After the Immortal Disappeared

Chapter 164: Chapter 165: Laying a Solid Foundation

The Turtle Pearl was something he had taken from the giant turtle at the bottom of the cave in Immortal Spirit Lake. The giant turtle had refined centuries of its cultivation essence, aside from its Demon Core, into this Spirit Pearl. Since he was using it for himself, he couldn’t be stingy. He put one whole Turtle Pearl into the mixture.

The toad venom’s origin was no less extraordinary. It was what the Grand State Preceptor Sunx Fuping had harvested from a Purple Gold Toad that jumped aboard the Walnut Ship as it traversed the Panlong Desert. To put it plainly, they were still toads, just mutated by the Grand Square Pot’s influence. However, they still secreted a fluid from their bodies and behind their ears, which, when dried, became toad venom.

Sunx Fuping knew what was valuable. Before tossing the two dead Purple Gold Toads off the ship, he first collected their useful parts. He never expected to be robbed by Hee Chunhua before his death, with all his treasures ending up in the hands of his enemy.

Two pounds of local honey and the Emperor’s Liquid went into the pot. The sugary water immediately thickened, making it difficult to stir with a spoon. When the five medicinal ingredients were added, the liquid turned a murky, light black.

Hee Lingchuan waited until it began to bubble before pouring in the last ingredients: the Turtle Pearl and the powdered toad venom.

Strangely, the liquid in the pot, which had been black and oily like water from a swamp pit, began to lose its color once these two ingredients were added. It faded from light black to dark brown, then light brown...

Finally, it turned a rather uneven, dark yellow.

’No way, why is it this color?’ Holding a candle to illuminate the bottom of the pot, Hee Lingchuan thought it looked more and more like—

Unwilling to give up, he simmered it for another ten minutes, but the color stubbornly remained the same.

This round of refinement was at its end. Besides, the liquid in the pot was now as thick as malt sugar; he could lift it with a chopstick. Cooking it any longer would just burn it.

Aluo had explained that the higher the quality of the refined Emperor’s Flowing Powder, the more beautiful its color. The most successful results were gold, crimson, or reddish-gold. Even the worst passable result should have been dark green. The color Hee Lingchuan had ended up with, to be honest, barely scraped by as a passing grade.

If Aluo were here, he might have kicked the pot over in disgust upon seeing it.

What could he do? He was a complete beginner. Of course, the most likely factor was the poor quality of the medicinal ingredients he had bought in Frost Union Town.

Hee Lingchuan took a chopstick and carefully scraped the medicinal paste from the bottom of the pot.

The dark yellow paste wound around the bamboo chopstick several times, growing thicker and rounder with each turn.

’This color... this shape... sigh.’

And he still had to eat it.

Even though he knew exactly what it was, putting it in his mouth was still mortifying. What could he do? He was a bit of a germaphobe.

Hee Lingchuan squeezed his eyes shut. ’Eat!’

’Hm? It actually tastes pretty good. Quite sweet, and no strange aftertaste.’

He smacked his lips and took another couple of licks.

Unexpectedly, the kitchen cook suddenly rushed over from the back hall, barefoot and brandishing an iron pot. "Who’s there! Who is it!" he yelled.

He had gotten up in the middle of the night for his shift and suddenly heard a noise from this area.

"You dare steal and eat the Official Family’s things, you little thief—Ah!" The cook stopped dead in his tracks as Hee Lingchuan subconsciously turned his head.

The cook’s tone twisted and rose abruptly.

"—Oh, it’s the Eldest Young Master! Then everything’s fine."

He said this sheepishly, gave Hee Lingchuan a smile as round as the full moon, and turned on his heel to leave.

The moment his head was turned, the smile vanished from his face.

’What was Eldest Young Master Hee holding? And what was that smeared around his mouth?’

’I didn’t see that wrong, did I?’

’No, no, it can’t be. The Eldest Young Master has eaten all sorts of delicacies. Why on earth would he—?’

But then, an image of a dog his family once raised flashed through his mind.

