Chapter 00291: The Source of the Secret Medicine
# The Source of the Secret Medicine
Chapter 291
Novel: After the Immortals Disappeared
Chapter 291: The Source of the Secret Medicine
Invisible undercurrents pushed it, slowly drifting outward.
In the distance, the lake had turned into a frozen river.
Sun Fu Ling grabbed his hand and rushed up to the nearest high bridge, where many people were already standing.
From this vantage point, the dimly lit lake beneath them offered a view where only small lights reflected off the translucent lotus petals, casting a warm glow like candlelight.
Those who caught sight of these lanterns by the lakeside would pause silently and offer their prayers.
He Ling Chuan turned around and saw three or four lotus lanterns still floating on the river's surface, each flickering candlelight carrying the wishes of the living for the departed.
Sun Fu Ling also clasped her hands together, whispering prayers, sharing the same piety as those around them.
These lotus lanterns could only burn until they drifted out of the boundaries of Panlong City, and beyond that, they would be entrusted to the countless mountains and waters of the Chi Pa Plateau.
The same went for human sentiments.
"Once the lanterns are released, let's put this matter behind us," Sun Fu Ling said pragmatically.
"The dead are gone, but the living still have to strive on."
In the future, there would be no shortage of opportunities for them to come here and release lanterns.
The sooner one let go, the less hurt one would suffer.
As the lotus lanterns drifted farther away, He Ling Chuan once again spoke softly to Sun Fu Ling, “Let’s go back.”
“Mm.”
￥￥￥￥￥
After opening his eyes, He Ling Chuan stared blankly at the tent's ceiling for a while.
This time, he had spent a longer duration in his dreams—an entire seven days.
During that time, he even fell asleep twice, expecting to awaken in reality, but that did not happen.
These seven days were a blend of comfort and fulfillment—other than pondering over the Secret Scroll of the Golden Armored Bronze Man and rigorously practicing archery, he spent time chatting with Sun Fu Ling.
As they grew more familiar, the girl became too lazy to follow the rules and often lay on the wall, talking to him.
Whenever she came to check on the Sparrow Hawk, she would simply leap over the low wall, skillfully and effortlessly.
However, mealtimes had become a significant problem.
Sun Fu Ling spoke the truth; she really did not know how to cook.
Both of them were the type who expected food to be served, leaving them no choice but to venture out together to find meals.
It might sound like they were getting closer and their feelings were deepening dramatically, yet He Ling Chuan did not feel this joy because Sun Fu Ling didn’t care that he was enjoying winter break.
She often insisted on having him do something that infuriated both gods and men:
Extra tutoring!
His learning pace of the ancient celestial language was too slow, and Sun Fu Ling expressed her dissatisfaction.
She even arranged pop quizzes for him.
As the quizzes progressed, those characters transformed into tadpoles, swirling around in his mind.
His aversion to studying was deeply rooted in his subconscious and would not change just because he had switched bodies and entered a different world.
So when Liu Tong came to notify him about an outdoor mission, He Ling Chuan felt as if he had been granted a reprieve.
When he opened his eyes again, He Ling Chuan found it hard to distinguish between dreams and reality.
However, the sounds of people and horses outside reminded him that he was currently in a military camp.
Was the reason he spent more time in his dreams that the Blade of Floating Life had been repaired?
He sat up and rubbed his face, at this point a soldier approached to announce:
“Elder Liang is here.”
He Ling Chuan was bewildered; Elder Liang from the Cloudpiercing Pavilion had always maintained a cold and detached attitude towards him, and since this person practiced a closed mouth mantra, he rarely spoke to anyone.
What could he possibly want now?
Just as he finished getting ready, Elder Liang stepped into the tent.
After exchanging greetings, Elder Liang's disciple spoke on his behalf:
“Master wishes to discuss something with you, Young Master He.”
The soldier ran off to fetch hot water, and He Ling Chuan, appearing somewhat dazed, nodded and said, “Please, go on.”
Unexpectedly, Elder Liang's disciple pulled out a neatly folded letter and presented it with both hands: “It’s difficult to explain in a few words; my master has written it down for you to read.”
Oh? A lengthy discourse?
He Ling Chuan took the letter and unfurled it, quickly engrossed in its contents.
Elder Liang would not visit without a valid reason, and today he was specifically here because of the peculiar red medicine in He Ling Chuan's possession.
Just yesterday, the Medicine Monkey Ling Guang had tested a drop of the liquid and produced a bizarre phoenix tree, leading to tensions along the banks of the great river.
Elder Liang said nothing, but he observed everything closely, clearly concerned about this kind of medicine, likely hoping to acquire a few drops for his own experiments.
Coincidentally, he had just encountered Dong Rui’s demon constructs, leaving a profound impression on him.
In addition, due to last night’s unexpected incident, Elder Liang mentioned in the letter that Dong Rui’s demon construct bore a striking resemblance to a monster recorded in ancient tomes.
This monster was known as a Fen Beast.
Speaking of which, the Cloudpiercing Pavilion had a lengthy history tracing back to the ancient Qingyun Sect, a true celestial faction that had produced many extraordinary figures.
After the disasters of heaven and earth, the celestial sect began to wane, and Qingyun Sect inevitably followed suit, ultimately splitting into several Daoist sects, with the Cloudpiercing Pavilion being one branch.
Thus, although the Cloudpiercing Pavilion might currently only operate within Xia Prefecture, it had a deep historical background and tradition.
The thin spiritual energy had eroded most of the sect’s treasures, yet several scrolls from the ancient and middle periods remained intact.
If need be, they could always be transcribed.
