Ethan lifted the pestle in his hand, smashing it down into the mortar with a listless air, slowly grinding the luminous green stones mixed with mud into a fine powder.
Despite the damp and cold of the cave, he was clad only in a coarse linen garment. Yet, his face showed indifference, as if he hardly noticed his surroundings.
He wasn’t alone in the cave. There were other men and women, all with tied hair and similarly dressed in coarse cloth and hemp ropes.
The only difference between them and Ethan was their apparent physical deformities. Some suffered from albinism, others from polio. Various congenital and acquired physical abnormalities were present, making the small cave a museum of deformities.
Their job, like Ethan’s, was to pound things - metals, stones, and herbs. However, it was evident that some were not focused on their tasks.
A young girl's terrified scream pierced the air, drawing everyone's attention. In a corner of the cave, a cleft-lipped overweight boy with a lecherous smile tried to pull an albino girl into his embrace, muttering, “Just a touch, just one, hehehe~”
Ethan, ignoring the chaos, closed his eyes and continued his task. But as the girl's cries grew more desperate, Ethan, irritated, cursed under his breath and stood up, lifting the stone mortar with one hand.
With a thud, stone met bone. The cleft-lipped boy, his head bleeding, sat stunned on the ground, bewildered by the blow. After a couple of seconds, he twisted in pain, holding his wound and wailing.
The albino girl, her fate of defilement averted, fearfully hid behind Ethan, clutching her clothes.
“I’ll tell you! You’re done for, you know who my master is? If he finds out, he’ll kill you!” the cleft-lipped boy threatened, his face twisted in rage.
“To hell with him! He’s nothing!” Ethan’s words stunned everyone into silence. No one expected such boldness from him.
Observing the expressions of his so-called brothers, Ethan took a deep breath, suppressing the anger in his heart.
“What’s wrong with me, getting angry with these people? That’s not who I am. I shouldn’t let them affect my nature. That wasn’t the real me. Stay calm, stay calm.”
As Ethan was calming himself, someone at the door called out to him.
Ethan, Nora, the master calls for you,” called a tall young man, clearly of a different status than Ethan, clad in a blue Taoist robe.
Though the robe looked old, with its cuffs faded from washing, it was still better than Ethan's tattered hemp cloth.
The man, holding a horsehair duster in one arm, looked down at his juniors with a hint of arrogance in his eyes.
Upon seeing the young Taoist, the cleft-lipped boy with a bloodied head immediately showed a schadenfreude grin. “Haha! You’re in trouble now! It’s your turn today.”
But Ethan completely ignored him, turning to follow a young girl with a crooked mouth, drooling...
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The woman walked towards the door, her complexion ashen and unhealthy.
Just a few steps forward, she realized someone was tugging at her sleeve, holding her back. Ethan turned to find the albino girl he had saved.
Her eyes, brimming with tears, shook her head continuously, filled with fear.
Ethan, indifferent, shook off her grasp with a flick of his sleeve and strode forward.
Exiting the small cave, they entered a larger cavern, its walls dotted with holes like the one they had left, each serving different purposes. The rough, uneven construction suggested the work of unskilled hands.
The cavern was vast, with tunnels branching in all directions, like an enlarged anthill.
Decaying peach wood plaques were nailed above each small cave, deeply engraved with the names of each chamber: Spirit Palace, Old Law Hall, Ancestor Celebration Hall, Four Emperors Hall.
A naturally formed cavern, it had been transformed into something resembling a Taoist temple.
As they continued through the cavern, the crooked-mouthed woman pulled out a dark, sticky object from her pocket and held it out to Ethan, speaking in a dazed voice, “Want some rare sugar?”
Ethan's brows furrowed slightly, seemingly aware of her simplicity. He took it impatiently and stuffed it into his sleeve.
Seeing Ethan accept it, she pulled out another piece from her pocket, put it in her mouth, and continued with a foolish grin, “Master’s good, there's sugar with master.”
Ethan didn’t respond. They continued walking for about a quarter of an hour until they came upon an ancient-looking, blackened alchemy furnace.
The furnace, emitting blue smoke, seemed to pierce the roof of the cave, appearing like a metallic hill.
As Ethan approached, the furnace grew larger until its shadow engulfed him, creating an oppressive feeling.
It wasn't just the massive five-tiered furnace that overwhelmed him, but also the figure in front of it.
From behind, the figure wore a blue-green Taoist robe, with his hair in a bun and a crown, his temples graying, exuding an air of otherworldly wisdom.
Sitting cross-legged, he seemed to be doing the same thing as Ethan earlier, pounding with a pestle, only much larger, resembling a huge column.
With each rise and fall, the sound of the pestle striking echoed through the cave.
“Master… Master!” The woman with the crooked mouth clumsily clasped her hands at her chest, showing deep respect to the figure.
Her voice halted the ear-piercing pounding.
As the figure turned around, Ethan's pupils involuntarily contracted, despite his preparedness.
The Taoist's front differed starkly from his back. From behind, he appeared dignified and wise, but from the front, he was a repulsive, leprous old man, his few yellow teeth exposed in a gummy smile.
“Arrived, have you? My good disciple, you’ve kept me waiting.”
With a flick of his dirty robe, the old Taoist leaped up, grabbing the woman’s neck with one hand and retreating.
Before the foolish woman could utter another word, she was thrown into a half-human-sized stone jar. In the next moment, the master, with a ferocious expression, grabbed the stone pestle and smashed it down heavily.
The furnace, emitting blue smoke, seemed to pierce the roof of the cave, appearing like a metallic hill.
As Ethan approached, the furnace grew larger until its shadow engulfed him, creating an oppressive feeling.
It wasn't just the massive five-tiered furnace that overwhelmed him, but also the figure in front of it.
From behind, the figure wore a blue-green Taoist robe, with his hair in a bun and a crown, his temples graying, exuding an air of otherworldly wisdom.
Sitting cross-legged, he seemed to be doing the same thing as Ethan earlier, pounding with a pestle, only much larger, resembling a huge column.
With each rise and fall, the sound of the pestle striking echoed through the cave.
“Master… Master!” The woman with the crooked mouth clumsily clasped her hands at her chest, showing deep respect to the figure.
Her voice halted the ear-piercing pounding.
As the figure turned around, Ethan's pupils involuntarily contracted, despite his preparedness.
The Taoist's front differed starkly from his back. From behind, he appeared dignified and wise, but from the front, he was a repulsive, leprous old man, his few yellow teeth exposed in a gummy smile.
“Arrived, have you? My good disciple, you’ve kept me waiting.”
With a flick of his dirty robe, the old Taoist leaped up, grabbing the woman’s neck with one hand and retreating.
Before the foolish woman could utter another word, she was thrown into a half-human-sized stone jar. In the next moment, the master, with a ferocious expression, grabbed the stone pestle and smashed it down heavily.