Chapter 26
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 26
A few days later.
Hundreds of soldiers stood in formation before the main gate of Hoean Fort.
“What is the meaning of this?” Lee Hyun asked, his expression bewildered as he was about to step through the gate.
Standing at the very front of the formation was Tak Mu-seong. Now nearing his late sixties, his once-black hair was streaked with gray.
“This was your last tour of duty, wasn’t it? You’re stepping down as a Battlefield Retainer.”
“How did you know?”
“We’ve known each other for more than a day or two. How could I not know?”
“I see.” Lee Hyun nodded. “You have all worked hard. I will take my leave now.”
At Lee Hyun’s words, Tak Mu-seong turned to face the troops.
“All men, see the Lord Retainer off!”
Clank!
In perfect unison, hundreds of soldiers raised their weapons. Spearheads and sword blades glinted in the sunlight. As one, they bowed deeply toward Lee Hyun.
“There’s really no need for all this…”
“If not for you, my Lord, most of the men here would have lost their lives long ago,” Tak Mu-seong said. Several veteran soldiers nodded in agreement.
An old soldier at the rear shouted in a booming voice, “Wherever you may go, Immortal Master, the soldiers of Hoean Fort will never forget your grace!”
“Grace? Don’t be ridiculous. I was only doing my job for compensation.”
The soldiers, who had feared him when he first arrived at Hoean Fort, now looked at him with sorrow and reluctance. Some of the young boys who had enlisted back then had grown into bearded, middle-aged veterans. Those who had been middle-aged were now old, and among the elderly, many faces were gone, never to be seen again.
Lee Hyun watched them in silence for a moment, then clasped his hands in a salute.
“I have been in your care over the years. May you all stay safe and live long lives.”
* * *
In the Cloud Capital, at the Bureau of Heavenly Service.
Lee Hyun sat before a desk in the Retainer Pavilion.
Across from him, Resident Retainer Yuk So-yeon handled her clerical duties, checking his Retainer Token against the ledger.
“You wish to exchange your points for the Barrier-Breaking Pill recipe?”
“That is correct.”
“Five hundred merit points will be deducted. If you teach this recipe to an outsider or attempt to sell it, there will be serious consequences.”
“I’m well aware.” Lee Hyun nodded.
A moment later, Yuk So-yeon returned with a small wooden box. When she opened the lid, it revealed a thin, untitled booklet.
“Please verify it.”
Lee Hyun turned to the first page.
[Barrier-Breaking Pill Recipe — One Furnace Batch
The years listed below refer to medicinal age.
Spirit-Accumulating Ginseng, aged 50–70 years: 1 root.
Meridian-Piercing Flower, aged 40–60 years: 3 blossoms.
Meridian-Protecting Lingzhi, aged 30–50 years: 1 cap.
Vitality-Restoring Vine, aged 30–45 years: 3 stem segments.
Three-Layered Leaf, aged 20–35 years: 9 leaves.
Fully ripened Vitality-Condensing Fruit from a Vitality-Condensing Tree aged 40–60 years: 3 fruits.
Clear Void Seeds harvested from Clear Void Grass aged 15–25 years: 12 seeds.
Spirit-Stabilizing Stone Milk: 3 drops.]
Lee Hyun stared down at the recipe for a long while.
This is no joke.
In tiny, meticulous script, it detailed not only the types of ingredients but also their harvesting periods, storage methods, preparation techniques, and the entire process of refinement, harmonization, and pill condensation.
Lee Hyun turned the page.
[The medicinal ages in this recipe assume the spirit plants were grown under standard conditions in a Tier 1 spirit field. The accumulation of medicinal properties varies with the environment, so one must not rely on chronological age alone. Assess each ingredient based on its color, scent, flow of spiritual qi, and the other characteristics described below.]
Lee Hyun’s expression brightened.
I’m glad it’s so detailed.
Lee Hyun closed the recipe.
“I have verified it.”
* * *
Earthfire Cave, Level C, Room 7.
“So you actually got it.”
Mun Seong-hak took the recipe, flipped through a few pages, and handed it back to Lee Hyun.
“Lord Mun, are pill recipes always this demanding? So many ingredients and such strict conditions…”
“And this is just a Tier 1 recipe.”
“Even for Tier 1?”
“Didn’t I tell you? This is exactly why authenticated pill recipes are so precious.”
Lee Hyun looked down at the recipe again, then asked, “By the way, how many spirit stones would it take to acquire all these ingredients?”
