Mystique Soul: A Cultivator's Flame
Chapter 38

Chapter 38: Chapter 38

Feng Jiao Xue grinned widely as she held a parchment filled with scribbles and elegant writings. Herbs and their attributes, effects, positive and negative, as well as other information, how they would react to certain things are written all over papers, both crumbled up or meticulously spread all over her table. Medicinal books written all over spread up all around her, from her desk, to her chairs and to the floor.

On one corner of her bedroom where various herbs and vials filled with different coloured liquids marked with a bright red "Experiment #: Fail" noted in each container from 1-79, crumpled papers littered below the table.

Feng Jiao Xue directly mirrors the state of her room.

Her silken hair all over the place, messily tied in a ponytail, ink all over her hands, eyes buried on prominent eye bags, the sleeves of her dress rolled up, stains from her previous experiments coloring the once beautiful dress.

"Fresh Ling root" She mumbled removing the rough brown outer layer revealing a soft white insides measuring them slightly before putting it on her cauldron.

"Seven leaved dragon tooth" The herb having gotten its name from shape looking strangely similar to a sharp fang.

Feng Jiao Xue excitedly bustled around her table, hastily putting away the books and parchment. Crushing a bone into fine powder one moment and then cutting herbs the next as her cauldron emitted green puffs of smoke once in a while.

She added a crimson root turning the green puff of smoke into black before adding an eye of a level two silver armored ant making the black smoke into silver smoke.

This time, her eyes didn’t leave the cauldron as she used her qi to control the chaotic energy inside the cauldron.

"Focus on the fire as well," Huang Jin De reminded her as he appeared beside her.

Feng Jiao Xue nodded as she split her attention in the Qi inside the cauldron and in modulating the heat from the fire below the cauldron.

She didn’t move an inch as time slowly passed before smoke that was slipping out turned slightly golden.

Her breath bated as the qi inside the cauldron shifted and spun around trying to get out of the cauldron but Feng Jiao Xue used her qi to block them from slipping out, the cauldron vibrated and buzzed until it settled.

Feng Jiao Xue slowly lowered her hand as she stopped sending Qi to it, putting the flames off and waited for the cauldron to slightly settle before taking a cloth to use to cover her hand before opening the cauldron.

"Cough, cough" Feng Jiao Xue waved her hand over the smoke that left the cauldron when she opened it before opening her eyes again.

Three pairs of eyes peered into the cauldron. One that of a deer, another pair blazing red and one pair shining black.

"It works...?" Huang Jin De stated in uncertainty before smiling brightly.

"It works!" Feng Jiao Xue breathed out.

There inside the cauldron were six pearl-like pills.

Feng Jiao Xue grinned slightly as she carefully took one pill and observed it. The pill was smooth with a slightly cool feeling coming off of it.

"For the final test." Feng Jiao Xue took out a cute four-eyed rodent.

It was cute, big round innocent eyes blinking slowly. Its body was round with soft tiny furs. Two small horns on top of its head and ears twice the size of its face.

"Squee~ Squee~" The creature cried high pitched revealing toothless mouth, its short pink hairless tail anxiously wagging.

Feng Jiao Xue dipped a needle into one of the separated vials and carefully pricked it into the small thing watching it slowly weaken and shiver in the cold.

Seeing the poison from the crown prince take effect, Feng Jiao Xue fed one of the pills to it and slowly, the limb creature slowly regained its vitality before it was energetically trying to escape her grasp again.

With a satisfied look, Feng Jiao Xue gave the little being one of her spiritual herbs and let it go watching the small thing take it and immediately run away.

"Now, we only need the Moonshade herb from Liang Feng to modify the pills into a permanent cure" She muses as she takes out the messenger bird giving it some seeds to snack on.

Liang Feng

As promised, I studied your case, the notes are my research about the medicine and the pills are the final product. Test it however you like. When you’re certain, reach out to me. I need to do some preliminary check up before proceeding for the final cure. Don’t die before we meet again.

PS: I’m doing fine if you’re still wondering and this is Hei Feng, figured it would be a fitting name.

Jiao Xue

Feng Jiao Xue took the final research paper and placed the letter with them before rolling it up and trying them with the ribbon she uses to tie her hair.

Putting the pills into another small pouch and tying them on one of Hei Feng’s feet.

"Take this to Liang Feng, okay?" Feng Jiao Xue petted the messenger bird’s head.

Understanding its mission, Hei Feng chirped before taking the parchments and flying away.

"Jin De, how is my reputation coming along?" Feng Jiao Xue asks as Hei Feng flies away.

"Not that much has changed but those four are doing their job. Some don’t care but others are starting to pity you more and more" Huang Jin De reported.

"Pity me?" Feng Jiao Xue frowned. "Just that?’

"Yeah, what were you hoping to achieve?" Huang Jin De asked but Feng Jiao Xue just shaked her head.

"Pity is fine, if it ruin’s my second uncle’s reputation already they will just shoot it down. This is fine. We can just lay out the foundation for now" She sighs, making Huang Jin De get the general idea.

Liang Feng was in his study working on some reports when the Shadow Flitter entered the room.

Hearing the soft fluttering sound, he looked up tiredly and held his arm out for the bird to perch on, taking the parchment and setting it down before untying the pouch from him.

Curious, he looks at the content before reading the letter.

’Don’t die before we meet?’ Liang Feng chuckles at that. ’I guess that’s as much of a take care of yourself as I can get’ He muses before the rest of the letter finally sinks in on him.

His eyes widened and the pouch slipped off of his hand before he scrambled to catch it before it could land on the ground.

"Call Zang Shi here, now!" He commanded as he hastily stood up, knocking his chair down.

Immediately, the guards standing in front of his door bowed, "Yes, your highness" he replied before running to obey his command.

Zang Shi, upon hearing the guard got up of his bed and run towards the prince’s courtyard thinking that he was injured. "Your highness, what happened? What do you need?" he asked despite already casting diagnostic spells upon diagnostic spells on him.

"Nothing, here" Liang Feng handed him the papers confusing Zang Shi whose gaze became more heated the farther he read.

"This, this!" He stutters speechless as looking at Liang Feng and then at the parchment.

"I’ll check it up immediately, your highness," Zang Shi excitedly told him before leaving.

"Get me one of the prisoners already sentenced for life!" Was heard from the outside.

Liang Feng paced back and forth waiting for the result in his study, unable to sit still, he fiddled with his hands nervously as he paced impatiently, his head snapping to the sound of his door opening again.

"Your highness-" Zang Shi breathlessly called before wordlessly nodding and it was enough for Liang Feng to understand.

The pills work.

Han Qing and Xu Bo entered after Zang Shi.

"Your highness, we can’t just trust this girl. We know nothing about her." Han Qing spoke up. "She may have done us a favor but what if this is a trap? This is a plot?"

Xu Bo nodded. "How could someone so young, and unknown at that, find a cure to a poison that has plagued even the most brilliant alchemists?"

Zang Shi sighed and shaked his head. "Not all that are masters in their craft are known and looks can be deceiving. And if we investigate her, we might just end up offending her"

Liang Feng nodded. "It’s good to be cautious but if she can find a cure, we can’t afford to alienate someone like her" Liang Feng concluded. "Plus, I have a feeling she’s someone we can trust"

"A feeling is just an intuition that cannot be fully trusted without solid reason. You’re the one who told me that, your highness" Han Qing pointed out.

"Be that as it may" Liang Feng looked at Hei Feng. "She has proven herself to be someone we can trust at the moment"