The ancient tome Elder Liang mentioned was the "Records of Strange Events in Lanshan," written by an elder from the Qingyun Sect before its disintegration, dating back twenty-seven hundred years.
He recorded several arduous battles he participated in, with the two most crucial locations occurring near Lanshan, within today’s Xianyou kingdom.
The period from the cataclysm to the complete disappearance of the immortals was referred to as the Middle Ages.
After the demons left the mortal realm, there was peace for over two hundred years.
Unfortunately, such tranquility did not last long before more demons began to wreak havoc, indiscriminately consuming the common folk and ambushing the descendants of celestial families.
Many descendants of powerful figures were slaughtered.
The celestial sects were, of course, furious and engaged the demon tribe in fierce battles.
The demons cried out in grievance, insisting that those who caused trouble were not sent by their factions.
But the celestial sects would not listen.
Not many demons were mild-tempered; if they were beaten often enough, they would surely strike back.
Thus, the brotherly alliances formed in ancient times to fend off enemies turned against one another in a flash.
Yet eventually, the immortals realized that the strange beasts they had slain, though possessing various powers and oddities, did not seem to be the true indigenous demons of the mortal realms.
At the very least, their intelligence seemed lacking, almost incapable of normal communication and exchange.
If demons had not yet attained spiritual awareness, could they still be considered demons?
Digging deeper, the differences among these monsters became even more apparent, leading people to give them a new name: Fen Beast.
Sadly, by this time, the relationship between the immortals and demons had soured beyond repair.
Moreover, with both sides striving for increasingly scarce spiritual energy, the rifts deepened into hatred, accumulating blood debts upon blood debts.
The author of this secret scroll personally battled Fen Beasts and dissected no fewer than a hundred of them, eventually proposing a new hypothesis based on prior research: these monsters were transformed demons, with the crucial medicines still originating from the demons.
It was the secret medicine left behind by the demons that prompted unpredictable mutations in the demon beasts.
Moreover, the Qingyun Sect had also captured several creators of Fen Beasts, all devoted followers of the demons.
This meant that although the demons had departed, they still cast a shadow over the world.
Later, as the seizing by both the immortals and demon tribes occurred, along with the passage of time, the number of Fen Beasts dwindled, ultimately vanishing from history.
Upon reading this point, He Ling Chuan looked up and asked Elder Liang, “Do you want five drops of the medicine?”
“Exactly, and Chief He has already granted permission.”
He Ling Chuan smiled and said, “This is my spoil of war; my father doesn’t have the right to dispose of it. However, if Elder Liang is willing to retrieve a Beast Soul for me and help me elucidate any doubts, I would be very willing to share.”
Without hesitation, Elder Liang agreed.
He Ling Chuan then asked, “Do you believe the medicine in Dong Rui’s possession is the secret medicine of the demons?”
Elder Liang nodded.
“Yet the demon constructs he refined cannot compare to the Fen Beasts from the Middle Ages, right? At best, they’re a weakened version.” He Ling Chuan had never seen the Middle Ages' Fen Beasts, but the immortals existed at that time.
If even the immortals struggled against them, how could Dong Rui’s constructs be more formidable?
Elder Liang showed some gestures, and the disciple translated:
“Even if it is the secret medicine of the demons, its potency may have weakened over the past two thousand years.”
Are you saying that the medicine has been stored for too long and has expired? Hmm, that’s very scientific, very reasonable.
Elder Liang added, “During the Middle Ages, the decline of spiritual energy would likely have impacted the Fen Beasts as well.”
“Then why, when the demons were rampaging the human world, did they not create Fen Beasts to serve as allies, but instead waited until after their departure to cause havoc?”
Young Master He’s questions were quite numerous; Elder Liang patiently gestured.
"That cannot be known for certain. Perhaps the secret medicine was only developed just before the demons were driven from this realm.”
He Ling Chuan thought for a moment and voiced a long-held question in his heart: “Elder Liang, did the ancient demons transform into the deities of later generations?”
After the demons disappeared, the deities emerged.
Though they could not physically appear, they flickered in and out of the entire human epoch.
It was hard not to draw a connection between them.
Yet, interestingly, He Ling Chuan had never been able to find a solid answer, even in the libraries of Panlong City.
This matter seemed to remain vague, shrouded in a layer of obscurity.
Elder Liang gazed at him intently for a long while before, through his disciple, he stated, “The teachings and texts of the Qingyun Sect repeatedly warn us not to forget the insidiousness of the demons and the brutality of the cataclysms. As descendants of the Qingyun Sect, we firmly believe that the demons have never truly left but have instead transformed into exalted deities! Unfortunately, to this day, the world has forgotten the immense scars the demons inflicted upon it, questioning whether such calamities ever occurred and further doubting the deities as being the demons.”
He let out a heavy sigh: “Many Daoist sects and the demon tribes even worship deities just like ordinary people do. It is truly a case of forgetting one’s roots, ignorant, fearless, and utterly disrespectful!”
“Why?” Isn’t your propaganda too poor? The demons, from across a realm, managed to fool people far better than you.
“The histories are far too ancient, and humans live too briefly. Young Master He should understand that the memories of so-called legacies can be altered.” Elder Liang seemed somewhat agitated, his hand movements quickened, causing even his disciple to stumble over words. “Of course, ultimately, it still comes down to us practitioners not being as powerful as our predecessors, lacking the ability to shake the heavens and split the earth, insufficient to win the trust of the populace.”
In an era where immortals and demons coexisted, the humble and ordinary humans merely had to gaze upward and prostrate in worship.
(End of Chapter)