Erysimum sat in the quiet corner of the Moonshadow Apothecary, her arms folded across her chest. From the outside, she looked calm, her plain boyish disguise still firmly in place. But inside, her mind was whirring.
The three porcelain bottles she had handed over were gone, carried into a back room by Mo Yan, the shopkeeper. The air felt thicker without them. They weren't ordinary pills; she knew as much. But she didn't yet understand their true worth. That was why she had taken this risk.
From behind the closed doors, muffled voices rose and fell.
"Bone Reconstruction..." a man's voice whispered, tinged with disbelief. "Meridian Strengthening... Restore Vitality..."
The voice trembled slightly.
Erysimum tilted her head, straining to catch more.
Inside the back chamber, an elderly physician bent over the three bottles, his hands shaking as he carefully unsealed the stopper of the first. A rich fragrance of medicine filled the room, so thick it clung to the walls, sweet yet sharp, like spring rain infused with power.
He inhaled deeply and nearly coughed. "These... these pills..." His eyes widened. "Where did you obtain them, Shopkeeper Mo?"
Mo Yan stood with his hands folded behind his back, his expression unreadable. "They were brought in by a boy who wanted them appraised."
The old man blinked rapidly, as if he hadn't heard correctly. "A boy?" He shook his head. "Impossible. Do you realize what these are? These are not common concoctions, not even rare ones. These are ancient prescriptions! Bone Reconstruction alone has been considered lost for centuries. It mends shattered bones, knitting them stronger than before. Even a cripple could walk again with just one."
He moved to the next, uncorking the second bottle. His lips trembled as the medicinal energy surged out. "Meridian Strengthening... this pill refines the spiritual pathways in the body. It can turn an average cultivator into a prodigy. Entire sects would kill for even half a recipe."
By the time he reached the third, his breath was ragged. "Restore Vitality... this one could save a dying man, replenish the life force itself. This is... this is..." His voice dropped, reverent. "These pills are the work of a master beyond anything in Elarion today. Whoever refined them... stands at the peak of alchemy."
His gaze darted back to Mo Yan, fierce and demanding. "You must tell me who refined them! Is it an elder hiding in the kingdom? A recluse from beyond the borders? If I could meet them, if I could even obtain a single recipe—"
Mo Yan lifted a hand, silencing him. His lips curved into the faintest smile.
So, it was true. His master's interest in that "boy" was not unfounded. These pills alone could shake the kingdom's balance of power.
"Your task is done," Mo Yan said quietly. "Keep what you saw to yourself. If word spreads, this apothecary won't survive the storm that follows."
The physician swallowed hard, bowing deeply.
Mo Yan lingered a moment longer, his eyes drifting to the door that separated him from Erysimum. For now, he brushed away the thought of his master. He would handle this carefully.
⸻
When he returned to the front room, Erysimum's eyes flickered open. She had been sitting with her head bowed as if half-asleep, but the sharp glint in her gaze betrayed her alertness.
"Well?" she asked coolly, her voice calm but edged with curiosity.
Mo Yan sat opposite her, studying her with an almost amused patience. "Before I tell you the results... perhaps you should tell me your name first."
For a heartbeat, silence stretched. Erysimum lowered her gaze, as if weighing the question. She could not give him her true name as she is dressed like a boy. After a pause, she said simply, "Eryn."
Mo Yan's brow arched slightly, but he did not press. "Eryn, then. Very well. Your pills... are extraordinary. The appraisal shows them at ninety-nine point nine percent purity. Their potency far exceeds anything crafted in our kingdom. To be frank, even the royal alchemists cannot refine such pills."
Gasps from a few lingering customers rippled through the room. Ninety-nine point nine percent? That was unheard of.
Erysimum's lips parted slightly. She had suspected they were valuable, but to hear it spoken so plainly... She schooled her expression into neutrality, though her heart was racing.
Mo Yan leaned forward, his gaze narrowing. "Tell me, Eryn where did you obtain them? Who is your master?"
Her eyes sharpened instantly. She let out a quiet scoff, rising to her feet. "That is none of your business."
The clerk from earlier, pale and trembling after witnessing her fight, gaped at her insolence. No one spoke to Shopkeeper Mo like that.
But Mo Yan only chuckled softly, lifting a hand in apology. "You misunderstand. It's merely curiosity. Forgive me if I've offended." He set the three bottles back before her with careful respect. "Still, you should know these pills are unlike anything you'll find outside of legends."
Erysimum slipped them into her sleeve, her expression unreadable.
Mo Yan studied her in silence, his thoughts circling. A boy with no cultivation, yet capable of fighting off trained guards with skill. Carrying pills that could shake the balance of power. There was no way he was ordinary. He must belong to a powerful master, one who had no interest in revealing themselves.
He could not decide whether to press further, or to let the mystery unravel in its own time.
⸻
Before he could speak again, Erysimum's voice cut through. "I need information. There's a herb I seek a fire plant said to burn for all eternity. Do you know of it?"
Mo Yan's gaze sharpened slightly. "Ah. The Eternal Flame Lotus."
Erysimum leaned forward, intent.
"It is exceedingly rare," Mo Yan said after a pause. "No merchant has it in stock. If you truly wish to obtain one, you would need to venture into the Forbidden Forest."
His voice dropped lower, carrying the weight of warning. "It is a place few return from. But..." His eyes glinted faintly. "It is also a land of treasure. Exotic herbs thrive there, untouched by human hands. The Eternal Flame Lotus might be found in its depths if you are brave enough."
The Forbidden Forest was a place both feared and coveted. A sea of black-barked trees stretched endlessly, their crowns weaving a canopy so thick that daylight rarely touched the ground. Mist clung to its edges, cold and unyielding, said to be born from the breath of ancient beasts.
Inside, beauty and terror coexisted luminescent flowers glowed faintly in the shadows, while spirit vines writhed like snakes. The air pulsed with violent spiritual energy, wild and untamed. Spirit beasts roamed freely, some as common as wolves and hawks, others so ancient their names had been forgotten, their roars shaking the earth.
It was a place of death, yet also of unimaginable fortune. Heavenly herbs, rare ores, and treasures that could alter destiny were said to lie hidden in its depths. But few who entered returned alive.
At its heart, beyond the mist and beasts, lay a ruin that glowed faintly at night like the heartbeat of a god waiting to be awakened.
Erysimum's brows furrowed as she thought. The Forbidden Forest... Dangerous, yes, but not impossible. Especially not with her space, and with Ravyn watching over her.
Her hand brushed against her sleeve, fingers ghosting over the porcelain bottles she had reclaimed. They pulsed faintly with warmth, as if reminding her of the power hidden at her fingertips.
She looked back at Mo Yan. His gaze was still curious, still probing.
"Are you willing to sell one of those pills?" he asked quietly. "Or perhaps... introduce me to your master?"
Her lips curved into a cold, amused smile. "No."
With that, she tucked the bottles away, turned on her heel, and strode toward the door. Her steps were steady, unhurried, but final she would not linger in this place a moment longer.
Mo Yan's eyes followed her, thoughtful and sharp. As the door swung shut behind her, he murmured to himself, almost too softly to hear:
"No master... or one hidden deep in the shadows?"