“A single furnace batch of these ingredients will cost you anywhere from seventy to one hundred and twenty low-grade spirit stones.”
“That’s expensive. How many Barrier-Breaking Pills can you make from one batch?”
“Nine pills, at most.”
“If it’s nine pills, that’s still…”
“Only if the god of alchemy himself descended upon you,” Mun Seong-hak said nonchalantly. “A seasoned Tier 1 alchemist like me, using prime ingredients and a recipe I know well, would consider it a respectable result to produce three pills of mixed low- and mid-grade quality.”
“Then what about an alchemist just starting out?”
“Once they’re familiar with the recipe, they’d be doing well to consistently produce two low-grade Barrier-Breaking Pills per batch.”
Lee Hyun counted on his fingers. Even buying the ingredients at the cheapest price cost seventy low-grade spirit stones. From that, he’d get two Barrier-Breaking Pills.
“…That comes out to thirty-five low-grade spirit stones per pill?”
“And that’s just the cost of ingredients. There are also the expenses for using the pill cauldron and earthfire… not to mention the alchemist’s time and effort. Do you understand now?” Mun Seong-hak gave a hearty laugh. “A Qi Refining rogue cultivator who dabbles recklessly in alchemy will bankrupt their entire household.”
Lee Hyun suddenly recalled the contents of the Heavenly Service Merit Register.
“So that’s why everyone tries to buy finished Barrier-Breaking Pills instead of making them themselves.”
“I told you, there’s a reason people just buy the finished product! Why else do you think specialized professions exist in this world?”
“That is certainly true.”
Yet, Lee Hyun had plenty of time.
I can just cultivate them myself and refine them.
Lee Hyun examined the recipe once more and asked, “However, it specifies using Spirit-Accumulating Ginseng with a medicinal age of fifty to seventy years, doesn’t it?”
“It does.”
“If one used ginseng around a hundred years old, would it produce a better Barrier-Breaking Pill?”
“Theoretically, yes. But you’d have to rework the entire recipe. A different medicinal age doesn’t just change the efficacy; it also alters the speed and properties of the medicinal essence released during refinement.”
“Then could you just use half of a hundred-year-old Spirit-Accumulating Ginseng?”
“You might balance the total medicinal efficacy, but the rate at which it harmonizes with the other herbs would be off. Change just one Spirit-Accumulating Ginseng, and you’d have to adjust everything down the line—from the amounts of Meridian-Piercing Flower and Meridian-Protecting Lingzhi to the precise timing for adding the other ingredients.”
“So it’s best to follow the recipe exactly.”
After that, Lee Hyun learned a great deal by observing Mun Seong-hak refine a batch of Barrier-Breaking Pills. Every time Mun Seong-hak refined an ingredient, he pointed out the exact moments when its color, fragrance, and medicinal properties shifted. Watching this, Lee Hyun compared the descriptions in the recipe with the actual transformations of the herbs.
A few days later, Mun Seong-hak brought over a bamboo basket. Inside was a jumble of stunted young Spirit-Accumulating Ginseng, Meridian-Piercing Flowers, small Meridian-Protecting Lingzhi, and severed stems of Vitality-Restoring Vines.
“Use these to practice.”
“Is it okay that their medicinal age is so low?”
“I’m not telling you to complete a Barrier-Breaking Pill. I’m telling you to get a feel for refining and harmonizing the ingredients. Practicing with proper ingredients is far too expensive.”
Lee Hyun picked up a root of Spirit-Accumulating Ginseng. A few rootlets were clipped off, but vibrant green leaves still clung to the top.
“Are these also from the royal spirit fields?”
“Indeed. They are culled because of stunted growth or damaged roots. Leaving them would only waste space and spiritual qi.”
Lee Hyun inspected the other herbs in the basket. The Vitality-Restoring Vines still had living buds, the Meridian-Piercing Flowers had their roots intact, and the young Meridian-Protecting Lingzhi still had mycelium attached to bits of rotted spirit wood.
If planted properly, some of these could survive.
Lee Hyun’s gaze slowly swept across the basket.
“May I take some of the leftovers after I’m done practicing?”
“What would you do with them?”
“I thought that by growing them myself, I could better understand their life cycle and how their medicinal properties change.”
“Hmm… I don’t see why not. They were going to be thrown out anyway.”
“Thank you.”
Thereafter, Lee Hyun repeatedly practiced refinement and harmonization using the discarded herbs. By setting aside the healthier-looking specimens from each practice session, he soon had seeds or seedlings for every spirit plant required for the Barrier-Breaking Pill.
