After Xie Zhaolin turned and left, Ah Mo's hands never stopped moving. The white peony still peeled away in her fingers, thin as cicada wings. Only when she was sure she'd really gone far did she slowly set down the medicine knife. Her fingertips brushed the rough cloth, wiping away the last trace of herb stains.
Her gaze shifted to the book lying carelessly on the desk.
"Xie Zhaolin never left things out of place."
Ah Mo crept closer to the desk, her fingers carefully prying open the pages. It was just a simple copy of Herbal Compendium, filled with basic medicinal properties. She flipped through quickly, then suddenly, a folded slip of thin paper slid out.
Her breath hitched. She refolded the paper in a hurry, but instead of returning it, she slipped it quietly into her sleeve. Just as she closed the book, footsteps sounded outside.
When Xie Zhaolin pushed open the door, Ah Mo was already calm again, her breathing steady, flawless. She lowered her head and presented the herbs she'd finished cutting. "Immortal Master, the Sichuan lovage and white peony are both prepared."
"Well done." Xie Zhaolin tossed her a candied fruit. "Continue tomorrow."
Ah Mo caught the treat, her eyes curving with a bright smile.
As she turned his back, a glint of amusement flashed in her eyes. The crucial ingredient missing from that prescription was none other than the Snakeheart Vine she'd hidden in the well's wall.
"Today, go to the city again."
"What should I buy?" Ah Mo tightened the coin pouch at her waist.
Xie Zhaolin cast her a sideways glance, lips curving faintly. "Nothing. Just watch for any unusual movements."
"Ah Mo understands." Her voice stayed sweet and obedient. "Does Immortal Master want me to pay attention to anything specific?"
She smiled faintly. "Just remember, if anything happens, report back to me. Return before the hour of Xu."
"Yes."
She lowered her head, the flicker of cold light in her eyes vanishing instantly.
The western market was far livelier than usual.
Moving through the crowd, Ah Mo sharply noticed several cultivators in crimson robes. Silver bells hung at their waists, yet not a single sound rang out as they walked—those were Hehuan Sect's Silent Bells, which only chimed when activated by spell.
"Young lady, want some fresh hot buns?" The vendor's warm call broke her observation.
Ah Mo smiled and fished out coins. "Two, please."
As she reached to take them, her sleeve slipped, and with a crisp clatter, her pouch fell to the ground. When she bent to pick it up, her eyes caught sight of two Hehuan Sect law enforcement disciples checking something nearby.
"City's been uneasy lately," an old man selling tea muttered low. "Heard they're looking for someone…"
Ah Mo straightened, took the buns as if nothing had happened, and the bun-seller glanced nervously at the crimson figures before whispering, "Girl, best head home quick after buying."
Feigning innocence, she asked, "Why?"
The old man shook his head. "Hehuan Sect's hunting people. Said they're catching remnants. Who knows…"
Ah Mo paid and left, pressing down the wild thump of her heart.
"Remnants?"
…
After she left, Xie Zhaolin stood inside the west wing, her fingers tapping as she brushed aside the Sichuan lovage and white peony Ah Mo had prepared. She wouldn't use those. She only took the ones she'd processed herself.
From her sleeve, she drew a palm-sized jade box. Inside, neatly arranged, were the real herbs. The rest had only been meant to confuse her.
Her fingers tapped lightly, and the herbs crumbled into residue, tossed aside into the corner. The copper kettle on the medicine furnace was already ready. She crushed the true ingredients, poured them into water, and set them to boil.
Soon, the brew thickened. Xie Zhaolin's face stayed cold as stone. Only when the liquid reduced to half a bowl did she extinguish the flame. She poured the brew into a bath barrel. The clear water instantly turned into thick black sludge.
Stripping off her robes, she stepped in.
"Ssshh—"
The moment the liquid touched skin, agony tore through every nerve.
Xie Zhaolin clenched her teeth, her knuckles white as she gripped the barrel's edge, veins bulging at her temples.
The Xuan Yin Foundation Building Technique was meant to defy the heavens. The method used poisonous decoctions to temper the body, forcibly ramming open meridians. The torment rivaled having one's bones scraped raw. But if one endured, cultivation would soar.
Yet even so, this fragile body almost fainted under the strain. Her nails dug deep into her palms, blood dripping into the foul brew. She forced herself to remain conscious, feeling the medicinal force tear through her meridians. Even at just one-third of the normal dose, the pain had her vision going black.
"Still… too much…" she ground out between clenched teeth.
The black sludge gradually dulled to gray, the medicine spent. She knew this was as far as she could push tonight.
Trembling, she tried to rise, but her legs were numb. She collapsed against the bath's edge with a heavy thud.
In the copper mirror, her reflection was ghost-pale. Gathering her qi, she felt only a faint response. Tonight's bath had barely pushed her to the threshold of Qi Refining, second stage.
Outside, the sun was already sinking west.
She calculated Ah Mo's return, hastily cleaned everything, and had just tucked the last herb into her storage ring when the sound of the courtyard gate opening reached her.
"Immortal Master, I'm back."
Ah Mo's voice carried in, light and deliberate. Xie Zhaolin drew in a deep breath, suppressing the lingering ache in her meridians. Her face returned to its usual coldness.
"Come in."
As Ah Mo pushed the door open, she smiled sweetly, but her eyes swept over every corner of the room, especially the pile of residue Xie Zhaolin had handled on purpose.
"See anything unusual?"
"Hehuan Sect's set up a checkpoint in the south of the city." Ah Mo's tone was soft. "They seemed to be checking female cultivators."
Xie Zhaolin's hand, straightening her sleeve, paused for the briefest second. She turned away, reaching for a teacup to hide the chill flashing in her gaze. "Did they say why?"
"Only heard an old man at the tea stall mention remnants." Ah Mo hesitated. "Should I go probe further tomorrow?"
"As you wish." Xie Zhaolin tapped the table lightly, signaling her to clean up the residue.
Ah Mo crouched in the corner, her slender fingers sifting through the ashes. Then, her fingertip brushed against a few broken fibers—lamp wick grass she'd slipped into the herbs yesterday. The fibers were stained black, freshly snapped, clearly used. Keeping her expression calm, she continued packing the residue into oiled paper.
"All cleaned?" Xie Zhaolin's voice floated from behind, flat and unreadable.
"Yes, Immortal Master." Ah Mo answered with polite respect, carrying the package out. She walked slowly to the kitchen, every step weighed with thought. Those fibers had been used, but had she really taken her herbs, or just inspected them?
She tossed the package into the stove. Firelight flickered across her calm face. Only when the last wisp of smoke vanished did she return to her small room.
Lighting the oil lamp, she sat at the desk, her fingers tapping softly against the wood.
The Hehuan Sect's search, the tampered herbs, the errand her master had sent her on… all these threads tangled together in her mind. Looks like she'd need another excuse to head into the city tomorrow. From her sleeve, she drew out the folded paper that had fallen from the book earlier. On it was recorded something… unusual.