With a slap to the side of my new cauldron, six yellow and purple colored pills flew out. I caught them in a jade bottle and then stoppered it closed. With that, I finished concocting the Giggling Painless Killer. A poison that was more like an anesthetic than an actual poison. Of course, as with any painkiller, too much could kill, but the right amount might be beneficial.
This particular one was used to make beasts incapacitated, either for capture or killing.
”Hold on a second!” Noxious Fangstrike took the bottle from my hands and studied the pills inside it. He frowned.
“Are you sure you’ve never concocted these?”
I rolled my eyes. ”You watched. You even corrected my actions when I was about to use the whole Azure Fire Cherry instead of just the pit.”
He huffed. “It’s just too hard to believe.”
I scoffed.
His gold eyes narrowed at me. “Do you really not know that your movements make you seem like you’re a master pretending to be an amateur?”
Fuck. Well, I was a master, but I hadn’t pretended since this was my first time concocting this.
He had even given me helpful instructions before I did something the way an alchemist would have and not a poison master.
I clasped my hands behind my back. “Well, I am a—.”
“—genius. You’ve said that already. Multiple times.” His golden eyes became unfocused like he’d taken emotional damage. ”I’d warn you to not get too full of yourself, but I think I’ve learned more from you today than you have from me.”
I coughed. Oh, that. During the prepping process, I had accidentally shown him how to make some of the poisons stronger. Oops.
But that wasn’t my fault. The recipes were obviously missing a key method due to sect secrecy. At least that was what it looked like.
Actually, this seemed like a good time to fuck with him.
Very seriously, I looked Noxious Fangstrike in his eyes and said, ”That’s because if I say I’m the second-best alchemist in the world, no one else would claim to be first. You see, I’ve traveled back through time to save the knowledge of the poison masters from complete destruction.”
We stared at each other for a second.
Then I pointed at him. “Hah!”
He coughed and his cheeks turned red. ”Who’d believe such nonsense?”
I nodded. “You’d have to be really gullible.”
“I definitely didn’t think you were telling the truth! Actually, I was merely considering if the alchemist who saved little Dread Lotus might not be right in the... well, never mind.” He gestured toward the door. ”Go play with my niece. She’s been yelling at me for the past two hours to let you return.”
That meant that my band was ready! Perfect!
“I’ll come get you when the peppers arrive, so you’ll have a few days at least.”
***
While I was on my way back to the practice grounds, Little Spring joined me on his flying sword. ”Sister Linlin!”
I nodded. “How did everything go?”
He smiled. ”It went well!”
The kid definitely meant that he’d planted the spying tool without getting caught.
“I decided to pick up a better weapon while I was there.” He pulled out a spiritual sword that was a half-step away from sky-rank. It had the smell of a newly forged item.
I scanned it with my divine sense and nodded. “Looks serviceable for you. Good choice.”
::Sister Lin! I’d still like us to make a new one together once I’ve been cured.::
I hesitated. ::We can do that. But, maybe it would be better if I returned your mother’s heirloom.:: While I could produce stronger attacks with it since its rank was higher than my guitar, it wouldn’t be long before I could forge something of a similar quality for myself.
He shrugged. ::Neither of us can wield it right now since there are cultivators here who saw it at the convention. I’d feel better if you kept it in case there is an emergency and you need it.::
This thoughtful brat. ::Sure, but let me know if you ever want it back.::
::I will.:: As he put his hand up his long sleeve, he looked like he wanted to say something else.
While I wanted to let him, we were almost at the practice grounds, and I still hadn’t asked him to help.
I pulled out Ghosty’s necklace and tossed it over.
His eyes grew wide, and he practically scrambled to catch it.
