"A Tier 1 Detoxification Pill can suppress the toxins in your body, keeping them dormant and preventing further damage," Su Min explained. The damp heat of the afternoon seemed to amplify the scent of bitter herbs clinging to her skin. "A Tier 2 pill, however, carries enough concentrated spiritual potency to seek out the poison's roots in your marrow and eradicate them completely. This isn't about finding a subtle, clever cure; it's about brute force purification. In other words, it's about overwhelming a Tier 1 poison with Tier 2 level potency."
As the silence stretched, Su Min watched the sunlight glint off the sweat on the men's faces. The Jade Gate Sect, which Zhao Yiping led, numbered in the hundreds; this wasn't a small faction in this era of scattered, isolated cultivators. Their resources and manpower, while not imperial in scale, were substantial. If this remote village was the southern border of Great Wei, then their main territory and influence would lie far to the northwest, closer to the empire's heartland where the air was dryer and the peaks sharper.
"Do you have any Tier 2 pills in your possession?" Zhao Yiping asked. A thin thread of hope was weaving through his voice, and he leaned forward slightly, his hands gripping the edges of the stretcher.
"Not currently," Su Min replied. She shook her head slowly, her eyes tracking a colorful beetle crawling along the railing. "Some of the required herbs for such an advanced pill only grow in specific, extreme environments: frozen wastelands where the air hurts to breathe, or atop high, wind-scoured icy peaks where few mortals ever tread. This region is perpetually warm and humid, a land of jungles and swamps, so there's no chance of finding them here."
"Name them," Zhao Yiping said. His voice had gained a decisive, commanding edge, the tone of a man who was used to having his orders followed. "Whatever they are, we will handle the rest. The Jade Gate Sect has its means."
Before she could even finish her thought, he had spoken. He was clearly a man used to command, used to mobilizing people and resources to solve problems.
"Very well."
Su Min didn't hold back or feign hesitation. Retrieving a piece of coarse paper and a fine-tipped brush from inside her hut, she began listing ingredients in a clear, steady hand. The ink bloomed in dark, precise strokes on the yellowish sheet as the characters flowed neatly onto the page:
Forest Sea Spirit Mushroom
Snowpeak Lotus
Azure Shadowbloom
...and a dozen more.
At first, the men standing behind their sect leader remained composed, their faces masks of stoic attention. But as the list grew longer, containing names of plants they had only heard of in expensive merchants' tales, sweat began to bead on their brows. The names themselves spoke of rare, precious, and distant places; each one was a quest in itself.
"These are what I need," she stated flatly. She slid the completed list toward them across the surface of her bamboo table, the paper rasping against the wood. "All of them. In the quantities specified."
She had been clever in her compilation. Mixed in seamlessly with the necessary materials for the Tier 2 Detoxification Pills were the exact components required for her own Qi Inducing Pill. It was a package deal; it was a single prescription that served two masters.
Take it or leave it. His life was the bargaining chip.
Judging by their shifting expressions, the first few items were expensive but manageable; these were things that could be bought in major markets or found by dedicated teams. Only the last one, a specific herb native to the stormy, treacherous eastern coast, gave them visible pause. Their eyes widened slightly as they read the name.
For her, isolated deep in the south, it was nearly inaccessible. For a sect with connections and sea-going members, it was merely troublesome, dangerous, and costly. She had made sure, by cross-referencing her manual, that that particular herb was genuinely required for the high-level detoxification process, protecting her ruse and giving her plausible deniability.
"Also," she added, producing two small, identical gourds from her wide sleeve, "I have two more Tier 1 Detoxification Pills here. Combined with the one you have already taken, they will suppress the poison and its symptoms for roughly three years, giving you time to gather the ingredients. But be warned," she said, her gaze sharpening as she leaned closer to the injured man. "Any major physical injury or severe depletion of your spiritual energy from a fierce battle will act as a catalyst, shortening that timeframe significantly. Use them wisely, and avoid conflict."
With that, she gestured toward the path leading away from her hut. The dismissal was clear, and the jungle insects seemed to buzz louder in the following quiet. Her time was valuable.
"Many thanks, Senior. This life debt won't be forgotten."
Zhao Yiping bowed deeply from his seated position. It was a gesture of profound respect from one cultivator to another who was clearly his superior. Then he produced a heavy, clinking cloth pouch from within his robes, placing it on her table with a solid, promising thud. It contained nearly a hundred taels of pure, minted silver. He then turned, allowed his men to help him to his feet, and departed without another word. His followers trailed behind him in a subdued line, their boots crunching on the dry leaves.
Although the bamboo token had technically covered the initial consultation and the first pill, he wasn't foolish enough to skip a generous, upfront payment for such a vital, life-extending service. It was an investment in future goodwill.
Only when they were well down the mountain path, the canopy closing in above them and the air growing thick with the scent of damp earth, did the previously terrified bandit, Ah Niu, dare to break the respectful silence.
"Sect Leader, was all that silver truly necessary? It's nearly the sect's entire discretionary fund for the season!"
"Fool," Zhao Yiping replied. He sounded weary, and his breath was still a bit ragged. "Talent and power like hers, hidden away in this wilderness? A hundred taels is a bargain; it's a pittance. For a guaranteed cure and the favor of such a figure, ten thousand taels wouldn't be excessive. We're lucky she didn't ask for more."
