Chapter 480: Divine Medicine

"Forcing things only leads to discord and disunity," He Lingchuan chuckled. "Although they've amassed a hundred thousand troops on the west side of Panlong Plateau, I suspect that since General Hong has already led the Panlong Army back, these hundred thousand troops won't rashly attack."

"Why?" Sun Fuling blinked. "Since they've already come, how can they return empty-handed?"

"These two nations have coveted Panlong Wasteland for years. They actually don't want to stop us from returning east, do they? After all, once Lord Zhong takes all the soldiers and civilians away, this place will likely be theirs." He paused. "For decades, they've fought tooth and nail for this land. Now that they have the chance to take it for free, they should be overjoyed."

"Then how do you explain them coming and even joining forces?"

"Under pressure?" He Lingchuan had already finished gnawing on a pear. "They've always supported those small nations in Xiji. They can't just abandon them, can they?"

Sun Fuling smiled, "What's wrong with that? They don't even care about tiny nations."

"Then the pressure must come from somewhere elsewhere, perhaps... Beijia?" He Lingchuan stood up to get water and wash his hands. "Beijia has always wanted us to return home via the Jinxi Corridor. They're sending troops to suppress rebellions within Xiluo and even persuaded Baling to open the Jinxi Corridor. Why are they being so kind-hearted?"

"Do you think they want to eliminate us along the way?"

"Definitely," He Lingchuan sneered. "At the very least, they want to cripple our forces. But since we refused to take the Jinxi Corridor and wanted to find another route, Beijia became unhappy."

"So I reckon the combined forces of Baling and Xianyou are just putting on a show. At most, they'll fight a few small skirmishes, then quickly withdraw their troops and return home," he speculated. "The reason for withdrawal is easy to explain: they successfully prevented the Panlong Army from advancing eastward, which can be reported to all parties."

Unconsciously, he had already begun analyzing the war situation, and he made perfect sense.

Sun Fuling's eyes flickered slightly. She tilted her head and looked at him. "I hope it's truly as you predicted. Oh, by the way, you've been out for so long, have you practiced your flute and xun diligently?"

He Lingchuan also spoke almost at the same time, "Oh, right, I have something else to ask you."

The atmosphere between them had softened, and Sun Fuling smiled, revealing her dimples again. "Go ahead, don't be shy."

"Have you ever heard of the 'Elixir of Immortality'? It's also called the 'Longevity Elixir'."

Sun Fuling asked curiously, "Where did you hear about that?"

He Lingchuan scratched his head. "I saw it once while reading some leisure books in the Wenxuan Pavilion."

"Which one?"

"Uh, I can't remember." (It was just an excuse anyway.) "It seems you've heard of it?"

"That's a legend from the nation of Beijia. A'luo's master is a great pharmacist; he might know more," Sun Fuling said, standing up and going to the fish tank to feed the fish. "Why don't you go ask him?"

"Now?" He Lingchuan looked at the sky. "It's a bit late."

"He's at A'luo's house today; I just ran into him."

A'luo's house was nearby; after all, everyone lived in wooden houses. He Lingchuan immediately stood up: "Are you coming?"

Sun Fuling smiled and shook her head. "I still have to grade homework. For the past half month, people have been unsettled, and even the little ones' homework has been perfunctory. I really need to rectify this!"

He Lingchuan detected a hint of menace in her smile and couldn't help but shiver, quickly heading out the door.

About fifteen minutes later, he knocked on A'luo's door.

The master and apprentice had just finished dinner. A'luo was washing dishes, and his hands were soaking wet when he opened the door. "Why are you here?"

"I'm here to ask your master some questions," He Lingchuan said and then squeezed inside, bowing to Helian Chen, who was sitting at the table. "Master Helian, long time no see."

Helian Chen was reading a book, wearing a pair of crystal spectacles. Hearing this, he took them off. "Little He? Long time no see."

He Lingchuan took out a few medicinal prescriptions from his sleeve and handed them over. "Last time, I greatly benefited from the two prescriptions you provided for the Emperor's Dew. I've collected a few prescriptions and several jars of medicinal wine in Yuheng City as a small token of my gratitude."

He then took out several jars of wine from his storage ring, and A'luo stepped forward to take them.

The wine was genuinely from Yuheng City, but the prescriptions were not. They came from Zhitian Village in his original world. As the main herb-producing area of Chiyan Nation, Zhitian Village naturally had many unique elixirs, and their main formulas were not difficult to obtain. Of course, each pharmacy would also fine-tune the proportions, having their own so-called secret recipes. The great pharmacist had specifically given him a prescription last time to help him maximize the benefits of the second Emperor's Dew. He needed to repay this favor.

Helian Chen took the prescriptions and examined them one by one, quickly nodding. "Very good, very good. Baize Pills, Xuelin Elixir... these names are quite interesting."

With his profound knowledge, he could naturally see the essence at a glance, and even his smile grew warmer. "This Xuelin Elixir seems to be a specialty of central Beijia. How did you find it in Yuheng City?"

He Lingchuan broke into a sweat. This old man had such extensive knowledge of medicine; he was truly hard to deceive. He could only vaguely say, "Perhaps it spread from Beijia? Merchants travel all over, exchanging goods."

"Hmm, possibly!" Helian Chen nodded, though it was unclear if he saw through the excuse. "This formula differs somewhat from what I know; it has undergone quite a few improvements." Helian Chen chuckled, "This child is very sincere, very good, not as dull as A'luo."

