Chapter 2997: Return to Youth, Return to Childhood

The process of refining the Rejuvenation Elixir involves many steps and stages. Seeing him speak so casually yet arrange everything in perfect order, Mother Jin Guang of the Jin River Ferry did not ask further. This man-eater was self-motivated and ambitious, and he benefited effortlessly from the rising tide—wasn't that ideal?

But now, I feel I may have been a bit careless.

What is there to worry about? I laughed at myself again—man-eaters could never rebel against me.

The State Preceptor of Frost Leaf picked up his spear-halberd and examined it closely:

"Yes, I borrowed exactly this."

The Trident of the Sea Emperor Xuan Du!

The reason Mother Jin Guang and the others did not recognize it is because we had no prior dealings with Xuan Du. Tridents are common in this world—many sea clans favor them, and any layperson could spot the trick at a glance?

"Good, the item has been delivered, my task is complete." Sun Fuling snapped her book shut with a slap, "State Preceptor of Frost Leaf, we shall meet again." Having said that, she donned a veil and left the tavern without looking back.

She departed so swiftly that even Mother Jin Guang was not entirely at ease; she tilted her head slightly, and a shadow quietly followed from outside.

The State Preceptor of Frost Leaf acted as if he had not seen, putting away the trident and instructing Xi Yunhe behind him: "Go prepare for the alchemy."

This time, he also brought some people along, and Xi Yunhe was one of them.

Xi Yunhe's reactions were always swift, but after the State Preceptor finished speaking, there was no response from behind him.

The State Preceptor turned his head and saw him staring blankly at the door outside, lost in thought—namely, the direction in which Sun Fuling had departed.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing!" Xi Yunhe quickly snapped back to attention, "I will immediately go to the seaside to light the furnace."

As he followed the State Preceptor out of the tavern, he couldn't help but glance once more toward the direction Sun Fuling had left.

When she rose earlier, Xi Yunhe had noticed a white jade flute tied at her waist—it looked strikingly familiar!

He had stared and stared at it then.

No mistake—the unique red speckles on the flute's tip were exactly those of the flute the State Preceptor of Qingyang used to carry often in the past!

Xi Yunhe had heard the State Preceptor of Qingyang play the flute more than ten or eight times. When he painted the portrait of Qingyang back then, he had included this flute, so his impression was exceptionally deep.

Never did I expect that thirty years later, I would see this Heavenly Silkworm Bone Flute again beside a stranger maiden I had never met.

Where did it come from?

Does she have some connection with the Qing Palace? Or is it…?

Xi Yunhe clenched his fists tightly in secret, then relaxed them.

Alas, Qingyang.

On the road, the shadow sent out by Mother Jin Guang returned to report: it had personally seen that female donor walk onto the dock and board a ship to depart.

Excellent—Mother Jin Guang's only lingering doubt and caution toward her were now eased.

They were already at the outermost edge of the Tooth Pagoda Islands; going further to the northwest corner of the island would be even more remote, with scarcely any human traces—just a vast expanse of pristine white sand.

The State Preceptor of Frost Leaf then ordered people to wait on the beach, while he himself seized the Sea Emperor's Trident and leapt into the sea. Swimming outward from here for two hundred zhang, one could enter the bottomless Ya-Da Sea Trench.

After about half an hour, Xi Yunhe, who had been intently watching the sea surface, suddenly shouted: "They're up! The jellyfish are surfacing!" Here, the sea was as clear as glass, almost allowing one to see fish swimming in the shallows. But at this moment, carried by the waves toward the shore came countless pinkish figures. Each was no larger than a teacup, bodies transparent, with only a tiny pink dot at the center.

Their figures nearly filled the entire sea, thick and dense.

Needless to say, these were the Peach Heart Lantern Jellyfish driven upward by Shuang Ye wielding the Sea Emperor's Trident from the depths of the sea trench.

The people on shore had long been prepared; they cast out large nets and hauled the jellyfish swarm ashore.

The State Preceptor of Frost Leaf also followed them ashore.

The power of the Sea Emperor's Trident exceeded his expectations.

Just now, as he waved the long trident in the sea trench, these tiny creatures floated up from the bottomless darkness, then, following his will, drifted toward the shore.

Judging by the scale, let alone twenty thousand jellyfish—there might be more than two hundred thousand.

Xi Yunhe had already lit a fire and set up the furnace on the beach. At this moment, he strictly followed the formula given by Mother Jin Guang, adding one precious medicinal ingredient after another into the furnace, simmering gently over low heat.

This refinement took five hours.

By the time the sky had darkened, the furnace finally ceased fire.

Mother Jin Guang opened the elixir furnace and took two looks, then shook her head: "No good—it failed. We must try again."

Fortunately, they had prepared extra materials as a precaution, so they immediately began another five-hour refinement, from dark till dawn.

This time, upon opening the furnace, first came an indescribable wondrous fragrance that assailed the face. Then a golden light shot straight into the sky, as if trying to escape.

The State Preceptor of Frost Leaf had long been prepared; he casually cast out a net and forcibly pulled it down.

This was a golden elixir the size of a quail's egg.

It was also the secret medicine he had painstakingly sought.

Just look at its appearance—no need for Mother Jin Guang to say more; everyone knew the refinement had succeeded.

After more than two thousand years, humanity had once again refined the Elixir of Rejuvenation.

Mother Jin Guang smiled with boundless compassion:

"Eat it. Then become strong."

Become my greatest weapon!

The State Preceptor of Frost Leaf lightened his breath, lifted the golden elixir between his fingers, and murmured: "Success or failure hinges on this single act."

Having said that, he swallowed the elixir in one gulp.

After merely a dozen breaths, he felt his heart pounding like a drum, his limbs going weak. Those around him appeared to grow larger in his vision. Of course, the truth was that he himself was shrinking.

Everyone witnessed it. Within just fifteen breaths, Frost Leaf State Preceptor shrank from a tall, handsome man into an infant no longer than half an arm. Even though Xi Yunhe and the others had braced themselves mentally, seeing the infant still startled them greatly.

He was born with bones as thin as firewood, his whole body dark-skinned, his skin even bearing fine scales, while his face had a bluish tint, his features scrunched together. When he cried, he revealed a mouth full of sharp fangs.

Not to mention, the moment he opened his eyes, his pupils glowed with a piercing red light.

This appearance was utterly not that of a human infant!

Indeed, the peerlessly handsome, graceful State Preceptor of Frost Leaf—his true form was actually this ferocious.

Truly worthy of the name "Ghost Brat"!

Seeing the ghost infant reaching out toward him, Xi Yunhe pressed his storage ring and prepared to step forward.

Inside the ring were various ingredients prepared for the flesh-eaters—either demon cores of great demons or the remains of powerful beings.

Consuming them would allow Shuangye's strength to undergo a sudden, explosive second growth in a short time.

However, before Xi Yunhe could retrieve the items from his storage ring, Jin Du Shengmu waved her hand and said, "Wait."

As soon as the words fell, three figures shot out from his sleeve and lined up directly between Xi Yunhe and Shuangye.

Xi Yunhe's heart sank slightly. As the National Preceptor had predicted, things would not go smoothly this time. Yet he wore a look of surprise: "Holy Mother, what do you mean?"

"This child has never given me peace of mind." Jin Du Shengmu sighed, pricked her own index finger, and let the dripping purple blood fall into a small glass cup, then leaned forward to feed it to Shuangye.