However, since Spirit-Stabilizing Stone Milk was a mineral spirit liquid rather than a spirit plant, he would have to obtain it separately at a market later.
* * *
One month later.
Lee Hyun had learned most of what he could from Mun Seong-hak regarding the Barrier-Breaking Pill. Mun Seong-hak judged that Lee Hyun had become proficient enough to successfully create low-grade Barrier-Breaking Pills, provided he used quality ingredients.
“Thank you for everything. I plan to leave the Untaek Kingdom soon. This is a small token of my gratitude.”
Lee Hyun retrieved two large Rock Honey Peaches from his storage pouch. A sweet, refreshing aroma wafted through the air.
“A spirit fruit?”
“They are called Rock Honey Peaches. The taste is quite pleasant.”
“Rock Honey Peach…? I’ve never heard of it.”
Mun Seong-hak examined the fruit for a moment before taking a bite.
Crunch.
“…Hah.” His eyebrows shot up. “It’s as sweet as honey, yet its flesh is as cool as ice. Maybe it’s because I’ve spent so many days in front of the cauldron, but it feels like it’s completely swept away the fire qi built up in my chest. Where did you get such a spirit fruit?”
“I happened across it at a market long ago. When I returned later, the vendor was already gone.”
“What a pity…” Mun Seong-hak placed the remaining Rock Honey Peach into his storage pouch. “I shall savor this one slowly.”
* * *
At the Bureau of Heavenly Service’s Formation Courtyard.
Lee Hyun gazed down at nine red formation stones arranged on the ground and the bronze pill cauldron set atop them. It was the pill cauldron and earthfire formation provided by the Bureau of Heavenly Service, identical to those installed in every alchemy room in the Earthfire Cave.
“This is the Nine-Flame Fire-Accumulation Formation and the cauldron crafted to match it. Strictly speaking, they are merely a Tier 1 low-grade magical artifact and formation… Are you truly sure you wish to purchase them with merit points? It makes no difference to me, but if you work at the Bureau of Heavenly Service, you can use the Earthfire Cave anyway, so there’s really no need to buy them…”
“I plan to use them for private practice. I’ll find a place with earthfire later.”
“Hmm. Just don’t come asking for a refund. This booklet has instructions on how to connect the formation to an earthfire source and maintain the cauldron.”
Stowing the cauldron, formation, and booklet into his storage pouch, Lee Hyun checked his Retainer Token. The hundred or so merit points remaining after acquiring the Barrier-Breaking Pill recipe were now almost entirely gone.
Before leaving the Cloud Capital, Lee Hyun also stopped by the Emerald Cloud Market. While browsing, he found a shop selling seeds for Vitality-Condensing Trees and Clear Void Grass.
Lee Hyun purchased a small quantity of both. Although he had already secured seedlings for each, he bought extras just in case they failed to take root. This cost him one low-grade spirit stone.
Lastly, at a shop dealing in spirit insects, he purchased a spirit-insect pouch capable of storing living spirit insects. Then, a storage pouch displayed in a corner caught his eye. Its internal capacity was several times larger than the one he was currently using.
Now that I have a cauldron and will need to carry more spirit plants in the future…
After a moment of contemplation, he bought it as well. The two items combined cost ten low-grade spirit stones.
Leaving the shop, Lee Hyun counted the spirit stones inside his storage pouch.
Exactly twelve low-grade spirit stones remained.
Hmm… I’ll need to earn some spirit stones soon.
* * *
Three days later.
The royal palace of the Untaek Kingdom.
Lee Hyun met with Yu Jeong-hwi for the first time in a long while. Over a decade ago, he had been a youthful crown prince in a golden crown; now, the crown of the King of Untaek rested upon his head. In the intervening years, the former king had passed away, and Yu Jeong-hwi had ascended the throne.
Wrinkles had formed at the corners of Yu Jeong-hwi’s eyes, and a neatly trimmed beard now adorned the once-youthful face that had looked so well-suited to deep purple robes. He had never been frivolous, but now he carried the dignified gravity befitting the ruler of a nation.
“I don’t know how many times I’ve tried to convince you to stay. So you’re really leaving.”
“Yes.”
“You refused when I offered to double your stipend. You refused when I offered to grant you a portion of the royal spirit fields—an estate far superior to Cool Clarity Villa.”
“I did consider that last offer for a moment.”