He Lingchuan chuckled awkwardly. After all, the prescriptions he brought were from over a hundred years in the future; how could they not have improvements?

Seeing Helian Chen's smiling face, he struck while the iron was hot: "Oh, by the way, Master, I wanted to ask if you've ever heard of the 'Elixir of Immortality'?"

Helian Chen's reaction was the same as Sun Fuling's; he asked for the source, and after He Lingchuan gave a vague answer, he stroked his beard and said, "It's been a long time since anyone mentioned it."

He Lingchuan immediately sensed an opportunity. "You know about it, don't you?"

"Hmm, it's a so-called 'divine medicine' passed down in Beijia. It can prolong the life of the user, and if they were originally weak and sickly, taking it quickly strengthens their body." Helian Chen recalled, "When I was studying in Beijia years ago, I happened to witness the Baoshu King bestow an Elixir of Immortality upon one of his officials, who consumed it on the spot. Yes, such medicines are always required to be taken on the spot; you're not allowed to take them away."

"How many years of life can one pill extend?"

"There's no fixed number, as everyone's constitution is different, and the constitution of demons differs from humans." Helian Chen thought for a moment. "I heard it extends life by at least ten years, perhaps even several decades at most?"

"Only ten years, and they dare call it a divine medicine?"

"You truly don't know the sorrows of old age, young man." Helian Chen burst into laughter. "If a person is on their last legs, let alone ten years, they'd trade all their worldly possessions for just ten more days of life! Moreover, this medicine also has the effect of strengthening the body, and if you are a cultivator, it can prevent your cultivation from regressing."

Cultivation, like age and strength, eventually declines.

He Lingchuan immediately asked, "Who makes this medicine?"

"The prescription is held by a select few in Lingxu City; even the demon kings of various vassal states don't know about it." Helian Chen shook his head. "I don't know who specifically controls it. I heard the formula was leaked once before, so Beijia must be managing it more strictly now."

He Lingchuan asked the crucial question, "Do you know about 'Essence Pearls'? It's said to be one of the ingredients for refining the Elixir of Immortality."

"I haven't heard of that," Helian Chen pondered. "However, a friend from a prominent family in Lingxu City once mentioned after drinking that his father had taken the Elixir of Immortality, and he said the most crucial medicinal catalyst was bestowed by the gods. Without this catalyst, the Elixir of Immortality cannot be made at all. Therefore, Lingxu City is the only place in the world that produces this divine medicine."

"Only bestowed by the gods?" He Lingchuan thought of Mr. Mai hunting demons for pearls. If Wan Song's words were true, these Essence Pearls would eventually be kneaded into the alchemy furnace to refine the Elixir of Immortality. This implied that the amount of medicinal catalyst needed would correspond to the amount of Essence Pearls.

Had Beijia been secretly poaching the lives of its own citizens to refine this divine medicine? That seemed a bit strange. It wasn't that they wouldn't do such a thing, but rather... they could have done it openly. At most, they could have presented some noble reasons, and people would naturally volunteer their lives. Why act surreptitiously? Was someone secretly making the medicine? But the medicinal catalysts were all bestowed by the gods. Without the catalyst, how could they make anything? This matter didn't make sense from either angle.

He thought for a moment, "I can understand humans craving the Elixir of Immortality, but do demons also?"

"The direct consequence of weakening spiritual energy is the reduction in the lifespan of living beings. Whether demon or human, as long as they live in this world, they cannot escape this rule." A'luo offered warm water, and Helian Chen took a sip. "Demons generally live longer than humans, but their lives still have an end."

He Lingchuan's heart stirred. "Is it the same for Ba? It originated from a corpse; does it also have a lifespan?"

"Ba?" Helian Chen was somewhat surprised to hear the name. "Are there still such beings now? I heard they haven't been seen since the Middle Ages."

"Yes, there are, in Beijia." (Indeed, at this time, Chiyan Nation hadn't been established yet, and Fu Shanyue's father was just beginning to make a name for himself.)

"Nothing is strange about things appearing in Beijia," Helian Chen shook his head. "Although Ba emerge from Yin turbidity, they rely on Yang energy to survive, just like other living beings. Otherwise, why would they absorb essence blood? The more time passes and the older a Ba becomes, the more turbidity increases in its body while its vitality becomes rarer. In this respect, it's no different from a human, though its lifespan is longer, turning to dust after three or four hundred years."

He Lingchuan thought for a moment and then asked, "What about Granny Zhu Er, the great demon from the Ghost Needle Stone Forest? She's an ancient demon immortal who has lived from ancient times until now. How did she escape the shackles of life and death?"

"That great demon is very interesting!" As soon as Granny Zhu Er was mentioned, Helian Chen became invigorated, even tossing his book onto the table. "Panlong City has been its neighbor for so many years, but we never had a chance to understand it. It was only after the battle in the Ghost Needle Stone Forest that General Hong brought back a segment of the spider demon's claw tip, giving us the opportunity to study it properly!"

He Lingchuan watched the light in his eyes and instinctively touched the goosebumps on his arms. "Have you reached a conclusion?"

"No, how could it be that fast? There are too many secrets on these ancient demon immortals! Just deciphering how demonic power operates within it could take years of study, but—" Helian Chen's eyebrows almost shot up, "—this demon immortal masters at least two major abilities: first, hibernation, and second, molting!"