CHAPTER 238: HOPE IN A SINGLE BREATH

The Two Star Pagoda Pill Furnace waited before me.

I stared down at the ring of ingredients laid out across the table. My hands didn’t tremble, but they felt heavier than usual. Heavier with expectation.

'Today is the day.'

My thoughts moved, but slower. Qi had become sluggish.

Lotus rhizomes and skullcaps, dried and pre-charred, waited near the edge. Once ground, they’d become activated charcoal. Next to them, sliced astragalus root, to nourish blood and circulation, and distilled water to act as the carrier.

Then came the hard ones.

Hybrid wolfsbane.

Not the same as what I used for Yu Long. These were its siblings; plants I’d accelerated in the same soil, infused with the same cautious hand. Their leaves shimmered with a deeper purple now, tinged with motes of silver veining.

And then the Bloodsoul Bloom.

It lay curled in a nest of Spirit Moss, plucked from its rootbed only hours before, and still its petals shifted faintly, as if catching breath. It had changed. There was no doubt. What was once a grotesque flower of razored flesh and demonic appetite now pulsed with a strange, muted beauty. Its petals had softened to a color I could only call a tarnished pink, like a memory of blood that had faded in the sun.

But even in this new form, it whispered.

'Hungry.'

I frowned. A vine-like shoot was inching slowly toward the tray that held the wolfsbane, brushing the edge like a hand seeking food beneath a tablecloth.

My eyes narrowed.

“No.” I muttered, brushing it back with my hand.

The tendril recoiled reluctantly.

I turned away, letting my gaze pass over the last two additions.

The Skyreach Flower, translucent and delicate, almost a ghost of a blossom. And beside it, a twisted cluster of Old Man’s Beard lichen, infused with coptis root.

I exhaled.

The breath caught halfway. A cough ripped from my throat; dry at first, then wet. I turned my head and spit into the cloth at my waist. Crimson flecks bloomed against the fabric like tiny petals.

I wiped my mouth and steadied myself against the table.

I knew the idea of the cure. The sequence. The roles each ingredient would play.

But not the music they’d make when mixed.

Because the wolfsbane might fight the Bloom again. Or ally with it. The charcoal might mute the essence entirely.

I wouldn’t know until I started.

So I began.

First, I activated the Alchemical Nexus, tuning the rings for stability over potency. A soft click echoed as the sigils shifted, drawing inward. Then came the Refinement Simulation Technique, and instantly, my thoughts spun; unfolding before me like pieces dealt in Tianqi Duel, where every move could end in my loss.

I breathed in; slow, ragged. It wasn’t the heat that made my lungs burn. From something deeper. From the sickness I’d ignored for too long.

Lastly, the pill furnace roared to life.

The inner chamber shimmered faintly, heat spiraling in a controlled spiral, waiting for the first offering.

I started with the base.

Charred rhizomes, skullcaps, astragalus; mixed and ground, then added to the distilled water with a slow pour.

The brew began to churn, threads of gray curling through the liquid.

Then came the wolfsbane.

I picked it up gingerly, and the moment I did, I listened.

Compared to the other hybrids, which whispered, this one spoke.

Not in words. Not even in feeling.

In directive.

It wanted me to split the leaves down the central vein. Three cuts. No more. No less.

Then crush the root with the flat of a spoon.

I followed it.

As I worked, a low rustle caught my ear.

The Bloom had moved again.

Another tendril. This time curling around the edge of the worktable, brushing blindly toward the prepared wolfsbane I had set aside.

I tapped it sharply, to remind it I was watching. I could feel my new ability, Shennong's Decree, lay my intent over the petulant herb.

It hissed and retreated. I glanced uneasily, seeing how eerily similar it was to Windy in that regard. Like a child told to wait.

I pressed the base of my palm to the wolfsbane's petals, and extracted the essence. I set it aside on a smaller dish.

Now came the core of the recipe.

The Bloodsoul Bloom itself.

I approached slowly, my hands steady, but my mind already branching through simulation paths. My mind worked in twin lines of thought, capturing every detail so I could react quickly if needed.

