After the Immortal Disappeared

He lowered his voice for the next sentence, "Or we'll have to flee tonight!"

Of course, Hee Chunhua, standing beside him, still heard it and slapped a hand to his forehead.

Lingguang also knew the matter was serious and hopped over to the bull.

The beast was foaming at the mouth with green froth, its limbs still struggling relentlessly. Lingguang rolled the bull's eyelid back. "The redness in its eyes has faded. It seems that after passing through two subjects, the potion's effect is significantly reduced. This is great news. Hmm, let's draw some blood and see."

Hee Lingchuan couldn't help but curse.

'"Significantly reduced" is a relative term,' he thought. 'The mad bull's earlier performance was a clear case of getting way too high. If it ingested any more of that green juice, would it swim across the river and start a brawl at the Xun People Camp?'

If all three hundred bulls were like this…

'Hmm?'

'That sounds like a brilliant idea.'

While the Hornbill took its instructions from Zhao Pan and flew over to the Barbaric Bull leader to apologize, reassure, and console it, Lingguang used a hollow reed to draw a bit of blood from the bull on the ground.

Just a couple of pounds' worth, maybe.

Then, it started adding ingredients to the bull's blood, going to work in a ferocious flurry. Everyone, including Hee Lingchuan, could only stare, dumbfounded, their eyes barely able to keep up with the speed of its hands.

The herd of Barbaric Bulls gathered around, kicking their hooves irritably.

Hee Lingchuan even saw Lingguang dip a finger into the concocted bull's blood and put it in its own mouth to taste.

"Hey!" He rushed over and grabbed Lingguang. 'If even the Medicinal Ape goes crazy, I'll have no idea how to handle this situation.'

Fortunately, Lingguang proved reliable this time. It spent a few seconds savoring the taste, then jumped for joy. "It works! It works! I figured it out!"

The Hee father and son and their men all let out a long sigh of relief.

Next, Lingguang began to prepare the Potion.

It was trembling so hard that half the Potion spilled.

Hee Lingchuan was exasperated. "Can you stop shaking?"

"No!" Lingguang's whole body was trembling. "I'm affected too! The Potion's effects haven't worn off." The fact that it wasn't following its instincts to roar, run into the jungle, and throw branches at people was a sign of its extreme self-control.

Zhao Pan's medic had been watching for a while. He quickly stepped forward. "Let me."

Lingguang gave the instructions while the medic did the work. The ape and the man worked together in surprising harmony.

Finally, the Potion was ready.

Under the glare of hundreds of pairs of bovine eyes, the medic poured the Potion down the throat of the Barbaric Bull on the ground.

Just over ten breaths later, the Barbaric Bull's frenzy subsided. It mooed a few times, and its limbs stopped flailing.

The Hornbill landed on its horn and acted as a simultaneous interpreter. "It's conscious now. No need to keep it tied up."

Hee Lingchuan untied it. The Barbaric Bull struggled to its feet and took two shaky steps before it lost its balance and collapsed again, panting.

"Give it some time to recover." Lingguang gestured for a soldier to bring a bucket of fresh water and place it beside the Barbaric Bull. "It should be fine."

"Alright, alright, nothing to see here!" The officers came out to disperse the crowd of onlookers.

The Barbaric Bull leader walked over to inspect its companion. After confirming there was no serious harm, it shook its head and led its subordinates back to grazing.

Zhao Pan's expression also relaxed. He looked at Hee Lingchuan and said, "Since you've redeemed yourself, I'll spare you punishment out of respect for Mr. Hee. From now on, no more messing around in my camp!"

Hee Lingchuan nodded hastily while the Medicinal Ape beside him chugged down a dose of the Potion as well.

The crisis was finally averted.

Hee Chunhua gave him a few words of reprimand and let it go, finally patting Hee Lingchuan's shoulder. "When I pushed you out there just now, leaving you at General Zhao's mercy, it was because I knew he would never actually harm you."

Seeing his eldest son purse his lips in an impatient manner, Hee Chunhua didn't get angry. With his hands behind his back, he left with Wu Shaoyi and the others.

Hee Lingchuan watched his back, feeling that his old man seemed rather pleased, and even warmer toward him.

'What's he so happy about?'

'Happy that his son caused trouble? That Hee Lingchuan is still the same old Hee Lingchuan?'

Speaking of which, ever since his transmigration, "Hee Lingchuan" had caused noticeably less trouble and made fewer mistakes. Could it be that Hee Chunhua had gotten so used to his son's old antics that seeing him well-behaved actually made him uncomfortable?

Hee Lingchuan shook the strange thoughts from his head and carried Lingguang back to his tent.

The Rock Wolf was already there, gnawing happily on a torn leather strap it had found somewhere.

The creature had hidden itself extremely well earlier, not showing up at all when the Barbaric Bull was on its rampage. Hee Lingchuan wanted to ask, 'What's the use of a guard wolf like this?'

After taking the medicine, Lingguang was drained of energy and lay limply on the table.

"What's the deal with Dong Rui's Potion?" Hee Lingchuan returned to the original topic. After all that chaos, they still didn't have an answer.

Lingguang looked exhausted, with barely enough energy left to speak.

"Dong Rui's Potion… its main ingredient must have been diluted and compounded."

Hee Lingchuan was stunned. "He already diluted it?" Dong Rui had diluted it once, and Lingguang had diluted it a hundredfold again. And even after being passed through two subjects, it could still make a Parasol Tree grow like crazy.

