93 - Heavenly Demon of the Huashan Sect

Chapter 93 "Herbs?" The sect leader stared at Cheonhui with a surprised look on his face, caught off guard by his abrupt visit. "Why are you suddenly looking for them?" "I thought I might brew an elixir." The sect leader felt momentarily dazed. "An elixir?" Elixirs are not easily concocted substances. Even within the various martial sects, it requires many years of dedication to successfully produce a single elixir. Many sects fail to make even one. "But if it's Cheonhui..." The sect leader's once complex expression began to morph into one of anticipation. There was no one like Cheonhui – a prodigious talent whose medical skills were coveted by many. "Do you know how to make an elixir?" "I can manage somehow." Cheonhui spoke nonchalantly, as if it were no big deal. 'Just toss in the herbs and extract their essence, right?' On the other hand, the sect leader's high expectations were somewhat deflated by this casual response. "So, you're saying you don't actually know how to make one?" "Technically speaking, that's true." "Do you have confidence?" "Yes." The sect leader studied Cheonhui intently. Most of his initial excitement had dissipated, yet a glimmer of hope lingered still. 'Yes, if it's Cheonhui, who knows?' This single notion kept hope alive. The one who elevated the sect to its current pinnacle. The one who transformed the declining Hwasan Sect. "Understood." The sect leader, his expression set with resolve, nodded gently. "Finding spiritual herbs or miraculous items might be difficult, but I'll ask the herbalists to gather what they can." "Alright. Got it." It was a slightly disappointing outcome. He preferred to acquire spiritual herbs if possible. 'There's no helping it.' What Hwasan needed now were large quantities of elixir. Given their financial situation, creating an elixir with rare spiritual herbs or miraculous items was simply not feasible. 'I'll accept this for now.' That evening. "We brought plenty." "Will this suffice?" The Hwasan Sect was bustling with activity because the sect leader had informed the apothecary head to summon herbalists. "I'm very grateful." The herbalists set down their sacks and gestured modestly, surprised by the sect leader's courteous gratitude. "Oh, not at all." "Thanks to the recent efforts of your monks in clearing out the beasts, herbs are now abundant." "Yes, we can gather herbs without fear for our wives and children now." The herbalists smiled brightly as they spoke. "Really now." The sect leader offered a bitter smile in return. 'Who would have thought it would come to this.' In truth, the clearing of the beasts was driven by Cheonhui's craving for meat. Who would have thought it would lead to such positive results? 'If I'd known the beasts were a problem, I would have acted sooner.' For those trained in martial arts, beasts could be dispatched at any time. But for herbalists, they were an ever-present danger. 'My oversight...' Handling the beasts was always an option, yet it was ignored. Not even in their thoughts. 'I've focused too much on strengthening the sect alone.' Watching the herbalists unable to contain their joy, the sect leader reproached himself. 'Hyun Sang, no matter how strong we become, if we don't aid the weak, can we truly call ourselves the Hwasan Sect?' Remembering the teachings from his master, he reflected solemnly. 'A true strong person helps the weak. How could I have forgotten?' Closing his eyes gently, he took a moment before bowing respectfully. "If you encounter any difficulties while gathering herbs, please don't hesitate to visit our sect and inform us." "For real?" The herbalists' expressions brightened at once. Though they had no immediate needs, just hearing those words was comforting. Coming from none other than the leader of the Hwasan Sect, his words carried significant weight. "Haha. Then, I'll seek your help if necessary." "Thank you even for just saying it." As the sect leader smiled warmly... "Looks like it's already here." Cheonhui arrived just in time. "Agh!" "A, a ghost!" Seeing Cheonhui appear so suddenly, as if out of nowhere, the herbalists jumped in fright. Ignoring their startled reactions, Cheonhui walked past them and examined the sacks of herbs. "Can I take a look?" As the herbalists calmed their nerves... "He's a member of our sect." With the sect leader's reassurance, the herbalists regained composure, noticing Cheonhui's monk's garb, and relaxed. "Haha, so he's from the Hwasan Sect." "Go ahead and look. These are our best herbs." Cheonhui picked up an herb at their words. And proceeded to chew it thoughtfully. The bitter taste spread across his tongue. 