Chapter 55 The Scorched Gold Pill

Master Qingxu heard this and could not help but sigh deeply.

"Alas! This is truly a case of 'trying to paint a tiger, but ending up with a dog'—originally, I ventured to the Wild Heavens to seek the Uranium Crystal, but never did I imagine things would end up like this! Immortal Jiuxiao, to be frank, I was not directly struck by the Thunderbolt when in the Wild Heavens, and I even harbored a bit of hope, thinking I had escaped death this time! Yet when I used the Flash Step technique to return to Qingxu Temple, and suddenly my powers failed me and I fell, I discovered I had contracted the Dreaded Scorching Disease. At that moment, I realized disaster had struck... cough, cough... cough..."

Before Qingxu finished speaking, he was overcome by a fit of coughing. Hurriedly, he drew a handkerchief from his pocket to cover his mouth.

Seeing this, Yan Chixia felt his heart sink. He watched his master cough relentlessly, then quickly moved behind him, gently patting his back and, with tears in his eyes, reproached him:

"Master, you knew you had contracted the Dreaded Scorching Disease, yet why did you keep it from me?"

"Yan Chixia, your master merely didn’t want you to worry about him." Before Qingxu could reply, Immortal Jiuxiao interjected coldly. "Qingxu, your question was apt. I do indeed possess a remedy for the Dreaded Scorching Disease. Very well, since you aided my nephew Yuntianzi in the Wild Heavens, I shall grant you the secret prescription for this deadly affliction."

With that, the Immortal Jiuxiao waved her hand, and a folded sheet of paper appeared out of thin air in her jade palm.

Yan Chixia, overjoyed, hurriedly thanked the immortal and stepped forward to take the paper, then handed it to his master.

Master Qingxu was elated. He took the sheet with trembling hands and, deeply moved, bowed gratefully to Jiuxiao:

"Thank you, Immortal Jiuxiao! I never expected that the head of the Azure Cloud Sect, Yuntianzi, would be your nephew... When I aided your nephew, it was purely out of a sense of duty—I never imagined that the Nine-turn Golden Pill I gave him would, in the end, bring me your life-saving prescription!"

He unfolded the paper and saw, written in bold cinnabar characters, "Scorchbane Golden Pill," beneath which densely packed tiny script detailed the ingredients and method for crafting the pill. It was indeed the secret remedy for the Dreaded Scorching Disease.

Yan Chixia, Bai Xiaoyue, Bunny Meng, and Pine Cone all stood beside him, watching. They thought that with the secret prescription, Qingxu would be very happy, but to their surprise, after reading it, he frowned.

Yan Chixia, puzzled, could not help but ask:

"Master, now that you have Immortal Jiuxiao's remedy, you should soon be cured of the Dreaded Scorching Disease. Why are you troubled?"

"Danzi, you do not understand," Master Qingxu replied. "The prescription is excellent, but of the ten ingredients needed for the Scorchbane Golden Pill, we only have eight: cinnabar, mirabilite, gypsum, borax, mica, pumice, natural copper, and mercury. The two most crucial—Heartfruit and Reviving Stone—are not in our possession!"

"Oh," Yan Chixia nodded. "Master, is that really a problem? Heartfruit and Reviving Stone—there’s a Li’s Apothecary in Qixia Town at the foot of Mount Zhongnan. I’ll go there right away and buy them. Then we can make the pill, can’t we?"

"Heh," Master Qingxu forced a bitter smile. "Danzi, things are not so simple. According to the Compendium of Rare Stones, Fruits, and Herbs, Heartfruit and Reviving Stone are exceptionally rare, found only in Death’s Gorge. Death’s Gorge lies twelve thousand miles southwest from here, desolate and uninhabited, with mountain ridges upon mountain ridges. Between Cloudrise Peak and Rosy Dusk Ridge is a vast chasm—the Gorge itself. It stretches over a hundred miles, filled with all manner of natural treasures: spirit fruits, herbs, medicines, and stones for crafting supreme elixirs and powerful artifacts. But the entire gorge is sealed by an ancient barrier, impassable to all!"

As he spoke, Qingxu’s face showed a hint of shame.

"Danzi, to be honest, your master has tried three times to enter Death’s Gorge... Alas, my powers were too weak to break the ancient barrier. Each time, standing so close to the chasm, I could only sigh and return defeated!"

"I see!" Yan Chixia was bitterly disappointed. "Master, is there truly no way to obtain Heartfruit and Reviving Stone?"

"Indeed." Qingxu nodded gravely. "Danzi, your master is truly powerless."

Yan Chixia fell silent.

Bai Xiaoyue, Bunny Meng, and Pine Cone exchanged uncertain glances, at a loss for words.

Just then, She Meier suddenly spoke:

"I can obtain Heartfruit and Reviving Stone."

Yan Chixia, Bai Xiaoyue, Bunny Meng, and Pine Cone all turned their gazes to She Meier’s captivating smile.

Master Qingxu also looked at her, full of doubt.

"She Meier, is this true?"

"It’s no idle boast!" She Meier declared confidently.

Seeing her so self-assured, Qingxu’s heart stirred.

"She Meier, could it be that Heartfruit and Reviving Stone exist somewhere besides Death’s Gorge, and you can easily obtain them?"

"No!" She Meier waved her hand solemnly. "Qingxu is correct: Heartfruit and Reviving Stone are rare treasures, found only in Death’s Gorge."

"Oh?" Qingxu was stunned. "She Meier, then you can enter Death’s Gorge and retrieve them?"

"Exactly!" She Meier replied earnestly.

Qingxu was astonished, unsure what to believe, so he turned to Immortal Jiuxiao, inquiring:

"Immortal Jiuxiao, what do you think of your disciple’s claim?"

"Indeed," Jiuxiao answered imperiously. "Qingxu, to be frank, what is a hopeless, impassable place for you is a mere trifle for me. I can take Meier in and out of Death’s Gorge at will, each time with the ease of picking something from my own pocket—finding what we need there is effortless!"