Chapter 334: Master, It

"This ship is terrible, nowhere near as good as the Dayun Hao!"

In the best cabin of the cargo ship, Mo Ying held a tablet, fiddling with it while muttering.

Feng Xue nodded, pulled out freshly brewed medicine, took a sip, and as he circulated his Cultivation Technique to aid the medicine's dispersion, he said casually:

"I agree too. Once I boost my combat power a bit more, I'll go back and rescue that bitch, and I'll bring the Dayun Hao along with me from now on."

"Wait, how are you even supposed to fit something that big into a sack—and then carry it?!" Mo Ying was startled by Feng Xue's words, dropping the tablet from her hand.

Feng Xue merely smiled calmly and said:

"I skimmed through some of the predecessors' discussions on the 'Hachi-ki Bomb,' and got a new idea."

"Oh, good then—as long as you're not making me carry it." Mo Ying revealed her true intentions within three sentences, eagerly waiting for Feng Xue to fix things—only to find he seemed completely oblivious, already pulling out a pile of herbs to begin compounding.

Disappointed, Mo Ying shrugged and turned away, refocusing on her tablet, while Feng Xue continued his medicine-testing routine.

The week-long sea voyage was uneventful; though there were no top-tier elders aboard, several Dao-Entry cultivators were present, ensuring a calm journey. After watching the sea for a few minutes, Feng Xue returned to his cabin and began brewing and testing medicine during this free time.

Even with Xiao Lingdang, he couldn't magically calculate medicinal properties, so Feng Xue had to boil each prescription from those dozens of Wu Xiu secret texts one by one, drink them, and let Xiao Lingdang compile a cultivation-compatible formula based on data such as the medicine's mechanism of action, bodily changes, and responses to cultivation efforts—then combine it with the Xuanwu Can Tong Qi to refine the optimal herbal formula.

Thus arose the cycle: Liu Yunxi repeatedly boiled medicine, Feng Xue repeatedly drank it, and after each dose took effect, he used the time to compound new formulas.

Fortunately, Feng Xue possessed healing divine arts; otherwise, he'd never dare test medicine this way on himself.

He'd actually wanted to find a few body donors—but unfortunately, on this vast ocean, he couldn't possibly use the crew for testing.

Moreover, Chinese medicine has a major drawback for widespread use: it's personalized. Even with identical illnesses and identical prescriptions, variations in the patient's constitution or herb quality necessitate different formulas. This isn't like the Di Liu Jiang trials—without reliable, powerful medical experts to assist, trial-and-error by himself was the only viable method.

"The variation curve has been generated, closely matching the secret text's description. The medicine's volatility rate is normal. No further valuable changes are expected. Proceed with purification."

Xiao Lingdang's voice sounded slightly more mechanical than usual. Feng Xue immediately activated the Ingestion Technique, fully refining the residual medicinal energy into Ying Qi, then absorbed it via the Body Strengthening Technique.

Though this method was somewhat wasteful, testing more herbal combinations was far more important than preserving a little medicine.

"Master, it's time to drink your medicine!"

"You're doing this on purpose, aren't you?" Feng Xue took the bowl Liu Yunxi handed him, eyeing the demoness with a strange expression. Probably since the debt-to-equity shift, his mindset had changed—and the demoness seemed to have grown bolder too. In the past, she'd never joke like this!

"Pfft…" Liu Yunxi stuck out her tongue. Her snake-demon physiology meant that even in human form, her tongue remained flexible and elongated—this gesture wasn't playful, but sultry.

Feng Xue felt a faint thrill, but quickly restrained himself, lifted the bowl, and swallowed the bitter, sour-tasting decoction.

As the medicine entered his gut, Xiao Lingdang immediately displayed the matching Cultivation Technique. Following the movement diagrams and key instructions appearing in his mind, Feng Xue began moving within the cabin.

……

Such peaceful days lasted several more days. Finally, just as Feng Xue had completed recording the effects of all prescriptions and begun testing Xiao Lingdang's AI-formulated formulas, he heard a new kind of commotion.

After fully refining the residual medicinal energy with the Ingestion Technique and casting another healing spell to mend the bodily damage caused by Xiao Lingdang's formula, he opened his cabin door.

"Feng Daoist!" As Feng Xue stepped out, several other cultivators emerged from their cabins at the same time. They exchanged glances, then smiled at each other, all turning their gazes toward the ship's railing.

Without doubt, they saw merchant ships and cargo vessels appearing on the sea, and not far off, a luxurious port.

"Looks like there are more piers than skyscrapers?" The cultivators were clearly visiting abroad for the first time. Gazing at the Uta Port, often mentioned by foreign merchants in contrast to Gangdu, they were taken aback.

"Japan has more earthquakes, so skyscrapers are fewer—but judging by urban planning and transportation, it's still better than Gangdu." Another cultivator commented. Though his words sounded like praise, Feng Xue saw the aura of wish-energy radiating from him—clearly considering where to detonate first.

"True. Only those with sufficient martial virtue would come first." Feng Xue thought to himself, when a broker's manager approached, smiling and saying:

"Gentlemen, we're about to dock. Please suppress your spiritual power, lest the shore-side detect us. Our cargo is quite sensitive. I'll arrange for a trusted trading house to assist—you can follow them."

"Our sect elders have already instructed us to follow your lead."

The more composed cultivator spoke thus, yet couldn't help glancing at Feng Xue. Compared to them, Feng Xue was an unlisted outsider. Though not yet Dao-Entry, his combat power ranked among the top in the Master tier—they had no authority to decide for him.

Seeing this, Feng Xue understood and immediately said:

"I don't mind either way."

"Thank you all for your understanding!" The broker's manager bowed deeply, turned, and began directing the sailors to prepare for docking. The cultivators exchanged farewells and returned to their cabins to pack.

Feng Xue did the same. Back in his room, he shoved the remaining herbs, portable stove, clay pot, and other odds and ends into his Hu Tian Bag, reverted Liu Yunxi back into her ring, then seized Mo Ying's tablet and shoved her into the scroll.

After a moment's thought, he took a pre-civilization camera-pen and stuck it in his chest pocket, then said to Xiao Lingdang:

"Xiao Lingdang, activate full-record mode!"

"Understood, Master." As Xiao Lingdang acknowledged, a deep horn blared overhead. Though the sound was grating to his ears, the cargo ship, having sailed from the Central Plains and bearing the foundation stone of the Dragon King Temple, slowly entered Uta Bay…

(End of Chapter)