It looks like it's stained with blood; it just makes you lose your appetite.

 

Lin Jie answered and then hurried over to open the door, glancing at the sky in the process.

Just moments ago, the secret realm had a clear, bright sky, but now it was already beginning to darken, suggesting that time flowed differently inside the realm compared to the outside, although it was unclear by how much.

" Junior Brother Lin, what were you whispering about behind closed doors?" The visitor wore a robe similar to Lin Jie's, but the edges and the hairband were purple. He had fair skin and delicate features, with clear eyebrows and eyes, but his slightly upturned eye corners and the arrogance in his expression gave him an air of superiority that was uncomfortable.

"Senior Brother Qin." Lin Jie greeted him with a simple bow, ignoring his pointless question, and directed his attention to the small white jade bottle in his hand. "Is that the elixir?"

"Yes." The man nodded but made no move to hand over the bottle. Instead, he scanned the room and confidently stepped inside, walking straight to Bai Ke, who was standing by the round table pretending to be blind. He lifted his chin and said, "So, you are the new disciple of our sect?"

Bai Ke was speechless, unable to comprehend why someone would strike a pose in front of a blind person. However, having encountered various eccentrics over the past few days, he didn't mind another odd character. He nodded and responded with a simple "Hmm."

The man was displeased with Bai Ke's reaction and lifted his chin even higher. "Hmph, my surname is Qin, first name He. I have the honor of being a disciple of our sect leader. You can call me Senior Brother."

"Senior Brother," Bai Ke replied indifferently, his tone dripping with insincerity which couldn't have been more obvious.

"..." Qin He glared at him angrily for a long moment before snorting coldly. "No cultivation at all, yet you have quite an attitude! How dare you not introduce yourself after your senior brother does? Do you not want this elixir? What kind of attitude is that?"

Bai Ke nodded. "Oh."

Qin He was infuriated. Damn it!

Seeing that Qin He was about to lose his temper, Bai Ke finally said succinctly, "Bai Ke."

"At least you know your place." Qin He immediately jumped on the opportunity to regain his composure. He held the small jade bottle between his fingers and scrutinized Bai Ke, focusing on his closed eyes. "So, you're really blind. Why do you keep your eyes closed? Are they deformed like many blind people's?"

"Senior Brother!" Lin Jie couldn't listen anymore and interrupted.

Just as he was about to say more, he saw that Bai Ke didn't seem to mind and calmly said, "Yes, they're deformed and can't be opened."

Qin He had planned to provoke Bai Ke with some harsh words, but Bai Ke's indifferent response left him feeling like he had punched cotton—frustrated and even more aggrieved.

Despite being around the same age as Bai Ke and the others, Qin He's personality was arrogant and immature. Bai Ke's words quickly angered him, making his ears turn red. He struggled for a moment to swallow his anger and then sneered, shaking the jade bottle in his hand. " Junior Brother Bai Ke, you don't seem to have exceptional talent or bone structure. It's only because your birthday met our master's requirements that you were chosen. Don't think you can act arrogantly just because the master gives you extra elixirs every day. Hengtian Sect is full of highly talented disciples; you should measure yourself clearly."

Bai Ke looked at him helplessly, thinking: So, it's because the sect leader gives me elixirs daily that his personal disciples are competing for favor.

He could almost see a puppy desperately fighting to snatch milk to drink.

However, if this somewhat dull-witted senior brother knew what the elixir was actually for, he would probably run away crying instead of competing for favor.

Lin Jie also understood his meaning. Having been in the sect for many years, he had often been bullied and mocked by his fellow senior brothers. Seeing this usually arrogant senior brother so frustrated was both amusing and satisfying. However, Lin Jie's cultivation level was significantly lower than theirs, so it wasn't worth provoking them. He tried to lighten the mood, saying, "Senior Brother Qin, the elixir the sect leader gives to Bai Ke is actually for treating his eyes, not for enhancing his cultivation. You shouldn't take it to heart."

"Ridiculous!" Qin He's face turned red, and he angrily retorted like a rooster with ruffled feathers, "When have I, Qin He, ever cared about a newly inducted disciple? This little elixir has nothing to do with me! Even if it were for enhancing cultivation, it wouldn't matter. No matter how fast he advances, he can't catch up to our diligent daily practice." After finishing, he looked at Bai Ke and Lin Jie's expressions and felt his words weren't strong enough, so he added, "Besides, it's not just him who gets elixirs. The sect leader has never neglected his personal disciples; we receive a monthly allotment of elixirs that genuinely boost our cultivation."

As he spoke, he seemed comforted by his own words and felt a bit better. He snorted, disdainfully tossed the jade bottle onto the table, and then, like a peacock, walked out with his hands behind his back. After a few steps, he remembered something and turned back to Bai Ke. "By the way, get ready by midnight; I'll take you to the Sanqing Pool. As for Junior Brother Lin—"

"He can't see, so I'll take him," Lin Jie quickly said. He didn't trust Qin He, who might not harm Bai Ke outright but could certainly cause him trouble.

