Chapter 42: Earth Origin Spirit Pill

The bright moon hung high, silken cold breezes swept across the lake surface, a few pale pink blossoms snapped off and fell onto the water, raising ripples that tugged at the heartstrings. A girl stood beneath the flowering tree, playing with her black hair, occasionally glancing with the corner of her eye at the white‑haired youth beside her, her eyes flashing now and then with a honey‑like gleam, just like the ripples stirred by the falling blossoms.

"You're late." The white‑haired youth wore a tight black satin robe, his waist bound with a gold‑trimmed black‑and‑white sash. He suddenly turned his head, speaking toward the other side of the flower tree. The girl beside him heard this and instantly turned her gaze over—there, a man had appeared at some point, dressed in white robes with black outer garments, his right white sleeve exposed, the front of his robe tucked at his waist for ease of movement. It was none other than Zhou Shuo. Seeing Zhou Shuo, the girl's face immediately darkened.

"Quite the opposite—I feel I really shouldn't have come at all." Zhou Shuo looked at the aloof Wei Zhuang, couldn't help chuckling, then turned to the blossom‑age girl and greeted her with a hearty laugh.

"Hello, Red Lotus Princess!"

"I'm not happy." The blossom‑age girl shot the youth beside her a resentful glare, her tone tinged with gritted‑teeth annoyance.

"Look!" Zhou Shuo watched the resentful girl, gesturing to the indifferent Wei Zhuang—his arrival had made this Red Lotus Princess unhappy, and she did not want him here.

"Let's get down to business!" Wei Zhuang remained unmoved by the words.

"All right!" Zhou Shuo looked at the unperturbed fellow, seemingly detached from all emotion, not knowing what to say—fallen flowers have intention, flowing water is ruthless, what a pity!

"Red Lotus Princess, have you recently practiced the Nine Twists Linked Steps and the Taiyin Body Training Method? How do you feel?" Zhou Shuo swept his gaze over the blossom‑age girl; the foul odor on her body remained strong, her poison‑person constitution showed no noticeable improvement, though there was no harm either—she had only been training for a month.

"I feel nothing—these methods are stupid; practicing them makes my feet ache, and that body‑training stuff isn't even fit for humans!" The girl's complaints were loud, but Zhou Shuo didn't mind; the gap between martial practice and qi cultivation is naturally considerable.

"I found you a complete martial art that can wash the marrow and exchange the blood, and it took me a lot of effort, yet you're so ungrateful—but looking at the changes in your muscles and bones, you've trained well enough; still, your constitution shows no obvious improvement, perhaps because the art hasn't reached your very bones." Zhou Shuo examined the girl's bodily and muscular changes, nodding and shaking his head at the same time.

"So what do you plan to do?" Wei Zhuang heard Zhou Shuo's words and couldn't help furrowing his brow; the problem remained unsolved, and he wondered what next steps to seek a solution.

"I know a pill called the Earth Origin Spirit Pill; it can help a person swiftly exchange blood and wash marrow, shedding the old form and being reborn. I'll keep an eye out for it for you; as for anything else, I can't do anything." Zhou Shuo shook his head. This girl had spent time in the poison‑pool toxic cavern, her body turned into that of a poison‑person—not something you can change at will. The cultivation method should be fine, but her training can't keep up; perhaps we should consider accelerating her practice.

"How much time is needed?" Wei Zhuang pressed.

"Brother Wei Zhuang, in obtaining the Nine Twists Linked Steps and the Taiyin Body Training Method I've already taken great risks; as for the Earth Origin Spirit Pill, it's something you can only encounter, never obtain—I can't guarantee anything." Zhou Shuo looked at the fellow who'd just asked how much time, unable to keep from twitching his mouth. The Earth Origin Spirit Pill isn't sold by weight; it's the supreme spirit pill of the Grand Void Dao, and only a handful of people in the Yangshen World can refine it, with no stockpile at all because the ingredients are too precious.

"Last time you said that place was off‑limits, yet you went anyway and succeeded." Wei Zhuang gazed at Zhou Shuo: in this world there are no difficult things, only unwillingness to act.

"This situation is different. Last time the item was precious but still had value, and many people possessed it—I was relatively lucky. But this time the Earth Origin Spirit Pill is held by only one person, someone even the Qin King Ying Zheng, who commands a million iron cavalry, would dare not provoke." Zhou Shuo looked at the slightly contemptuous Wei Zhuang and couldn't help twitching his mouth; this matter can't be summed up merely as "difficult."

"Even the Qin King Ying Zheng…" Wei Zhuang furrowed his brows; the present world's most powerful king, that expert who stands at the pinnacle of power, fears him—just what kind of person could exude such murderous aura?

"You're just boasting!" Red Lotus girl looked at Zhou Shuo's endless excuses, feeling both contempt and disbelief. Though she didn't want to admit it, the Qin King Ying Zheng is the most powerful of the Seven States' kings; even her father king fears him—who could make him afraid?

"It's not boasting—that person truly is formidable; I don't even know when I'll be able to catch up to him!" Zhou Shuo looked at the sister who scorned him, feeling a slight embarrassment but not minding it; being weaker than another is just being weaker, no need for excuses. He believed he could catch up to Meng Shenji, he just didn't know how long it would take.