I cradled it. It didn't resist. It leaned into my touch.

The petals unfolded on their own—willingly—each layer parting like pages in a book only I could read.

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Inside, the stamen pulsed once. Then again. Then stilled.

I drew a silver-threaded knife and made three incisions, carefully separating the lower petals. The bloom did not flinch.

Then I pressed my palm to the base of the stem.

It guided me.

As I extracted the essence of the Bloodsoul Bloom, it oozed out with ease. Cooperating with me every step of the way. I did it slowly, carefully. The fully matured Bloodsoul Bloom netted me a fist-sized ball of it's pure, unadulterated essence.

I caught it in a vial, corked it, and stepped back.

My hands were shaking. Not from fear. Not from fatigue.

But from understanding.

The Bloom was no longer just a weapon. It was becoming a partner.

I took a breath and separated the final components; Skyreach Flower and the lichen-coptis fusion, setting them carefully on the upper shelf. They would come later, when the brew was stabilized.

"Time to blend."

The liquid shimmered faintly, not bubbling, just humming with slow life.

Then, with both essences in hand, I turned to the furnace.

The hybrid wolfsbane went in first.

It reacted immediately. The water darkened, shifting to a soft violet-gray. Threads of qi curled up from the surface like mist caught in the breath of a storm. Its toxicity was alive, moving with intent, but contained. Almost like it was waiting.

I added the Bloodsoul Bloom next.

Less than what I extracted. Just a drop of its pinkish-gold essence, shimmering like the heart of a dying ember. I used instinct to guide exactly how much I'd need to use.

The concoction shivered.

Not exploded. Not hissed. Just… tightened. The wolfsbane surged to meet it, tendrils of violet energy reaching toward the pink. The Bloom responded. Like two predators circling each other with new wariness.

The Refinement Simulation Technique flared in the corner of my vision, threads of danger spiking and fading just as quickly. Unstable. But not volatile.

They weren’t fighting.

Not like before.

In Yu Long’s cure, the two had tried to annihilate each other, and only the ginger root had steadied the brew.

Now… they hesitated. Tense. Aware of one another.

Aware of me.

I realized it then.

The Bloodsoul Bloom had changed. It was deferent. It knew me. It had been grown by my hand, fed on my qi, raised like a wayward beast turned docile. It didn’t need to be forced. It bent to my will like a tree to wind, not because it feared, but because it trusted.

A slow ripple passed through the concoction. A pulse; not from the ingredients, but from the combined essence.

A signal.

A need.

It was waiting for something. It was asking for a bridge. A piece to hold them together.

I racked my mind. Dozens of ingredients flashed through memory-palace shelves. Bitter roots. Sour leaves. Qi-binding herbs. None of them…

Then one clicked.

Licorice root.

Not powerful on its own, but renowned for its ability to mediate extremes; cold and hot, yin and yang, poison and antidote.

It sat, tucked away in a drawer beside the condensing salts. It had been untouched for months.

I moved fast.

I returned to the furnace, lowered the heat dial half a notch, and added it to the mixture.

Violet and pink tendrils of wolfsbane and Bloom curled inward, toward each other, spiraling around the dissolving licorice root essence. Not merging. Weaving. Like they had finally come to an agreement.

I stirred.

Slow. Clockwise. The color deepened into a warm maroon, tinged with gold.

Stabilized.

I exhaled and transferred the mixture to the upper chamber of the Two Star Pagoda Pill Furnace, adjusting to maintain a steady holding temperature. There, the brew would settle, refining itself in a slow spiral while I turned to the second part of the cure.

The Skyreach Flower and lichen-coptis fusion.

I approached the Skyreach with care, drawing a thin line of qi into my fingertips as I extracted its essence. The blossom, so light it trembled beneath my breath, shimmered as my will threaded into it.

It didn’t resist. But I didn’t want the whole flower. Only its lightness. The trait that made any substance it touched float. That was the part I needed. I drew out that quality alone. Isolated it like breath from lung. The Essence Extraction refined down into surgical threads, peeling away its density-altering nature. What pooled in my palm was weightless, like dew suspended in thought.