"I’m not..." Hee Lingchuan tried to explain, but the man moved as if his feet were greased; he couldn’t be called back. "I didn’t..."

Even if he talked until he was blue in the face, would anyone believe him?

He could only silently finish licking the paste off the chopstick and get up to return to his room.

Who knew that just halfway back, his stomach would start to GURGLE and RUMBLE, and a sudden, sharp pain made him double over.

’It’s... taking effect this quickly?’

’But why is *this* the effect?’

Hee Lingchuan didn’t have time to think. He broke into a run and bolted for the latrine.

The moment he squatted down, a force gathered in his Dantian, followed by an earth-shattering explosion. The birds roosting outside the latrine were nearly frightened into flight.

Thankfully, what came on strong also left quickly. When Hee Lingchuan stood up, he felt light and refreshed all over, as if he’d instantly lost four or five pounds.

When other people took Emperor’s Liquid—and even when he himself took it this morning—they felt a warm current in their stomachs and an urge to immediately meditate. So why was the first reaction to taking this Emperor’s Flowing Powder a trip to the toilet?

’Just a one-word difference in the name, but such a huge difference in effect?’

Hee Lingchuan didn’t dare to look down. He quickly scooped up some water to wash his hands and face and headed back.

As soon as he took a step, he felt as if springs were attached to his heels. There was a floaty quality to his walk.

This feeling of being as light as a swallow was even better than after he had finished meditating this morning—no, it was even better than how he felt right after waking up.

Back in the room, Hee Yue was fast asleep. Perhaps it was the effect of the Emperor’s Liquid, but his second brother, who was usually reserved even in sleep, was actually letting out soft snores today.

Hee Lingchuan sat on his bed but felt no desire to sleep. After all, he had only been up for a few double-hours.

’Oh well, I’ll just cultivate for a while.’

He got up, grabbed a round cattail cushion, and found a quiet spot to sit down.

The moonlight, like water, spilled over him with exceptional gentleness.

The chirping of insects was much louder than last night, but it didn’t affect him.

Hee Lingchuan had just evened out his breathing when he entered a state of Meditation, far faster than usual.

...

This meditation session lasted for another four double-hours.

When Hee Lingchuan opened his eyes again, the sky was bright, and the morning sun from the east was shining directly on his face.

Two Guards stood outside the courtyard. They had likely been assigned by Hee Chunhua to prevent him from being disturbed by idlers.

Seeing him get up, the Guards quickly turned and said, "Congratulations, Eldest Young Master!"

Hee Lingchuan was about to ask what the congratulations were for when a breeze blew past. He suddenly caught a whiff of a foul, fishy stench, like rotten fish and shrimp left to fester on a pier for days and nights.

While not as potent as the fragrant balls, it was still enough to make one keep a wide berth.

For instance, the two Guards instinctively took three large steps back.

Hee Lingchuan lowered his head and sniffed, only then confirming that the foul smell was coming from his own body.

He pulled open his collar and saw that his skin was covered in a layer of light black, foul-smelling slime.

It was on his arms, his legs—everywhere.

Madam Ying happened to be passing by. From thirty feet away, she pinched her nose and called out to him, "You stink! Chuan’Er, go take a bath, quickly! The hot water is already prepared!"

"Alright!"

In the room behind the kitchen, several wooden tubs were lined up, steaming with hot water.

The moment he jumped in, the slime on his body dissolved like ink in water, instantly turning half the tub black.

Frustrated, he had no choice but to switch to another tub of water.

He went through five tubs of water, lathered up with soap four times, and even used a large bristle brush before the black grime was completely gone. Soaking in the hot water, Hee Lingchuan felt all the pores on his body open up. A warm energy circulated through his organs, bringing an indescribable sense of comfort.

Once he had finished bathing, cleansing himself, and changing his clothes, he had the illusion that every cell in his body was brimming with power, as if he could punch a hole in the sky with a single stretch of his arm.

Hee Lingchuan knew that the appearance of this state meant the Emperor’s Liquid he had taken was truly having an effect.

