Medicine Slave

The stream flowed gently, shaded by verdant trees. A land dragon, laden with various parcels, drank from the clear river.

Nearby, a dozen burly warriors feasted with gusto, engrossed in lively conversation. Behind the dragon, a group of emaciated individuals, their hands and feet shackled in heavy chains, squatted with downcast eyes, listlessly consuming their meager rations.

Inside a palanquin perched on the dragon's back sat a cold-eyed elder, draped in a black and gray robe adorned with five exquisite white medicine bottles embroidered on the chest. His gaunt frame and crowned head lent him an air of ominous authority as he gazed down at the shackled captives, as if selecting livestock for slaughter.

The elder's gaze wandered, occasionally landing on the feasting warriors, each of whom would blanch in fear under his sinister scrutiny, freezing like cicadas in winter.

"Finished eating? If so, let's move on," Mo Yanyu, her face icy, appeared from the underbrush, carrying Shi Yan.

The warriors quickly stashed away their half-eaten food, laughing nervously, "We're done, we're done."

Mo Yanyu's expression remained stern, her impatience barely concealed, but as she approached the elder, she forced a smile. "Master Karu, have you finished your meal?"

The elder nodded indifferently, his voice gruff. "Miss Mo, we're still three months from the Merchant Alliance, and you're down to sixteen drug slaves. I doubt they'll make it that far…"

"Rest assured, Master, we'll replenish your supply along the way," Mo Yanyu replied earnestly, tossing Shi Yan to the ground with a smile. "Look, here's another one for you."

"Hmm." Karu's gaze slithered over Shi Yan like a snake, his brow furrowing. "This one's so frail, he might not last long."

"He's weak, but he has vital energy…" Mo Yanyu explained.

"A warrior?" Karu's eyes lit up with interest.

"He is indeed a warrior!" Mo Yanyu confirmed.

"That's more like it." Karu's sinister smile widened as he scrutinized Shi Yan more closely. After a moment, he nodded slowly, "Very well. Feed him properly, Miss Mo. I need him strong enough to withstand my treatments. It would be a waste if he died from weakness before I could begin."

"Of course, Master." Mo Yanyu's brows knit in displeasure as she barked, "Johnson! Stop dawdling and get those shackles on him!"

"On it!" A hulking bald man, nearly two meters tall and clad in heavy armor, responded promptly. He swiftly retrieved a fresh set of shackles from the dragon's back and roughly clamped them onto Shi Yan's wrists and ankles, paying no heed to his pain.

Johnson's bulging muscles strained against his dark armor, which seemed as light as air on his powerful frame, barely hindering his movements.

"Johnson, make sure to keep an eye on him. Don't let him lag behind the group," Mo Yanyu ordered, casting a venomous glance at Shi Yan before striding to the front of the convoy, as if eager to distance herself from him.

"Don't worry, Miss. I'm great at this kind of thing," Johnson replied with a menacing grin, thumping his chest in assurance.

Shi Yan, his body aching and numb, coldly observed the unfolding events in silence.

He knew that in such a dire situation, words were meaningless. In this world where the strong prey on the weak, no one would reason with him. He understood that if he didn't adapt, he would soon be nothing but an unclaimed corpse, with no one to mourn him.

The weak vital energy within him began to flow gently, and the numbness in his limbs eased somewhat after the brief respite. However, the heavy shackles on his wrists and ankles now weighed him down like iron mountains, making each step a herculean effort.

"Crack!"

A whip lashed brutally across his back, tearing his flesh open and sending a searing pain through him. He turned to see Johnson, the burly man, holding the whip, grinning savagely.

"Move it, you wretched slave! Or do you want another?" Johnson sneered, laughing heartily.

Shi Yan didn't respond. He simply stared at Johnson for a few seconds with an unsettling calmness before trudging forward, each step feeling as heavy as a thousand pounds, draining his energy.

As Shi Yan turned away, the laughter on Johnson's face gradually faded, replaced by a peculiar expression.

He had dealt with many unruly drug slaves on this journey, and his brutal methods had killed two before they could even undergo Karu's tests. The other slaves either feared or loathed him deeply, their eyes filled with terror or seething hatred.

