The cave behind the waterfall had returned to its quiet rhythm, the fragrance of refined herbs lingering faintly in the air. A whole day had passed since the encounter with the giant children, and Feiyin had immersed himself in study and planning once more. This time, however, his focus was not on pills, but on an artifact.
He sat cross-legged on the flat stone he had used as his workbench, jade slips and thin sheets of parchment spread around him, each etched with sketches and fragments of runic designs. His gaze was sharp and contemplative a he traced lines across one sketch with a fingertip, then paused to compare it with another.
His goal was an artifact capable of cleansing the parasitic affliction that plagued his companions. Yet clarity of purpose did not translate into simplicity of execution. Parasites were insidious, clinging deep within the heart's inner walls. They resisted brute force, and too much essence qi purging would cripple rather than heal. What was needed was precision.
Feiyin closed his eyes, exhaling through his nose. A memory stirred- Mu's calm voice during their days of practice together: "A needle can heal, and it can kill. Medicine or poison, it depends on the hand and the intent behind it. A single prick can draw out disease… or deliver death."
His eyes opened slowly, and the faint gleam within them sharpened. Yes, that was it. A needle.
A faint smile tugged at his lips as he recalled how Mu once, during what Feiyin liked to call his 'dark period,' would mix novels into his medical reading to relax. That strange habit had left him with a dramatic flair, and sayings like 'medicine or poison, life or death, it all rests in the hand that holds the needle.' Feiyin chuckled softly at the memory, even as he embraced the truth of it now.
Not a weapon of destruction, but an instrument of precision. Something fine enough to pierce the flesh and slip through the meridians, yet woven with a rune capable of extracting and cleansing corruption. The parasite needed to be drawn out, excised like poison, without harming the host.
He shifted, pulling a clean sheet of beast-hide and beginning a new sketch. A long, slender needle formed under his strokes, its body etched with interlocking layers. The base widened slightly, forming a grip that could channel essence qi smoothly into the design. Along its length, Feiyin drew layered materials that he would use: some for absorption, others for purification, and still others for stability.
The design grew complex quickly. Absorption required traits aligned to water and it's formlessness- something that could seep into the smallest cracks and draw out what did not belong. Purification required traits aligned to fire and metal, to burn away impurities and leave what remained untainted. Stability required earth and wood, to sustain life and prevent collapse. A balance of elements, all in harmony.
He leaned back, studying the lines. The idea was elegant. But ideas were only the first step.
His mind sifted through his knowledge of materials. Common silvers and steels would shatter under such strain. Even refined star-iron lacked the subtlety for this task. What he needed was something rare, something with natural affinity to extraction and cleansing.
Two names rose unbidden from the depths of his memory: Hollowed Silver and Cleansing Gold.
His brows furrowed as he whispered the words aloud. "Hollowed Silver… Cleansing Gold…"
Hollowed Silver was a rare material, famed for its absorption properties. It could draw out and contain energies, toxins, or even malicious qi, like a bottomless vessel that refused to be filled. Perfect for extraction. But it was vanishingly rare, most deposits long since exhausted, the remnants hoarded by great sects and clans.
Cleansing Gold was another rare sight, a radiant metal infused with purifying essence. It was said to glow faintly under moonlight, able to dissolve corruption with mere contact. Records spoke of Cleansing Gold needles used by the greatest healers of the vast empires in the central part of the continent.
Feiyin exhaled slowly, setting the brush aside. His sketches stared back at him, mocking in their incompleteness. The form was there, the expected rune was sound, the concept brilliant- yet without those two metals, it would remain a dream.
He closed his eyes, allowing his oscillation sense to extend into the patterns he had drawn. The harmony was there, he could feel it. Like the faint resonance of an unfinished song, it called to him, urging him to complete it. But each time he reached for completion, the vision collapsed, marred by the absence of those two keystones.
With a faint sigh, he rubbed his temple. "This is quite bothersome..."
He thought of his companions, their lives entwined with his. The parasite was a blade over all their heads, silent but deadly. If he failed to solve it, even the strongest would fall eventually. No amount of pills could serve as a permanent cure. Only something like this- an artifact of precision and purity- would suffice.
His mind drifted to where such metals could be found. Hollowed Silver, according to the ancient records he had studied, often formed near sites of spatial distortion- ruins where the void had once been torn open, or caverns where dimensional rifts had scarred the land. Dangerous places, often avoided even by cultivators. As for Cleansing Gold, texts claimed it could only be mined near springs blessed by natural essence, often guarded by powerful beasts or hidden within sacred grounds.
Neither would be easy to obtain. In truth, they might not even be attainable without great risk. Yet Feiyin's resolve did not falter. His companions' lives outweighed the danger.
He picked up the sketch again, tracing the half-finished symbols with his thumb. In his mind's eye, he could almost see it- the Purifying Needle, gleaming faintly with golden light, drawing out blackened threads of corruption and dissolving them in radiance.
But dreams were not enough. Plans were needed.
Feiyin leaned back, staring up at the damp ceiling of the cave, listening to the endless roar of the waterfall. Already, the beginnings of a map formed in his thoughts. There were rumors of collapsed ruins to the east, places where a secret realm may have collapsed. Perhaps Hollowed Silver could be found there. As for Cleansing Gold, he remembered whispers of a hidden spring deep in the northern ranges, where moonlight fell pure upon the waters.
Dangerous, uncertain, yet possible.
His lips curved faintly. "It seems like my little vacation is over."
The sketches before him fluttered in the damp air, unfinished but alive with potential. Feiyin gathered them carefully, recording and sealing their content in a jade slip for safekeeping. He knew the path forward now. It would not be quick, nor safe, but it was the only path worth taking.
Still, a stray thought crossed his mind- perhaps the sect's stores contained something. Old Man Zhou oversaw much of the alchemy portion of what is stored within the deeper vaults; it might be worthwhile to have someone discreetly ask him if Hollowed Silver or Cleansing Gold had ever been catalogued within.
As that thought faded, he finished gathering his tools. Yet his spiritual sense stirred, sharpening without warning. At the edge of his perception, three immense but indistinct forms pressed faintly against his awareness. Their presence was shrouded, cloaked in an effect similar to what the two giant children had used. But unlike the playful curiosity of the youngsters, these were heavier, cautious, filled with wariness as they drew closer.