Record of Mortals Slaying Heaven

Chapter 25: Seeking Help

The next morning, Shen Moqi practiced a set of boxing in the courtyard. After confirming that the cracks in his meridians had not worsened, he breathed a slight sigh of relief. He had examined himself several times last night, and while the cracks had not expanded, there were no signs of them healing either.

"We can't delay any longer."

He tidied himself up, looked in the mirror, and felt that his complexion wasn't so pale anymore, but he was still not entirely at ease.

So he patted his face to make it look rosier before he mustered his energy and headed toward the library.

Upon arriving at the Sutra Repository, Senior Lin was leaning against the counter, flipping through a yellowed old book. Seeing Shen Moqi enter, he raised his eyelids slightly and said, "You're punctual today."

"Thanks to your great fortune, senior, I feel much better than yesterday, so I was on time." Shen Moqi flattered him.

Senior Lin smiled slightly, seemingly quite pleased with this, and said, "You sure know how to talk, lad. Is there something you need from me again?"

"Hehe, senior has such discerning eyes, nothing can be hidden from you." Shen Moqi scratched his head, "This junior would like to ask for a day off."

Senior Lin put down his book and looked him up and down: "You're taking leave. Where are you going?"

"Senior Sister Ji Yao from the Alchemy Hall is also from the Great Yan Kingdom. She visited me not long after I joined the sect and even gave me two Qi Gathering Pills. However, I haven't had time to visit her yet, and I feel a little ashamed." Shen Moqi didn't wait for Senior Lin to ask for details and simply blurted out the reason she had prepared. "I want to visit her."

Senior Lin thought for a moment and said, "It's been hard on you, a young man, to be confined to the Scripture Pavilion all day. I'll give you two days off as a reward for solving the problem."

Shen Moqi quickly bowed in thanks, turned to leave, then turned back: "Senior, how do I get to the Alchemy Hall?"

Senior Lin casually pointed east: "Just follow this road, past the martial arts arena and north, and you'll see a courtyard full of spirit bamboo. But—" He paused, "the disciples of the Alchemy Hall are arrogant and haughty. As an outer disciple, you're probably not going to be welcomed there."

"This disciple is merely going to find someone; I will not cause trouble."

After Shen Moqi had walked away, Senior Lin picked up his book and muttered, "There are still too few people in the Scripture Pavilion. It looks like I'll have to ask that kid Wu for someone."

---

Following the route pointed out by Senior Lin, Shen Moqi headed towards the Alchemy Hall.

The Luo Xiao Sect occupies a vast area; it takes about two incense sticks' time to walk from the Scripture Pavilion to the Alchemy Hall. As Shen Moqi walked, she observed the buildings and disciples along the way and discovered that the closer she got to the Alchemy Hall, the denser the surrounding spiritual energy became, and a faint medicinal fragrance wafted in the air.

After rounding a bend in the mountain, a lush green bamboo forest came into view. The bamboo stalks were straight, and the leaves shimmered with a faint spiritual light, clearly indicating that they were no ordinary bamboo.

In the middle of the bamboo forest, a courtyard with green bricks and gray tiles was revealed. A plaque hung above the gate with the three large characters "Alchemy Hall".

Shen Moqi walked to the courtyard gate and was about to go in when she was stopped by a young disciple at the gate.

"Halt! This is the Alchemy Hall, a restricted area. Unauthorized personnel are not allowed inside." The disciple sized Shen Moqi up and down, noticing his outer disciple attire, and asked impatiently, "What do you want?"

"Greetings, Senior Brother. I'm here to see someone." Shen Moqi greeted him politely with a cupped-hand salute. "Is Senior Sister Ji Yao here? I'm from her hometown."

"Ji Yao?" Upon hearing this name, the disciple's attitude softened slightly. "Wait here, I'll go inform her."

After saying that, he turned and went into the courtyard.

Shen Moqi stood at the gate waiting, and through the gate she could see the scene inside—several alchemy rooms were scattered about, each with a chimney on its roof, from which wisps of smoke were rising. Several disciples were drying spiritual herbs in the courtyard, while others were grinding medicinal powder, each busy with their own tasks, and the air was filled with a rich and mixed aroma of herbs.

A short while later, Ji Yao came out from inside.

Today she was wearing the standard uniform of the Alchemy Hall—a light blue long skirt with a white ribbon tied around her waist, and her jet-black hair was tied up with a wooden hairpin, making her look more capable than before.

"Junior Brother Shen!" Ji Yao's face lit up with surprise upon seeing him. "What brings you here?"

"I've come to visit my senior sister," Shen Moqi said with a smile. "Won't that be a bother?"

"No need to disturb him." Ji Yao walked to the door and said to the disciple guarding the gate, "Senior Brother Li, this is my fellow townsman. Shall I take him in for a seat?"

