Chapter 044: Spiritual Medicine (2)

“How is it?” Shen Duo asked.

Wingbolt shook the damp feathers on his body, narrowed his eyes, and communicated telepathically, “The essence of spiritual energy in my body is noticeably more abundant. If I can cultivate with this potion over time, it won’t be long before I break through and become a nine-star Sacred Illusion Beast!”

No one expected that Yusha’s unintentional act would result in such a miraculous elixir.

Shen Duo lay inside the tent, gazing at the deep pool outside, lost in thought. Yusha bounded over, sprawled beside her, and without any courtesy asked, “Little Duo, what mischievous scheme are you plotting now?”

Shen Duo felt embarrassed and glanced at Yusha, “How do you know it’s a mischievous scheme?”

“Because every time you wear that expression, someone ends up being outwitted,” Yusha replied coolly.

She truly was considering whether this potion could be auctioned at Lina’s auction house.

With her belly full and thick carpets laid in the tent, lying atop them was most comfortable. The fatigue from several days of cultivation washed over her, and her eyelids grew heavy. As her thoughts wandered, she soon drifted into slumber.

Yusha knew how hard she had worked these past days, and so he rested quietly beside her, a human and a magical beast, tranquil and still.

Wingbolt, however, was a cultivation fanatic. He replaced the water in the basin and jumped back in to continue training.

At dawn the next day, the crisp calls of egrets echoed from the forest. Shen Duo awoke, her energy fully restored after a night’s rest. She stepped out of the tent and saw Wingbolt still soaking in the basin, surrounded by dense, pure blue spiritual energy. The potion in the basin had turned transparent. Suddenly, Wingbolt’s entire body flashed with light, and the wooden basin could not withstand the energy, bursting apart. As the blue spiritual energy faded, he slowly opened his eyes. Through telepathy, Shen Duo heard his deep, excited voice, “Little Duo, I’ve advanced.”

Wingbolt had originally been an eight-star Sacred Illusion Beast. For years his strength had stagnated, but after just one day and night cultivating in the potion from the deep pool, he advanced to nine stars. It was truly astonishing.

Shen Duo was genuinely happy for him. She turned to inspect the water in the cold pool. Strangely, after just one night, the color had lightened considerably. She turned to Yusha, “When I cultivated a few days ago, which herbs did you throw into this deep pool?”

Since the potion was so useful, if they could make it themselves, it would be much more convenient for future training for both Wingbolt and Yusha.

Yusha thought for a moment and shook his head, “Little Duo, my cultivation is not strong enough. Some memories from the magical beast heritage are still fuzzy. I remember what some herbs look like, but I can’t recall their names.”

“Then go find some similar ones now. Let’s see if we can make the potion ourselves.” In her previous life as a martial police officer, Shen Duo never learned about herbs. Her original memories were equally devoid of alchemy knowledge. Potion-making was a specialized branch of alchemy—apothecary. This was her first attempt.

Yusha was quick. Soon, he returned, and Shen Duo had everything ready.

Beside the cold pool stood a smaller basin filled with clear water. Yusha tossed some of the herbs he’d found into the basin.

“Yusha, do as you did before. Try it again here in the basin,” Shen Duo instructed.

With a splash, Yusha jumped into the basin, splattering water all over Shen Duo. He chuckled mischievously, then, suddenly, a ring of red flames rose around his white body. To their dismay, the water in the basin evaporated instantly, and the herbs were scorched.

Shen Duo was speechless. Yusha stared in surprise at the scene. He had controlled the temperature of the flames—how could this happen? The water was just too fragile! That had to be it!

Shen Duo could tell it wasn’t deliberate mischief. Though Yusha was sometimes playful, he never acted rashly. She threw the remaining herbs into the cold pool and said, “Yusha, try it in this pool.”

The previous failure left Yusha feeling embarrassed in front of Shen Duo, so he was extra cautious and diligent. He jumped into the cold pool, controlling the “Hellfire” flames around his body to roast the herbs in the water. This time, there were no mishaps. After two quarters of an hour, the water began to darken, returning to yesterday’s blue hue.

Shen Duo watched the changes unfold, realizing that this method of potion-making must be carried out in a unique environment like the cold pool, with the aid of Yusha’s advanced “Hellfire” flames. Moreover, the rapidly made potion evaporated easily—if not used immediately, its properties would dissipate within days.

With this in mind, storage became a major concern. Shen Duo frowned, pondering solutions.

Yusha flew out of the deep pool and looked at Shen Duo proudly, boasting, “Little Duo, it’s that useless basin—couldn’t hold me, the grand master! See how hard I worked, now give me a cup of nectar!”

Yusha was a glutton, so Shen Duo kept plenty of nectar in her storage ring. Whether storage rings or storage pouches, they kept food fresh—far superior to modern refrigerators. Most wandering illusionists or swordsmen stocked up on food and drink when passing through a town, so they could access supplies during their journeys.

Shen Duo took a small bottle of nectar from the ring and handed it to Yusha. Suddenly, inspiration struck. If the storage ring preserved freshness, perhaps storing the potion inside could reduce evaporation.

A subtle smile appeared on Shen Duo’s delicate face. She handed another small bottle of nectar to Yusha and patted his furry head, “That’s a brilliant idea!”

Yusha was baffled, but with nectar to drink, he soon forgot everything else.

Shen Duo poured the blue potion from the deep pool into bottles and placed them in her storage ring. To await the results, she jumped into the cold pool to cultivate again. This time, both magical beasts joined her—Wingbolt trained with potion on the shore, while Yusha and Shen Duo soaked in the pool.

Wingbolt had not yet reached the selfless state of single-minded clarity, so if anything occurred during cultivation, he would immediately sense it. There was no need to worry about attacks from humans or magical beasts.

Early the next morning, Shen Duo took out the bottle of blue potion from the storage ring. To her delight, the potion was unchanged.

Looking at Shen Duo’s pale face and gentle smile, Yusha asked suspiciously, “Little Duo, are you planning to sell this potion?”

Over the past few days, Yusha had fully experienced Shen Duo’s “merchant” spirit.

Shen Duo winked at him, obviously confirming it.

Yusha exclaimed, “Little Duo, you’re too wicked—this is our bathwater!”

Shen Duo was stunned, speechless at Yusha’s remark.

*—*—*

Nonsensical parody, please ignore (irrelevant to the male lead, purely the author’s mischievous whim).

Yusha as an adult: Remember, Little Duo, you once sold our bathwater!

Shen Duo: …

Yusha as an adult: It contained my personal scent, too.

Shen Duo: …

Yusha as an adult: It was our first shared bath!

Shen Duo: … (kicks him flying)

Yusha as an adult (now eight thousand miles away, don’t miss him)