'Hmm, not great.' Discarding the chewed herb to the side, he picked up another one to taste. "What's he doing there?" "Isn't he trying to assess the efficacy?" "Just by chewing it?" "He's a monk, isn't he?" As the herbalists watched in anticipation... "Oh?!" "W-wait!" "Why is that in the sack?!" Seeing the plant in Cheonhui's hand, the herbalists exclaimed in panic. Meanwhile, Cheonhui scrutinized the plant. 'This one's different from the others.' The plant he held wasn't an herb per se. But it was difficult to define exactly what it was. 'Well, I'll find out by tasting it.' As Cheonhui brought the plant closer to his mouth... "Stop! Don't eat that!" "That's a toxic plant!" The herbalists tried to stop him, but it was too late; the plant was already in his mouth. "Hm?" A sharp tingling sensation spread across his tongue. The poison from the plant gradually seeped into his system. Cheonhui's face turned a shade of purple, seemingly indicating poisoning. "Cheonhui!" Alarmed by how Cheonhui appeared poisoned, the sect leader moved towards him. Just then. With a sudden burst— Cheonhui gathered his inner strength. The Plum Blossom Art emanated a gentle fragrance of plum blossoms, purging his body of the lingering poison. With his index finger extended forward, a droplet of black poison coalesced at the tip before falling to the ground. Sizzling— As the poisonous mist diffused, the herbalists covered their noses in realization. "Huff!" Meanwhile, the sect leader approached Cheonhui. "A-are you alright?" Cheonhui exhaled, dispersing the toxins from his mouth. The vile odor and poison dispersed into the air, carried away by the breeze. Finally, Cheonhui spoke. "Yes. I'm fine." He smacked his lips. Though the toxin was strong enough to numb his tongue, it contained far more essence than any of the other herbs he had ingested so far. 'This might actually be useful.' His eyes sharpened with intent. During his time with the Demonic Cult, there was an elixir made from toxic plants – the renowned Gui Ch'uan Dan in Jianghu. 'It did cause agony for several days, but certainly strengthened internal energy.' He recalled the demonic practitioners writhing in pain, vomiting, and suffering from diarrhea after consuming the Gui Ch'uan Dan. 'Still, none of them died.' Meanwhile, the herbalists were shocked to see Cheonhui unharmed despite ingesting the toxic plant. What Cheonhui had consumed was known as "Mountain Arsenic," a poisonous plant so potent that just chewing it could cause one's insides to rot, rendering speech impossible. It was a plant purchased solely for assassination, not something one acquired lightly. Yet, he appeared completely unscathed! The herbalists trembled simultaneously, realizing they were in the presence of a divine figure. "Oh my! You must be a divine sage!" "We mistakenly gave a divine sage a toxic plant!" At that moment, Cheonhui approached them. "Gasp!" "Ah!" "......!" Fearing divine retribution, the herbalists were on edge when Cheonhui posed an unexpected question. "What was that toxic plant I just ate?" "Um, you don't know?" Cheonhui pressed on, and one of the herbalists snapped out of his daze. "Th-that was Mountain Arsenic!" "Do you have a lot of it?" The herbalists were taken aback. "W-well, there's a bit..." "I don't have any." "Hmm, I need it." Hearing Cheonhui's murmurs, the herbalists exchanged glances and nods before simultaneously shouting: "I'll try to gather some!" "If a divine sage desires it, we can provide it anytime!" "We'll somehow collect more!" "That would be great." Cheonhui's lips curled into a satisfied smile at their responses. "Whew." "He's not angry." The herbalists sighed with relief as Cheonhui surveyed the herbs. "If it's not enough, we'll... " Cheonhui tossed the Mountain Arsenic into the basket on the left and picked up another herb to chew. This might