"But Sect Leader," Ah Niu pressed, emboldened by their distance from the hut, "you're not exactly a young man anymore. Could it be you're trying to—OW!"
A sharp, open-handed smack to the back of his head from the man walking beside him cut off the insinuation.
"Watch your tongue, you idiot," the other man chided. "Do you have a death wish?"
"Ah Niu, you misunderstand the situation completely," Zhao Yiping said, shaking his head with a sigh. "That 'young maiden' may appear to be no older than eighteen, with skin unlined by years, but her true age and depth of cultivation likely far surpass my own. She has undoubtedly stepped firmly onto the immortal path, where aging slows to a snail's pace and one can live for centuries, watching dynasties rise and fall. Don't be deceived by her appearance."
"Hiss—"
The men, including Ah Niu, exchanged stunned, incredulous glances. Zhao Yiping's certainty came from her tacit acceptance of the title "Senior." It was a subtle sign in their world that she not only outclassed him in raw power but also in years of accumulated experience and wisdom. She had not corrected him, which was confirmation enough.
He was, of course, completely mistaken. Su Min simply didn't care what people called her. Most proud, status-conscious female cultivators would rage at being addressed as "granny" or "auntie," but she would let it slide without a second thought. Her focus was entirely on the practical transaction, unless someone was deliberately and repeatedly pushing their luck to insult her.
"Enough of that foolishness," Zhao Yiping said, shifting to a businesslike tone as they reached the edge of the village where the first few thatched roofs appeared. "Ah Niu, this village is your hometown. You know the people and the lay of the land. You will remain here."
"Master! I swear I will never speak out of turn again! Please, don't expel m—"
"It's a misunderstanding," Zhao Yiping interrupted, holding up a hand to stop the panicked plea. "This is an assignment, not a punishment. I have learned that the healer trades her bamboo tokens for spirit herbs and sometimes for other supplies. Your primary task is to remain here, integrate with the villagers, and secure at least one token annually for the sect.
Resources and funds will be sent to you periodically to facilitate this." He then handed Ah Niu a small, carefully wrapped and sealed scroll. "Here, I have written down the sect's core techniques and some of my personal insights. Cultivate diligently while you are here. Don't waste this opportunity."
He had initially, fleetingly, considered a more aggressive approach, perhaps demanding control of all of the healer's token distribution, but had quickly reconsidered. Antagonizing a figure of her hidden strength and invaluable skill wasn't worth the risk, no matter the potential reward. One or two tokens per year would suffice, and each would be an invaluable tool for recruiting experts or saving the lives of key disciples.
As for the long list of herbs? He strongly suspected it was padded with items for her own use, but he wouldn't protest. They would gather every single item, and in abundance. It was a small price to pay for his life and, more importantly, for her future goodwill, which could be a greater asset than any single pill.
"Yes, Sect Leader! I understand now! I won't fail you!" Ah Niu responded. He clutched the scroll to his chest as if it were made of solid gold.
After seeing the cultivation method gifted to him by the sect leader, Ah Niu was also internally ecstatic. He knew that this was the foundational method that his leader had painstakingly comprehended after decades of solitary meditation on Kuntaishan; it was a treasure rarely shared outside the inner circle. In the entire Jade Gate Sect, only the sect leader, the first elder, and the second elder were permitted to practice its complete form.
Unbeknownst to him, this was merely the first installment of his reward; it was the bait on the hook. Further advancements, deeper techniques, and his standing within the sect would depend entirely on his performance.
Meanwhile, Back at Su Min's Hut.
"Loose silver," Su Min mused. She hefted the heavy, satisfying pouch in her hand before storing it securely in her ring. The clink of the coins was a solid, comforting sound in the quiet room. "Easier to spend discreetly than tokens in a proper town. Don't disappoint me, Sect Leader Zhao." She pocketed the payment without a shred of guilt. Her motives for helping were twofold: a blend of the pragmatic and the personal.
First, and most immediate, was to gather the rare, location-specific materials for her Qi Inducing Pill, the key to her next major breakthrough.
Second, was to act as a catalyst, to sow discord and create trouble within the Great Wei Empire. She wanted to weaken the throne that had destroyed her family and still hunted her through the woods.
That so-called "peerless beauty" the foolish emperor doted on was, she was sure, the final boss of this first chapter's narrative; she was a master of forbidden arts who manipulated from the shadows. The fiend who had wounded Zhao Yiping was probably one of her puppets, a forcibly elevated cultivator sent to eliminate threats.
Since Su Min was still too weak to confront them directly, she decided the most efficient strategy was to empower these self-proclaimed righteous "heroes" and let them bleed the court's forces first. She would be the armorer in the shadows.
Whether direct, open conflict arose between the sects and the court later, or whether it remained a shadow war, didn't matter to her. The moment she had begun practicing medicine here and trading in these potent pills, she had accepted this role as a catalyst for change. She was a node of power outside the established order. After all, she might very well be the continent's only true, player-grade alchemist.
Pills were indispensable for rapid, stable cultivation, providing boosts and healing that could shave years off one's training, yet genuine, skilled alchemists were vanishingly rare in this newly awakening world, where most knowledge was fragmented and lost to time.
It was a role that, in the game, only players with their cheat-like versatility could master alongside their other professions, giving them an unparalleled economic and strategic advantage. It was an advantage she now fully intended to understand, cultivate, and exploit to its absolute limit. The game was becoming reality, and she was determined to win.