Uses of the Essence

"It's me."

The door opened, Lu Yuan darted in, followed by Mo Chen and Shen Moxin. The dim light of the oil lamp in the main room illuminated several tense faces.

Lu Qinghe stood by the door, his shoulders tense, his gaze quickly sweeping over his son's entire body. Without saying a word, he stepped aside.

The room was crowded. Su Yan and Li Wangye stood against the wall, their backs ramrod straight. Bai Zhi sat on a low stool in the corner, the seed bracelet on her wrist dangling. Hearing the noise, she looked up, her almond eyes brightening for a moment before dimming again. Behind the curtain lay her unconscious brother.

Nobody asked Lin Xiao.

Lu Yuan walked to the old wooden table, unbuttoned his coat, took out a small coarse cloth bag from his inner pocket, and placed it on the table. A warm glow emanated from beneath the cloth.

"I brought the things back," he said.

Mo Chen stared at the cloth bag, his fingers clenching and unclenching. Shen Moxin adjusted her glasses.

Lu Yuan looked at Mo Chen. "Come here."

Mo Chen was stunned.

"Now," Lu Yuan said firmly, "Teacher Shen, record the Soul Power fluctuations and vital signs. Father, guard the gate. Su Yan and Wangye, watch the courtyard wall. Miss Bai Zhi, boil some water."

The order was given, and no one questioned it. Lu Qinghe silently held the front door shut. Su Yan and Li Wangye slipped into the darkness of the backyard. Bai Zhi went to the kitchen.

Mo Chen moved to the edge of the table. "Kid..."

"There are three pieces of the essence." Lu Yuan untied the cloth bundle, revealing crystals the size of pigeon eggs, shimmering with a beeswax-like luster. He took one out and held it in his palm. "I've been pondering this for three days. The most precious thing about this thing is its 'mildness' and 'inclusiveness.' It's like the best medicinal catalyst."

He looked up, meeting Mo Chen's cloudy yet suddenly bright eyes. "Your old injuries from the backlash of your Soul Power, those blockages and turbulent currents in your meridians—forcing them out will cause problems. Use them as a medium, guide them little by little, and there's a chance."

Mo Chen's lips trembled.

Shen Moxin opened her notebook and took out a charcoal pencil. "What do you need me to do?"

"Observe." Lu Yuan placed the essence in the center of the table, then took out a few scraps of Soul Marrow crystals. "Set up a very simple ' Meridian-Moistening Formation.' The core is to guide the essence's Soul Power to form a stable field, covering his main meridian nodes."

He crouched down, condensing a wisp of Blue Silver Grass Soul Power at his fingertips, and quickly sketched runes on the blue bricks of the ground. His movements were precise. Shen Moxin followed, embedding the scraps of crystal into the nodes.

The formation was small, only three feet in diameter. It consisted of six fragments of crystal forming a circle, with the Soul Marrow Essence in the center.

"Go in and sit in the center," Lu Yuan said.

Mo Chen took off his old leather apron, wearing only a single layer of clothing, and sat cross-legged in the formation. The pure light shone on his haggard face. He closed his eyes, placed his hands on his knees, his knuckles white.

Lu Yuan sat down opposite him. "Relax. Don't resist my Soul Power guidance. Tell me whatever you feel."

Mo Chen grunted in response.

Lu Yuan closed his eyes, and with his fingertips extended a wisp of Blue Silver Grass Soul Power, thinner than a strand of hair, gently touching the essence.

Buzz--

The essence rippled outwards like waves on its surface. Gentle yet profound Soul Power was guided out along the Soul Power threads and injected into the array runes.

The six fragments of crystal simultaneously emitted a faint light, intertwining with each other to form a thin, pale golden light shield that enveloped the Mo Chen.

Shen Moxin and quickly wrote down with his charcoal pencil, "Array activated, Soul Power stable, wavelength gentle, frequency extremely low."

Lu Yuan's Soul Power threads became conduits and probes. He manipulated the wisp of Blue Silver Grass Soul Power wrapped in refined Soul Power, first seeping it into Mo Chen's right wrist through the "Taiyuan acupoint".

As soon as he entered, Lu Yuan frowned.

It's a mess. Completely chaotic.

Mo Chen's meridians were like a riverbed ravaged by a storm, filled with silted-up Soul Power, twisted branching channels, and fragile, swollen walls that had barely healed after being torn apart by backlash. The Soul Power flowing within them was not flowing, but struggling.

Lu Yuan didn't force his way through. He stopped before the first blockage point. His refined Soul Power acted like the gentlest lubricant, slowly seeping in and enveloping the hardened, scorched mass of accumulated Soul Power.

Then, rotate and caress it very, very slowly.

It wasn't an impact, it was a softening.

