"Junior brother, how are you feeling now?"
Shangguan Yue Ling's voice was low and gentle, her palm still resting lightly on Langtian's bare back. A steady stream of warm qi flowed from her palm, circulating into his damaged meridians, calming the chaotic energy within him.
Langtian's breath had evened out. His chest rose and fell in a slower, steadier rhythm now.
"I'm much better now. Thank you, Senior Sister Shangguan..."
Yue Ling let out a quiet breath, a hint of relief showing in her expression.
"Good," she said softly. "But don't let your guard down yet. Keep breathing. I'll help you absorb the rest of the pill's energy."
"Yes."
Langtian nodded obediently.
"All right. Deep breath in. No talking for now," Yue Ling said, her voice calm and soft, just as Langtian remembered from years ago.
She resumed channeling qi into him, slowly helping to mend his meridians and regulate the inner flow of energy. Langtian followed her instructions without resistance, just as he always had.
And somehow… it reminded him of old times.
Back when he was younger. Whenever he got hurt during training, it had always been Senior Sister Shangguan who treated him, just like this.
But back then, he was still a boy of twelve, thirteen years old, innocent, unaware of the softness of a girl's touch.
But now…
Now… he had became a grown man.
And her skin, warm against his own, was sending a strange heat crawling up his spine. His thoughts wavered. His heart rate picked up again, just slightly.
"Focus. Your breathing's getting chaotic," Yue Ling said, a soft scold in her tone.
"A-ah, I'm sorry..."
Langtian stammered, cheeks a touch red, and forced himself to focus for real this time.
The effect of the pill, enhanced by Yue Ling's guidance, grew stronger. A gentle warmth spread steadily throughout Langtian's body.
But thanks to the Tranquil Heart Breathing technique and Yue Ling's careful control, the side effects had been kept in check.
Soon, more than half of Langtian's injuries had recovered.
The pain was mostly gone.
"Alright," Yue Ling said, checking his qi flow one last time. "Your meridians are flowing smoothly again, almost like new. But your bones still need a bit more time to heal. You'll have to rest, avoid any strenuous movement for a few days, and don't circulate spiritual energy just yet. But overall, nothing serious. Don't worry, there's no long-term damage."
She finally withdrew her hand and let out a quiet breath, wiping the sweat from her forehead.
And at last, Langtian was allowed to speak.
There had been so many questions swirling in Langtian's mind ever since he arrived. Now, it was just a matter of deciding which one to ask first.
"But Senior Sister… what was that pill?"
He pressed a hand to his stomach, where a faint warmth still lingered.
"It was powerful… but the side effects were terrifying. I was literally going mad just moments ago. I just wanted to destroy, to kill, to tear everything apart. It was like I… I was—"
"Like your mind were corrupted by demonic energy, isn't it?" Yue Ling interjected calmly.
Langtian nodded.
"Yeah… exactly."
"Well," Yue Ling said with a casual shrug, "it was just a Crimson Vitality Pill, though."
"...What?"
Langtian's eyes widened in disbelief.
"Crimson Vitality Pill? No way! Aren't those just Mortal Tier pills?! How could a Mortal Tier pill have such absurdly strong medicinal effects?!"
In this world, pills, martial techniques, and even equipment were ranked using the same classification system.
From lowest to highest, the tiers were:
- Mortal Tier
- Profound Tier
- Earth Tier
- Heaven Tier
- Saint Tier
- Divine Tier
- Dao Tier
And within each tier, items were further divided into four grades:
- Low Grade
- Mid Grade
- High Grade
- Peak Grade
The Crimson Vitality Pill was just a common pill, normally used to treat minor injuries and replenish qi. It was typically crafted from simple ingredients like: Bloodroot Vine, Scarlet Lotus Petal, Boneflame Resin… Sometimes they could even be enhanced by a drop of mystical beast's blood.
But no matter what, even a Peak Grade Crimson Vitality Pill, refined by the most skilled Alchemist in the Celestial Dragon Kingdom, could not possibly produce one-tenth of the potency Langtian had just experienced.
No wonder he was skeptical. He half expected that Yue Ling was just messing with him.
But then, she reached forward and opened her palm.
And there it was, resting in her palm was a round, scarlet-red pill, gleaming with a faint luster, its surface etched with the familiar patterns of a Crimson Vitality Pill.
Langtian's eyes widened even more.
"Wait… that's… that's really a Crimson Vitality Pill! How is this possible?!"