Deadly Poison

The summer flowers blazed brilliantly, but he had no heart to admire them. Nearly a month had passed since Clan Patriarch Hai Ya left the tribe, and this past month and more had also been Mu Bai's busiest.

Over that month and more, Mu Bai had started by making ordinary medicines, treating the tribespeople's wounds and pain, driving out pestilence and warding off disease. Under the Artifact Spirit Ancestor's guidance, he had even successfully refined the pills cultivators needed: Soul-Gathering Pills. Although their effects were weak, Mu Bai was still delighted beyond measure. The key was mastering the method. It was like keeping a hen that laid eggs-would he still have to worry about not having eggs rolling in?

After personally testing the Soul-Gathering Pills' effects, Hai Ang quietly distributed them to a few core tribespeople. Until the tribe grew strong, Mu Bai's identity as an Alchemist was a secret they had to guard. The slightest carelessness could invite the tribe's annihilation.

To help more young children successfully inscribe Soul Marks after their soul awakening, Mu Bai diluted most of the ingredients for the Soul-Gathering Pills and refined Little Soul Gathering Pills. Through Hai Ang's arrangements, these were distributed to children in the tribe with potential for soul cultivation. Even Hai Ling'er, under Hai Ang's supervision and urging, began preparing to cultivate before her soul awakening.

But Ling’er’s thoughts were not on cultivation; she was thinking of her big brother, Xiao Bai. Recently, Mu Bai would come to her home every so often to find her father, Hai Ang. He would spend a while in the secret chamber, then leave in a hurry, and she would not see him again for days.

With the many medicinal herbs and fierce-beast materials Hai Ang brought him, Mu Bai was like a ravenous, thirsty little puppy, throwing himself heart and soul into experiments with new pills.

"Boy, the most precious part of a fierce beast is its beast core. It forms slowly as the beast absorbs the essence of heaven and earth, and it's a powerful tonic for cultivators too. That's why, besides soul crystals, beast cores are very popular in trades between cultivators. I see the tribe still has a few barely passable cores, from a Blazing Fire Eagle and an Ironwood Ox. The former can be used to refine Soul Power pills, while the latter has a fairly good effect on body tempering..."

"You there, boy, that desert cistanche in your hand isn't bad either. It should be several hundred years old. Sweet and warming in nature, it can balance medicinal properties so you don't explode and die after swallowing a pill..."

"Boy, you keep rummaging through the same few beast cores and samples of beast blood, and those pitiful few common herbs. How could you possibly refine powerful pills? Do you think pill refining is like making soup or cooking porridge...?"

For over a month, the Artifact Spirit Ancestor nagged incessantly, continually directing Mu Bai to attempt all sorts of pills.

But just as the Artifact Spirit Ancestor said, the materials Mu Bai currently had could only produce a few pills with weak effects. Even so, he never tired of it. Every day, his eyes bloodshot and his face blackened with soot, he lay beside the fissure in the lava rock with his backside sticking up, staring wide-eyed at the Crow Cauldron. In his mind, those smooth, round pills were more captivating than the most voluptuous woman in the tribe.

During this time, Mu Bai's pill-refining techniques grew increasingly practiced. He believed that one day he would surely refine powerful pills, and that meant he had to lay a solid foundation of pill-refining skills now.

Precisely because of this, throughout that month and more of refining, Mu Bai's success rate rose day by day. Even the invariably fastidious old artifact spirit nodded to himself. "This boy has tenacity and talent. He's a promising seedling for pill refining!"

Carrying the pills he had newly refined over the past few days inside his robe, Mu Bai hurried toward Hai Ang's home. His anxious, bashful manner made him look like a young sweetheart on his way to a tryst.

"Xiao Bai, off to see Ling’er again?"

The tribespeople were returning to the tribe carrying their game. Spotting Mu Bai coming down the mountain in the distance and seeing his hurried manner, they could not help teasing him.

"Xiao Bai's ten already! In another two years, just marry Ling’er and bring her home. Then you won't have to run to your father-in-law's house every day..."

Everyone joined in the laughter. Those rugged men had also felt cooped up in the mountains and were joking with the child for amusement.

