CHAPTER 143 - EXPLORING A ROE-MANTIC CAVE

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[Deactivate the cauldron.]

I mentally clicked on the [Deactivate] button which turned off the fire.

[Use two silver spoons to form the mixture into balls and wrap them with wild betel leaves.]

What the heck? Was I doing alchemy or cooking a dessert?

The Sect Master stepped forward and handed me two silver spoons. “Young lady, congratulations on making your first pill. Use this to form them into balls. Here are some leaves you can use to wrap them.”

I did as I was instructed. The finished product looked like white mochi balls.

[Forming the Paramount Serendipitous Celestial Pill: Quest Complete

Reward: Herblaw Exp and access to the Alchemy sub skill]

I was very close to an Herblaw level, so I had turned off the System confetti effect before we left the farm.

[Congratulations, you just advanced an Herblaw level!]

[Your Herblaw level is now 16.]

It was hard to keep a poker face while I inwardly rejoiced at the good amount of exp I got from the quest. I was nearly level 17 now.

“Well done. These pills are basic nourishing qi pills. It’s very gentle and popular among elderly mortals since it can temporarily soothe their aches and pains.” The Sage looked quite gratified by my success.

The Sage lifted the lid on his cauldron, revealing eight perfectly formed white pills. He put them inside another glass bottle which then disappeared into his inventory.

“Thank you very much!” I thanked both of them effusively as the sage put the cauldrons away.

“No, don’t thank me. This was the least I could do after you gave me the herbs I’ve been looking for.” The Sage led us outside and we walked to another small wooden building. Gesturing for me to stay outside, he entered and emerged a few minutes later with a neatly wrapped brown paper package. “Take these beginner alchemy books. The books themselves are nothing special. You could buy them at specialist bookshops, but these particular copies were annotated by my master.”

I could tell that the books were rare and valuable from the way he insisted that they were nothing special. “I’m greatly honored, Venerable Immortal Sage, but I can’t accept these. They’re far too valuable.”

“No, no, these are just common books. I insist you take them.”

“How could I? I’m unworthy of such treasures.”

“Don’t be so stubborn. Take them.”

“Is it really okay for me to take them?”

“You must.”

We did the whole rigmarole where I refused to accept it three times to show that I wasn’t greedy. This sort of thing was tiring, but it was the proper thing to do, and I guessed that the Sage was the traditional type of person. Eventually, I accepted and thanked him profusely.

Our business done, we walked back to the main hall.

The Sage seemed to be in a very good mood. “Tell me, young lady, why did you approach me instead of the two alchemists from the clans?”

I couldn’t tell him that he was the System’s choice. “I don't think the clans use the same alchemy method as humans, do they?”

“They do.”

“Oh.”

“In the future, if they need more Paramount Serendipitous Celestial Pills, the clan members can make them.”

“You don’t want to make more, Venerable Immortal Sage?”

“I will be unable to. My lifespan is at its end. The viridian unity moss and invigorating qi fern you gave me are the last two ingredients I need for my farewell party. With them, I can make the Sovereign Vitality Awakening Pill.”

“Um.” I didn’t know what to say, so I made a soft, noncommittal sound because I couldn’t tell if he meant what he said literally. For all I knew, the old man would have decades more of lifespan left. Who knew how cultivators counted time? I’d asked Fengying and she said that the Venerable Immortal Sage was at least three hundred years old, which was far beyond a normal cultivator’s lifespan. That was why he had outlived his three disciples. He seemed to be waiting for my reaction, so I said, “The Sovereign Vitality Awakening Pill?”

He chuckled. “Ah, the pill that will bring back my youth! It will be my masterpiece.”

“Wow, it's a youthening medicine?”

“A temporary one. I’ll make at least two, one for me, and one for my junior martial brother, that old-”

Here the Sect Master interrupted the Sage with a loud cough.

The Sage seemed a little abashed at being caught almost cussing in front of an outsider like me. He cleared his throat. “... That old rival of mine, is what I was about to say. It will be an event that people will talk about for centuries afterward!”

You might be reading a pirated copy. Look for the official release to support the author.

“Wow! I’m sure it will be amazing.” I had no idea what he was talking about though I was tickled pink at the mention of a junior martial brother. That should refer to someone who was a fellow disciple who studied under the same master. And they were rivals? I sensed that there was a long, dramatic story behind this rivalry.

I must've looked quite interested because the Sage misinterpreted my expression as curiosity about the event.

“I’m sorry, young lady, but you can’t attend. It’s only for me, my junior martial brother, and one witness. We’ll have to bring a poet with us.” The Sage chuckled. “One who can hold his liquor! The pill will bring back the vitality of youth, and we’ll compete in twelve contests of skill and stamina.”

“It sounds fun.” 'Not a bad way to spend your last days' was what I wanted to add, but I didn’t want to seem morbid.

The Sage counted it off with his fingers. “Wrestling, archery, horse riding, boat racing, running, swimming, chess, poetry, philosophical debate, painting, musical composition, and kite fighting.”

By the time he finished his recitation, we were near enough to see the main hall, so he stopped talking. Shuye and the kids saw us arriving and met us at the door. They seemed impatient to see what I had made during my first alchemy session.

“Teacher, this looks great! May I eat it?” Lari was the first to react when I showed them the mochi-looking “pills.”

“Sure, why not?” I gave my apprentices one each.

“It’s sweet,” said Mo.

“I like how it's soft and chewy,” said Kharli.

“The pill is very filling,” said Lari.

Even Shuye ate one when I offered it to him. I suppose alchemy items were not considered human food and were therefore not taboo for clan members to eat.

“Delicious,” said Shuye.

We thanked the Sage and Sect Master one last time and said our goodbyes.

