Story 11 - How to Save a Sect in Six Simple Steps (3)
We returned to Noxious Fangstrike’s alchemy room.
I crossed my arms and studied his face. “So, how fucked are we?”
“How about you and your band go on a long trip? Maybe even try to get back to your sect?”
“I’d love to kidnap them like that. But they should make their own decisions. And I’m not forcing Dread Lotus into anything.”
I doubted that she’d go if it ant leaving him behind.
I slamd my hand against his alchemy prep table. “Now answer the question. How bad is it?”
He grimaced. “I doubt that the arrogant snake can transcend his tribulation since he hasn’t been through our treatnt... But if he can, he’ll definitely kill .”
Which would leave Dread Lotus devastated.
“What grudge does he have with you, anyway?”
He cleared his throat. “My master killed and consud his favorite concubine.”
Holy shit?! That was a lot to unpack.
Either his master was a cannibal, sothing not entirely unexpected in this fucked up Xianxia universe, or... “Was his concubine a spirit beast that could transform into a human shape?”
He nodded. “My master was a... complicated woman. She died before he could get his revenge, so he transferred his hatred to . The only reason I’m still alive is because he could never beat .”
“But that will change if he reaches Immortal Bone Creation.”
“Yes.”
I started taking out the ingredients to make the Nascent Soul version of the bath treatnt. “Well, the answer is simple.”
“No.” He glared.
I grinned. “You simply need to transcend your tribulation before him. Easy.”
“Even if you finish my treatnt, it’s not possible for to reach Immortal Bone Creation. Not in that short amount of ti. I don’t even have access to a manual that tells how to condense an immortal bone!”
Well, considering that there were only nine Immortal Bone Creation experts on the continent, I wasn’t surprised they’d limited that information so extrely. “Then how is Senior Resentful Shadow Snake going to condense his bone?”
He grimaced and began helping sort the fifty ingredients that made up the bath. “That Snake has his senior brother’s technique. He likely spent those 70 years in closed door cultivation practicing just for this mont. He’d never teach the thod. And even if he did, I wouldn’t have the ti to morize it.”
This ant that if I wanted to get this asshole into Immortal Bone Creation, I’d have to give him an Immortal Bone Creation manual and walk him through the process using everything I’d learned in my past life.
Since I’d been an alchemist for a thousand years, I certainly had more than one or two manuals morized. The issue was that they were orthodox techniques I learned from the Indomitable Will sect. They were sothing I couldn’t give him. Not unless... No. Not that.
I guessed there was no way. I an, even if he had a cultivation thod, I’d have to walk him through the process of creating an immortal bone. This fucker would then owe for his next seven lifetis. That was certainly more than he could afford. It would absolutely fuck up his karma which would make going through his tribulation impossible until he paid back. The only way to avoid that would be if I... goddamn it.
I’d already said I wasn’t going to fucking take him in as a disciple!
Fuck that! No. I refused to have a disciple. Watching that creep Verdant Bamboo marry that donkey-brained Bloodsword like the disgusting scum bucket she was made never want one.
Seriously, what was the original author thinking?! Master-disciple relationships in Xianxia may not be uncommon, but they reeked of grooming. Especially their relationship. It gave the ick.
Even if I wanted to make him my disciple, he would never agree. It was impossible!
I’d have to find so other way since the re thought of taking in a disciple made my skin crawl. But that could be left for later. I had too much to do first, like making sure everything went well with his second-to-last bath.
That said... “Whether you go through your tribulation or just prepare for war, gather every high-ranked defensive tool you can once we’re done here.”
He scowled. “I plan to.”
***
After we prepared the bath and I gave him his acupuncture treatnt, I looked over his body using my divine sense and cataloged the changes. Everything was as I expected... At least until I reached the blockages near his eyes. While they weren’t as bad as they’d been when I left yesterday, the current bath wasn’t doing anything to loosen them at all.
Damn it! This asshole lied to , thinking he could stretch the truth because he received an epiphany yesterday. ‘I can control my side effects now’ my ass!
It was my fault for not checking that he ant all of his beast parts, even the ones that weren’t annoying. He could already change the musky nose-attacking scent glands, dull his too-heightened senses, and shift his hair color which were the only things that frustrated him. I’d just assud he could change his eyes back, too. Unfortunately, he still had these blockages, which ant he couldn’t!
All the patients in this world were fucking liars!
Shit. I had to do sothing about these if I wanted to save face after telling him he’d be fully cured after tomorrow’s treatnt. Since this bath wasn’t fixing this blockage the way it should, I had to find a way to remove it quickly.
I glanced down at the silver needle in my hand. Could I get away with stabbing him near the eye? Yeah, No. Even if it were for treatnt, he absolutely would not let .
Then what about taking a Heavenly Skies ridian Clearing pill? Fuck. We didn’t have the ingredients for that on this damned backwater continent. And even if we did, it might not work against the beast blood contract bath’s effects.
“...”
Noxious frowned. “Why are you glaring at like that?”
As if he didn’t know. Then again, the bath’s itching and intense sll were likely getting to him, so it was possible he didn’t realize I’d figured out his minor deception. Whatever.
Making him suffer through the bath wasn’t enough of a revenge for lying to about his body’s physical state during our damned testing phase! No. I wanted to see him cry.
Wait. That wasn’t a bad idea!
I lood above him.
“What?”
“Uncomfortable?”
“Very.”
I smiled evilly. “You’re good at not showing your discomfort… But I bet I can make you cry.”
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