Chapter 266: The Lunar Elixir, Imperial Flow, and Nourishment

Chapter 266: The Lunar Elixir, Imperial Flow, and Nourishment

June 30, 2024

"Hu Guniang, do you want to join us on our journey to the sacred mountain?" Lu Qing asked.

"Yes," Hu Zezhi nodded.

After saying those words, she seemed to relax, looking at Lu Qing with a calm expression.

"But our trip to the sacred mountain may be dangerous. Besides, Hu Guniang, didn't you want to become a disciple of the Xuanxin Sect and learn from a master?"

"My leg is broken, and it will take some time to heal. I'm afraid I'll miss the Xuanxin Sect's disciple recruitment ceremony.

Even if I force myself to attend, I will surely be eliminated, so there's no point in going."

Hu Zezhi looked at Lu Qing with a serious expression.

"So, I think it's better to follow you, Master Lu, to the sacred mountain and broaden my horizons.

That way, this trip to Zhongzhou won't be in vain.

As for danger, when you travel, there's always a risk.

Even those close to us may harbor ill intentions and be ready to stab us in the back."

At this point, Hu Zezhi's face darkened slightly.

It was clear that the incident where she almost died at the hands of the woman in red and her companions right after leaving Qinglong City had affected her deeply.

"So, Master Lu, Elder, I hope you can give me this opportunity to accompany you.

If we do encounter danger and I become a burden, please don't worry about me. This is my choice, and I will never complain!"

Seeing the determination on Hu Zezhi's face, Lu Qing was taken aback for a moment, as if he was truly recognizing the young girl before him for the first time.

Suddenly, he smiled and said, "It's not that serious. We just didn't want you to overexert yourself with your injured leg.

Alright, since you want to come with us, it would be impolite to turn you away now."

"You agree, Master Lu?" Hu Zezhi asked happily.

"Mmm, our carriage has enough space. But Hu Guniang, starting tomorrow, we will be traveling continuously and may not have many stops along the way, so you should be prepared," Lu Qing said.

"Rest assured, Master Lu, I won't complain about the hardships," Hu Zezhi nodded firmly.

"Then let's head downstairs first. The commotion earlier was quite loud, and someone might come to investigate soon," Lu Qing suggested.

Although only those at the innate realm and a few gifted geniuses could hear the Heavenly Dao Sound, the unusual phenomenon of the moon's essence descending upon the earth was visible to everyone.

The disturbance caused by Lu Qing using the jade bottle to collect the moon's essence was not insignificant, and it was possible that someone might have noticed.

While they were not afraid, there was no need to court trouble unnecessarily.

Lu Qing, Xiao Yan, and Hu Zezhi climbed down from the inn's roof.

Fortunately, the innkeeper and the waiter were ordinary people who hadn't noticed anything unusual, sparing Lu Qing the trouble of explaining.

As for Magus and Wei Zi'an, perhaps due to exhaustion from the day's travel, they were still sound asleep and hadn't been awakened by the commotion.

"Hu Guniang, you should go back to your room and rest. We'll probably be leaving very early tomorrow," Lu Qing said.

"Okay," Hu Zezhi replied.

Although she had many questions, she knew that now was not the time to ask them, so she obediently returned to her room.

After watching Hu Zezhi close her door, Lu Qing turned to the old doctor and said, "Master, I need to figure out how to use the moon's essence, so I won't be able to research the poisonous blood with you for the time being."

"It's fine. I'll study it on my own for now. You go ahead," the old doctor nodded, unbothered.

He understood that the moon's essence must be extremely important to Xiao Li, perhaps even more so than he had imagined, for Lu Qing to be so cautious.

After bidding farewell to his master, Lu Qing returned to his room, where Xiao Li immediately rushed to his side, her eyes fixed on him expectantly.

"Wait a little longer, be a good girl," Lu Qing said, ruffling Xiao Li's hair affectionately before sitting on the bed and taking out the jade bottle.

Xiao Li's eyes lit up even brighter at the sight of the bottle, and she obediently sat down next to Lu Qing to wait.

Even Xiao Yan was curious about the contents of the bottle.

"Big brother, is what's in the bottle important for Xiao Li?" she asked.

"I'm not sure yet. Let me examine it first," Lu Qing replied.

Holding the bottle, Lu Qing did not open it immediately. Instead, he extended a thread of his soul power to examine the intricate patterns on its surface.

The heavenly anomaly that night had come too suddenly, leaving him no time to prepare. He had only managed to hastily inscribe three sealing talismans on the bottle with his powerful soul power, temporarily enabling it to contain the moon's essence.

Otherwise, an ordinary container would never be able to hold such a heavenly treasure.

After inspecting it, Lu Qing shook his head.

