~~~

The depths of the Apothecary contain all sorts of treasures. Some, like the Reverse Tree, are marvels that exemplify the might of the Eternal Flame Clan. Many powerful and influential people will go their entire lives without laying eyes on one, yet in the Apothecary, it is simply another plant to be grown. The quality and quantity of the resources harvested from the Apothecary every day are such that even a City Lord will be left looking like a pauper. Truly, the Apothecary is a place full of secrets and wonder.

Then there is the room of Odious Crown Imperials.

While not as large as the chamber of the Reverse Tree, the room of Odious Crown Imperials contains a large field of flowers nourished by artificial orbs of light. Eight talismans surround the flowers, creating a cube around them that keeps the heat and humidity inside, greatly easing their growth.

More importantly, the talismans keep the smell from spreading.

No one can deny the Odious Crown Imperials are charming plants. They have long, slender stalks, and their flowers resemble the shape of a crown when they blossom. If looks alone were all that mattered, Odious Crown Imperials would pretty up any garden.

It is, for that reason, quite unfortunate that their smell is the worst, their stalks cause sores to appear on those who touch them, and after receiving moonlight for a few hundred years, they may even start whispering how they plan to kill you.

The ones in the room of Odious Crown Imperials have yet to reach that last threshold, but the former two qualities are all too true. A disciple who is sent into this room is truly an unlucky one.

“How long have you been doing this?”

“I believe this is my twentieth hour, Senior Brother Luo.”

Senior Brother Luo whistles, impressed. He is leaning against the door, standing well outside the barrier that keeps the plants’ smell from spreading.

Liu Jin is not so fortunate.

The youth walks in between the long stalks. Green leaves and peach-colored petals are stuck to his robes. Big, bulky gloves cover his hands, though Liu Jin does not really need them. While Odious Crown Imperials are not safe to touch, that warning only holds true for people much weaker than he. The only thing the bulky gloves do for Liu Jin is make any precision task a chore.

That is the point.

“It is not as bad as it seems,” Liu Jin adds while carefully harvesting the nectar from one of the flowers. It is what he has been doing for the past several hours. “I have long since shut down my senses of taste and smell.”

Liu Jin had kept them active at first, thinking it would go against the point of the punishment if he were to block his senses right away. At least, those had been his thoughts back then.

His sense of fairness could only go so far.

Truly, Lu Mei proved to be the most fortunate of the two this time. Thanks to the pamphlet Elder Xun gave her, Lu Mei managed to avoid the same fate as he. With Elder Xue’s blessing, she is currently in isolation training.

“You should be grateful for such a mild punishment then,” Senior Brother Luo says. “Though I cannot claim to know what you did, everyone already knows Elder Xue was quite irritated by your actions.”

Liu Jin went to Elder Xun without asking for permission. While Liu Jin will freely admit his actions were reckless, they did give him a clearer view of the conflict between the Feng siblings. Still, it is only logical that he be punished. There is no telling how his meeting with one of the strongest men in the Eternal Flame Clan could have gone.

“Had you been anyone else, you would have received a far heavier punishment,” Senior Brother Luo adds. “You are lucky Elder Xue shows such favor to you.”

Liu Jin shakes his head.

“It is not just because Elder Xue favors me,” he says, though that will certainly not stop some disciples from being jealous of the preferential treatment Elder Xue gives him. “It would be counter-productive to levy a heavier punishment on me. All disciples are needed right now.”

Instead of being locked in some dark room without being able to cultivate, Liu Jin’s punishment is merely to harvest the nectar of the Odious Crown Imperials for the foreseeable future.

The nectar of the Odious Crown Imperials, it must be understood, is not some sort of miracle ingredient that can boost someone’s cultivation or heal grievous injuries. Its only use is of a more… mundane nature.

