Searching for the Basin

"Thank you, Lord Gu. You're truly a good man. I've almost saved enough money for apprenticeship fees. From now on, I'll turn over a new leaf and never do this kind of work again." Seeing that Gu He intended to spare his life, Sun Yi knelt on the ground and spoke excitedly.

"I'm very familiar with the Monster Mountain Range. As far as I know, there are three basins like this where medicinal herbs grow. I just don't know whether one of them is the basin you're looking for."

"Good. But since you've fallen into my hands, you may escape death, but not punishment." As he spoke, Gu He took out a pill and flicked it into Sun Yi's mouth while he was talking.

"I just fed you a Blood Refining Pill. As the name suggests, this pill refines the blood in a person's body."

After hearing Gu He explain the pill's effects, Sun Yi coughed and bent over, thrusting his fingers into his mouth and repeatedly gagging himself, trying to vomit the pill out.

"It's useless. The pill dissolved the moment it entered your mouth and has already merged with your blood. Unless you drain all the blood from your body, it will continue taking effect."

"Lord Gu, you clearly promised me that you would let me go once I found a basin. Why did you make me take this now? If I die, no one will lead you to that place!" Sun Yi said with a panicked expression, half pleading and half reminding him.

"That's why the pill won't take effect until twenty-four hours later. Before then, as long as you take the antidote corresponding to the Blood Refining Pill, not only will it cause no harm to your body, it will greatly enhance your physical constitution. It might even help you break through to Dou Master. Besides, the pill isn't fatal. It will merely make you suffer unbearable pain. Consider it punishment for doing this line of work." Gu He explained the pill's properties, then urged, "Hurry up and move! I'm sure you want to find that basin soon too. Otherwise, the pain of having your blood refined will leave a deep impression on you!"

"Yes, yes, my lord. Let's set off right away!" After hearing about the pill's effects and the benefits of curing it, Sun Yi knew that Gu He was doing this only to make him find the basin faster, not for any other reason. Still, his feelings were difficult to describe.

This time, Sun Yi led the way, carefully clearing the animals along the path and not daring to let them run in front of Gu He. He served him with utmost diligence.

"Not far ahead is a medium-sized valley. There's a fairly large basin inside, and many medicinal herbs grow there as well. I don't know if it's the basin you're looking for, my lord."

"Let's go take a look first!"

Gu He said with faint delight. Sun Yi's behavior undoubtedly satisfied the loser mentality Gu He had carried over from his previous life—being treated with sufficient respect and having others seriously listen to him. This improved Gu He's impression of Sun Yi somewhat, so he did not mind showing him a friendlier face.

When they reached the valley, Gu He went in to take a look and found that there were indeed some medicinal herbs. However, they were all rather common varieties. They merely grew exceptionally well due to the dense energy within the Monster Mountain Range. If sold outside, based on the medicinal herb price information in Gu He's memories, they could fetch at least 1.3 times the price of similar herbs. But it was nothing like the basin described in the original novel, one covered in rare medicinal herbs. Moreover, Gu He did not sense another valley deep within the basin.

"This isn't the valley I'm looking for. Let's go to the next one!" To be honest, after checking two places without success, Gu He was somewhat disappointed. But the Monster Mountain Range was so vast that relying solely on his Dou Qi Wings to search from the sky would not only be dangerous, but might not even yield results. Searching this way still gave him a slightly higher chance, so Gu He sighed softly, turned around, and spoke to Sun Yi standing nearby.

Entering the forest and searching the two basins had already taken several hours. By the time they headed for the third basin, the sun in the sky was nearly setting.

"My lord, should we find a place to rest for the night? Nighttime is when magical beasts are most active. Even Dou Masters would not dare travel through the Monster Mountain Range at night." Gu He sparing Sun Yi's life had made him very grateful. Although Gu He had also made him take the Blood Refining Pill, Sun Yi still offered his advice earnestly.

"Mm, then we'll make do on a tree for the night!" Although Gu He was not afraid of the Monster Mountain Range at night, he also had to consider Sun Yi's strength. A mere nine-star Dou Zhe walking through the Monster Mountain Range at night was practically courting death. There was no need for Gu He to deliberately clear a path at night just to save one evening. As he spoke, Gu He directly leaped onto a tree and found a relatively flat branch.

Seeing that Gu He had no intention of talking to him for the moment, Sun Yi felt somewhat awkward. After walking all day and then being hurried by Gu He to find basins matching the description, he had not eaten or drunk anything except a pill. Now that they had stopped, his stomach was unbearably hungry. Thus, Sun Yi raised his head and said to Gu He, "My lord, I'll go find something for you to eat."

"Go on. Catch more. After walking all day, I think I've got quite an appetite." Gu He waved a hand in reminder.

"Mm. The Monster Mountain Range may not have much else, but there's certainly no shortage of all kinds of meat."

Sun Yi quickly caught several small animals. After skillfully removing their fur and innards, he skewered the meat on wooden sticks and placed them directly over the fire to roast. Before long, the meat began to sizzle, and an unusual fragrance carrying the animals' natural scent drifted through the air. Sun Yi expertly turned the sticks and glanced at Gu He, only to find that he had already closed his eyes on a relatively flat branch to rest. Sun Yi decided to call him once the meat was done.

Because the animals were small and the meat was not thick, it roasted quickly. In just over ten minutes, Sun Yi called out, "My lord, the meat is ready. Please come down and have some!"

Gu He took a deep sniff of the fragrance in the air. "The smell suits my tastes quite well. Let me try your cooking, then!"

With that, he flipped down from the tree.

Gu He accepted the roasted meat from Sun Yi, held it beneath his nose, and gave it a sniff. He praised, "To roast meat like this without seasoning, I think you could absolutely open a barbecue shop. You could buy meat brought back from the Monster Mountain Range by mercenaries. I'm sure business would thrive."

"My lord, you flatter me. How could such meager skill be enough to open a barbecue shop? You think it smells good because it's your first time eating meat from here, so it feels novel. It may also be your first time eating roasted meat without seasoning. But for people like us who have lived in the Monster Mountain Range all year round, we grew tired of this kind of meat long ago. No one would want to return to town and still eat this food." Sun Yi shook his head with a bitter smile, indicating that there was a major flaw in Gu He's idea.

"I see. I hadn't thought it through." Seeing his spur-of-the-moment suggestion shot down, Gu He did not mind. He simply picked up the roasted meat and began eating.