Chapter 95
Chapter 95
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 95
Chapter Title: Elixir from Poisons
-----------------------------------------------------------------
"Was the spiritual medicine I knew like that?"
Shinui fell into confusion as he watched Jeokgeom and Seollan circulate their qi in meditation.
"There's definitely poison qi, but it seems like the ingested spiritual qi is even more abundant..."
He shook his head.
Poison was harmful to the body.
That was a self-evident truth.
Occasionally, sects like the Sacheon Tang Clan or the Five Poisons Sect in the Western Regions, which specialized in poison arts, treated poison as spiritual medicine, but they were a tiny minority.
Yet here was a spiritual medicine laced with poison.
It defied his common sense.
"Heh heh. Is this a dream or reality?"
It was right there before his eyes, plain as day.
As the leader of the Heavenly Medicine Sect, he hadn't delved deeply into martial arts, but he had cultivated enough to maintain his body's health.
Even he could tell.
The energy emanating from Jeokgeom and Seollan was undoubtedly thanks to the spiritual medicine.
'I'm curious how he made it.'
Once he acknowledged it, curiosity bubbled up.
Just then, the pair, who had been in meditation, staggered to their feet.
Their faces were weary, but they moved faster than expected, lighting a fire and placing a cauldron over it.
Cheonhwi then added the herbs.
He recognized some of them.
Starting with Nine-Leaf Grass used for treating carbuncles, then Water Bell Flower for internal injuries, and a few other herbs.
And the final ingredient was a yellow flower, which made Shinui's brow furrow deeply.
'He's mixing all that together?'
The culprit behind the poison qi in the previous pill was no ordinary poison herb—it was Mountain Viper Grass.
'A poison herb with that level of extreme toxicity... No, wait. I don't know yet.'
Shinui watched Cheonhwi's actions intently.
The Mountain Viper Grass mixed among the herbs looked utterly out of place.
Then.
"What's that...?"
Cheonhwi began adding more poison herbs in bulk.
It looked just like he was brewing a poison pill, and Shinui stared in disbelief.
'If he keeps that up, they'll die the moment they ingest it...!'
Suddenly, Shinui's eyes widened.
A brilliant idea had struck him like lightning.
"Poison to counter poison..."
He swallowed his shock.
The method of treating poisoning with poison was documented even in the Heavenly Medicine Sect.
But it was a last resort for dire situations.
"He's mad."
It was astonishingly bold.
One misstep, and they could succumb to poisoning and lose their lives.
"Who but a madman would think of making spiritual medicine this way?"
He clicked his tongue at Cheonhwi, who was staking his life on mere spiritual medicine.
But did he know?
What Cheonhwi had seen was a spiritual pill recipe written with demonic qi even more vicious than the poison qi.
"One slip, and it's death."
Now understanding the method, Shinui stroked his beard.
"He adds the herbs there, then the poison herbs, then Mountain Viper Grass..."
As he murmured the sequence of herbs and poisons Cheonhwi added, Shinui felt a pang of regret.
'The formulation is a bit lacking. For poison-to-counter-poison, he should add even more poison herbs.'
His mouth itched.
'Not that herb—put in a poison herb instead!'
Unable to hold back as Cheonhwi kept adding regular herbs, Shinui finally shouted.
"Add more poison herbs there!"
"Pardon?"
Cheonhwi looked at the suddenly chiming-in Shinui.
"The extreme toxicity of Mountain Viper Grass can only be neutralized by combining all the remaining poison herbs. That amount is woefully insufficient!"
"Is that so? Well, then."
Convinced by the explanation, Cheonhwi dumped in all the remaining poison herbs.
As they were added to the bubbling liquid, a foul stench erupted.
"Kuh, keck."
"Ugh."
As Jeokgeom and Seollan recoiled in horror, Shinui drew closer.
"Do you have Dragon Scale or Iron Armor Stone?"
"No, we don't."
"Tch."
Shinui frowned and clicked his tongue.