The nectar of the Odious Crown Imperials is the main ingredient in a highly efficient virility potion. While useful for those less fortunate, it is wholly unneeded for high-level cultivators. The Eternal Flame Clan grows them only because many people will pay handsome amounts of money for a good virility potion.

That Liu Jin has been given such a mundane task while others handle important jobs all around the compound is another aspect of his punishment.

“I cannot help but notice you felt the need to add ‘just’ to that sentence. That is good. It would be disappointing if you didn’t believe you were receiving preferential treatment. You will definitely make enemies because of it.”

“I already have enemies,” Liu Jin counters. “Is Senior Brother Luo going to become one of them?”

Senior Brother Luo holds Liu Jin’s stare for a moment. The scars on his face have greatly healed since the last time they saw each other.

“No, Brother Qing,” the older disciple says at last, shaking his head. “I did not come here to observe your misery as I imagine some people have done.”

“Five disciples so far,” Liu Jin confirms, nodding. Of those jealous of him, a few of them proved either brave or foolish enough to taunt him in his perceived moment of weakness. “Four of them got bored when I did not react to their words. Only one stayed for more than an hour.”

That one had been quite creative with his insults.

It was a learning experience.

“Rest assured, I am not here to mock Brother Qing,” Senior Brother Luo says. “Every time I see Brother Qing, he’s either working or being assigned a new task. It would be foolish to deny preferential treatment exists. It’d be just as foolish to argue it is not deserved. Furthermore, there is already an agreement between us. I have no wish to endanger it.”

When Soaring Feather had been but a small chick, Senior Brother Luo had approached him to speak of an elixir that required the feathers of an adult Black-Winged Imperial Eagle. While it would have been possible for Senior Brother Luo to procure the feathers through other means, making an arrangement with Liu Jin ensured he’d have a steady supply of them.

“Is it that time already?” Liu Jin asks. “Based on the information on Black-Winged Imperial Eagles Senior Brother Luo gave me, Soaring Feather has yet to reach his full size.”

“A notion that fills me with wonder and maybe a little dread. Reading a number on a page cannot compare to seeing something first hand. However, I believe he has reached sufficient size for our purposes.”

“Interesting.” Liu Jin’s gloved hand closes around a stalk. “Rest assured, I have no wish to renege on our agreement. After all, it is because of Senior Brother Luo that I learned more of Soaring Feather’s species. Still, I must confess I am surprised at how much importance Senior Brother Luo places on this Body Strengthening Elixir.”

“It is not just a Body Strengthening Elixir!” Senior Brother Luo glares at him for several seconds, his first strong show of emotion. He takes a deep breath when Liu Jin does not react. “I realize Brother Qing is highly skilled in alchemy, but do not be quick to dismiss the value of what is written in ancient texts! This elixir might actually enhance the properties of the Spring of Enduring Valour.”

Liu Jin pauses in his work for a second.

“The Spring of Enduring Valour?”

“You do not know?” Senior Brother Luo looks shocked at first but quickly frowns. “No, I suppose it makes sense. I forgot Brother Qing is still a relatively new disciple. Regardless, it seems some elaboration on my part is required. I assume you are at least familiar with the Spring of Clear Insight.”

“I never had the opportunity to pay a visit, but I did get into a fight rather close to it.”

“I heard of that. You must understand that the Spring of Clear Insight is one of the many treasures hidden in the Summer Forest. That is why there are multiple safe pathways created by the barrier which allow disciples to reach these places while also keeping Spirit Beasts away.”

Liu Jin distantly recalls the disciples who stole herbs from him and Huang Shing mentioning something like that.

“Those who bathe in the waters of the Spring of Clear Insight will, as the name implies, gain insight. They will become aware of the shape of their soul and thus have greater ease manipulating it. Many covet a dip in those waters, and the right to do so can be purchased with enough points. Though I suppose such a prize is not one that would entice Brother Qing. Even someone such as I can sense, Brother Qing’s control over his soul is outstanding.”

