Twilight (4)

Spirit Medicine Peak, World-Saving Hall, side room

Morning light streamed through the carved window lattice into the room, staining the blue-brick floor with several faint diamond-shaped patches of light. It was still early, during morning lessons, and only two or three disciples on duty remained, making the side room seem all the quieter.

The medicinal scent of World-Saving Hall lingered year-round, but now it had been driven to its peak by the purple-bronze medicine furnace in the corner—the furnace body glowed a warm red from the charcoal fire, while the decoction within bubbled and boiled. Brown foam pushed up along the edge of the wooden lid, and the dense, bitter medicinal fragrance rushed out in a scramble, curling around the beams and pillars and clinging to the window gauze.

Su Miaoxi crouched before the medicine furnace, the sleeves of her Daoist robe rolled up to her elbows, revealing a stretch of jade-white forearm. A faint green glow gathered at her fingertips as she controlled the heat with spiritual power.

This purple-bronze furnace was, after all, a decent spiritual artifact. Once infused with spiritual power, it could automatically regulate its temperature and slowly brew the medicine. Why did she need to watch it so closely? But she was bored out of her mind and could not leave, afraid that the person on the bed would run off again if she looked away for even a moment. So she might as well use controlling the fire to practice her control.

Using a spiritual artifact on automatic mode was one thing, but doing it manually was truly torturous. Her spiritual power output had to remain as still as calm water: one fraction too much, and the fire burned fiercely; one fraction too little, and the decoction cooled. Fine beads of sweat had already