Fairy Grass Pill

Early the next morning,

"Qingyi, is there still a batch of the earliest Blue Snow Brew in the warehouse?" Li Luoning asked.

"There should be some left. Master, how many bottles do you need? I'll go get them." Yun Qingyi replied.

"No need, I'll get them myself."

Li Luoning entered a room, opened a dusty cabinet, and took out two bottles of Blue Snow Brew. He gently wiped the bottles with his sleeve.

Deep in the Ice Bamboo Forest,

A faint purple wisteria wind chime hung at the entrance of a bamboo house courtyard, emitting a pleasant tinkling sound as the breeze passed by.

In the courtyard of the bamboo house, large purple wisteria petals gently fell, and several beautiful birds leisurely pecked at the grains on the ground.

On a nearby recliner, a man dressed in a blue robe was sitting with his eyes closed, looking relaxed. Beside him, the purple wisteria tree slowly extended its branches and gently swayed them beside the man.

Looking into the courtyard, Li Luoning saw the man enjoying the coolness. A faint smile appeared on her lips, then she cleared her throat, pushed open the courtyard door, and walked in.

"Senior Jia Gu, " Li Luoning called out softly, with a smile in her eyes.

Hearing the voice, Jia Gu Qing opened his eyes and, seeing Li Luoning, immediately sat up with joy.

"Oh, it's been quite a while since I last saw you, little fellow. What wind blew you, this little medicine fanatic, to my place today?" Jia Gu Qing joked.

"Senior... Senior, how have you been lately?" Li Luoning walked up and bowed respectfully before asking.

"Neither good nor bad. I, a hermit of the mountains, spend my days with these trees and birds, bored out of my mind." Jia Gu Qing complained, pointing casually to the purple wisteria tree beside him.

The purple wisteria tree nearby, upon hearing Jia Gu Qing's words, retracted its leaves that were fanning, showing a bit of dissatisfaction, and shook its branches.

"Heh, look at that, say a few words to her, and she doesn't want to listen anymore." Jia Gu Qing joked.

"Senior Jia Gu, today I've brought some aged Blue Snow Brew to honor Senior." Li Luoning pointed to the two pots of wine she was carrying and said.

"Oh, this is good stuff. This Blue Snow Brew has always been to my liking. Hurry, pour me a couple of glasses to taste." Jia Gu Qing's eyes lit up at the sight of the Blue Snow Brew in Li Luoning's hands. He quickly poured out the tea in his cup, extended it over, and looked eager.

Li Luoning smiled and placed the two pots of wine down, then picked up one of them, gently pulled out the stopper, and filled Jia Gu Qing's cup to the brim.

Jia Gu Qing brought the wine to his nose and sniffed, his face showing enjoyment, then he drank it all in one gulp.

"Ah~ Comfortable~ If we're talking about good wine, it has to be from you, little one. Look at this Blue Snow Brew of yours, sweet and mellow, strong but not overpowering. Such fine wine really makes this old man dream." Jia Gu Qing shook his head while savoring the wine, speaking with admiration.

"If Senior enjoys it so much, Li Luoning will frequently bring some over for Senior to taste in the future." Li Luoning smiled and said.

Jia Gu Qing was still immersed in the taste of the wine, but suddenly his eyes turned and he put down the cup.

"Senior? Not drinking anymore?" Li Luoning, still holding the wine pot, intended to pour another glass for Jia Gu Qing, and asked curiously.

"What is it, my boy? Why did you come to me?" Jia Gu Qing asked seriously.

"Senior indeed foresaw everything. To be honest, I have a favor to ask of Senior today, and I hope Senior can help." Li Luoning filled the glasses on the table again and then put down the wine pot, sitting up straight and speaking.

"I knew you wouldn't come to me for no reason. What is it? Speak up." Jia Gu Qing waved his hand, picked up the wine glass on the table, and took a sip.

"Fairy Grass."

"Pfft~" Upon hearing the name of the herb, the wine that Jia Gu Qing had just taken into his mouth was instantly sprayed out.

Li Luoning seemed to have anticipated Jia Gu Qing's reaction. The folding fan in her hand happened to block the wine that Jia Gu Qing sprayed out.

"Fairy...Grass...oh no, why would you need that? Did you fail in your alchemy? Let me see..." Jia Gu Qing wiped the wine droplets from his mouth and asked anxiously as he examined Li Luoning.

"Senior, there's no need to worry. I'm fine. But truth be told, a few days ago, I took in a new disciple who is a spiritual entity. That's why I've come to ask Senior for a piece of Fairy Grass. I hope Senior can fulfill this request." Li Luoning explained, bowing respectfully once again.