be useful. No, this one won't do. This one's necessary. After sampling and swallowing several times. Gulp— Having consumed the final herb, Cheonhui looked at the split piles of herbs and spoke. "We'll buy everything on the left." The sect leader stepped forward. "Do you not need the ones on the right?" Cheonhui didn't spare a glance at the herbs tossed to the right as he replied. "No." "Understood." The sect leader approached the still-dazed herbalists. "How much for the herbs on the left?" The herbalists were startled, waving their hands frantically. "Oh, no! There's no need for money." "What money are you talking about?" "We accidentally mixed toxic plants with the herbs, didn't we?" Indeed, it was a mistake on their part. Had anyone other than Cheonhui eaten it, there could have been a serious incident. 'But that's something that didn’t happen.' The sect leader chuckled softly. "Ah, that was just a mistake, wasn’t it?" "A mistake is still a mistake, isn’t it?" "Please accept the herbs as a way to forgive us for our error against the divine sage." "But it's against our pride..." As the sect leader hesitated, wearing a perplexed expression, the herbalists pleaded earnestly. "Please, just accept them!" "We want to help the divine sage in any way we can." "Yes, the Hwasan Sect has always helped us with the beasts. Why not accept these herbs as a token of gratitude?" Moved by the herbalists' continued entreaties, the sect leader finally nodded, albeit awkwardly. "...Alright, if you insist." "Thank you!" "Oh, thank you!" "You can stop bowing now." As the herbalists expressed their gratitude repeatedly, the sect leader awkwardly managed to reassure them. "This is still not enough." Cheonhui eyed the collected herbs. No matter how you looked at it, the herbs and toxins gathered weren't nearly sufficient to produce the large quantity of elixir needed. 'I'll need to seek assistance from the Bifeng Commerce Guild.' * * * When Cheonhui returned to the small cottage with the herbs, Seolran and Jeokgeom were there, awaiting him. "Welcome back," Seolran greeted with a smile, while Jeokgeom forced a similar expression. "Haha, I've prepared things as you instructed." Jeokgeom quickly placed roasted boar onto a plate. "Put it away." As Cheonhui laid the sack on the floor, Seolran inquired, "What's in there?" "Herbs." "Herbs?" The unexpected mention piqued even Seolran's interest, who usually paid little heed to such things. "What's the purpose of the herbs?" "I'm planning to make an elixir." Seolran's eyes widened. Even she, who had limited knowledge, knew that creating an elixir was no simple task. But. 'If it's him, he might actually do it.' She shared the same sentiment as the sect leader. "Do you know how to make elixirs?" "No. I’m about to try." "What?" While Seolran stood there in bewilderment, Cheonhui began pulling herbs from the sack. Seolran, curious, watched the herbs closely when Cheonhui turned to Jeokgeom. "Jeokgeom." "Yes? Y-yes!" Jeokgeom closed his eyes tightly, recalling the recent days where he was subjected to sparring that felt more like a beating. 'Damn! I should have trained more diligently even when Master was away.' "Light a fire over there." "A fire?" Jeokgeom hesitated at the unexpected command. "Or don't you want to?" "Oh, alright!" "And Seolran, could you fill a pot with water and bring it here?" "Okay." As the two set about their tasks... "I've got enough ingredients, but creating the elixir is the real hurdle." Cheonhui recalled an ancient manuscript he had once read long ago. The Recipe for Creating Elixirs. It was a secret manual that outlined the methods for crafting several elixirs within the Demonic Cult. "Let's see, what can I make with these?" He pondered over the herbs in front of him. "I've lit the fire." Jeokgeom, now covered in soot, came running back. Turning his head, Cheonhui saw the flames roaring fiercely on the dry firewood. "I brought this as well." Cheonhui gently placed the pot Seolran had brought over the fire. "This should be the first step." He envisioned a particular elixir. Then he began to immerse the herbs into the pot one by one. Lastly, he grabbed a handful of Mountain Arsenic and tossed it in. "Isn't this how the Kuang Ma Zhen Tian Dan was made?"