Hua Meigui’s appearance aging stemmed from expending a large amount of lifespan. According to Baili Qianchou’s deduction, normal medical arts couldn’t possibly treat it. She either had to rely on herself to advance a major realm, or use a special method to replenish the lost lifespan.
Coincidentally, when he traveled the world years ago, he accidentally obtained a folk remedy whose function was to prolong life and promote longevity.
Birth, aging, sickness, and death were laws of heaven and earth. Forcibly increasing lifespan was truly an act against heaven, so refining this pill required using a soul as the catalyst—only then could equivalent exchange be achieved.
Put simply.
Want to live a bit longer?
Fine, exchange it for a powerful soul.
“Isn’t this kind of pill formula specially prepared for me?”
Jun Changxiao was a bit proud, because he believed that in terms of soul strength, he was definitely not weaker than anyone.
“Indeed.”
The system said, “Currently the host’s two greatest characteristics are: first, strong soul; second, thick skin.”
“Scram!”
Jun Changxiao said, “List out the auxiliary medicinal ingredients. This seat will go purchase them right now.”
Baili Qianchou immediately took up a brush to write out a list. However, when handing it over, he added, “This is my first time refining this kind of pill and I have no experience, so it’s best to prepare several dozen sets.”
“Several dozen sets?”
Jun Changxiao’s mouth twitched.
By the looks of it, this was heading toward refining it dozens of times.
If it were purely refining with medicinal ingredients, success or failure wouldn’t matter, but could he withstand献出ing his soul again and again?
Hua Meigui said, “Soul deficiency will cause severe consequences. Husband, you absolutely must not act rashly.”
“Lifespan deficiency will similarly bring severe consequences. At the Life Source, did you consider this?” Jun Changxiao asked in return.
“…”
“My mind is made up.”
“…”
Hua Meigui said nothing more.
That same day.
The Procurement Hall’s members got to work.
Fortunately, the auxiliary medicinal ingredients for refining the Soul Refining Lifespan Replenishing Pill were all relatively common, and the sect had quite a few, so by the second day, several dozen sets were prepared.
“Ding ding ding!”
“Ding ding ding!”
Inside the pill refining room, ringing sounds came.
Liu Sinan and Gongsun Hou had dull expressions, because Baili Qianchou was wearing Daoist robes, holding a peachwood sword in one hand and Three Pure Bells in the other, standing in front of an altar swaying back and forth—the very image of conducting a ritual!
Was this guy a doctor? Or a Daoist priest?
“*&%¥…” Baili Qianchou muttered incomprehensible incantations, then put down various ritual implements and opened his mouth toward the candles to spray, immediately forming a sky-high fireball that ignited the nearby pill furnace, creating a roaring blaze.
“Good!”
The Eternal Sect disciples applauded and praised.
This technique, this performance—it deserved full marks!
Sitting in the strange formation array behind them, Jun Changxiao’s expression was colorful.
This guy was conducting rituals one moment and performing tricks the next, his whole being radiating an extremely unreliable aura.
“Sect Master Jun!”
Just at this moment, Baili Qianchou said gravely, “Relax your mind and release your soul.”
“Whoosh!”
Jun Changxiao closed his eyes and released a strand of soul.
“Whoosh whoosh whoosh!”
Baili Qianchou picked up the peachwood sword and waved it in a showy manner. Finally, the soul wrapped around the sword body, and he secretly marveled, “This little fellow’s soul is so strong!”
Gou Sheng’s soul strength was undeniable.
“Whoosh!”
The fire intensified, green smoke arose.
“The time has come.”
Baili Qianchou calculated that the medicinal ingredients inside had melted sufficiently, then immediately opened the pill furnace and merged Jun Changxiao’s strand of soul into it. He then rolled away to the altar, picked up the Three Pure Bells, swayed with a figure-eight gait, and muttered strange incantations again.
“Professional!”
Sun Bukong gave a thumbs up.
“…”
Liu Sinan and Gongsun Hou rolled their eyes, thinking this guy must be a charlatan.
Sitting in the formation array, Jun Changxiao’s facial expression looked somewhat unpleasant, because the strand of soul he’d献出 was burning in the pill furnace and mixing with various medicinal ingredients—the feeling was not good.
