Ren Shanshi did not set out immediately. Instead, he balanced upside down on his index finger in the Martial Training Ground.
Around him, a dozen or so clay pots bubbled away with medicine. The brown decoctions churned and foamed, giving off an aroma tinged with bitterness.
The disciples fed firewood beneath the pots, accompanied by the sound of crackling flames.
Whenever a batch was ready, a disciple immediately brought it to Ren Shanshi.
Ren Shanshi flipped upright and took the bowl, then tipped his head back and drained it. As his Adam's apple bobbed, the medicine entered his stomach, and wisps of sweat rose from his pores.
He drew a deep breath, his muscles abruptly tightening as he drove his blood and qi to forcibly seal in the medicinal potency.
"Uncle, I've brought the herbs!"
"Thank you."
Li Yao led several Mouse Children into the Martial Training Ground, carrying in crates of bundled herbs. Soon, another batch of medicine was simmering in the pots.
The sight secretly alarmed her. In just half a day, her uncle had consumed at least a hundred pounds of herbs.
Ren Shanshi's skin gradually turned crimson, his eyes filled with blood vessels, and his heart thundered like a drum. He looked thoroughly overnourished.
Li Yao noticed Su Huo helping the half-demons add herbs nearby.
"Old Man Su, is Uncle all right? His complexion doesn't look quite right today."
Su Huo shook his head. "The proprietor has always been like this, on and off. But he's especially impatient with his training this time, as though something is weighing on his mind."
Li Yao frowned, her gaze falling on the clay pots.
Even setting aside their medicinal potency, the sheer quantity of herbs was more than ten times the usual amount. After only a short simmer, the