The disciple surnamed Li glanced at Shen Moqi and nodded: "Just don't go to the alchemy room."

"Okay." Ji Yao pulled Shen Moqi into the courtyard and led her to a small reception hall next door.

The small hall was simply furnished with a square table, a few chairs, and a tea set on the table. Ji Yao poured Shen Moqi a cup of tea and sat down opposite him.

"What brings you here today?" Ji Yao asked with a smile. "I haven't seen you since the second round of the competition. Why didn't you come to watch the later matches?"

Shen Moqi had already prepared her explanation: "I went to take care of some things with Senior Lin during this period, so I missed watching the competition. I only returned to the Scripture Pavilion the day before yesterday and rested for a day yesterday. Since Senior Lin gave me two days off, I came to visit my senior sister."

Ji Yao felt a little envious. "This Junior Brother Shen can go on business with the sect's seniors at the second level of Qi Refining. It seems he has some skills that he doesn't know about." Although she was curious about what Shen Moqi was going to do, she also knew that it was not something a Qi Refining disciple like her should inquire about.

"It's a pity you didn't see the later matches; they were amazing!" Ji Yao's eyes lit up as she spoke of the competition. "You wouldn't believe it, in the third round, there was a match between Senior Brother Lu Chengyuan and Senior Brother Zhou Chengyuan. Senior Brother Lu was hiding his true strength, having broken through to the ninth level of Qi Refining, making him the highest-ranking participant. Senior Brother Zhou, although only at the eighth level of Qi Refining, possessed three spiritual roots, and his three-elemental techniques were combined with unparalleled skill. The two fought incredibly fiercely—"

She began to describe it vividly, occasionally adding gestures. Shen Moqi listened attentively, nodding in agreement from time to time.

From Ji Yao's account, Shen Moqi learned the final results of the competition: first place went to Lu Chengyuan at the ninth level of Qi Refining, second place to Zhou Chengyuan at the eighth level of Qi Refining, and third place to Liu Chengfeng at the eighth level of Qi Refining. Su Junmo ultimately ranked fourth, missing out on becoming an inner disciple. Xiao Wuwei's fifth-place ranking at the sixth level of Qi Refining also surprised many.

"Su Junmo's loss to Liu Chengfeng was also quite remarkable." Ji Yao's tone became somewhat complicated as she said this. "The two were evenly matched in strength, but Liu Chengfeng was more experienced and seized on a weakness in Su Junmo in the end, winning in one move."

Shen Moqi kept a close eye on things. Although Su Junmo hadn't entered the inner sect, his strength was still far beyond her reach. She wondered if he would come looking for trouble.

Thinking of this, Shen Moqi asked hesitantly, "Then what's the deal with Senior Sister and Su Junmo's brother?"

Speaking of this, Ji Yao's face showed a mixture of anger and helplessness: "Su Junli once came to my alchemy hall to ask for pills, and I was the one who received him. After that, he began to pursue me, but because I was focused on cultivation, I never had any intention of forming a Daoist partnership with anyone, so I always kept my distance from him. But he spread the word that I was the Daoist partner he had chosen, and he prevented his other fellow disciples from getting close to me until he went out to carry out a sect mission."

After Shen Moqi understood the whole story, she realized what had happened. But weren't the Su brothers being a bit too domineering? So she asked, "Isn't the sect doing anything about this?"

Ji Yao shook her head with a wry smile: "I also reported this matter to the manager of the Alchemy Hall, but the manager said it was a private matter and that Su Junli had not done anything against the sect rules, so he could not interfere. In fact, I also know that the Su family is an affiliated family of the sect, and their connections within the sect are very deep. Some people in the sect do not want to offend the Su family."

Shen Moqi was also overwhelmed by what she heard. How did she end up in such a mess? She figured Su Junmo would also find out about her visit to Ji Yao today, and who knew what kind of trouble that would cause.

After a moment of silence, Shen Moqi, thinking it best to resolve her own affairs as soon as possible, tentatively asked, "Senior Sister, what do you usually do in the Alchemy Hall?"

"It's about memorizing the types and properties of spiritual herbs, medicinal herbs, beast cores, and demon cores, as well as various pill formulas." Ji Yao also composed herself. "Of course, these are all common low-level pill formulas, like Qi Gathering Pills and Grain Absorption Pills. Occasionally, we'll be allowed to try refining a batch, but my success rate isn't high. I'm lucky if I can succeed in three out of ten batches."

"Then... are there any herbs or elixirs that are beneficial for the meridians?"

Shen Moqi asked casually, but Ji Yao still keenly caught something and looked up at him: "Why are you asking this?"

"It's nothing." Shen Moqi smiled and, following her prepared explanation, said, "Senior Lin rewarded me with a new cultivation technique. I've been practicing it for a few days and I feel that my spiritual energy is circulating much faster than before, but my meridians occasionally feel a little uncomfortable. I was thinking that I should prepare some medicine for this, just in case."