"I'll send you three antelopes as a wedding gift..."

"Your Uncle Zhan has good wine-enough for everyone!"

The men grew more excited as they talked, as though they would be holding Mu Bai and Hai Ling'er's wedding feast tomorrow.

Mu Bai knew the tribespeople's teasing was well meant, and warmth welled up in his heart.

This is the tribe where I grew up. The tribespeople are simple and kind. They go out to sea to fish and enter the mountains to hunt, while their wives, children, and elders live peaceful, harmonious lives.

Mu Bai had drifted into this tribe as an infant and been adopted by Clan Patriarch Hai Ya. He did not know who his parents were, but as he grew up in what seemed the blink of an eye, he felt the care of the entire tribe.

Every tribesperson was his family.

His face bashful, Mu Bai politely greeted the uncles, aunts, and older sisters of the tribe, then hurried lightly toward Hai Ang's home, waves of the tribespeople's laughter following behind him.

"What a good boy..."

"And a fine little healer too!"

Their praise made Mu Bai feel a little proud. What child was not easily puffed up?

Before stepping inside, Mu Bai looked up and saw Hai Ang pacing in the courtyard with knitted brows.

On seeing Mu Bai, Hai Ang immediately came forward and seized his shoulders. "Mu Bai, come with me. The Clan Patriarch is back."

Mu Bai's heart lurched. Something terrible must have happened to the Clan Patriarch.

Holding back his anxiety, Mu Bai followed Hai Ang to the ancestral house without a word along the way. As soon as he stepped through the doorway, he lunged toward the Clan Patriarch's bed. The elder's eyes were tightly closed, his breath a mere thread. Most of his body was swollen and dark purple, covered in blood-red streaks.

"Grandpa Clan Patriarch!"

Mu Bai rushed to the bedside, his heart twisting in agony.

Hearing Mu Bai's cry, Hai Ya slowly opened his eyes. He looked kindly at the boy before him and smiled. "I've been poisoned by a Spirit-Turbid Centipede. I won't live another fortnight. You must keep walking the road ahead!"

As he spoke, Hai Ya took from his robe the object he had traded his life for and placed it in Mu Bai's hands.

Seeing the title Compendium of Pills and Herbs, Mu Bai understood why the Clan Patriarch had gone away for all these days. He also understood that this illustrated collection of pill formulas could only have been brought back for him through trials of life and death.

At that thought, Mu Bai's tears fell like rain. Clutching the Clan Patriarch's hand, he wept in anguish.

Even a man as strong as Hai Ang could not keep the corners of his eyes from growing wet at the sight. He knew Mu Bai was a strong child; he had never seen him grieve with such heart-rending pain.

"Child, this is my allotted fate. Grandpa is very happy..."

"No! Since I'm going to be an Alchemist, I absolutely won't let Grandpa leave me like this!"

Mu Bai immediately pulled three greenish-yellow medicinal pills from his robe and, without hesitation, stuffed one into his mouth.

"Mu Bai, what are you doing?"

Hai Ang was horrified, but it was too late to stop him.

"These are pills I refined from mystic ice grass, bletilla, and toad slough. I believe they have very powerful detoxifying effects!"

"Then why didn't you give one to the Clan Patriarch?"

"I only just refined them. I'm still not certain of their medicinal properties..."

He had barely finished speaking when he felt a thread of coolness flowing through his limbs and bones. Gradually, that thread became a strand, and the strand grew into a current, violently battering the meridians throughout his body.

Mu Bai trembled all over. Beads of cold sweat the size of beans fell like pearls from a broken string, striking the ground.

"You child!" Startled, Hai Ya sat up and sent a gentle stream of mental power into Mu Bai's body, examining his meridians. At a loss, Hai Ang made the Second Soul Mark on his right arm flash. A brown bear soul spirit hugged Mu Bai from behind, trying to give him warmth.

After examining him for a moment, Hai Ya's expression eased, and he smiled. "This child is so reckless. Fortunately, this pill really does have the power to dispel poison and purge harmful substances."