Liu Jin supposes he should not be surprised that his control over his soul is noticeable. If he can sense when people are not skilled at controlling their souls, why should there not be some disciples who can notice his control?

“The Spring of Enduring Valour has a mirror effect,” Senior Brother Luo continues. “It strengthens not the spirit but the body. For this reason, it is not as highly valued as the Spring of Clear Insight.”

There is no need for Senior Brother Luo to explain why. As a rule, body conditioning tends to be more beneficial for those in the lower realms. Exceptions exist, of course. Bei Hong and Bei Duyi both practice a style that is heavily focused on physicality. However, their body strengthening happens as a result of the technique they cultivate. Thus, a “normal” body strengthening aid would have little impact on them. Instead, they would be better served by normal cultivation aids, as boosting their cultivation would, in turn, boost their physicality.

In other words, the value of the Spring of Enduring Valour, that merely grants increased physicality, cannot be compared to that of the Spring of Clear Insight which, by helping someone gain greater control over their soul, directly aids their cultivation.

“However!” Senior Brother Luo says. “This elixir could change that. If my analysis is correct, it will maximize the effect the Spring of Enduring Valour would have on one’s body, allowing it to be of use to cultivators in the higher realms. However, in order to test my theory, I require those feathers. That is why it would be good if you...”

Senior Brother Luo keeps talking after that, but Liu Jin’s mind remains stuck on an earlier sentence.

Allowing it to be of use to cultivators in the higher realms.

Liu Jin turns that phrase over again and again.

“You believe the boost would actually be beneficial to those in the Earth Realm?”

Senior Brother Luo stops talking. The older disciple stares at him in shock.

“It is the only higher Realm that would greatly benefit from a physical boost,” Liu Jin explains when Senior Brother Luo keeps staring at him. “An elixir that, when combined with the effects of the Spring, would prepare the body for the rigours of the Earth Realm. Is that it?”

“How did you…?” Senior Brother Luo stops and takes a deep breath. “A monster. I have entered negotiations with a monster.”

Rude.

“Am I right then? Do you intend to sell the elixir to older disciples?”

Senior Brother Luo shakes his head. “I do not intend to sell the elixir to disciples. We cannot sell things within the Eternal Flame Compound. Trying to get around that restriction would be needlessly bothersome. Rather, I intend to present it to Elder Xue. However, before that, I need to do several tests, and before that still, I need those feathers.”

Liu Jin hums. This changes things quite a bit. If Senior Brother Luo’s theory is correct, then Liu Jin stands to gain something important. It could be the sort of paper-thin difference between life and death when he eventually encounters Core Disciples.

“Very well, you have my permission to take Soaring Feather’s feathers. Regrettably, I am not able to go with you, but he already knows the situation.”

Senior Brother Luo meets his eyes with a decidedly flat stare.

“If it is alright with you, I’d rather not approach your pet without you.”

Liu Jin takes a moment to think of Soaring Feather’s long, sharp talons.

“That is sensible,” He admits. “It will have to wait until I am done here then. It should not be too long. I will need to take a break eventually to present myself at Lady Ling’s mansion.”

He will also need to take a long bath before he is fit to set foot there.

“Ah, yes, your tutoring of Young Master Feng Hao.” Senior Brother Luo nods. “I truly do not understand those who envy you. I would hate to have such a responsibility placed on my shoulders.”

“It is not too bad.” Liu Jin ignores Senior Brother Luo’s scoff. “Lady Ling is intense, but only because she is a caring mother. Besides, teaching Feng Hao is an activity which I find quite gratifying.”

Liu Jin is looking forward to his next session with Feng Hao.

~~~

Two days later, Liu Jin is training Feng Hao.

That is when it happens.

A shockwave of Qi rings throughout the entire mansion. It is not the wild flare of someone’s aura, nor is it energy molded into a deadly technique. This Qi is not being used to attack or oppress.

It merely carries a message.

“I, Xun Huwen, challenge the great prodigy Feng Hao. Let him come out of hiding and face me by the rules that govern the Eternal Flame Clan! Or let him remain in hiding! Like a coward!”

~~~