Time ticked by. The oil lamp was refilled twice. Shen Moxin's wrist ached, and the paper was covered with dense writing.

Mo Chen's body began to tremble slightly. Cold sweat beaded on his forehead, and his jaw clenched tightly.

"Where?" Lu Yuan asked, his voice steady.

"... below my left scapula... it feels like there's a red-hot needle stirring inside..." Mo Chen squeezed out the words through gritted teeth.

Lu Yuan's Soul Power threads immediately changed direction, guiding a wisp of refined Soul Power towards that spot. That was the area where the old wound was most severe.

The essence of Soul Power seeped in, like cool spring water poured onto scorching coals.

Mo Chen shuddered violently, his entire body hunching forward. Lu Yuan's left hand shot out like lightning, pressing down on his shoulder, his Soul Power output perfectly steady. "Bear with it. It's dissolving the blood stasis and fiery poison."

The process was agonizingly slow. Lu Yuan was completely focused, his control over his Soul Power was almost obsessive.

The night outside the window grew darker and then lighter. The first rooster crowed in the distance.

The essence within the formation dimmed by about a third. Mo Chen's trembling gradually subsided, replaced by a deep, almost weary relaxation. The anxious and pained expression that had lingered on his face for years seemed to have been soothed somewhat.

Lu Yuan slowly withdrew the strands of Soul Power. The last wisp of refined Soul Power swirled around Mo Chen's heart meridian a few times before quietly dissipating.

The array's light faded. The shattered crystal scraps cracked with a soft snap—they were of poor quality and had been exhausted.

The main room was silent, save for Mo Chen's heavy yet gradually steady breathing.

Lu Yuan leaned on the table to stand up, and his vision went black for a moment. Shen Moxin supported his arm. He waved his hand, picked up the bowl of ice-cold water, and drank it all in one gulp.

Mo Chen kept his eyes closed. After a long while, his chest heaved deeply, and then he exhaled a long, slow breath.

The breath carried a faint, fishy smell, dispersing in the faintly lit morning light.

He opened his eyes.

His eyes were blank. He looked down at his hands, his fingers slowly flexing and relaxing a few times. Then, he tried to move his left shoulder.

The movements were slow, with a sense of tentativeness.

Stop.

I moved around a bit more, but with a slightly larger range of motion.

He froze, an expression of disbelief on his face. He abruptly raised his left hand to touch the spot below his left shoulder blade that had been causing him pain for years. He pressed on it.

I pressed it again.

No. That lingering stinging and throbbing pain... has lessened. It's tangibly and clearly lessened! By at least 30%!

Mo Chen looked up at Lu Yuan. His eyes instantly reddened. His lips trembled, as if he wanted to say something, but his throat felt blocked. He suddenly reached out and grabbed Lu Yuan's wrist, which was still gripping the edge of the table. He held on tightly, his fingers shaking.

"... It worked." His voice was hoarse, choked with emotion, "It really... worked!"

The hoarse "useful" was like a thunderclap, breaking the gloom that had accumulated in the main room all night.

Shen Moxin stared at the last recorded data in her notebook, her fingertips trembling slightly. She took off her glasses, rubbed her eyes, and when she put them back on, her gaze was astonishingly bright.

Lu Yuan let Mo Chen hold him, a faint hint of relief showing through his tired eyes. He nodded.

Hearing the commotion, Lu Qinghe, Su Yan, and Li Wangye gathered at the door. Bai Zhi came out of the kitchen with hot water and stood by the curtain.

Everyone looked at Mo Chen, at the mixture of ecstasy, bewilderment, and relief on his face.

Lu Yuan gently withdrew his hand, his gaze sweeping over each face. Morning light filtered through the window paper, falling on the Soul Marrow Essence on the table, which was one-third depleted.

"The quantity of essence is limited and cannot be wasted," he said, his voice steady and firm. "Next, we will develop a usage plan based on each person's situation."

He looked at Su Yan and Li Wangye. "You two, your basic training will be doubled starting today. I'll use my essence to assist you in breaking through to the next Soul Power node. The process will be very tough."

The two boys shuddered, their eyes burning, and nodded vigorously.

"Miss Bai Zhi," Lu Yuan turned to the corner, "The essence has a remarkable effect on stabilizing Soul Power and aiding in the absorption of medicinal power. Your brother's subsequent detoxification and Martial Soul conditioning can be combined with it. I'll explain the specific usage later."

Bai Zhi gripped the earthenware bowl tightly and nodded emphatically.

Finally, he looked at his father, Mo Chen, and Shen Moxin.

"Saving Lin Xiao requires greater overall strength," Lu Yuan said, each word clear and decisive. "Improvement begins now."

As the morning light grew brighter, it dispelled the last vestiges of darkness from the old house. The exquisite dishes on the table quietly emitted a glow.

Like a Core Flame, just ignited.