowered her long eyelashes and said, "Young Master Xie, do you think I'm going to die soon?"
"No..." Xie Shuci said helplessly, "I really don't have that intention."
However, Xiao Lian watched with amusement.
Xie Shuci was afraid that the two of them would continue to discuss this issue, so he changed the subject.
"One Spirit Gathering Pill is for Xiaoxianlan, and I want to give you the other one."
"Give it to me?" Luo Xianyu frowned, as if she realized that things were not so simple.
"Hmm." Xie Shuci nodded. Seeing that they had successfully diverted their attention, he returned to his original position. "If you don't know how to talk to Xiao Xianlan, just take the Spirit Gathering Pill and connect with Xiao Xianlan's spiritual consciousness. You don't need to explain anything to her; she will naturally understand everything."
Luo Xianyu stared blankly at the two unevenly shaped pills on the handkerchief, her expression somewhat bewildered.
Since he was connected to Xianlan's spirit, he wouldn't need to ask her anymore...
Xiao Lian leaned back against the carriage wall, lazily fanning herself with a palm leaf fan, and sighed with a smile, "As expected of a pill cultivator, you really think things through carefully."
Seeing Luo Xianyu's dazed look, Xie Shuci guessed she would need to think about it for a while, so he said, "I'm just giving it to you; whether you eat it or not is up to you. But I hope Xiao Xianlan won't be the last person to know about your condition."
After saying that, Xie Shuci pushed open the door and jumped down.
The carriage was moving very slowly, and Xie Shuci landed steadily.
"Brother Xiaoci, what did you and my sister talk about?" Luo Xianlan asked curiously.
"What can I say? I just wanted to chat with the courtesan a bit more," Xie Shuci joked.
Xie Shuci had only said it casually, but then he saw the king turn around and wink at him, signaling him to pay attention to the little blind man in front of him.
Xie Shuci looked ahead suspiciously. The little blind man was leading the crane slowly, and there seemed to be nothing wrong with it.
What's wrong now?
Xie Shuci muttered to himself, quickening his pace to Xie An's side, "Little blind man?"
Xie An pursed his lips and said, "Mm."
There seems to be nothing wrong with it.
Xie Shuci glanced back at the king, who stuck out his tongue at him. Xie Shuci turned back, half-believing, and continued, "Oh, you still have this peach branch?"
Xie An's lips curled into a sneer. "No?"
"No, it's fine, it's fine." Xie Shuci poked the peach blossoms with her finger, puzzled, "It's been a whole day, why haven't they wilted yet?"
"Aww!"
I know! It drank the fragrant blood, so it won't wilt!
"I don't know," Xie An said indifferently.
"It's okay, you can hang it up fine."
"Throw it away when it's wilted."
That expression, that tone—it showed how indifferent and heartless they were.
The King: "Awooo!"
Oh.
"Fine, it's nothing valuable anyway."
Just don't lose the bell he gave me.
Seeing that Xie An had done nothing wrong, Xie Shuci slowly lagged behind him a few steps, walked beside the Great King, and tugged at the fur on its neck, saying, "Don't talk nonsense."
"Huh?"
The baby didn't say anything.
Before long, the group arrived at the foot of Jingyu Mountain.
Unlike Tianzhu City, there is nothing on Jingyu Mountain.
At first glance, countless bare branches stand on the ground. Apart from the brown soil and branches, only a few grasses grow on Jingyu Mountain. From the outside, it looks like a dry, barren mountain, where nothing grows.
"This is the birthplace of the Startled Feather Bird? It looks so barren!"
It felt even more pathetic than Xie Shuci's low-grade elixirs.
Xiao Lian rested one snowy arm on the carriage window and said lazily, "Jingyu Mountain is the most magnificent scenic spot in Tianzhu City. When the Jingyu flowers bloom, it is like being bathed in a raging sea of fire. It is a scene that cannot be described in words. It is magnificent, beautiful and inspiring."
Looking at the barren mountain peaks before him, Xie Shuci couldn't reconcile this place with the beautiful scenery Xiao Lian had described.
The main problem was those Jingyu trees, which looked just like the dead trees he had seen before, and seemed to have died from the drought.
However, the existence of this world cannot be explained by science. Oh well, we're already here anyway.
Before long, the group arrived at the top of the mountain.
Under escort, Luo Xianyu and the others went to the viewing platform at the top of the mountain. They saw that the platform stood on the stone wall and looked down, offering a panoramic view of the entire Jingyu Mountain.
Xie Shuci then took Xie An and the two little creatures to a place with a wide view, spread a cloth on the ground, unloaded the snacks they had bought from the king's back, and poured them all onto the cloth, making it look like they were going on a picnic.
After tidying everything up, Xie Shuci pulled Xie An to sit on the ground. Their unusual commotion quickly attracted the attention of others.
Many passersby cast curious glances at them.
Xie Shuci, thick-skinned, didn't care at all. Xie An felt somewhat uncomfortable, but not because of other people's opinions, but because of Xie Shuci's overly progressive behavior.
After settling in, Xie Shuci took out a porcelain bottle from his small pouch, which contained the third Spirit Gathering Pill he had refined the previous night, and handed it to Xie An.
"Here, this is for you."
Xie An was taken aback. "For me?"
"Yes." Seeing that he didn't take it, Xie Shuci directly stuffed the porcelain bottle into his hand.
He had originally planned to surprise the little blind boy, but now he felt a little embarrassed and lowered his head, muttering:
“If you take the Spirit Gathering Pill, we will be able to communicate with each other, and you will be able to see the Startling Feather Flower.”
The further Xie Shuci spoke, the lower his voice became.
The connection of spiritual consciousness means that the spiritual power of the two is fused together.
Xie Shuci wouldn't have thought anything of it if it happened to anyone else.
But, little blind man, he and little blind man merging together... damn it!
Xie Shuci's cheeks flushed red, and he lowered his head, not daring to look at Xie An again.
The porcelain bottle in Xie An's hand still carried the warmth of Xie Shuci.
Warm breaths clung to his skin, one after another.
Spiritual connection, an extremely intimate act requiring mutual trust, is something that someone who seeks enlightenment through killing would absolutely not allow to happen to themselves.
This behavior will cause cracks in their Daoist beliefs.
A crack that can never be healed.
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