“Boom!”
Suddenly, the pill furnace exploded with a bang, black smoke surging forth.
“As expected.” Baili Qianchou shook his head and said, “The first attempt at refining failed.”
“…”
Jun Changxiao collapsed.
The pill furnace exploded—didn’t that mean his soul was wasted?
“Continue!”
“…”
Failure is the mother of success. Baili Qianchou didn’t give up and took out the second set of medicinal ingredients to refine.
“Boom!”
“Boom!”
And so, every interval of time, explosive sounds would come from the pill refining room. Because of the frequent failures, even the pill furnaces were changed several times.
“Poof!”
After the thirty-sixth failure, Jun Changxiao finally couldn’t hold on and sprayed blood.
Although he had cultivated the Soul Refining Sacred Heaven Technique and his soul could withstand torment, playing like this would definitely cost him his life.
“Continue!”
Baili Qianchou said.
Gongsun Hou wanted to stop him, but seeing the sect master adjust his sitting posture, he realized he intended to have him continue refining, so he could only swallow back the words he wanted to say.
Liu Sinan’s gaze filled with respect.
Soul deficiency would bring many unpredictable consequences. The sect master gave of himself again and again, sacrificing again and again—this demonstrated the profound depth of his feelings for his wife, and even… stirred intense guilt within him, guilt for once devoting himself single-mindedly to the martial path, only to lose his beloved and regret it when it was already too late.
“Ding!”
Suddenly, a crisp sound came.
“Success!”
Baili Qianchou excitedly walked to the pill furnace and took out a crystal-clear pill.
Jun Changxiao’s pale little face squeezed out a smile, then his body toppled backward and he gloriously fainted.
The pill was completed.
The person was also done for.
Refining a pill nearly took a whole chapter—why didn’t he just drop dead!
…
His soul severely depleted, Changxiao was unconscious for two days and nights.
During that time, he had many dreams.
Such as resting drunk on a beauty’s lap, waking to wield power over the world, not seeking jade from connected cities, but seeking only a sword that kills.
And such as “Young men of the Five Tombs ride east to the gold market, on silver saddles and white horses through spring breezes, trampling all the fallen flowers wondering where to go, laughing as they enter a Hu girl’s wine shop.”
“Strange.”
The system puzzled, “After the host shrunk, the dreams that appeared are so strange, completely different from before.”
Indeed.
Jun Changxiao had been very abnormal lately.
Usually sharp-tongued, his mouth couldn’t keep up with his brain, saying things that made people laugh out loud.
Especially admitting in front of everyone that Hua Meigui was his wife—you know, as someone who carried the banner in the steel-straight community, he’d always been strenuously avoiding and evading.
Uninformed readers might guess whether Gou Sheng had been possessed? After all, his personality and character setup were vastly different from before.
The third day.
Jun Changxiao woke up.
Because his memory stopped at the stage when the pill was completed, he asked, “Did she take it?”
“You should worry about yourself first.” The system said, “Having lost a large amount of soul, your body is very weak and will need to recuperate for a long time to heal.”
This wasn’t a problem.
Using the Difficult to Retrieve Blade, he’d become weak for two years at the drop of a hat—it had long become habit.
“Moreover…”
The system said, “Your hair loss condition has worsened again…”
By the last few words, it had entered a state of trying hard to hold back laughter, because Gou Sheng’s head was shiny and bright, as if he’d transformed into a little monk.
“Damn it!”
Jun Changxiao jumped down from the bed and saw his appearance through a bronze mirror, roaring, “Can’t get past the bald joke, can we!”
“Creak!”
The door was pushed open, and a rose fragrance drifted in first.
Jun Changxiao turned his head to look and saw Hua Meigui walking in as if shrouded in brilliant radiance.
Her haggard face had already recovered. Her black hair was arranged in cloud-like coils, her willow-leaf eyebrows curved like crescent moons, her eyes clear as water, her unpowdered face like jade snow, crystal clear.
A face to make fish sink and geese fall, flowers to close and the moon to shame.
Limited by cultural constraints, Jun Changxiao could only think of such idioms to describe her appearance.
“There’s a problem!”
The system said, “The host definitely has a problem!”
—