"Taking in a spiritual entity as a disciple? Little medicine fanatic, have you lost your mind? Why do you pick up everything and even take them as disciples? Are you experimenting yourself into foolishness?" Jia Gu Qing grumbled.

"Senior, I have a fate with him, and besides, he's truly different. If I don't say, ordinary people wouldn't even know he's a spiritual entity." Li Luoning explained.

"Little medicine fanatic, do you know how precious Fairy Grass is? Are you planning to give it to your cheaply acquired disciple? I disagree." Jia Gu Qing looked pained, shaking his head repeatedly.

"I understand the preciousness of Fairy Grass, but since I have a connection with him and have taken him as my disciple, as a teacher, I should do everything in my power to save his life. Yesterday night, he fell into a nightmare. If I don't help him extract his inner pill soon, he might not survive much longer. Please, Senior, help me with this." Li Luoning pleaded earnestly.

"I...I won't give it to you. I don't have many pieces of Fairy Grass left. I'm keeping them for you and Mu Han for future use. I won't give it to you." Jia Gu Qing looked extremely reluctant, shaking his head like a drum.

"Oh, Senior, please. Saving a life is more important than anything else. Besides, he's my disciple. Please help me with this favor." Li Luoning said with a slightly coquettish expression.

Seeing Li Luoning's expression, Jia Gu Qing knew he couldn't resist his persistence. Reluctantly, he agreed to his request.

"Fine, fine, I'll give it to you. But let me make it clear: I'll only give you one piece. Go back and refine it yourself. If you fail, don't come back to ask me again! Oh, this wine I've drunk is quite valuable." Jia Gu Qing took out a sachet from his pocket and handed it to Li Luoning.

"Thank you so much, Senior." Li Luoning said with a satisfied smile.

Inside the Mirror Cloud Residence, Li Luoning was channeling her inner energy, gradually transforming the Fairy Grass in her hand into a pill.

Yun Qingyi stood beside her, looking worriedly at his master, clenching his fists nervously.

After a while, a brown pill slowly appeared in Li Luoning's palm.

Li Luoning's forehead was covered with sweat as she looked at the pill in her hand, appearing satisfied.

Yun Qingyi quietly handed her a handkerchief and heaved a sigh of relief.

Taking a deep breath, Li Luoning walked to Mi Xingzhe and handed him the shining pill in her hand.

Mi Xingzhe blinked at the pill handed to him, then glanced at Li Luoning, and without asking, reached out to put the pill into his mouth.

"Hey, don't you want to ask what this pill is for before putting it in your mouth?" Yun Qingyi grabbed his wrist and asked.

"Huh? Wasn't I supposed to eat it?" Mi Xingzhe asked innocently.

"This pill is made from Fairy Grass. It can help you awaken your spiritual power. With it, you won't be a spiritual entity anymore in the future." Yun Qingyi explained with a somewhat speechless smile.

"Fairy Grass? The one Senior Sister Ruru ate?" Mi Xingzhe suddenly asked excitedly. Seeing Li Luoning nodding at him, he suddenly put the pill back.

"What's wrong?" Li Luoning asked Mi Xingzhe as he put the pill back into his hand.

"I... " Mi Xingzhe paused, feeling a bit humble as he lowered his head.

He felt that he didn't deserve to take this pill. He wasn't as skilled as Senior Sister Yururu, who had the prowess comparable to a war god, nor did he have the knowledge like Yun Qingyi. It was already a great honor for his master to take him as a disciple, but to give such a rare Fairy Grass to someone like him, who was essentially useless, seemed like a waste.

Li Luoning sighed deeply; he naturally understood Mi Xingzhe's concerns.

"If we want to dispel your spiritual entity, there is only Fairy Grass in this world that can do it. You experienced nightmares yesterday, and if we don't find a way to awaken your inner pill soon, without spiritual power in your body, you'll soon fade into nothingness."

"Xingzhe, this thing is specially found by our master for you. After taking it, it will definitely help you awaken your inner pill, so you don't need to worry too much." Yun Qingyi's voice was gentle as he reached out to pat Mi Xingzhe's head to comfort him.

"After taking this, will I be like everyone else?" Mi Xingzhe looked incredulously at Li Luoning.

"After taking this pill, it indeed can help you awaken an inner pill. With it, you'll have spiritual power, and in the future, if you want to learn spells, both I and Qingyi can teach you." Li Luoning said with a smile.

"Oh, so should I eat it?" Mi Xingzhe looked at Li Luoning, seeking his approval, then carefully put the pill into his mouth.

