Chapter 25

How can one put themselves in another's shoes and see things from their perspective? Lu Yaohxiang really wanted the senior to take out the Tianxuan Iron he mentioned, so she could broaden her horizons. These things that sounded so expensive, she had no idea what they looked like at all.

Just as she was about to take the opportunity to ask about the senior's cultivation, the lid of the cauldron was suddenly pushed open, and Lu Xiaoding crawled out, hugging the cauldron and wailing, "Senior Sister! My body is broken, it's been damaged!"

"What should I do? I even spat blood just now. Although I don't feel uncomfortable now, a piece is missing here. Could it be my chest!" She hugged the cauldron, sobbing and hitting it, as if her original form had been broken and she would become a useless cauldron that couldn't refine elixirs anymore.

Lu Yaohxiang didn't expect her to cry like this, so she said speechlessly, "Xiaoding, stop crying. As long as it's repaired, it'll be fine."

"Repaired?" Lu Xiaoding stopped crying, staring at her blankly, then suddenly became even more sad, "I'll become a patched cauldron. A cauldron with patches can never become a spiritual treasure. It will definitely be laughed at by other cauldrons."

"You're not a spiritual treasure now, just a black iron magical cauldron," Lu Yaohxiang reminded her. She had never seen what a cauldron looked like when it produced a spirit, but Xiaoding's cauldron was just a cheap one. Now it had a big gap, making it even less valuable.

Lu Xiaoding sniffed, looking at the black cauldron and thinking about how she used to be top-notch, even ranking seventh on the Most Precious List. Now, she was just a black iron cauldron without any spirit, all because she had a physical body, which absorbed all the good things. It seemed she would only be a broken cauldron from now on. She sighed and asked with red eyes, "Senior Sister, can the patch be made to look nice?"

Lu Yaohxiang almost burst out laughing but managed to hold back, nodding and saying, "Not only will it look nice, but it will also be repaired into a spiritual artifact."

A spiritual artifact? That meant she still had a chance to return to the Most Precious List! Lu Xiaoding immediately turned her tears into a smile. This was truly a case of turning a disaster into a blessing.

With the cauldron's damage resolved, it was now Lu Yaohxiang's turn to be anxious. Her face turned red, and she asked excitedly, "Xiaoding, how is the Tian Sui Pill?"

When the cauldron was damaged just now, she didn't know if it had affected the pill formation. If it failed, she would have to save up crystal fruits for many years to find another Twin Ginseng.

Lu Xiaoding smiled at her, and when she saw her urgency, she spat the pale golden Tian Sui Pill into her palm and extended it to Lu Yaohxiang, saying, "Senior Sister, here you go."

Lu Yaohxiang carefully took the Tian Sui Pill, about to examine it closely, when Xiaoding said, "Senior Sister, taking the Tian Sui Pill will be very uncomfortable. You'll make a lot of noise."

Would it be that painful? She stared at the pill in her hand, deciding to find a secluded place on Tian Dan Peak to take it.

Perhaps afraid of losing her composure, Lu Yaohxiang went alone to find a place to take the pill. Although the effects were strong, Lu Xiaoding knew it wasn't poisonous and wouldn't be fatal, so she let her go with peace of mind.

Lu Dan, who hadn't seen them for a few days, immediately caught Lu Xiaoding and scolded her. He even put on the airs of the eldest disciple, demanding that she face the wall to reflect and not go to Shi'ai Peak to look for Bai Brother anymore.

"What? We are from the Tian Dan Hall, how can we not refine elixirs? I've just been refining elixirs these past few days," Lu Xiaoding said indignantly, feeling wronged for being accused of going to Shi'ai Peak when she was actually doing her job.

Lu Dan always thought that most of the elixirs Xiaoding gave him were secretly taken from the Wu Yao Hall, and some like Taihe Pills were refined by Lu Yaohxiang. He had never seen Xiaoding refine elixirs and knew she was a bit clumsy, so it was unlikely she could refine any.

So, he said angrily, "What elixirs did you refine? Show me!"

"The one I refined was taken by Senior Sister. I'll give you one I refined before." Lu Xiaoding opened her mouth and spat out a Taihe Pill, proudly showing it to him.

"Are you a cow? You can spit out what you ate in perfect condition. That's so dirty!" Lu Dan stepped back, staring at her palm with disgust.

Lu Xiaoding pouted, unhappy, "You used to eat these, and now you think they're dirty?"

"I'm not talking about the elixir, I'm talking about you spitting it out!" Lu Dan was almost driven mad by her, as he didn't mean it that way.

"You're so annoying, I won't talk to you anymore." Fine, Lu Xiaoding put the elixir back in her mouth, planning to save it for Senior Sister after her bone washing.

Seeing her call him "Junior Brother" again, Lu Dan said unhappily, "Call me Senior Brother..."

Before he could finish, a sudden scream echoed through the forest, scaring the birds into the air.

"What was that? A demonic beast?" Lu Dan stared at where the birds had flown, his expression serious.