When people are born, they are pure and flawless. But as they live in the mortal world, their Innate Spiritual Qi dissipates, and they gradually accumulate postnatal filth.

A mind full of filth nurtures the three corpses.

A body full of filth drains one’s Origin.

If this continues, it becomes difficult to escape the suffering of sickness and old age.

Setting aside changes to one’s Mental Realm, the first step for a Cultivator to reach proficiency is to remove this postnatal filth, returning the body to a state of purity. Only then can a foundation be laid for rapid progress in the future.

Countless people get stuck at this step because the filth taints their very Origin. The two become intertwined and cannot be completely expelled under normal conditions.

Aside from opening the minds of the stubborn and foolish, this was the most precious quality of the Emperor’s Liquid.

The expulsion of this black slime signified that Hee Lingchuan, with the help of the Emperor’s Liquid’s power, had succeeded in one fell swoop!

With a solid foundation laid, his future Cultivation would yield twice the results with half the effort.

Hee Lingchuan stretched lazily. The bones all over his body CRACKLED, like a string of small firecrackers going off.

However, he felt a twinge of regret.

The truth was, the ingredients he had rushed to Frost Union Town to buy last night were of ordinary quality and insufficient age. The final medicine’s efficacy was limited; in the end, it was the toad venom and the Turtle Pearl that provided the real kick.

Aluo had also told him that the formulas Panlong City developed for the Emperor’s Liquid, besides being used for a one-time Bone Marrow Cleansing, were most importantly used to catalyze and amplify the effects of other Spirit Medicines.

What was Emperor’s Liquid? Its essence was purified Heaven and Earth Spiritual Qi, the source of all life’s vitality. After entering a living being’s circulatory system, it provides the most suitable environment for the body’s functions and for Cultivation.

Originally, the power contained within both the toad venom and the Turtle Pearl would have been too abundant, almost tyrannical, for Hee Lingchuan. The former was especially poisonous; consuming it directly would likely have caused his meridians to rupture and his body to explode. But now, with the protection of the Emperor’s Liquid, the powers of these two items had been tamed and made docile. For at least the next three months, they would slowly submit to him, completing the transformation from external power into his own True Power.

With the amplifying and stabilizing effects of Emperor’s Liquid, the number of medicinal formulas one could create with it was truly a matter of imagination.

Hee Lingchuan sighed. If even the crudest Emperor’s Flowing Powder he made had such miraculous effects, how powerful must the various wonder drugs created by Panlong City’s professional Pharmacists be?

’What a pity, that has nothing to do with me. If only I could get my hands on the formulas.’

’Hmm, actually, the hardest thing to get is the Emperor’s Liquid itself, isn’t it?’

A once-in-decades opportunity had just passed. Who knew when he would see Emperor’s Liquid again?

’Speaking of which, why did Panlong City encounter Emperor’s Liquid four times in three years back in its day?’

’Was it purely a matter of luck?’

Hee Chunhua and the others were sitting in a circle outside the thatched hut, discussing matters. They were all taken aback when they saw Hee Lingchuan strolling over.

Although he maintained his usual carefree and lazy demeanor, the fellow’s eyes glinted with a sharp light. He had the gait of a tiger and the piercing stare of a wolf, making others afraid to approach.

It was enough to make Hee Chunhua wonder:

’Is this really my good-for-nothing son?’

Unfortunately, the moment Hee Lingchuan opened his mouth, the illusion was shattered. "Am I late? Looks like I even missed lunch."

His meditation was over, and his stomach had settled down. Now, it was rumbling with hunger.

Hee Chunhua had no choice but to order a subordinate, "Go get him something to eat."

Hee Lingchuan found a bamboo chair and sat down on his own. Beside him, Wu Shaoyi immediately cupped his hands in a salute. "Congratulations, Eldest Young Master, on completing your foundation!"

Whether for cultivating Magic or the Martial Dao, Hee Lingchuan had just crossed the high threshold that was a roadblock for most. Wu Shaoyi was experienced and could see it at a glance.