"As expected, a container crafted in haste is too crude. While it can temporarily hold the moon's essence, it cannot completely seal it. Over time, the essence will still gradually dissipate.

"Lu Qing activated his ability, and Wang Yiping looked on.

The next moment, in his field of view, a dense red light lit up from the jade bottle, and several strips of text appeared.

[Sealing Jade Bottle: A hastily crafted sealing jade bottle, forcibly refined with sealing talismans, possesses the ability to seal and store the Moon's Essence.]



[This jade bottle has partially attained the power of a magical artifact.]



[The refining technique is crude and seems to have room for improvement.]



Seeing the text in his field of view, Lu Qing couldn't help but break into a sweat.

He never expected that even his ability would find the refining technique of this jade bottle to be crude and rudimentary.

Shaking his head with a wry smile, Lu Qing opened the stopper of the jade bottle.

Instantly, a silvery light emanated from the bottle, and a strange fragrance wafted out. Lu Qing inhaled the scent, and his mind immediately felt refreshed, with even the soul power in his brow chakra experiencing a cooling sensation.

As for Xiao Li, she stared at the jade bottle with eyes wide open.

"Brother, this scent is so nice."

Xiao Yan also narrowed her eyes, revealing a look of enjoyment.

"As expected of a heavenly phenomenon that awakens the intelligence of all things. Just a whiff is enough to clear the mind and enhance cognitive abilities."

Lu Qing couldn't help but exclaim in admiration.

He held the jade bottle in front of him and peered inside.

Within, silvery light shimmered, resembling a miniature moon contained within.

Lu Qing examined it with his ability for a while, and finally, a purple light of his ability appeared.

[Moon's Essence: A divine essence that flows from the Rule Moon, imbued with a trace of the power of rules.]



[The Moon's Essence holds the ability to awaken the intelligence of all things, purify bloodlines, and bestow extraordinary effects.]



[According to legends, countless drops of Moon's Essence can be condensed into Imperial Flow, a single drop of which can transform beasts into powerful demons, granting them a thousand years of cultivation.]



...

As Lu Qing finished reading the introduction about the Moon's Essence, his heart stirred.

These strips of text revealed quite a substantial amount of information.

First was the term "Rule Moon."

Tonight's moon was clearly unusual, appearing brighter and larger than the full moons of the past.

Moreover, even his ability couldn't probe any information from it.

It seemed likely that this phenomenon was related to the so-called "Rule Moon."

"Rule Moon... Could it be that tonight's moon isn't a physical entity like the moons of my past life but is instead a manifestation of rules?"

Lu Qing pondered silently in his heart.

He felt that he had gained a bit more understanding of this world.

"Also, this Moon's Essence can be condensed. It's a pity that my cultivation is insufficient. Otherwise, if I could have captured more of the Moon's Essence that filled the sky tonight, I might have been able to condense a drop of Imperial Flow."

A single drop of Imperial Flow could transform beasts into powerful demons, granting them a thousand years of cultivation.

If Xiao Li were to consume it, Lu Qing dared not imagine how powerful she would become.

What a pity...

Lu Qing's heart felt a twinge of regret.

However, he soon calmed his emotions.

One should not be too greedy.

He was already fortunate to have captured this much Moon's Essence tonight.

If he had really diverted the Moon's Essence from an area spanning dozens of miles, or even a hundred miles, it would have been akin to depriving the countless creatures in that region of their opportunity for enlightenment. In that case, it was uncertain whether it would truly be a good thing.

Such blatant actions might even attract the enmity of the mysterious Heavenly Dao.

From his master repeatedly receiving inexplicable warnings to the appearance of Hu Zezhi, a person with great fortune, Lu Qing held a healthy amount of wariness towards the intentions of the Heavenly Dao.

With these thoughts, Lu Qing no longer felt regretful.

He looked at Xiao Li, who was eagerly staring at him, and smiled.

"Alright, Xiao Li, I've finished examining it, and this Moon's Essence is indeed extraordinary.

However, regarding the use of this Moon's Essence, can I discuss something with you?"

Xiao Li had been overjoyed when Lu Qing said it was fine, her eyes shining with delight.

But upon hearing his subsequent words, she looked at him with confusion.

"The amount of Moon's Essence in this jade bottle is quite substantial, and you might not be able to absorb it all at once. I want to share a portion of it with the two horses that pull our carriage. Are you willing to do that? They work hard for us every day, so they deserve a reward."

Xiao Li, upon hearing this, revealed a reluctant expression, but after tilting her head in thought, she eventually nodded in agreement.

"I knew it; Xiao Li is the most understanding."

Lu Qing smiled and ruffled Xiao Li's head affectionately before holding up the jade bottle.

"Come, open your mouth."

The Moon's Essence couldn't be contained by any other vessel, so it had to be poured directly.

