Chapter Fifty: A Condition
Seeing that Gu Xiaopang was stammering and unable to form a complete sentence, Master Mu became almost certain of his suspicions.
Yet what Mu Laohuo did not know was that at this very moment, Old Man Qin’s soul had suddenly appeared in Gu Xiaopang’s sea of consciousness, conversing and instructing him in secret.
...
“Xiaopang, don’t worry. Even if it’s true, I, your master, would never take it from you.”
“I swear on the name of our ancestors.”
“I simply want to confirm it with you, that’s all...”
...
“Master, what are you saying! Of course I trust you,” replied the young man. “Just now, I was only distracted because I was trying to figure out how to explain this to you.”
“That’s good, that’s good,” Mu Laohuo replied, visibly relieved. The wrinkles that had gathered anxiously on his old face finally loosened, though his gaze remained full of expectation as he looked at Gu Xiaopang.
“But, Master, if you want me to tell you, you must first agree to one condition.”
“One condition?”
“That’s right.”
“No problem! Never mind one, I’d agree to ten, a hundred even!”
“Then you must promise me that from now on, I can come and stay in your secret chamber whenever I wish.”
...
“Don’t worry, I absolutely won’t damage or touch anything. I give you my word on that.”
“This is your condition?”
“Yes.”
“What kind of condition is that? Since I’ve already brought you here today, and you’ve paid respects to the ancestors, you can come whenever you like from now on...”
...
“Well, Master, here’s how it is. During my last trip to the secret realm, I slew countless beasts and managed to find seven elemental spirit essences. While refining them recently, a fragment of memory suddenly transmitted an unknown cultivation method into my mind. As for whether it’s the Divine Alchemy of the Medicine King you mentioned, I can’t say for sure... Just as I finished training yesterday morning, you dragged me here to refine pills all day, and I ended up blowing up furnaces nonstop.”
Gu Xiaopang quickly made up a story he thought sounded plausible but impossible to verify, and relayed it to Mu Laohuo.
“Spirit essences? Memory fragments?...”
Mu Laohuo fell into deep thought. After a moment, he beckoned with his hand, grabbing Gu Xiaopang and pulling him back into the alchemy chamber.
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“You rascal, quickly! Just as you did before, refine it again for me here and now.”
“Alright!”
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“No wonder! No wonder at all!”
“It actually requires a dual fire and wood attribute constitution, and mastery of both attributes’ techniques to cultivate it.”
“No wonder the technique vanished from the records. Even though a few people still mastered it back then, after so many generations it finally disappeared completely. Now, I’d wager that barely a handful in the entire Medicine King Sect even know its name.”
...
Suddenly enlightened, Mu Laohuo looked at Gu Xiaopang with shining eyes.
He sighed in admiration: What a fine disciple, what a remarkable talent. It must be fate that brought him to me—at last, the long-lost legacy of the ancestors can be revived in this generation.
...
He then gave Gu Xiaopang several stern instructions, mainly warning him to keep this ability absolutely secret, especially in front of the sect’s higher-ups, lest he invite disaster by possessing such a treasure.
Treated like a precious gem and forcibly made to stay the night, Gu Xiaopang simply made himself at home in Mu Laohuo’s residence.
That night, after a private meeting with Little Bowl, he was hurried by Old Man Qin straight to Mu Laohuo’s secret chamber.
No sooner had he set foot inside than Old Man Qin’s soul silently appeared.
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“Ling’er... it’s been ten thousand years... I wonder how you are now... and Xiaofeng, have you found her yet?...”
A soul, eyes brimming with longing, gazed at the portrait of a beautiful woman hanging on the wall, lost in thought for a long, long time.
A faint, wistful murmur drifted out—so soft that even though Gu Xiaopang was standing nearby, he couldn’t quite make out what was being said.
...