Yu Jeong-hwi’s eyes brightened. “Then will you reconsider?”
“I still intend to leave.”
Yu Jeong-hwi let out a sigh. “Where do you plan to go?”
“I haven’t decided.”
“No destination at all. I envy you.” Yu Jeong-hwi took a sip of tea. “If I were to wander aimlessly for even a single day, the ministers would come hunting for me.”
After a brief silence, Yu Jeong-hwi spoke again. “Will I see you again?”
“Who can say.”
Suddenly, Lee Hyun was reminded of Jang Pyeong, whom he had met in the markets of the Cloud Capital over three hundred years ago. Not long ago, he had seen a descendant who looked just like him selling Water Root Grass in that very same spot.
Lee Hyun had merely holed up in a tunnel for a short while, yet Jang Pyeong was already long gone from this world.
Indeed.
A truth he had always known struck him anew. This would keep happening. He would meet people, go away for a while, and return to find them old or dead. It was an issue he had never needed to ponder during the centuries spent alone in his tunnels.
Lee Hyun set down his teacup.
Well…
That was no reason to avoid meeting people. Just because they would one day vanish did not mean the time spent together would vanish with them.
Lee Hyun rose from his seat. “I shall take my leave now.”
“No matter how I urge you to stay, it will be in vain, won’t it?”
“Indeed.”
“Then I won’t detain you any longer.” Yu Jeong-hwi clasped his hands. “Thank you for everything you’ve done for the Untaek Kingdom over the years.”
* * *
A few days later, Lee Hyun walked out through the north gate of the Cloud Capital. He followed the official road north, and as foot traffic thinned, he veered off into the mountainous wilderness to the northwest.
On a small mountain peak north of the Cloud Capital, three figures watched Lee Hyun’s receding back. All three wore the Retainer Tokens of External Retainers employed by the Bureau of Heavenly Service.
The leader was a middle-aged man named Wi Mun-do. His face, which looked to be around forty, was devoid of expression, and his body radiated the aura of a cultivator at the 6th layer of the Qi Refining Stage.
A step behind him stood Paeng Ja-ryang, a lean man with sharp eyes and crossed arms. He was at the 5th layer of the Qi Refining Stage.
The last was Han So-baek, the youngest of the three. He was at the 3rd layer of Qi Refining.
Han So-baek watched Lee Hyun move farther away and spoke. “Senior Brother Wi, are we really striking today?”
“Yes.”
“The rumors about him aren’t all exaggerated. Records say he’s even captured several Profound Realm masters alive.”
Paeng Ja-ryang snorted. “So-baek. Did seeing him capture a few mortal martial artists scare you?”
“I’m not scared, I’m saying we should be cautious.”
“Did those mortal martial arts masters have mid-grade magical artifacts? Did they have even a single Tier 1 low-grade talisman? No matter how strong their martial arts, they were still just the techniques of mortals.”
“Ja-ryang, that’s enough,” Wi Mun-do cut him off in a low voice. “So-baek’s concern isn’t misplaced. For a rogue cultivator at the 3rd layer of Qi Refining, that man’s record is far too impressive. That’s precisely why I came myself.”
“You thought it warranted your personal attention, Senior Brother?”
“If we’ve decided to kill him, we must do it cleanly. It will be too late for regrets after the fact,” Wi Mun-do’s tone was calm and flat.
After a moment of hesitation, Han So-baek brought up another topic. “But the Steward’s task was to find a child with a single spiritual root. Will a pill recipe really be an adequate substitute?”
“That again?” Annoyance flickered across Paeng Ja-ryang’s face. “We’ve been stuck in this Untaek Kingdom for a whole year already! Even if we scour it for another five years, is there any guarantee a single spiritual root will pop up? Do you even know what a single spiritual root is? It’s a talent so rare you’d struggle to find one among a million mortals. Why else would people call it a Heavenly spiritual root?”
“That’s why I said from the start: if we just used our authority as External Retainers a little to gather the young children from each county city…”
“So-baek,” Wi Mun-do called his name.
Han So-baek shut his mouth.
“Do not speak of that again. This is not the territory of the Cheongun Sect. If the Azure Gauze Sect or Crimson Sky Sect discover that we entered the Earth Kingdom’s domain to poach talents, it will create far greater trouble than finding a single spiritual root.”
“…I know.”
“We enlisted as External Retainers for the Bureau of Heavenly Service to travel the Untaek Kingdom discreetly, not to round up children in its name.”
