Chapter 1122: The Pill Is Complete
No one knew how much time had passed. Suddenly, the cave dwelling opened. Qin Sang’s expression shifted as he hurried forward.
Li Yufu stepped out, his eyes bloodshot and his face numb with grief. In his palm, he carried three items.
There was a jade slip and a jade bottle, within which rested a spirit pill the size of a longan.
The pill was pure white, as immaculate as the Nine-Illusion Heavenly Orchid. A faint wisp of spiritual mist constantly coiled around it. It was the Du’e Pill!
The third item was a charred piece of wood, as thick as a finger, completely blackened.
"Senior Uncle." Only upon seeing Qin Sang did a trace of life return to Li Yufu’s gaze. In a hollow voice, he said, "These were left for you by Great Grandmaster."
Qin Sang parted his lips with difficulty. "Your great grandmaster... He..."
Li Yufu nodded. Tears filled his tiger-like eyes as his voice trembled with grief. "Great Grandmaster failed the tribulation. When his Spiritual Infant was about to collapse, he used Imperial Elixir to preserve a final breath of life. He finished refining the Du’e Pill, and then... then..."
Though Qin Sang had brought him into the immortal path, from the Qi Refining Realm to the Core Formation Realm, and even in alchemy, it had been Wandering Man who had guided him without reservation.
Wandering Man had been like family to him. Now that family had fallen, separated by life and death. How could he not grieve?
Upon hearing this, Qin Sang closed his eyes and let out a long sigh toward the heavens. No wonder Wandering Man’s aura had seemed so strange.
After failing the tribulation, he should have perished. Yet he had swallowed Imperial Elixir and, by some unknown method, forced himself to live long enough to complete the Du’e Pill.
"What did I do to deserve this..." Qin Sang’s eyes were empty as he murmured to himself.
After a long while, he regained his composure. He gently took the three items from Li Yufu’s hands. Knowing the jade slip must contain Wandering Man’s final words, he immediately sent his spiritual consciousness into it.
This jade slip was different from others. It was not merely for recording. When his spiritual consciousness entered, it felt as if he had stepped into an unknown space.
Within that space stood a figure with his back turned. Clad in Daoist robes, with white hair and beard flowing, bearing the air of an immortal. It was Wandering Man.
"Senior?" Qin Sang called tentatively.
Wandering Man turned around. His figure appeared slightly illusory.
"Brother Qin!" A smile curved at his lips, yet a trace of loneliness flickered in his eyes. "If you are seeing me here, then my true body must have failed the tribulation."
"You are a thought sealed by a barrier?" Qin Sang asked in astonishment.
Wandering Man nodded. "You must have many questions. I exist for this very purpose. Once I finish speaking, I will dissipate. Let me answer your doubts one by one. There is also one final matter I must entrust to you."
"Please speak, Senior. I will do everything in my power!" Qin Sang’s voice was firm.
Even in death, Wandering Man had not forgotten his promise to refine the Du’e Pill. Such grace was immeasurable. How could Qin Sang refuse his final request?
"I knew you were righteous and true to your word. During the years you were missing, I sought others to entrust my affairs to, but none were as suitable as you. Seeing you safe and sound brought me great joy..." Wandering Man’s face was full of relief.
Hearing this, Qin Sang could not help but ask, "Did you foresee this tribulation?"
"Do you remember what I once told you? I have two great tribulations in my life. Because my soul was incomplete, with your help I obtained the Jade Liquid of Three Radiances and the green copper fragment, cast myself into demon fire, and overcame the first tribulation. The second... was this Spiritual Infant Tribulation," Wandering Man said.
He paused and sighed softly. "The cause lies in my origins."
"Your origins?" Qin Sang’s heart stirred. Thinking of Imperial Elixir, he listened intently.
"I was originally a spiritual bamboo of the Hanging Garden Palace within Ziwei Palace. I gained intelligence and awakened to the Dao. When I first emerged into the world, I encountered immortal cultivators and great demons hunting me. By sheer luck, I escaped. After that, I concealed my true identity and cultivated in Thousand-Mountain Bamboo Sea of the demonic domain..." Wandering Man recounted his past.
Hanging Garden Palace. Spirit bamboo. Thousand-Mountain Bamboo Sea... A bolt of realization struck Qin Sang’s mind. His heart shook violently. "Senior... Were you..."
"That is correct. In Small Cold Domain, the Ten Divine Woods appeared three times. One of them was the Pure Blessing Bamboo. When it awakened intelligence and emerged, it escaped from the very sight of Spiritual Infant cultivators and great demons. That bamboo was me!" A hint of pride flashed in Wandering Man’s eyes.
Qin Sang stood completely stunned. Wandering Man’s true body had been the Pure Blessing Bamboo!
Of all possibilities he had imagined, he had never once thought that Wandering Man had been a spiritual bamboo who attained the Dao, and one of the Ten Divine Woods at that!
"But you clearly had a human body?" Qin Sang asked, bewildered.
He had traveled with Wandering Man from the Ancient Immortal Battlefield to Endless Valley, and later to Ziwei Palace. Through countless dangers, he had never detected the slightest trace of a demonic body.
Wandering Man’s smile faded as he sighed. "I was a spiritual bamboo, but by chance I became human.
"In those years, I was grievously injured and recuperating near Great Sui. Before my wounds healed, heavenly tribulations descended. I was forced to cross them on a barren mountain.
"At that time, Wandering Man was traveling and entered the mountains to gather herbs. Seeing the thunderous phenomenon, he believed an immortal had descended. He climbed over mountains seeking immortality, but before he even approached, the lightning tribulation shocked him unconscious.
"As his soul was dispersing, I too failed my tribulation. My true body was destroyed by tribulation lightning, and I was about to suffer total soul destruction.
"In that hazy moment, a wisp of my remnant soul unexpectedly entered his body.
"I do not know whether it was the lingering power of tribulation lightning disrupting the Heavenly Dao or some other cause, but our two remnant souls fused in the unseen and were reborn together.
"However, all my supernatural abilities and treasures were destroyed. I had not a trace of true essence left. I became a seventy-year-old mortal, and my soul was left with hidden flaws.
"From that day on, I could not tell whether I was the Pure Blessing Bamboo or Wandering Man.
"Perhaps because of my former Dao attainments, the consciousness of the spiritual bamboo dominated.
"Since I bore a human body, I called myself Wandering Man. Thus I formed a bond with you. Perhaps it was fate.
"At that time, I was already at the end of my life. The remnant soul of the spiritual bamboo offered no help. I had only a few years left. I did not wish to fall into the mortal world. Fortunately, my memories remained intact, and I had once shown kindness to Piaoya of Taiyi Core Sect. Taiyi Core Sect excelled in alchemy, which suited me best. So I thought that perhaps there was still a sliver of hope to step once more onto the immortal path.
"So I entered Taiyi Core Sect under the identity of Wandering Man and became Piaoya’s alchemy attendant.
"During cultivation, I gradually realized that though the two souls had been forcibly fused, flaws remained. They were not fully integrated. This created immense obstacles to cultivation. From then on, I searched for a solution."
Wandering Man slowly unveiled that hidden secret. He paused slightly. "The true solution to this hidden danger lay partly in rare natural treasures, and partly in the inspiration I received from you."
