Bo Saixi moved the Inner Core away from the bedside, Tang San withdrew the Blue Silver Emperor that had been gently nourishing the herbs, and Ning Rongrong immediately closed the window facing the sea.
Three Jade Boxes stood open side by side on the stone table. The holy soul grass, the first to reach the island, still had all its roots intact, and the nine medicinal markings on the nine-grade ginseng king had not been dispersed by the damp sea air. The moment the Spirit Beast Pill's heat touched a ginseng leaf, its edges curled. Tang San hurriedly separated them, but did not change the order he had written down earlier.
"The pill goes into her heart meridians last." He pointed out the scorch mark beneath the ginseng leaf to Bo Saixi. "The grass protects her soul, and the ginseng nourishes her body. If her soul hasn't returned first, the pill's power will burst this body apart."
Bo Saixi examined Xiao Wu on the bed. Blue light from her palm passed over Xiao Wu's chest and abdomen, then stopped along the inside of her right arm. The aura of life there was thinner than elsewhere. The channels severed during her sacrifice were still waiting for their own Soul Bone.
"The order is right. Whether each step can be completed will depend on her response."
Tang San brought over another low couch and placed it beside the bed. Barely half a foot separated his right shoulder from Xiao Wu's right arm. He tried activating the Soul Bone. The sleeping woman on the bed did not move, but his blood-red sixth ring contracted toward her. As the red light left his body, its pull sent pain through his entire arm.
He stopped testing it.
"Once I take it out, my soul power