"Do you think just anyone can enter the Sanqing Pool?" Qin He glanced at him with a tone full of sarcasm.

"I'll just wait outside. I won't go in."

"Whatever you want. There's a restriction there anyway, so you can't get in even if you want to." Qin He didn't want to waste any more words. Before leaving the courtyard, he cast a disdainful glance at the entire place.

After Qin He left, Lin Jie closed the door again and shrugged at Bai Ke, looking particularly helpless. "There are too many snake spirits in Hengtian Sect."

Bai Ke glanced at him and, for the first time, didn't internally ridicule him. Instead, he asked, "It's pretty tough, isn't it?"

"Huh?" Lin Jie was taken aback for a moment before understanding what Bai Ke meant. He replied, "It's not too bad. My obsession with cultivating isn't as strong as theirs. Sometimes I do think about how they'd react if I surpassed them and became a great cultivator. But that's just a thought. More than that, I want to find my sister as soon as possible."

"Yeah." Bai Ke nodded.

"But it’s the first time I've heard that the disciples under the sect leader receive elixirs every month!" Lin Jie gossiped, "No wonder those senior brothers have been advancing their cultivation at a scary pace this past year. It's not normal! At the last sect meeting, their performance shocked the other sects. I had a feeling something was off, and it turns out I was right."

Bai Ke twitched his mouth: Qin He casually revealed this information; he must be really dense.

He didn't bother with Lin Jie's ramblings anymore and picked up the small jade bottle on the table. Removing the stopper, he poured a dark red pill into his palm.

Though Bai Ke couldn't see the eerie color, he felt the elixir's glow flickering, making him uneasy.

Lin Jie, seeing the ipll, stopped his chatter. He cautiously poked the pill with a finger and shuddered. "The color is really creepy, like it's stained with blood. It looks totally unappetizing."

"It's meant to sustain the Seven Star pill in my body, of course it's sinister," Bai Ke said, noting a faint orchid fragrance mixed with a strange smell that became more pungent the longer he inhaled it.

The more he examined it, the less he wanted to consume it. So, without further ado, he popped it into his mouth and swallowed it whole.

Lin Jie was stunned by his boldness. After blinking a few times and gaping, he finally said, "Whoa, you just swallowed it like that?"

"What else should I do?" Bai Ke pulled up a chair and sat down, waiting for the pill to take effect.

"Aren't you even going to check what it's made of before swallowing it?"

"Do I have a choice?"

Lin Jie was momentarily speechless. "I guess you're right..."

So, he widened his eyes and stared intently at Bai Ke, afraid to miss even the slightest change in his expression.

In contrast, Bai Ke, who kept his eyes closed, appeared much calmer. As Lin Jie watched, he couldn't help but think that Bai Ke's composure and demeanour made him well-suited for cultivation.

What Lin Jie didn't know was that Bai Ke was also nervous inside. Otherwise, he wouldn't be sitting so rigidly for so long without moving a muscle.

They sat facing each other for half an hour until Lin Jie realized, much to his dismay, that he had been so tense that his legs and the hands resting on his knees had gone numb.

"Still no reaction?" Lin Jie couldn't help but ask.

Bai Ke shook his head. "No."

He paused, then added, "Maybe this pill just looks sinister but doesn't have any noticeable effects once swallowed."

Considering the sect leader's attitude, it seemed they had tested the pill on others before. If the pill had caused too severe a reaction, it would have raised suspicions among the uninformed. With this in mind, Bai Ke began to think the pill might not be such a big deal after all.

Lin Jie thought that made sense. He stood up, supporting himself on the table. "It's getting dark. Since there's no reaction, let's go. I'll take you to get something to eat."

"Do cultivators still need to eat?" Bai Ke stood up as well.

"Of course. Only after the fasting stage—Ow, damn—ow!" Lin Jie, still unsteady on his numb legs, saw Bai Ke, who also had numb legs, rise too quickly and stumble, causing his chin to knock against Lin Jie's forehead.

"Ugh—" Bai Ke groaned, feeling a sharp pain in his tongue, followed by a metallic taste of blood spreading in his mouth.

"Did you bite your tongue?" Lin Jie asked, rubbing his forehead.

Bai Ke was about to reply when he felt a sudden, sharp pain in the center of his forehead, as if a needle had been driven into it. At the same time, his stomach churned violently, a burning sensation rising from his gut to his chest, making his heart feel like it was being scorched.

He tightly furrowed his brows and collapsed into the chair, clutching his chest with his left hand in a near spasm, gripping so hard that his knuckles were completely bloodless.

Amidst the overlapping waves of pain, he could only feel the taste of blood on his tongue growing stronger, as if fresh blood was continuously flowing from the small wound on his tongue.

In that moment, a thought flashed through Bai Ke's mind: So this pill is actually nourished by blood!

 

Translator : DarNan