Zhou Shu wasn't surprised by Xiao Gun's performance.
The demon pill came from the Golden Ring Kui Python, a natural enemy of many spiritual insects. Even the lingering scent was unbearable for Xiao Gun.
Looking at the slightly rippling medicinal liquid, Zhou Shu sat cross-legged and, without much hesitation, thrust a hand into it.
His entire hand instantly turned green.
The medicinal power within the liquid, along with his spiritual power, rapidly surged into his palm.
Zhou Shu, however, was prepared. The limited spiritual power within him formed a gate, firmly locking the liquid out.
As the technique was activated, the gate gradually opened a small opening, and he began to absorb the liquid.
The liquid, thick as mud, entered his body bit by bit.
The medicinal power was like a knife, slicing his body from the inside, causing him endless pain.
Zhou Shu remained calm, ignoring the pain. Following his previous deductions, he carefully controlled his spiritual power, forming several rather strange vortices. This was the inspiration he'd drawn from the Cuiyan Pen. While the Cuiyan Pen amplified spiritual energy, he did the opposite, diminishing the medicinal potency.
The medicinal liquid in the vortex, like corn kernels in a millstone, was crushed and ground until the body could tolerate it, then slowly released and diffused into the ruptured meridians.
After these several treatments, the violent medicinal power gradually became tamed, gently passing through the meridians.
"Hmm, this feeling..."
As Zhou Shu absorbed it, he suddenly felt something strange.
He could clearly sense that as the medicinal liquid passed through the meridians, it simultaneously formed a film on the ruptured meridian walls. Though thin, it made the subsequent flow of spiritual energy much smoother.
Without rapidly stimulating spiritual energy, some meridians seemed as if they were undamaged.
"Could it be that it has a repairing effect on the meridians?"
A sense of inexplicable surprise washed over him.
His brain raced, analyzing, calculating, and deducing. After half an hour, he shook his head.
"It does have a restorative effect, but it's minimal, like using glue to patch a leaky pipe. It helps temporarily, but it won't last."
He was a little disappointed, but a change of heart eased his nerves. Indeed, relying on the demon core of a second-tier demon beast to restore ruptured Qi channels was unrealistic.
However, the elixir also had significant benefits: it accelerated his cultivation and reduced much of the pain involved.
This session was longer than usual, lasting a full three hours, but the results were remarkable, almost ten times the usual amount.
He was on par with a normal Qi Refining cultivator.
However, due to the rupture of his Qi Sea, his remaining spiritual energy was still less than one-fifth.
"At this rate, in five or six days, I'll be able to advance to the second level of Qi Refining,"
Zhou Shu nodded in satisfaction.
After three hours of soaking his hand in the elixir, instead of swelling or blisters, it took on a faint, luminous white sheen, resembling the beauty of jade.
This was also due to the demon pill's medicinal liquid. According to historical records, if soaked for a long time, it would make the body more resilient, unlike an ordinary body. Bai Han
had done this in the past, his entire body soaked in the medicinal liquid, "his whole body was as white as jade, as hard as fine steel, and could not be damaged by ordinary flying swords."
But Zhou Shu didn't plan to do so for the time being. His current spiritual power was not enough to withstand the full invasion of the medicinal liquid. He could only protect one hand. If his entire body was soaked in the liquid, the medicinal power would enter his body and he would easily explode and die.
Calculating that it was almost the appointed day, Zhou Shu packed up a little and headed towards the market.
After walking only a mile from the door to the market, he encountered three groups of patrolling blue-clothed cultivators. They had stern expressions and seemed very vigilant.
"Several independent cultivators have disappeared recently. If this continues, our market will have a hard time managing them."
"Alas, many independent cultivators are afraid to go out and hunt monsters, and the business in the market has been greatly affected."
"Many independent cultivators are eager to leave here, but where can these independent cultivators with low qualifications and realms go? There are big sects here, who would be willing to take them in?"
Zhou Shu remained silent as he heard a few discussions.
These things had nothing to do with him. As long as he didn't leave the market, he probably wouldn't encounter any mysterious disappearances.
At the entrance of the market, Yan Yue, dressed in lavender, was already waiting there. Seeing Zhou Shu coming, she smiled brightly and nodded gently to him.
Zhou Shu walked closer with a smile and teased, "Senior Sister Yan, you look very happy, your smile is as beautiful as a flower. Could it be that Senior Sister has entered the inner sect?"
After experiencing a mission, the two of them became closer and less reserved.
Yan Yue shook her head and smiled. "It won't be that fast, but the elders have given me a recommendation, so it should be next month."
"Congratulations, Senior Sister," Zhou Shu said with a bow, happy for her.
"This is all thanks to Junior Brother,"
Yan Yue said seriously, pulling out a jade slip and glancing at it for a long moment with reluctance. Then, she handed it to Zhou Shu with great solemnity.
The slip was slightly yellowed, indicating its age, but its exquisite elegance made it clear at a glance that it was no ordinary item.
"What is this?"
Zhou Shu, though somewhat skeptical, still had a hint of suspicion.
Yan Yue sighed softly. "I've kept the Jade Slip of the Water Healing Talisman, but there's no point in keeping it any longer, so I'm giving it to Junior Brother Zhou as a reward."
It was indeed the Jade Slip of the Water Healing Talisman, and Zhou Shu was slightly shocked.
Talismans that could heal injuries were rare in the entire world of immortal cultivation. He had longed to see one the last time Yan Yue mentioned it, but he hadn't expected Yan Yue to simply give him the slip.
He quickly handed it back, "How can this be, Senior Sister Yan, this is a secret treasure passed down from generation to generation in your family. It is too precious, and I can't afford it."
"Please accept it."
Yan Yue said calmly, "It's said to be a family heirloom, but it's only a first-level talisman. Not many people know about it, so it's nothing. Besides, there's no talisman master in the family, and I'm a woman, so I can't pass it on. Rather than letting it gather dust, it's better to give it to my junior brother. It can be regarded as finding a good home for it."
Zhou Shu thought for a moment and withdrew his hand.
Yan Yue smiled, her eyes fixed on Zhou Shu, "Junior brother Zhou, I have a small request. I wonder if you can agree to it?"
"Please go ahead, senior sister."
Yan Yue paused for a long time, as if she was making a difficult decision, and said with difficulty, "Whether it's my junior brother or someone else who draws the hydrotherapy talisman, I hope that it will be supplied to our Yan family first, and not sold to others, okay?"
After she returned that day, she thought for a long time before deciding to give the jade slip to Zhou Shu. Although it was a valuable gift, if she could get to know the talisman master behind Zhou Shu and help the Yan family make talismans, it would be an opportunity for the Yan family to revitalize.
In the past, the Yan family was so closed off that they kept the water therapy talisman secret, never revealing it to anyone. But now, for the sake of her family, she was willing to take any chance.
Even if it meant meeting Zhou Shu, a casual cultivator at the first level of the Qi Refining Realm, whom she had only met a few times.
Zhou Shu was startled when he heard this, then said calmly, "Senior Sister, are you hoping to use the jade slip to find a talisman master who can work for the Yan family?"