"How much time do you need? Who is that person? Which sect does he belong to?" Wei Zhuang looked at Zhou Shuo, who certainly didn't seem to be lying, and couldn't help firing off three questions.

"If I told you, you wouldn't know him, because he and you are people of two different worlds—I mean the physical world, not a difference in status." Zhou Shuo looked at Wei Zhuang, who seemed ready to roll up his sleeves, and let out a faint snort. Wei Zhuang's swordsmanship is quite formidable; using it against martial sages and ghostly immortals would pose no problem, but to fight Meng Shenji there is only one outcome: being burned to ash by his Nine Fire Flame Dragon. Meng Shenji's strength has completely transcended human limits.

"Two worlds…" Red Lotus lifted her eyes, not quite grasping what he meant.

"Then tell me, how much time is needed?" Wei Zhuang's gaze sank onto Zhou Shuo as he pondered the plausibility of Zhou Shuo's remark about "two physical worlds."

"In the short term it's definitely impossible, but I think if I don't defeat that fellow within the next ten years, I'll have no chance afterward." Zhou Shuo lifted his gaze, did a quick mental calculation, and said.

"Is that fellow going to die?" Red Lotus looked at Zhou Shuo, who sounded increasingly mysterious, and found it mildly amusing; although it concerned her body, she didn't really care and felt no great trouble.

"Pretty much, though that fellow has roamed for hundreds of years, personally driving the rise and fall of dynasties and assassinating at least two emperors—well, you probably don't yet know who an emperor is, but you'll learn later." Zhou Shuo looked at the carefree girl and the deep‑eyed Wei Zhuang, outlining the might of the Grand Void Dao Sect Leader Meng Shenji, but when he touched on some historical loopholes he shrugged and spoke vaguely.

"Hundreds of years—are you sure you're not just dreaming? And 'emperor'? I've only heard of the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors; who would dare call themselves 'emperor'?" Red Lotus couldn't help wanting to laugh. Human lifespan tops out at just over a hundred years; who could live past two hundred? If someone did, they'd hardly be human anymore, and yet they'd have assassinated at least two 'emperors'. I've only heard of the Three Sovereigns and Five Emperors; calling oneself 'king' was a thing of the sages, and since the Spring and Autumn period the title 'emperor' has been a joke—yet someone still dares to style themselves 'emperor'!

"" The cold wind blew over; the girl's delighted laugh, under the gaze of Zhou Shuo and Wei Zhuang, gradually stiffened. In the end she was unhappy, puffing out her lips, wanting to retort a couple of times, but seeing Wei Zhuang's icy stare she swallowed her words, knowing better.

"Ignorance is bliss." Zhou Shuo looked at the pouting blossom‑age girl, gave a light shake of his head, then felt a bit relieved; what he'd said was too arcane for most people—not everyone has his experience of world‑traveling—but sometimes the more you see, the more you feel like a frog at the bottom of a well, yearning to glimpse the wider world beyond.

"Hmph!" The girl looked at the head‑shaking Zhou Shuo, her delicate nose wrinkling as her cheeks puffed out even more.

"I will do my utmost to fulfill my promise; as for the time, Brother Wei Zhuang, I'm sorry." Zhou Shuo gave Wei Zhuang a solemn nod, then glanced at the girl with her cheeks puffed out, feeling a sigh—no wonder that fellow Han Fei dotes on this little sister; if he had such a sister, he too would cherish and protect her, unwilling to let her come to any harm.

"Here." Wei Zhuang, seeing Zhou Shuo's earnest demeanor, took out a bamboo slip from his sleeve and tossed it over.

"What is this? 'Bat Blood Technique'." Zhou Shuo caught the bamboo slip, glanced at it in the moonlight, and couldn't help raising his eyebrows slightly.

"An unexpected gain; I hope you survive." Wei Zhuang looked at Zhou Shuo, not mentioning the Earth Origin Spirit Pill again.

"I'll take your kind words!" Zhou Shuo looked at the cold‑hearted fellow, unsure whether to cry or laugh; the remark sounded nice, as if he were being treated as a friend, his words trusted—but the tone made it seem like he was marching to a death match, as if he truly had to go to a life‑or‑death duel with Meng Shenji.

"You don't have any plans lately to escort Nong Yu away, do you?" Wei Zhuang looked at the laughing‑crying fellow, frowned a bit, and firmly asked; from Zhou Shuo's various circumstances he could see that this fellow hadn't, as he'd previously claimed, intended to escort Nong Yu and Lady Hu to Daliang.

"Yes, Nong Yu was originally one of your Flowing Sand people; you've been looking after her, and I'm reassured—I'll come back from time to time to check on her." Zhou Shuo gazed at the solemn‑faced man, letting out a slightly sly smile. What he needs most now is to rapidly strengthen his strength; given the combined situation, he can't make further progress in either the Yangshen World or this one, so he plans to go through that third door that has appeared, to see what world lies beyond it. As for Nong Yu, he'll naturally entrust her to Flowing Sand.

"Mm." Wei Zhuang uttered a faint hum from his throat; Flowing Sand is supposed to work for Zhou Shuo for free, and moreover cannot refuse.