'Done.'

I turned to the lichen.

It was already brittle from air exposure, but I dried it further over a low flame until it crumbled beneath my pestle. The scent was sharp and medicinal.

This would be my stabilizer. A gentle catalyst, tuned to absorb excess medicinal energy that might otherwise backlash or unbalance the concoction.

No need for complexity. Just heat, the lichen powder, a pinch of spirit salt, and a few drops of distilled water infused with the Skyreach's essence.

The concoction hissed softly, but didn’t bubble. It thickened into a clear, slightly luminescent fluid—light as breath, stable as stone.

I poured it into a narrow glass vial.

Still warm. Almost humming.

Perfect.

And just in time.

I turned back to the upper chamber. The main mixture had reduced dramatically. What had once been a full crucible now rested in a shallow swirl, almost syrupy in consistency. It clung to the inner walls with a slow pull, glittering faintly in soft gold-pink hues.

I removed the lid.

The scent struck me immediately; earthy, floral, sharp, bitter, and clean. Like rainwater over scorched roots.

I dipped a silver spoon into the liquid and let a single drop slide onto my tongue.

Warm. Then cold.

It surged through me like a snake through grass. The tingling came first, like fizzing needles in every joint. Then the heat bloomed. My meridians reacted at once, qi rushing to defend... but the concoction wasn’t hostile. Just aggressive.

I could feel the Bloodsoul Bloom's essence spread wide, finding the hidden rot nestled in the corners of my qi network. Pockets of violet corruption, remnants of the Amethyst Plague I hadn’t even felt.

It consumed.

Exactly like it wished when it was in my greenhouse. Only now, there was no madness in it. Only purpose.

Then the hybrid wolfsbane. Together, they wove through my body, stitching health where the Plague had unraveled me.

The charcoal worked last; cycling slow but steady. Absorbing what the Bloom burned. Dragging the refuse into my gut where it could be expelled.

I drew a shaky breath.

And for the first time in what felt like weeks—

I didn’t cough.

The pressure in my lungs was gone. The ache behind my eyes. The weakness in my limbs. Still tired. Still drained.

But no longer sick.

I looked at the vial.

It worked.

I stared at the pill furnace for a long moment, letting that truth settle in my bones.

I poured what remained of the syrup into a larger glass vial, the wide-mouthed kind used for preservation. Every drop clung like resin before sliding free, pooling into the bottom in a viscous swirl of light.

Then, with care, I took the smaller vial containing the Skyreach and lichen fusion, and nestled it inside. It sank slowly, vanishing almost entirely within the main cure’s dense fluid, leaving only a faint glint of its rim visible through the syrup.

I sealed the top with a stopper and three interlocking layers of waxed binding thread.

It was complete.

If the vial were shattered, the smaller one would rupture within the larger, and the stabilizing reaction between the Skyreach’s levity and the lichen’s balanced energy would vaporize the liquid, releasing the cure as a fine mist.

An airborne solution.

Wide coverage. No ingestion needed. No precise dosage.

A cure for all.

I exhaled and bowed my head.

“Thanks, Bai Hua.”

Not just for the idea. For the proof that it could be done. I still remembered that round in the Grand Alchemy Gauntlet. To piece together the fragments of the Violet Bloom Antidote and recreate it. How he’d surprised everyone by proposing an airborne dispersal model. Turning a localized liquid into a mist with mass impact.

His technique had been flawed. The ingredients hadn’t harmonized. He’d been eliminated in that round.

But the principle was revolutionary.

And unlike him, I hadn’t discarded the foundations to chase the concept. I’d built on them. Honored them.

His risk had planted the seed.

My resolve had cultivated it.

Now it would bloom.

I lifted the vial. My reflection was warped in the curve of the glass; eyes sunken, dark circles under them, lips chapped from long nights and longer silences.

But in that reflection, I saw something else.

Hope.

HERBAL SAGE ALCHEMY HAS REACHED LEVEL 2

I tightened my grip on the vial, turned on my heel, and moved to the door.