After taking the pill, Li Luoning and Yun Qingyi looked at each other anxiously, waiting for a reaction.

"How do you feel?" Seeing no response for a while, Yun Qingyi asked with concern.

"I feel... the pill is a bit big, choking me a little." Mi Xingzhe made an uncomfortable gesture first, then said slowly.

"Is there any discomfort in your body?" Li Luoning stared nervously at Mi Xingzhe. Normally, people would have a reaction immediately after taking the pill, but Mi Xingzhe in front of him seemed as calm as if he hadn't eaten it at all.

"No... I'm sorry." Mi Xingzhe lowered his head with some guilt. It seemed that even with this rare herb, he couldn't change his worthless physique.

"It's okay. Maybe there was a problem during the refining process just now. Don't worry about it. Let's try other methods." Li Luoning comforted him.

Mi Xingzhe obediently nodded, his eyes secretly brimming with apologetic tears. He didn't dare to lift his head, afraid of being seen by his master and Brother Qingyi.

"You should rest earlier today. I'll come to see you tomorrow morning." Li Luoning's voice sounded a bit tired, and he also felt a bit lost. After all, if even the Fairy Grass didn't work, he didn't know if there were any other ways.

"Master, why didn't the Fairy Grass work on Junior Brother?" When the two of them walked outside the door, Yun Qingyi asked with some confusion.

Li Luoning sighed and looked worried. "I don't know either. I'll go to see Senior Brother tomorrow and see if there are any other methods."

Late at night, Mi Xingzhe was sleeping soundly on the bed,

His forehead was covered with sweat, his brows were furrowed, tears kept flowing from the corners of his eyes, and his hands tightly grasped the quilt in front of his chest. His body kept twisting on the bed in pain.

In his dream,

A hungry Mi Xingzhe walked on the street and saw some discarded vegetable leaves. He walked over and squatted down to rummage through them. Not far behind, a group of children approached. One of them picked up a stone and threw it at Mi Xingzhe.

Hit on the back of the head, Mi Xingzhe turned around and saw the group of children behind him, his eyes full of fear. He stood up in panic, wanting to escape, but the children chased after him relentlessly.

They finally cornered Mi Xingzhe in a corner at the end of the street.

"You little beggar, how dare you run away." The leader, a stronger child, stepped forward and kicked Mi Xingzhe in the stomach fiercely, saying viciously.

Mi Xingzhe, hit and losing balance, fell backward, landing in a puddle behind him. His already dirty clothes became even dirtier and smellier.

The children burst into laughter at the scene. They then surrounded Mi Xingzhe, circling around and mocking him: "Beggar, stinky, cultivating martial arts with a spiritual body. Beggar, filthy, destined to be a slave."

Surrounded by the children, Mi Xingzhe nodded obediently and said, "I'm not a beggar, I have a name."

"I say you're a beggar, then you're a beggar. Stinky, beat him." The leader of the children stepped forward again, raining punches and kicks on Mi Xingzhe.

The dream shifted,

An older Mi Xingzhe appeared in a dusty kitchen of a remote place.

His frail body struggled to carry a wooden bucket, staggering towards the back kitchen. At the moment he stepped through the door, unable to withstand the weight of the bucket, he lost his balance and fell to the ground, spilling the contents of the bucket all over.

"Hey, you brat, I told you to fetch slops, and you spilled them on the ground. Are you deliberately trying to defy me? I let you slack off, and this is how you repay me? Useless like a pig." A short, ugly-looking man wielding a whip lashed out at the frail Mi Xingzhe.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to, spare me, please... " Mi Xingzhe fell to the ground, terrified, tightly clutching his head and begging for mercy.

However, the man showed no mercy with the whip in his hand, each lash tearing through the old, coarse fabric, leaving deep blood marks.

Outside the dream, Mi Xingzhe twitched and convulsed occasionally, trying to break free from the nightmares:

"No, please, don't..."

Countless nights were tormented by such dreams. Born as a spiritual entity, Mi Xingzhe was abandoned by his family.

Fortunately, he was adopted by an old man surnamed Mi and grew up under his care. After the old Mr. Mi passed away, the inexperienced Mi Xingzhe, unaware of the cruelty of the world, was sold by human traffickers several times just to have a meal. Eventually, he escaped and lived a wandering life of poverty.

"No, I'm not, I'm not, let go of me~" Mi Xingzhe woke up in horror, sitting up on the bed.

The moment Mi Xingzhe got up, the doors and windows of the entire Mirror Cloud Residence were blown open by a golden aura.