Chapter 101: Where Is the Trust Between People?

Watching as the celestial thunder was about to strike, Yan Shu quickly decided it was best to quit while she was ahead. She turned her gaze, brimming with interest, toward the Medicine King. “Master, why don’t you give it a try?”

The Medicine King eyed the dissipating thunder, excitement sparking in his eyes as he rubbed his hands together. “How do you play this game?”

“It’s very simple,” Yan Shu glanced at Xiao Jihan’s silhouette in the inner room, busy refining pills, then leaned in and whispered to the Medicine King, “Master, all you have to do is curse Xiao Jihan silently in your heart. The fiercer your curses, the better the effect.”

The Medicine King was somewhat skeptical, but Yan Shu’s success was undeniable. He decided to give it a try.

He lifted his head to the sky and cursed inwardly, “Xiao Jihan, you son of a turtle, shameless! Always living off others just because you’re good-looking!”

Yet the heavens remained utterly silent.

The Medicine King turned to Yan Shu, “It’s not working.”

Yan Shu glanced at the cloudless sky and asked, “What did you curse, Master?”

The Medicine King repeated his words. Yan Shu pondered a moment, “Maybe it wasn’t harsh enough. You need to be ruthless, Master.”

On hearing this, the Medicine King raised his eyes to the sky and cursed aloud for a long while, but still nothing happened. He looked at Yan Shu suspiciously, “Is your method really effective? I’ve already cursed him fiercely, even used foul language.”

Yan Shu hesitated, “Maybe… try cursing out loud?”

The Medicine King thought it over, then nodded, “Alright.”

He looked up again, one hand on his hip, the other pointing at the sky as he shouted, “Xiao Jihan! If your brain’s useless, donate it for research! Did you swap your head and your backside? If you’re sick, seek a doctor; I’m not a vet! You remind me of two pigs—because one pig can’t describe your stupidity.”

“You’re a pest everyone wants to squash, a parasite harming others and yourself, a worm despised by all!”

“You’re gold, I’m coal. You shine, I burn. Don’t provoke me or you’ll be melted by my fire!”

Just then, Xiao Jihan stepped out to collect herbs, his brow furrowing, “Master, what are you doing?”

Yan Shu and the Medicine King both froze instantly, rigid as statues.

Xiao Jihan walked over, glancing at Yan Shu and then at the Medicine King. “Master, Senior Sister, are you cursing me?”

Yan Shu shook her head like a rattle-drum, “No, I wasn’t, you’re imagining things. How could I possibly curse you? I was only listening to Master curse you.”

Xiao Jihan turned to the Medicine King, his thin lips pressed tight. “It seems Master is very dissatisfied with his disciple. From now on, perhaps you should fetch the spiritual spring water for your tea yourself.”

With those words, he turned and left.

Medicine King: ...

Where is the trust between people?!

Yan Shu rubbed her nose, feeling guilty, “I’m just idle anyway. From now on, let me handle the spiritual spring water.”

The Medicine King shot her a cold glance, “Be honest, are you setting me up?”

“Of course not!” Yan Shu hurriedly replied, “Whenever I curse him, thunder always comes.”

But the Medicine King no longer believed her. “Curse him for me, out loud.”

Yan Shu glanced at Xiao Jihan, who had already returned indoors, then whispered, “Stupid Xiao Jihan, damn Xiao Jihan, may your son have no butt, what’s the use of being handsome when your heart is so black, you’re simply a bastard!”

A fierce wind rose, and thunderclouds gathered as expected.

Yan Shu quickly shut her mouth, but it was already too late.

Boom!

Sizzle…

The Medicine King, standing right next to Yan Shu, was caught off guard and received the full force of the celestial thunder.

The wind calmed, clouds dispersed, thunder faded.

Both faces now blackened, they opened their mouths and simultaneously spat out a puff of black smoke.

The Medicine King glanced at Yan Shu and silently gave her a thumbs up.

Having witnessed that Yan Shu truly could summon heavenly thunder, the Medicine King began planning to temper Xiao Jihan’s spiritual roots.

Yan Shu, meanwhile, realized that only her curses could summon thunder; she guessed this was a side effect of transmigrating into the book, targeting only her as an outsider, while natives were unaffected.

Having gained the approval of the Earth Essence, the Medicine King entrusted all his spiritual seeds to Yan Shu, instructing her not to plant them lightly unless she was absolutely certain.

After all, the Medicine King's spiritual seeds were precious, some existing only in legend.

Yan Shu settled into a daily routine of farming, feeding the phoenix, Earth Essence, and golden fur.

Her spiritual sea had expanded greatly; since she had no use for spiritual power, she chose to feed it entirely to them.

Day by day, Yan Shu grew increasingly adept at cultivating spiritual plants, and Xiao Jihan successfully refined his first eighth-tier pill.

This signaled that their departure from Medicine King Valley was near.

Xiao Jihan remained obsessed with pill refinement, unable to extricate himself, while Yan Shu had already begun to feel the pangs of impending separation.

She shortened her hours working in the fields, spending the rest of her time with the Medicine King, attending to him, personally fetching spiritual spring water for tea every day, and changing her attitude to patiently listen to his reminiscences.

At first, she simply wanted to keep him company, but as she listened, she found enjoyment and learned many secrets.

For instance, the former Demon King was gay; the previous abbot of Brahma Heaven Temple was the son of the one before him; and in the Beast Taming Sect, there was a hierarchy of disdain: those who favored spiritual beasts looked down on those who favored spiritual plants, and those with flying beasts looked down on those whose beasts couldn’t fly.

Most intriguingly, she learned of a place independent from the Nine Provinces: the Ghost Domain.

Yan Shu was very curious, “Is the Ghost Domain the legendary underworld?”

“No,”

The Medicine King replied, “The Ghost Domain is where souls that died unjustly or cannot be reincarnated reside. It exists both within and outside the Nine Provinces. Anyone entering the Ghost Domain, without great fortune to transcend the entire domain, will remain trapped forever.”

It sounded terrifying; Yan Shu rubbed her goosebumps, “Don’t worry, Master, I cherish my life and I’m lazy—I won’t wander off for no reason.”

The Medicine King merely glanced at her and smiled, saying nothing.

At that moment, Xiao Jihan finished another batch of eighth-tier pills, tidied up his pill recipes, and came over to them.

The Medicine King rose, looking at him and Yan Shu, “Alright, the time has come to part ways.”

As soon as he spoke, Yan Shu’s eyes reddened.

The Medicine King reached out and gently rubbed her head, speaking softly, “All good things must come to an end. My soul and spirit have lingered in the lower realm for too long; if I do not return soon, it will affect my true form. Both of you are exceptionally gifted and destined for greatness. Cultivate well, and I’ll wait for you in the upper realm.”

Yan Shu sniffled and gave a muffled response.

Xiao Jihan, too, replied softly, “Yes.”

The Medicine King smiled, withdrew his hand, and strode toward the house, “Come, let me teach you one last lesson. Let you witness what a Heaven-Defying Pill truly is!”