"They would make it even better. Dragon Scale supplements yin qi, and Iron Armor Stone amplifies the pill's energy."
"I'll have to procure some later."
As Cheonhwi nodded,
"Do that. They're essential for Great Return Pills too."
"Really? Even for Great Return Pills... Huh?"
What? He knows how to make Great Return Pills?
For the first time, Cheonhwi was slightly surprised.
The Shaolin Temple's Great Return Pill was a legendary spiritual medicine whose recipe was unknown.
Yet Shinui was revealing ingredients for it.
"You know how to make Great Return Pills?"
"The one who helped develop the Great Return Pill recipe was the founder of our sect."
"Then how do you make it?"
"Want to know? I could tell you, but it's our sect's secret..."
Seeing Cheonhwi's interest, Shinui glanced sideways slyly.
As if saying, 'Want to know?' Cheonhwi calmly turned his head away.
"Never mind, then. I couldn't make it even if I knew right now anyway."
"Ah, I'll tell you."
Shinui panicked at Cheonhwi's indifference and spoke up.
"The Great Return Pill is made by boiling Clear Jade Oil, stewing Thousand-Year Fire Carp and Thousand-Year Snow Carp thoroughly, sprinkling Dragon Scale and Azure Gold Stone, coating with oil, and simmering for a very long time."
It sounded special, but the method is similar to the Demonic Fire Seven Radiance Pill.
The foundation is what's most important, after all.
Gather precious ingredients and devote a long time to it.
Simple, but more effective than anything.
"And other pills..."
As they conversed, time passed, and Seollan spoke up.
"Martial Uncle, it's ready."
"Is it?"
Cheonhwi immediately reached into the cauldron with practiced ease and compressed it firmly.
"Hm. This batch has a nice sheen."
A satisfied smile formed on Cheonhwi's lips as he eyed the compressed pill.
He split it in half and tossed the pieces.
"Catch."
Jeokgeom and Seollan caught them with resignation.
Soon after, the half-pills went into Jeokgeom and Seollan's mouths.
As the two began meditating,
"But why use poison herbs instead of spiritual beasts or herbs?"
Shinui asked Cheonhwi.
Why poison herbs?
Simple.
"They're cheap."
As he said, he wanted good ingredients, but procuring enough for mass production in a short time wasn't easy.
So, the most efficient option available was poison herbs.
No one but assassins or poison art sects bought them, making them cheap.
'Tch. If it were the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult days, I wouldn't have worried about such things.'
He recalled the ingredients used back in the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult for spiritual medicines.
Flower Leaf Spiritual Water Grass that bloomed once every hundred years.
Holy water purified by Heavenly Demon Fire, Demonic Milk Liquid, and Clear Jade Oil infused with centuries of energy.
Those were commonplace in the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult.
To the point where century-old Ha Soo Oh, treated as spiritual medicine in ordinary sects, seemed like trash.
Cheonhwi shook off the memories.
The past was the past; now was now.
Mount Hua Sect couldn't obtain such things.
"Besides, spiritual herbs are hard to get, so I can't make them in bulk."
"Hm. True enough."
As Shinui nodded in agreement,
'Is this an opportunity too?'
Jeokgeom, circulating Plum Blossom Qi Art, felt conflicted.
Ingesting the spiritual medicine was painful.
But the results were certain.
'My internal energy has already increased a handful... Gah!'
Suddenly, Jeokgeom's body jerked, veins bulging across his entire form.
His complexion turned ashen black.
Ughhh!
This poison was far more intense than before; even a groan wouldn't come.
I'm dying! I'm going to die!
His head felt like it would split, his stomach throbbed as if something thrashed inside.
Then.
『Snap out of it—I told you how many times.』
Cheonhwi's transmission pierced his mind.
No, how am I supposed to endure this pain?!
He wanted to scream.
But he was in meditation, unable to move from the agony.
As if reading his thoughts, Cheonhwi transmitted again.