When I pulled it open, Li Wei was already there—mid-knock, hand frozen, tears streaming freely down his face. I feared the worst.

"What's wrong?"

“Elder Ming—and my dad…” he choked out, voice raw, broken.

I didn't flinch. I didn’t ask questions. There wasn’t time.

Instead, I placed a hand gently on his shoulder.

“Gather everyone,” I said, calm but unwavering. “Bring them to the village square. Every single person. Can you do that for me?”

His lips quivered, but he nodded once—sharp and fast—and turned to run.

I watched him disappear down the muddy path before turning back inside.

Tianyi and Windy lay nestled in their blankets, still weak from the plague’s slow, steady pressure.

“I’ll carry you,” I murmured, voice low.

Tianyi stirred faintly, but didn’t resist as I gathered her into one arm. Windy flicked his tongue once and wrapped his tail around my wrist as I lifted him into the crook of the other. Their breaths were slow. Gentle.

I stepped out of the shop, the air biting at my skin, the vial tucked safely into my robes.

By the time I reached the square, people had begun to gather. Slowly. Wearily.

They came leaning on each other. Shuffling. Some carried others who couldn’t walk on their own. Faces pale, blotched with the faint shimmer of violet under their skin. Wang Jun, silent and grim, stood behind Lan-Yin who was barely upright. Verdant Lotus disciples huddled together, backs straight out of habit, not strength.

Xu Ziqing was there, arms folded, sweat slick on his brow despite the chill. And Elder Ming… he was seated on a stool, Li Wei’s supporting him and his father.

I stood at the center of the square, Tianyi still curled against me, Windy resting like a heavy scarf around my neck.

My heart pounded once.

Twice.

And then, I asked the only question that mattered.

“Is everyone here?”

A few weak nods. Quiet murmurs. But enough.

I looked across their faces. All of them watching me.

Some with hope.

Some with fear.

Many with quiet resignation.

And when I reached into my robes and drew the vial.

I stepped forward.

Raised it high.

And threw it to the ground.

The glass shattered with a crisp crack.

A beat of silence.

Then—hiss.

A bloom of pink mist unfurled into the air, soft and slow like breath on a winter morning. It rolled outward from the broken shards, sweeping low across the square in curling plumes.

I felt Tianyi stir in my arms, her breathing already loosening. Windy blinked once, his coils relaxing.

And all around me, I saw it.

The tension easing.

Chests expanding.

Shoulders dropping.

Flesh, once blotched with violet, began to flush with blood again.

Li Wei dropped to his knees beside Elder Ming, his mouth half-open in stunned disbelief.

“I thought…” he whispered, “I thought you were going to make us choose.”

I turned to him, slowly. My voice was low. Firm.

“I said I’d find something,” I told him. “I meant it.”

As I let Tianyi down, her limbs loose with half-sleep, Windy slid from my arm and curled beside her, his body coiling protectively as if guarding a nest. The grass beneath their forms twitched. I felt it through my soles, through the roots threading under the square.

The plants were sighing.

A shared exhale. A release of strain.

They were being cleansed.

The miasma that clung to every leaf, every stem, every creeping vine that had wilted in the presence of plague lifted.

Through Viridescent Sovereignty, I felt the soil lighten. The roots realign. The smallest sprouts shift toward the faint morning light, as though the world itself had just remembered how to grow again.

I closed my eyes.

For one heartbeat, just one, I allowed myself to feel the truth of it.

I saved them.

I opened my eyes and looked toward the greenhouse.

Its doors still sat ajar from the last time I stepped through. The windows fogged faintly at the edges from the lingering warmth inside.

I hadn’t used everything.

The jadeleaf lilies still trembled in their beds.

The Golden Millet had yet to be harvested fully.

Even the second generation of kudzu, the ones tangled by the compost pits, had begun to develop unusual nodes I hadn’t catalogued.

Each one still had something to give.

Each one had a story yet untold.

There was more to do.

More to refine.

More to create.

I wasn’t done.

Now it was time to do more than survive.