Chapter 125: Eight Treasure Jade Essence Ointment!
Chapter 125: Eight Treasure Jade Essence Ointment!
Chapter 125: Eight Treasure Jade Essence Ointment!
After attending to Su Hongxiu and the others, Ling Feng made his way back to the bamboo tower on Little Bamboo Peak.
Inside, the furniture had accumulated some dust, suggesting that Duanmu Qingshan had remained in seclusion without emerging.
He had mentioned before entering seclusion that the day of his breakthrough would also mark his emergence from seclusion.
Having already attained the Transformation Realm, Duanmu Qingshan faced formidable obstacles in advancing further.
"Good, it'll give me more time to further enhance my strength before Master comes out."
In that moment, a flash of purple light burst forth from his embrace, revealing the emergence of the little fellow, Zifeng, seemingly appearing out of nowhere. He casually hopped onto the nearby table and crossed his legs, "Ah, finally, some fresh air."
Ling Feng raised an eyebrow, looking at Zifeng with curiosity. "Where were you hiding just now? I couldn't even sense your presence."
"Hehe, I can turn into a flame now and hide directly in your dantian."
"That's quite convenient."
Ling Feng smirked, he was accustomed to Zifeng's peculiar abilities by now.
He diligently cleaned and tidied the bamboo tower, both inside and out, before proceeding to gather herbs from the medicinal herb garden required for preparing ointments to alleviate Su Hongxiu's facial bruises.
As for Luo Jianying's injuries, they were more complicated. Ling Feng planned to visit the medicinal pavilion early the next day to see if he could find the Spirit Replenishing Marrow he needed.
By time Ling Feng finished collecting the herbs, dusk had already descended. Ling Feng settled himself cross-legged in the courtyard, concentrating on forming the Human Dao divine inscriptions within and absorbing the spiritual energy of the surroundings.
Since embarking on learning the True Art of Xuanyuan, Ling Feng observed a slight slowdown in his realm cultivation progress despite absorbing a similar amount of spiritual energy.
It wasn't necessarily a drawback; rather, it was because the True Art of Xuanyuan cultivated a denser amount of true qi compared to that of the Wenxian Qi-Refining Sutra.
It could even be argued that without switching to the True Art of Xuanyuan, he might not have been able to defeat Jing Wuxue so effortlessly, even after successfully integrating and awakening the Earth-Fire true qi.
Forty breaths' time passed in an instant.
Ling Feng slowly exhaled, retrieving the Pulse-transformation Qi Pill from his pocket, a gift from Long Xiao. Consumption of this pill would allow him to swiftly ascend to the Pulse Formation Realm.
Realizing that his dantian hadn't yet stored enough Earth-Fire true qi, Ling Feng decided to postpone his breakthrough for a few days until all the true qi within had completely transformed into Earth-Fire true qi.
Suppressing the immediate impulse to advance, Ling Feng clenched his teeth as he stored away the pill. Then, he picked up a tray laden with medicinal herbs and commenced the refinement of the ointment.
...
The next morning.
Ling Feng woke up with a lazy stretch directly in the courtyard. Having finished crafting the ointment, he wasted no time and began his cultivation right then and there.
At this point, about ninety percent of the true qi in Ling Feng's dantian had completely transformed. In another two or three days, he should consider taking the Pulse-transformation Qi Pill.
After a quick wash-up, just as Ling Feng was preparing to head to Yunxiu Peak to deliver the ointment to Su Hongxiu, he spotted two figures approaching from afar along the mountain path.
"Hmm?" Ling Feng blinked in surprise.
Who could be coming to Little Bamboo Peak this early?
After all, due to the isolation caused by Duanmu Qingshan, Little Bamboo Peak had been largely left alone, and hardly anyone visited on ordinary days.
"Senior Uncle Ling Feng, Senior Uncle Ling Feng!"
From a distance, Ling Feng heard someone calling his name and couldn't help but shake his head with a smile.
Upon hearing the voice, he immediately recognized it as that of Su Hongxiu, that spirited girl.
Sure enough, as the two approached, it was indeed Su Hongxiu and Jiang Wanqing.
Su Hongxiu was carrying a basket in her hand.
In no time, the two girls arrived outside the bamboo tower. While Su Hongxiu had visited once before, it was Jiang Wanqing's first time setting foot on Little Bamboo Peak.