If there was a fierce demonic beast on Tian Dan Peak, it needed to be dealt with quickly for everyone's safety. He should report it to the Master. He was just at the early stage of Qi Condensation and couldn't fight a demonic beast. Moreover, the peaks were far apart, and other peaks might not have heard the scream.

He turned to go find the Master but was blocked by Lu Xiaoding, "Junior Brother, this is Senior Sister taking the bone-washing elixir. She's undergoing a transformation now. We shouldn't disturb her."

Lu Dan asked curiously, "Bone-washing elixir? Where did you get it?"

"I refined it. Bai Zhen Brother owed us a spirit herb, so I kept going to him. When he came back a few days ago, he brought the spirit herb, and I refined a Tian Sui Pill for Senior Sister. She should have taken it by now," Lu Xiaoding said proudly. This was a fifth-grade elixir, and even the Master might not be able to refine it.

"Can bone-washing elixirs be taken casually? Who allowed you to refine elixirs without permission!" Lu Dan raised his hand, almost hitting her, but after a long pause, he put it down.

He couldn't help but be anxious. He had read many of Yu Xiu's books on elixirs. Bone-washing was very dangerous, and elixirs should not be taken lightly. There should be someone to protect the user, or the spirit meridians might not withstand the elixir's power and burst.

In such cases, the user might become severely disabled or even die.

Elixirs like the Taihe Pill were safe, and bone-washing was just a name. The elixir's power had little effect on the spirit meridians. It was used to nourish already open meridians, making them more resilient and capable of holding more spiritual energy.

"I have to go see her!" Lu Dan couldn't bear to leave her, and he rushed towards the place.

"Junior Brother! Don't disturb Senior Sister, she'll be angry!" Lu Xiaoding stomped her feet in panic, seeing him run off and having no choice but to chase after him.

She was used to carrying the cauldron and ran very fast, keeping up with Lu Dan without being left behind. They came to where the birds had flown up but didn't know where Lu Yaohxiang was hiding. They couldn't shout for fear of disturbing her, so they searched silently.

"She must have found a safe place to take the elixir, not outside. Let's look for a cave," Lu Dan thought. The possibility of her building a makeshift shelter was too small, and she wouldn't know how to do it. A cave was the most likely place.

Lu Xiaoding looked at him with a frown, wondering why he was so stubborn. The Tian Sui Pill she refined was definitely safe and wouldn't kill anyone.

At that moment, a faint sound came with the wind, as if someone was struggling in pain. Lu Dan listened carefully and immediately found the direction, running to the left. They found a cave mostly hidden by weeds, with signs of someone having stepped on the weeds. This must be the place.

Suddenly, a strange laugh came from the cave, so arrogant that it made everyone shudder.

Lu Dan and Lu Xiaoding stood outside the cave, looking at each other in shock. The voice sounded like Lu Yaohxiang, but she had never laughed like that before, so strangely.

"I have to go in and see!" Lu Dan thought she was possessed and took a step towards the cave. Just as he reached the entrance, a loud voice came from inside, "No one is allowed to enter!"

"Senior Sister, it's me, Lu Dan!" He forgot his senior status and called out anxiously at the entrance.

The voice from inside the cave said slowly, "I know it's you, Lu Dan. Even Xiaoding can't come in. I'm fine, go back first. I'll come out later."

Lu Dan found this very strange. If she was fine, why wouldn't she let anyone in? Even if she was undressed, she could let Xiaoding in. Could it be that Senior Sister was already possessed and didn't want to be seen?

He started to imagine all sorts of evil cultivation or possession scenarios, all of which Lu Yaohxiang had used to scare him before. The more he thought, the more worried he became. He steeled his resolve and rushed in, but Lu Xiaoding couldn't stop him. He had already stepped into the cave.

Suddenly, a cold wave rushed out of the cave, and the ground instantly froze, with sharp ice crystals blocking the entrance.

"Lu Dan, I'm really fine. See? My bone-washing was successful. I'll come back in a few hours," Lu Yaohxiang's calm voice came from the cave. To stop him from entering, she had already used her magic.

Lu Dan stared at the ice crystals in shock. Lu Yaohxiang could use such powerful magic? Had a single bone-washing elixir transformed her so much?

A sense of crisis washed over him. If he didn't work hard, his status as the eldest disciple would be at risk. He stepped back, standing at the entrance in silence for a while before saying, "I understand. I'll take Xiaoding back now."

"You should have listened to me. You didn't believe me, and now you're in trouble," Lu Xiaoding said angrily, having chased after him for nothing.

Lu Dan said nothing, leading the way back in silence.

Hearing them leave, Lu Yaohxiang in the cave sighed in relief. She looked at herself in the dim light from the cave entrance, frowning in disgust, "How disgusting. Bone-washing made me so dirty. If anyone saw me, it would be so embarrassing!"

Due to the bone-washing, her body was covered in a layer of black, foul-smelling mud, all of which had been expelled from her skin. For someone who cared about cleanliness and appearance, it was unbearable to be seen like this.

She shook her hands in disgust, her gaze falling on the ice crystals she had created. She touched the mark on her forehead and smiled. From today, she could protect Xiaoding and advance on the path to becoming a powerful cultivator.