The Clan Patriarch Hai Ya motioned for Hai Ang to withdraw his soul spirit, then waited quietly as Mu Bai sat cross-legged in meditation.

After a long while, Mu Bai stopped sweating cold sweat, leaving behind a layer of impurities expelled from his body that gave off waves of foul, fishy stench.

"Mu Bai is out of danger now. Take him to soak and wash in hot water. Who would have thought this pill would even have a trace of the power to cleanse the meridians and purge the marrow?"

Studying the greenish-yellow pill in his hand, Hai Ya smiled even more deeply. He had fought several battles of life and death, risking the tribe's annihilation and traveling over ten thousand li to seek an illustrated collection of pill formulas for Mu Bai. He had never expected the child to work out a method of refining pills on his own.

"It seems the tribal artifact, the Crow Cauldron, is destined to be passed down to this child, Mu Bai..."

That pitch-black, three-legged Crow Cauldron was the Haibei Tribe's tribal artifact. Though already damaged, it had once been the heaven-battling soul treasure of Hai Ze, the Haibei Tribe's ancestor.

Hai Ya had also realized that Mu Bai had secretly used the tribal artifact to refine pills. Not only did he refrain from punishing him, he instead intended to pass it down to him.

The next day, Mu Bai awoke feeling comfortable all over. Not only did his body feel much lighter, even his sea of consciousness had grown a little. Suddenly remembering the Clan Patriarch, Mu Bai hurried to the ancestral house. Hai Ang seemed to have been keeping watch there the whole time, his eyes bloodshot.

"Mu Bai, the Clan Patriarch has taken a pill. He's meditating and regulating his breathing now..."

"Has Grandpa Clan Patriarch's poisoning improved?"

"The poison has stopped spreading, and the dark swelling has receded somewhat. It must be working!"

Mu Bai quietly approached the Clan Patriarch's bedside. Seeing that things were indeed as Hai Ang had said, he felt a little more at ease.

"Uncle Ang, I'll have to ask you to look after him for a few more days. I'll go refine a few more batches of pills."

Mu Bai turned and left the ancestral house, running toward the mountain behind it.

When he reached the foot of the cliff, the Artifact Spirit Ancestor manifested from the Crow Cauldron inside Mu Bai's robe.

With the Artifact Spirit Ancestor's awakening, the Crow Cauldron had already recovered to the level of a top-tier Soul Weapon. A top-tier Soul Weapon alone was enough to spark conflict among the world's mighty Xiu Zun. As for returning to its former peak, that depended on the recovery of the Artifact Spirit Ancestor's soul body.

"Boy, if you want to save that old fellow, relying on those lousy pills of yours won't work at all. They can only slow the poison's spread for a while!"

"Ancestor, tell me what kind of pill can save Grandpa Clan Patriarch!"

"That old fellow was poisoned by a third-tier fierce beast, a Spirit-Turbid Centipede. Its poison is extremely overbearing and specifically destroys the meridians. To resist it, you need a medicinal herb called dragon saliva grass, and it must be grass bathed in the saliva of a Black-Horned Python above the third tier."

"Thank you for your guidance, Ancestor!"

His expression resolute, Mu Bai cupped his fist and bowed.

"Oh, oh, so now you know to thank me? No need to thank this ancestor. Young man, you should read more when you have time..."

Mu Bai suddenly remembered the Compendium of Pills and Herbs that the Clan Patriarch had risked his life to bring back and hurriedly leafed through it. Sure enough, it recorded a medicinal pill called the Dragon-Awakening Pill. Using dragon saliva grass as its main ingredient, supplemented by guan zhong, gui jiu, stone longevity, and other herbs, the Dragon-Awakening Pill could cure a hundred poisons.

"Guan zhong, gui jiu, and stone longevity are easy to find. As for dragon saliva grass, I know where to look too, but with a third-tier Black-Horned Python guarding it, it'll be extremely difficult to obtain!"

Mu Bai pondered for a moment and made his decision. Working with practiced ease, he first spent a day refining five greenish-yellow medicinal pills, then set about finding a way to obtain that dragon saliva grass.