The Barbaric Bull just had a little sap from the Parasol Tree's leaves, not even swallowing a few whole leaves, and it turned into a mad bull?

"Just how potent is the raw material for this main ingredient then?"

"It must be..." Lingguang paused. "Although I couldn't definitively identify it, based on my observations, it's most likely a type of blood."

"Blood?" Hee Lingchuan was incredulous. "This is blood that flowed from some kind of creature?"

"Not necessarily flowed out, it could have been extracted..." Lingguang said weakly. "Yes, it should be blood. I guarantee it with my thirteen years of experience as a Pill Master."

"A tiny bit of blood, after multiple dilutions, can still be this powerful?" Hee Lingchuan was puzzled. "Could it be from a Divine Beast of Ancient Times, or a True Immortal?"

"I don't know, I've never experimented with the blood of a Divine Beast, after all," Lingguang shook its head. "But every living organism I've used for tests has had an adverse reaction to it. That's why the rabbit grew three butts, and the Parasol Tree's bark turned purplish-blue. These changes, which violate their natural characteristics, are all because their bodies were invaded and damaged, causing stress-induced mutations."

Hee Lingchuan's gaze flickered. "Like Dong Rui's Ghost Ape and Werewolf, and that Strange Bird?"

The Ghost Ape could grow an extra pair of eyes on the back of its head and an extra pair of arms on its back. Four eyes and four arms.

And then there was its astonishing defensive power.

As for the Werewolf, it was a complete departure from a wolf's form, transforming toward a human one. This directly defied the natural Law.

Lingguang thought for a moment then added, "Also, because the mutation was too drastic, my test subjects couldn't handle it and died quickly. To put it bluntly, it's a potent poison to most living things."

"So it could also be a type of toxin?"

Lingguang considered this. "I'm still inclined to believe it's a type of blood, one that just has an overly powerful catalytic effect on living things. Or to put it another way, the test subjects are too weak."

"But the fact that the Barbaric Bull and you survived proves that the potency can be reduced," Hee Lingchuan mused. "Dong Rui has probably long since deciphered its secrets, allowing him to effectively control the transformations of his Demon Puppets, making them stronger instead of killing them. Hmm, where on earth did he get this stuff?"

'This must be the core secret of a Demon Puppet Master, right?'

"Give me a little more time." Lingguang blinked. "I think the Potion can be further optimized. Maybe the Master can use it in battle someday."

"If I use this in battle, will I end up like you afterward? Like a paraplegic?"

"...That's why it needs more optimization," Lingguang said weakly. "Right now, my insides feel like they're on fire, like I'm being cooked."

"Bring water!" Hee Lingchuan called out of the tent instinctively. "Fuzzy Peach, get some water..."

He stopped mid-sentence, suddenly remembering.

The Rock Wolf also raised its head, its eyes bright as it stared at him.

Hee Lingchuan fell silent. Just then, Shan Youjun poked his head in and asked, "Master, you need water?"

He went to pour some hot water, and Hee Lingchuan helped the monkey drink it slowly.

Lingguang didn't know what to say either.

After it finished drinking, Hee Lingchuan brought out a blanket, covered it, and said softly, "Go to sleep."

It had been a truly difficult day.

He walked out of the tent, stretched, and looked up to see a sky full of stars.

***

He opened the window, and a blast of cold air hit him in the face.

Hee Lingchuan poked his head out, only for a clump of white snow to fall from a treetop and land with a THUMP on his forehead.

"Phew, it's cold."

Even the frozen ground on the Xiazhou front had already thawed, and the rivers were flowing swiftly again, yet it was still bitingly cold here. From this alone, he knew he was back in the Panlong Dream Realm.

He hadn't dreamed for many days. The winter air was always sharp and clean, and a single breath was chilling to the core.

For some reason, every time Hee Lingchuan entered the Dream Realm, he felt exceptionally clear-headed.

There were no tasks today, so he planned to focus on his training. After so many days of marching in the real world, he had fallen behind on his practice. He was also planning to go out and find himself a good saber.

The last time he was chasing a monster in the city, the creature's hide was too tough, and the Long Saber he'd gotten from the Pengcheng Bureau had broken. He still didn't have a suitable weapon.

But when his hand habitually reached for his waist, he froze.

'Huh? Wait!'

'This texture?'

Hee Lingchuan looked down and saw a familiar hilt and a familiar scabbard—a combination he saw every day in the real world.

The Treasure Saber Floating Life was hanging at his waist.

He drew the saber inch by inch, and its inner brilliance bloomed forth bit by bit.

'It really is Floating Life!'

'I'm not dreaming, am I?'

'No, wait, I'm already in a dream.'

Hee Lingchuan drew the Treasure Saber completely and flourished it in the air. Hmm, it felt just as responsive as in the real world, like an extension of his own arm.

That feeling of perfect harmony wasn't the least bit diminished. None of the weapons he had used in the Dream Realm had ever felt like this.

Had this precious treasure followed him into the dream because he had repaired the Broken Blade and renamed it? Or was it because he had prayed last time to find a replacement weapon in his dreams as soon as possible?

Whatever the reason, his most trusted treasure had appeared, which was like giving a tiger wings.

He flicked the blade and asked the Treasure Saber, "Did you know I was in need of a good weapon?"

The Treasure Saber answered with a long hum.

The cold wind whistled into the room. It was too cold. Just as Hee Lingchuan was about to close the window, he suddenly heard a strange sound.

CLICK, CLICK, CLICK. It sounded three times, like someone pressing a clicker.