『If you don't fully absorb the energy you've gained now, the pain will persist.』
What?
It was absurd.
Oh no! Is Martial Uncle trying to kill me now?!
Jeokgeom gritted his teeth.
Damn it! I don't want to die!
Jeokgeom hurriedly focused on the Plum Blossom Qi Art.
Circulating qi while clutching his pounding head was a great ordeal.
And not just that.
The poison qi kept assaulting his stomach, fatigue crashing over his whole body.
Aaagh! Save me!
Endless torment that made him think, 'If hell exists, this must be it.'
Yet Jeokgeom, with a fierce will to live, endured, clenching his teeth.
Fi, finally!
The moment he absorbed all the energy.
Whoosh!
Hot heat surged from his dantian.
The tormenting pain vanished like mist, his body warming comfortably.
A soothing heat like soaking in hot springs.
'Ahh.'
It felt like his body was melting.
Is this the Peach Blossom Paradise?
As he melted into the sensation,
Buuuurp—
A loud burp escaped his mouth.
Refreshing.
He felt amazing.
Like floating on clouds, as if he could command the world.
'Heh heh heh.'
The sudden change deluded the enlightened Jeokgeom.
'I must have died after all.'
Laughing deliriously, he slowly opened his eyes.
Fortunately, greeting him wasn't paradise or hell, but Seollan.
"Junior Sister?"
"Senior Brother?"
Calling each other, they laughed simultaneously.
"I'm alive!"
"I didn't die!"
Perhaps from the joy of survival, they shouted loudly and jumped up.
"Huh?"
"My body's light."
They examined themselves.
Even slight movements revealed startling changes.
The lingering pain from poisoning was gone, fatigue completely vanished.
In its place: vitality!
A urge to unleash martial arts dominated their bodies.
They drew up their internal energy.
Bam!
Air exploded, the shockwave sweeping over Cheonhwi and Shinui.
"This formulation is definitely the best."
Shinui's advice had been effective.
"Ahem, ahem. Besides making spiritual medicines, our sect has various miscellaneous knowledge. How about it? Want to learn properly..."
Shinui trailed off, frowning.
"You little rascal."
Shinui trembled with rage.
Cheonhwi had already moved to Jeokgeom.
"Martial Uncle!"
Meanwhile, Jeokgeom boisterously welcomed the approaching Cheonhwi.
'Haha, as expected of Martial Uncle!'
As if forgetting the day's accumulated pain.
Cheonhwi spoke to the elated Jeokgeom.
"Let's just send a letter to the Wind Cloud Merchant Group."
"A letter?"
Jeokgeom scratched his head.
"What kind of letter...?"
Cheonhwi replied as if he'd been waiting.
"Tell them to send all remaining poison herbs or medicinal herbs they have."
A moment later, after sending everyone away, Cheonhwi stroked his chin and closed his eyes.
'The spiritual medicines are done.'
Fortunately, making them had gone smoothly with Shinui's help.
Now, one thing left.
A way to rapidly advance not just the second-generation disciples, but the first-generation and Plum Blossom Sword Guards too.
What would be best?
The ultimate was life-or-death combat.
That thought immediately recalled his Heavenly Demon Divine Cult training.
Especially the deadly gateway he entered upon joining.
It was brutal. But skills grew fast.
Even now, it was a vicious place.
Huh? Wait. That could work.
It's not a demonic art.
Cheonhwi's eyes gleamed.
Upon joining the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult, one had to pass through it mandatorily. The hellish training grounds: the ten gateways.
The Heavenly Demon Ten Gates!
Cheonhwi began planning immediately.
'Can't do this alone.'
Unlike making spiritual medicines.
The Heavenly Demon Ten Gates were vast and composed of complex formations.
Thus, it required substantial manpower and experts versed in formations.
Can't request from the Heavenly Demon Divine Cult.
Cheonhwi's eyes narrowed as he thought.
'Then there's only that place?'