Upon hearing this, Ji Yao's expression turned serious: "It's normal for your meridians to be unaccustomed to the new cultivation method. But you're right, it's always good to have some on hand."

She thought for a moment, then counted on her fingers and said, "As for pills, there are 'Meridian Strengthening Pills' and 'Pulse Forging Pills.' Meridian Strengthening Pills stabilize the meridians and are suitable for use after changing cultivation methods or after a breakthrough; Pulse Forging Pills are more potent, as they can widen the meridians, but they can be painful to take and cannot be used in large quantities."

"What about the herbs?"

"There are also many medicinal herbs. The rhizome of the purple-leaf golden thread lotus has a miraculous effect on repairing meridian damage; the tender bamboo shoots from the cloud bamboo shoots can nourish the meridians; the lotus seeds of the nine-hole spiritual lotus can enhance the toughness of the meridians; and there is also the stone stalactite that is over a hundred years old, which is the most precious. I heard that it can reshape the meridians, but I have only seen it in books and have never seen the real thing."

Shen Moqi memorized these names one by one, then asked, "Where... can I find these things?"

Ji Yao glanced at him, somewhat embarrassed, and said, "I don't have any of these things on hand right now. The alchemy hall's medicine storeroom does have some, but those are limited, and I can't make that decision."

She hesitated for a moment, then took out a small cloth bag from her sleeve and handed it to Shen Moqi: "I have some spirit stones here, take them first. There's a market outside the sect where rogue cultivators occasionally sell these spiritual herbs, you can try your luck there."

"How could I possibly accept this—" Shen Moqi quickly declined.

"Take this." Ji Yao stuffed the cloth bag into his hand. "We're from the same hometown, so it's only right that we look out for each other in the sect. Who knows, I might need your help in the future."

Shen Moqi knew that she was genuinely trying to help, so she stopped refusing and took the bag, weighing it in her hand—there were about a dozen low-grade spirit stones inside.

"Thank you, Senior Sister." He solemnly cupped his hands in thanks.

"Don't be so polite." Ji Yao waved her hand. "If you really find something good, just remember to treat me to a meal."

After chatting for a few more minutes, Shen Moqi got up to say goodbye. Ji Yao saw him to the door.

Shen Moqi thanked him and turned to leave the alchemy hall.

---

Back in the library, Senior Lin wasn't on the first floor; he must have gone up to the second floor or higher. Shen Moqi went straight to the first-floor book section and began searching for books about spiritual herbs—he needed to memorize the characteristics of the herbs Ji Yao had mentioned so he wouldn't be unable to recognize them when he saw them.

Although Xiao Jiu had already collected three or four thousand books, Shen Moqi hadn't specifically asked it to organize the content related to spiritual herbs before. He quickly flipped through several books, including "General Records of Spiritual Herbs" and "Records of a Hundred Herbs," and found the entries for the spiritual herbs that Ji Yao had mentioned.

Purple-leaf Anoectochilus roxburghii: Its leaves are purple with golden thread-like veins. It prefers shade and moisture, and often grows near mountain streams. Its rhizome is used medicinally to repair damaged meridians. The rhizome needs to be at least five years old to have medicinal effects; the older the rhizome, the better the effect.

Cloud bamboo shoots: The shoots produced by cloud bamboo. These shoots are dug out when they are completely hidden in the soil, and the tenderest part of the shoot is taken. They can nourish the meridians and enhance their resilience. Cloud bamboo mostly grows on high mountain cliffs with abundant spiritual energy.

Nine-Hole Spirit Lotus: A rare variety of spirit lotus with nine holes on its root. The seeds of this lotus can enhance the resilience of the meridians, and long-term consumption can improve the meridians' ability to bear spiritual energy.

Stalactites: The spiritual liquid seeping from stalactites, forming droplets over hundreds of years and solidifying into stone over thousands of years. They can reshape meridians and repair all damage to them. Extremely rare and priceless.

Shen Moqi memorized the shapes, colors, smells, and other characteristics of these medicinal herbs, and then took pictures of the illustrations in the book with her phone and sent them to Xiao Jiu.

"Xiao Jiu, save these pictures and the records from earlier."

"Saved." Xiao Jiu's voice rang out. "Do you need me to analyze the difficulty of obtaining these medicinal herbs?"

"No need, I'll go to the market myself and see."

Shen Moqi closed the book, put the spirit stone bag given to her by Ji Yao in her pocket, left the scripture pavilion, and walked towards the outside of the sect.

The market town is located in a valley about ten miles outside the gate of Luoxiao Sect.

He quickened his pace, silently praying that he could find the elixir he needed in the market, even if it was just one.

Otherwise, I really don't know when this meridian crack will be resolved.