Xiao Li, seeing this, immediately tilted her head back, opened her mouth wide, and looked at the jade bottle expectantly.

Lu Qing didn't tease her and directly brought the bottle to her mouth.

Gulp, gulp...

Just as Lu Qing had said, the amount of Moon's Essence in the jade bottle was considerable, almost filling the entire bottle.

"After all, he had collected the essence from the surrounding area for miles around.

So, Xiao Li drank her fill.

It was only after drinking most of the bottle that she finally felt her limit and gently pushed the jade bottle away with her paw.

Lu Qing promptly picked up the bottle and closed it.

"Is that enough?"

"Meow~"

Xiao Li let out a soft cry, her mouth glowing with a silvery light.

However, she seemed oblivious to it, stumbling over to her little nest on the bed and falling into a deep sleep.

"Brother, Xiao Li's asleep again," Xiao Yan whispered.

"I wonder how long she'll sleep this time," Lu Qing mused, shaking his head. He glanced at Xiao Yan and then opened the bottle, "Xiao Yan, come on, have a sip too."

He had noticed how she had secretly swallowed her drool when she saw Xiao Li drinking so happily.

"But, brother, didn't you say you wanted to save some for the horses?" Xiao Yan asked, her heart stirring, but still hesitant.

"It's okay, there's still quite a bit left in the bottle, enough for those two guys," Lu Qing assured her, a hint of warmth in his heart.

The little one had grown up a bit and started to consider others, instead of just being greedy for treats.

Hearing her brother's words, Xiao Yan opened her mouth.

She was curious about the taste of the Moon's Essence; it smelled so wonderful.

Lu Qing poured a bit of the Moon's Essence into Xiao Yan's mouth.

The little girl shivered, smacked her lips a few times, and then broke into a smile.

"Brother, it's sweet and so cool, just like Grandpa Chen's peppermint candy from before."

Lu Qing: "..."

The majestic Moon's Essence, coveted by countless beasts and creatures, had been likened to peppermint candy. This little one was truly something else.

However, he knew that the most important effect of the Moon's Essence was its ability to awaken the intelligence of all things, especially birds, beasts, insects, fish, flowers, and trees.

But for humans, who were already the most intelligent of creatures, the effect was much weaker, especially for a genius like Xiao Yan with her unique constitution.

For her, the Moon's Essence was barely effective, similar to candy.

"Okay, you stay here and watch Xiao Li. I'll be right back," Lu Qing instructed. He told Xiao Yan to call out if she needed anything and then left the room with the jade bottle, heading straight for the inn's stable.

"Whinny~"

The horses in the stable stirred at the sound of someone approaching.

"Shh, it's me," Lu Qing soothed, emitting a gentle soul wave to calm the horses.

Yunlaizhen was just a small town, and there weren't many travelers passing through on a regular basis.

Tonight, the inn where Lu Qing and his group were staying only had them as guests.

Thus, there were only their two horses in the stable.

Upon seeing Lu Qing, the two tall horses quieted down but kept their eyes fixed on the jade bottle in his hand.

"You've got a good nose," Lu Qing chuckled, opening the stopper. "Come on, I've brought you guys something good."

Whoosh!

As soon as the stopper was removed, the fragrance wafting from the bottle stirred the horses, and they began to get restless.

"Be quiet, if you make any more noise, I'll put it away and never give it to you!" Lu Qing gently scolded.

The two horses immediately fell silent, not daring to move.

After being nourished by spiritual energy and formation power for so long, they had gained a bit of human-like understanding and could comprehend Lu Qing's words to some extent.

However, even though they stayed still, their eyes remained locked on the jade bottle in Lu Qing's hand.

"One half for each, no fighting over it," Lu Qing said, quickly dividing the remaining Moon's Essence in the bottle between the two horses.

After consuming the Moon's Essence, the two horses also began to look drowsy.

"Goodness, are you two going to sleep for a long time too? We need to travel tomorrow," Lu Qing said, feeling a bit worried that he hadn't considered this possibility earlier.

But it was too late to regret it now, and he could only hope that the horses would wake up in time for their journey tomorrow.

Otherwise, their trip would be delayed again.

After putting the jade bottle away in his Qiankun Bag, Lu Qing left the stable and returned to his room.

Back in the room, he saw Xiao Yan leaning against Xiao Li, fast asleep.

Lu Qing felt a wave of sleepiness wash over him as well.

In a short span of time, he had inscribed three spirit talismans, which had taken a toll on his mental energy. Even with the nourishment from the Earth Spirit Pearl, he felt exhausted.

So, he blew out the candle and went to bed.

Lu Qing slept soundly and dreamlessly that night.

At some point, he vaguely heard a soft, childish voice calling out to him in his mind, "Ah, Ah Qing..."

(End of Chapter)

Chapter end