Paeng Ja-ryang clicked his tongue. “Besides, in this godforsaken place, one can’t even cultivate properly. There isn’t even a place worthy of being called a spirit vein. I can’t stay here any longer.”
“Senior Brother Paeng, you’ve been saying that since our first month here.”
“…So-baek, you’ve gotten awfully bold lately. Have you forgotten your place because I haven’t beaten you in a while?”
“I apologize.”
The corner of Wi Mun-do’s mouth twitched ever so slightly before settling back into an impassive expression.
“A new pill recipe will be a sufficient achievement to substitute for our mission to find a disciple with a single spiritual root.”
Han So-baek asked, “Doesn’t our sect already have the Meridian-Opening Pill?”
“The demand for the Meridian-Opening Pill is so high that the price of its spirit plants keeps rising,” Wi Mun-do explained. “Since this new recipe has a different name, it must use different ingredients. Besides, the ultimate goal of finding a disciple with a single spiritual root is to secure successors and strengthen the sect. A pill recipe that can help numerous early-stage Qi Refining disciples break through achieves the same end. The Steward will surely accept it.”
“Are you certain that man really obtained the Barrier-Breaking Pill recipe?”
“After accumulating merit points for all those years, what else in the Retainer Pavilion could he have possibly exchanged them for? Furthermore, after leaving the pavilion, he spent over a month frequenting the Earthfire Cave, and he even purchased an alchemy cauldron and a formation from the Formation Courtyard.”
Paeng Ja-ryang smirked.
“What a ridiculous fellow. What’s a mere Qi Refining rogue cultivator doing messing with pill recipes and alchemy? Does he think he’s going to found a cultivator clan all by himself?”
“Do not mock him,” Wi Mun-do said, his voice low. “Did any sect leader not start from such difficult beginnings? We could be looking at a man destined to become a titan, the leader of his own faction. Though regrettably, he will die by our hands.”
“I spoke carelessly.”
“You don’t understand because you come from a great sect. The hardships rogue cultivators face are beyond your imagination. We, who grew up in privileged environments, must never look down on them, no matter what they do.”
Paeng Ja-ryang picked his nose, unimpressed.
Senior Martial Brother Wi is hilarious. Wasn’t he born into a noble family, living a pampered life without a single hardship? Listening to him talk as if he personally understands the struggles of a rogue cultivator… when will this preaching ever end?
Wi Mun-do looked at Paeng Ja-ryang.
“More importantly, Ja-ryang. You said you were never able to find his dwelling?”
“That’s right. I tailed him three times. All three times, I lost him at the northwestern edge of the Untaek Kingdom.”
“How did he vanish?”
“The first two times, I wasn’t sure, but the third time, I saw it clearly. He was crossing a mountain slope when his aura just… sank into the ground. It was definitely the Earth Escape Technique.”
“He must have a cave abode.”
“I believe so as well.”
Paeng Ja-ryang pulled a folded map from his robes.
“Here.”
His finger pointed to a section of the mountain range northwest of the Cloud Capital.
“There’s a stretch of solid bedrock along the path he always takes. If we surround him there, he won’t be able to escape.”
Wi Mun-do reached into his own robes and produced a yellowish talisman.
“We have this as well.”
“A talisman?”
“Yes. A Tier 1 mid-grade Spirit-Tracking Talisman. Even if we lose him, we can use this to track him down. Once activated, it can follow the owner’s spiritual power for two shichen. As long as he’s within one hundred li on the surface, we’ll know his direction. Even if he goes underground, it won’t lose its lock as long as he’s within one li of the surface. With the spiritual power of a 3rd layer Qi Refining cultivator, how deep could he possibly go with the Earth Escape Technique? He’ll have to come up eventually.”
“That’s true. But isn’t a Tier 1 mid-grade talisman a bit of a waste? I’ll kill him myself, so why don’t you just give it to me instead?”
“Stop talking nonsense and get on.”
Wi Mun-do tapped his storage pouch, and a light flashed.
Whoosh—
A small, azure Flying Boat manifested in midair.
It was roughly two zhang in length. Across the surface of the pointed vessel, numerous formation inscriptions were engraved.
The three of them boarded, one after another.
Wi Mun-do said, “Ja-ryang, you pilot first. So-baek, conserve your spiritual power.”
“Understood.”
Hummm—
The formation inscriptions on the bottom of the Flying Boat lit up one by one. In the next instant, it soared toward the northwest, leaving an azure afterglow in its wake.