::It’s about time we make an attempt to cure Ghosty McGhostFace.::
His eyes visibly sparkled. ::Do you think they’re ready?::
::They do and they’re ready to try. But I can’t place a necklace by itself in front of them without looking really suspicious, so I’d like you to watch us while wearing it.::
He nodded seriously, then paused. “Ah, Sister Linlin—”
I flew into the sound-isolating formation, landed, and faced my band members who were still practicing.
::What?::
Stolen content warning: this tale belongs on Royal Road. Report any occurrences elsewhere.
He came to a stop next to me. His shoulders relaxed. ::It can wait.::
The three musicians stopped playing. Each of them wore a very determined expression.
”Are you ready to show me how you’ve improved?”
”Yes, bandleader Linlin!”
Muahahaha!
“Excellent!” I patted the kid on his shoulder. “Senior brother Verdant Spring is going to be our audience today if you’re ready.”
Dread Lotus put her drumsticks together with a clack and crossed her arms. ”Why?”
Thankfully, I’d already come up with a good excuse.
“Isn’t it better to start playing with an audience early on? Performing for others is the main point of spiritual music, after all. It’s how you’ll eventually make spirit stones and contribution points.”
Azure Melodic River casually held her keyboard against her waist like a basket. ”Actually, at our realm, we mainly obtain points by going on sect missions.”
Dread Lotus nodded. “Our Golden Core seniors are the only ones who earn anything by playing for injured Nascent Soul cultivators. They even perform for those outside of the sect, helping to increase our overall resources.”
I crossed my arms. “With healing songs this powerful, who do you think you’ll play for?”
Dread Lotus smiled with a little too much excitement. “This will definitely stir up the sect.” And she sounded like she was here for it.
The other two went silent as they realized that the Dao of Rock would allow them to compete for profitable healing work with their seniors. Frankly, seeing them like this was fucking priceless.
”So, which of the five songs should we practice first?” Azure Melodic River asked.
“How about Three Fires Light the Way?” Gold String said.
That one was an original fast-paced ballad by Red Moon Melody. She wanted to create a song about losing herself to her internal trauma, coming to terms with it, and slowly finding a better way forward with the help of her band members. She used the imagery of getting lost inside a dangerous secret realm and having three flying spiritual torches light the path to safety. It was a shockingly beautiful and surreal song.
I hoped that it would help Ghosty through his own trauma.
“Alright.”
”Actually, bandleader,” Dread Lotus said, “Before we subject Little Verdant Spring to our playing, why don’t we do a playthrough of each song to make sure we perform perfectly with you here?”
The others nodded.
Damn. That was too reasonable. I was too eager to help Ghosty and almost pushed my band into doing something that would make them uncomfortable. We could afford to take some time to get it right.
The kid tugged on my sleeve. “There’s an area over there where I can train. I’ll wait until everyone is ready.” ::My current strength is still hard to control.::
Ah, this brat. I must have done something right as a teacher if my students eagerly trained when I put them in a position to slack off.
I raised my hands. “Fine. We’ll practice the whole set first.”
***
“Sister Lin,” Gold String, said after we finished all 5 songs, “respectfully, how are you fine?”
“What?” I looked around. Everyone, including Dread Lotus, who had been through body cultivation, drooped like mortals who had been lost in the desert for hours.
I scowled. ”Well, first of all, I didn’t use my full strength. This is just practice. I didn’t realize this much would be so hard on you all.”
Actually, I may have pushed them a little to make sure they had enough in them to heal a Nascent Soul. And they did!
”Are you kidding?” Azure Melodic River said.
“I take it that you’ve been using your spiritual energy to your maximum this whole time?”
Dread Lotus took out a spiritual fan from her ring and used it to cool herself. ”We had to if we wanted to keep up with you.”
Ah. Oops. “You three played so perfectly that I almost forgot that you only learned these songs a day ago.”
Gold String coughed. ”But how are you performing so well while using so much less energy than us?“
“You just haven't had the years I have to find ways to use less while achieving the same result. Think about it! Not only are you playing a new instrument, you’re doing it perfectly and at a Foundation Establishment level. To get here so quickly costs something, and that is spiritual efficiency.”