"It's you two," Ling Feng said with a faint smile as he ushered the two women into the courtyard. "I was actually just about to come find you."
Su Hongxiu looked somewhat timidly toward the bamboo tower behind, biting her lip as she asked, "Senior Uncle Ling Feng, is Senior Granduncle Duanmu here? Is he around?"
"My master is currently in seclusion, so he won't be coming out for the time being," Ling Feng replied, shaking his head with a smile. "What brings you here so early?"
Seeing Ling Feng's gaze fixed on her, Su Hongxiu immediately lowered her head, clutching her clothes nervously and remaining silent.
"It's all because of this girl." Jiang Wanqing interjected with a smile. "You promised to prepare the ointment to remove her bruises yesterday, so she dragged me here early in the morning."
Ling Feng's lips curved into a slight smile. It wasn't difficult to understand; after all, it's natural for women to care about their appearance, and the bruises on Su Hongxiu's face had indeed diminished her adorable features quite a bit.
"Senior Uncle Ling Feng, here is some porridge and side dishes I've prepared for you,"
Su Hongxiu uncovered the basket, releasing a delightful aroma into the air.
"Smells delicious!" Ling Feng sniffed appreciatively, feeling tempted by the scent. It was surprising that despite Su Hongxiu's young age, her culinary skills were remarkably impressive, rivaling even those of the chefs at the Cangqiong Sect.
"I'm pleased you find it appealing, Senior Uncle," Su Hongxiu responded, her eyes sparkling with joy at Ling Feng's compliment.
"In that case, I won't hesitate," Ling Feng declared with a smile, picking up the jade bowl and beginning to 'eliminate' his meal.
While cultivators could eventually reach a state of 'fasting and breathlessness', enabling them to survive without food or air, Ling Feng was far from attaining such a level.
In the past few days of travel, he hadn't had many opportunities to eat, so he didn't hesitate to enjoy the delicious meal now.
After finishing all the food Su Hongxiu had brought, he felt completely satisfied. Nodding approvingly, he praised, "Hongxiu, your cooking skills are truly impressive. That was delicious!"
Su Hongxiu blurted out immediately, "If you enjoy it, Senior Uncle, I'll cook for you every day from now on."
"Um..." Ling Feng quickly waved his hand. "That won't be necessary, if you wake up early every day to cook porridge for me, I wouldn't feel good about it."
With a smile, he shook his head and helped tidy up the food basket. Then, he took out the meticulously prepared ointment and said, "This is called the Eight Treasure Jade Essence Ointment. It's specifically designed to remove scars and bruises from the skin. Come here."
"Okay," Su Hongxiu replied shyly, sitting in front of Ling Feng, her hands fidgeting with her clothes.
Ling Feng slowly opened the bamboo tube and carefully poured out some lotion, applying it to Su Hongxiu's bruises.
Her facial blemishes weren't merely superficial injuries; they were infused with some fire-based true qi, making them particularly difficult to eliminate.
However, to Ling Feng, it was a trivial injury, easily dealt with.
He evenly spread the lotion across Su Hongxiu's cheeks, her heart fluttering at his touch. Yet, having been examined by Ling Feng the day before, she felt somewhat more at ease today.
In Su Hongxiu's nervous and extremely shy state, Ling Feng diligently applied the Eight Treasures Jade Essence Ointment with unwavering focus.
"Is this... enough?" Su Hongxiu nervously inquired as Ling Feng finally ceased.
"Probably in another two or three hours, it should start taking effect." Ling Feng handed the bamboo tube of Eight Treasure Jade Essence Ointment to Su Hongxiu, stating calmly, "This tube is just enough for you to use for three days. By the time you finish using it, the bruises on your face should completely disappear."
"That's wonderful!" Su Hongxiu took the bamboo tube from Ling Feng gratefully, looking at him with a face full of gratitude. She hesitated for a moment before saying, "Senior Uncle Ling Feng, yo-you're really kind."
Ling Feng smiled lightly and said warmly, "When the ointment takes effect, you can rest here in the bamboo pavilion. Master won't be coming out for now. I need to make a trip to the medicinal pavilion."
"Oh..." Su Hongxiu bit her lip. Although she also wanted to accompany Ling Feng, she still had the ointment on her face, so she had to obey Ling Feng's orders.
"Ling Feng... Senior Uncle," Jiang Wanqing, who had been silent for a long time, bit her lip and spoke up, "C-Can I go with you?"