But this one… When he looked at Johnson just now, there was neither fear nor hatred in his eyes, only a chilling calmness.

This man seemed utterly unaware of his lowly status, or perhaps he simply hadn't grasped the gravity of his situation.

That calm gaze gave Johnson an eerie feeling, as if he were the prey, which unsettled him. But since Shi Yan had obediently fallen in line, Johnson had no immediate excuse to act and had to let it go, though he silently vowed to make this man fear him before long.

He relished the sight of terror in others' eyes—it gave him a twisted sense of power, of being the master of their lives.

For the next few days, Shi Yan remained silent and obedient, doing exactly as he was told without the slightest resistance or emotion. Among the defiant drug slaves, he was an anomaly.

Even Johnson, who was eager to find an excuse to torment Shi Yan, found it difficult. Shi Yan was so cooperative that it seemed almost unnatural, yet Johnson couldn't figure out why.

Shi Yan only spoke during meals, and each time it was to ask for food. Under Karu's orders, his request was always granted.

Soon, the warriors noticed that Shi Yan had an enormous appetite, devouring even the most unpalatable food with relish. He consumed as much as seven other drug slaves combined, and each day, his intake increased.

The warriors were baffled by how his frail body could accommodate so much food. Initially, they feared he wouldn't digest it, but they were quickly proven wrong.

Shi Yan's once-skeletal frame began to strengthen over a few days, though the change was subtle. The more observant warriors couldn't help but notice.

It was clear that Shi Yan not only digested the food but also used it to nourish his body.

Karu was pleased with Shi Yan's progress. The sinister elder ensured that Shi Yan was given as much food as he could eat, not a morsel less.

As Shi Yan's strength grew day by day, Johnson began to feel uneasy. Each time he caught sight of Shi Yan's unnervingly calm gaze, he felt a sense of foreboding. But bound by Karu's orders, Johnson couldn't deny Shi Yan the food he needed.

Johnson found some solace in knowing Karu's methods and hoped the elder would act soon.

After consuming twelve portions of food, Shi Yan finally ceased his movements. He swallowed the last grain of rice at the corner of his mouth, ignoring the astonished stares from the other drug slaves, and slowly closed his eyes.

The food in his stomach was rapidly digested, as if his body were a bottomless pit, or a finely tuned machine, breaking down every morsel and converting it into nourishment for his blood, muscles, bones, and organs, quietly strengthening his previously frail body.

The wound on his chest had healed long ago, the gash closing within a day and a half, leaving no scar—a miraculous recovery that made him realize he was no longer the same as before.

Only he knew the extent of the changes his body had undergone in these few short days. Every moment, he could feel and comprehend these transformations with crystal clarity.

The food he consumed was transformed into nutrients, gradually fortifying his body, while the faint thread of vital energy within him doubled in strength through its continuous flow.

He clearly sensed a newfound strength within his body, and the once unbearably heavy shackles were no longer much of a burden.

Focusing his mind, Shi Yan felt the vital energy within him rise naturally from his lower Dantian, ascending along his Governing Vessel, descending through his Conception Vessel, and passing through the Three Gates to connect the two vessels, allowing his heart and kidneys to harmonize. After completing a small circulation, his vital energy grew even stronger.

Shi Yan, having some knowledge of Qi cultivation, understood the difference between small and large circulations. A small circulation involved only the Governing and Conception Vessels, while a large circulation encompassed the Twelve Main Meridians and the other six of the Eight Extraordinary Meridians, which was far more challenging.

He had only opened his Governing and Conception Vessels, allowing him to perform a small circulation. The large circulation was beyond his reach. From the memories of the other Shi Yan, he knew that only warriors at the innate stage could achieve a full circulation through all twelve meridians and eight extraordinary vessels.

Shi Yan wasn't discouraged. He knew that as long as his vital energy continued to grow stronger, he would eventually be able to open up all these blocked meridians.

"Another one's dead. That makes two in six days."

"I saw it. His body started rotting before he even died. It was gruesome."

"Better to die than go through that. There's no hope for us. We're destined to end up like them."

"Don't kill yourself! If you die by suicide, your family won't get a single blue crystal.