They looked at each other.
“You’ve done well. Beyond what I expected.” I threw each of them a recovery pill for musical cultivators that I made with Noxious Fangstrike between poisons. It wasn’t my usual quality work, but it was still better than most Foundation Establishment Alchemists could do. “Take a break for two incense sticks worth of time, then we’ll play for Senior Verdant Spring.”
”Yes, bandleader!”
***
Off to the side where he wouldn’t be able to hear our practice, Little Spring used Drunken Sword’s style to train. He was surprisingly good at it.
From the way he swung toward the open ocean, I could tell that the kid was trying to control his strength. He kept lessening the amount of energy he used, making the strike thinner and smaller.
Now that I thought about it, he was still missing a signature attack. One that would look different enough from the Indomitable Will Sect’s sword techniques that no one would suspect us. A powerful technique that could use the volatile and potent energy he now had. And not some fucked up bullshit from that manual Bloody Crimson Sword Edge left behind for the kid. I wouldn’t trust anything in that book.
I waited until he finished a set. ”Want to learn something new?”
He jumped. “Sister Linlin?”
I pressed my finger to my lips and looked over at my band members. Gold String was meditating while Dread Lotus said something with a grin to Azure Melodic River.
The keyboardist’s face turned bright red. She quickly popped a pill and started to rotate her cultivation base.
They definitely weren’t paying attention to me at all.
“Usually I wouldn’t teach you this, but we’re in a difficult situation. And it helps that you recently acquired enough energy to pull it off.”
He nodded. “I’ll learn everything you’re willing to teach.”
Frankly, this was a technique I currently didn’t have enough energy to use, which fucking sucked to think about. It was originally a Golden Core equivalent sword technique, but it wasn’t exactly Indomitable Will Sect standard.
::You remember Thousand Cuts?::
He nodded.
::The goal of this new technique is to do something similar, only, it creates sword Qi that looks like a storm of golden flowers.::
::How is that possible? Can you show me?::
::No. Well, a little.::
I held my hand out for his weapon and he handed it over. I moved into the starting position, and through the twelve other steps that made up the technique.
He frowned. ::It doesn’t look that impressive.::
I nodded. ::Frankly, it takes too much time. The Indomitable Will’s standard techniques are several times better, at least. But, it is still a very beautiful attack, and it’s one you can use at your realm without backlash.:: While it could be performed by someone with Foundation Establishment quality energy, the amount needed to pull it off was the equivalent of a mid Golden Core Disciple.
I went over each move again and discussed the meaning behind each one and how they stacked on top of each other to build something. It was a deeply philosophical technique.
The kid initially practiced each part without using energy. As he trained, he became faster and faster until he was almost a blur.
::Enough. Show it to me but use your sword Qi this time.::
::Yes, sister Lin!::
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As he moved, the tip of the sword drew a line of golden Qi in thin overlapping arcs. The last of the twelve moves caused the lines to condense. Then he thrust his sword forward. Sword energy in the form of golden flowers blasted out toward the ocean. Once the petals lost momentum, they drifted down and disappeared like fireworks.
“It's called Blossoms in the Golden Tempest.”
It was a stunningly gorgeous technique, which was why I had decided to learn it in my past life. Though I’d never used it in an actual fight.
Frankly, the beauty that was hidden in this world, like this technique, was why — even if I fucking despised some aspects of this dumbass author’s Xianxia — I would never want to go back.
::How was it?:: He looked at me with hopeful eyes.
::You need to practice more. Once you have it mastered, it should be three times larger and five times more powerful.::
His white, husky ears drooped.
I was positive that his adorableness was now weaponized.
::But it was incredible for your first success.::
He beamed.
I glanced back at my band, who stood up and started practicing again. ::Looks like they’re done with the break. Let’s finally play for Ghosty!::