At the flying carriage, I used a wooden twig I picked up to draw a crude map on the ground and instructed the driver to go to the spot I indicated. “That’s where the [Heaven’s Eye Grotto] is located.”

I really wanted to go cave fishing!

The drivers of the flying carriage and ox cart were very skilled, so it took them only half an hour to find the little valley between two peaks that I marked on the map. Once we were on the ground, the cave opening was easy enough to spot.

“How mysterious!” I said. “This place is called the [Heaven’s Eye Grotto]. According to the map from my bloodline inheritance, there should be a small subterranean lake inside where we can fish.”

The entrance of the cave was large and the ground was surprisingly even except for two large white rock formations. The top of the entrance had a large quantity of white mineral deposits. Were those stalactites? I wished I knew more about geology.

The side of the mountain where the cave was located was covered in a very interesting black moss and red lichen. Above us, two especially large circular clusters of red lichen stood out. The System didn’t identify the moss or lichen which meant that they weren't herblaw ingredients, so I left them alone.

This place must have been discovered by people before since there were some characters carved on the mountain wall written above it, but they were too old and worn for me to read.

The air smelled like sulfur. Was there a hot spring inside?

I was about to enter when Shuye pulled me back.

“Wait.” He gazed at the cave entrance with furrowed brows.

“Oh, right, I should send Mr. Bear inside first, right? It should be safe, but there’s no reason not to be careful.” I detached Mr. Bear from my belt and made him human-sized.

We watched outside as Mr. Bear entered the cave. After a few minutes, I shrugged and turned to Shuye. “My puppet hasn’t reported anything.”

Remembering a certain incident with a bunch of monkeys, I added, “But my puppet doesn’t recognize local wildlife as dangerous.”

“Are you sure you want to go inside?” Shuye sounded a little upset. “Perhaps we should send word to the clan that we found this place. They can send explorers inside first.”

“No way! This is my discovery! Besides, it looks safe. Can you hear anything from out here?”

“The only thing I hear is the sound of water.”

“No bats, huh? That’s great.”

I once again moved forward, but Shuye shook his head and gestured for me to step back.

He moved in front of me protectively. “Very well. I’ll go first.”

“Okay, thank you!” I wasn’t a daredevil.

Lari, Kharli, and Mo looked nervous, probably because of Shuye’s overcautious behavior. I just grinned and waved at them to let them know they should follow me.

Inside, the cave was quite dark, but it was not a problem because the Cash Shop had plenty of cute lanterns that I could use. I took out a portable dragon-shaped camping lantern with 360-degree illumination and lifted it high to one side to allow the light to help Shuye and the rest of us see where we were going. The light cast dancing, looming shadows along the walls of the cave.

“Watch your step,” I said to the others.

The ground was fairly even except for a few rocks scattered here and there that might trip up the unwary person because they were covered with black and red moss, and quite difficult to see.

Thankfully, it didn’t take long for us to find the underground lake, presumably the one called Heaven’s Eye.

“There it is!” I put the lantern down and moved forward to stand beside Shuye. “I thought there would be a big eye-shaped opening in the cave’s ceiling.”

“Be careful,” was all Shuye said. He seemed quite tense.

I held the lantern high and looked up, but the ceiling was so high that all I saw was darkness. Keeping Mr. Bear in [Guard Mode], I went around placing more lanterns.

“Teacher, are there truly fish here?” Lari knelt beside the lake’s edge and peered into the water.

I understood why he was dubious since the water was completely clear and there were no fish visible. “There should be fish there. Since they’re spiritual fish, perhaps they have a stealth skill.”

“Stealth fish?” Shuye gave me a disbelieving look.

I shrugged. “ Well, there’s only one way to find out.”

We spread out a little and my apprentices took out their fishing rods while Shuye paced back and forth, a look of unease on his face. The others cast their lines, and I approached Shuye first to ask him if he was okay.

“Do you not like caves? You can wait for us outside if you like.”

“No, I’ll stay here to guard you.”

“Okay.”

I went back to the lake and started fishing. It didn’t take long before I caught the first [Cavefish].

“See? There’s fish here. We just can’t see them,” I said.

“That’s a weird fish!” said Mo.

“It is, isn’t it?” I expected it to be pale and translucent, but instead, it had black scales streaked with molten red, as though it was a [Lava Fish], not a [Cavefish]. Its bulging eyes glowed crimson and its mouth was filled with sharp teeth like a shark. When I put it in a bucket of water, I saw that there were bioluminescent, ghostly tendrils extending from its body. “Let’s continue fishing.”

“I got one!” yelled Lari from the other side of the lake.

A few minutes later, Kharli got her fish, too. I waited until Mo got hers before putting away my fishing rod. The [Cavefish] could only be caught here in Adventure Incarnate, so I wanted to give it a try. If the place had been as pretty as I thought it would be, we would’ve stayed longer, but since it wasn’t very nice in the cave, I decided to leave. It’s not like the [Cavefish] was anything special, after all.

Shuye seemed extremely relieved when I announced that we were leaving.

CHAPTER 143.5

An excerpt from the journal of Shuye Skullcrusher, Guardian of the Ancient Hill Forest:

I did not enter the legendary Hellmouth. I did not see a cave entrance in the shape of a mouth with jagged teeth and two glaring red eyes above them. There is no such thing as a Hellmouth. Neither were my eyes assaulted by a verse written in the language of the underworld that I somehow understood. The verse written above the nonexistent cave did not warn intruders not to enter the land of eternal suffering. I did not see the Lake of Invisible Hellfish that serves as a passage to the Underworld.

I’ll have to get myself ritually cleansed by a priestess before I go home, and I’ll have to think of a good excuse to refuse if Baroness Violet asks me to sell the Hellfish for her.