~~~

“I believe I am being punished.”

Taking care of the Reverse Tree is the one task in the Apothecary no one particularly enjoys. While it is a source of valuable ingredients, it is also an ill-tempered tree that will do its best to drain the life out of whatever it can get its branches on. To make matters worse, the chamber of the Reverse Tree is permanently submerged in darkness as only in darkness can the Reverse Tree grow.

To harvest its ingredients, one must do so in total darkness while also avoiding damaging the hostile tree. It is an annoying duty that rotates between the disciples who have been in the Apothecary long enough to be trusted.

Liu Jin had assumed going to the Dead Plains meant he’d get some leeway on missing a few of his shifts. Alas, he had no such luck. Upon finishing his multiple-day nap, Liu Jin had been told he would be in charge of harvesting materials from the Reverse Tree for the rest of the day.

“You agree with me, right?”

The Reverse Tree does not offer any answers. It keeps trying to catch him with its many branches, not that it ever comes close to doing so. Liu Jin effortlessly weaves between them as he cuts down another fruit and tosses it to the large basket strapped to his back. While other disciples would find the lack of light troublesome, Liu Jin’s senses are good enough that there is never any danger of being caught by the Reverse Tree.

“Elder Xue is definitely angry with me. Or perhaps she just wants to keep me safe down here.”

It is probably both, which explains why she made him meet all the important people who might have wanted to thank him during his first day back. The only people who could take him out of the Apothecary now would be the Patriarch or Lord Feng Gui.

“Have you ever wondered how things are outside?”

A sharp branch tries to take his head off. Liu Jin leaps over it and prunes a few vines.

“It has been on my mind since I woke up,” Liu Jin continues. “Patriarch Feng’s decision should have already become public. Depending on how it is handled, and even if handled well, the Eternal Flame Clan could experience an upheaval.”

How long have the Feng siblings been covertly and not-so-covertly competing to become the next Patriarch? Years? Decades? More? How can Feng Shang be expected to silently accept it’s all over now and all his effort was for naught?

There is also the matter of the spies in the Eternal Flame Clan. Elder Xue did not seem surprised when he got to that part of the story, meaning she already suspected, or maybe she already knew. Maybe all the important people know. Regardless, if Lord Feng Gui’s ascension proves to be a problem for them, there is no telling what they will do.

“I guess I am just worried. About everything.” Liu Jin sighs as he backflips. “Sorry, I should not be heaping my troubles on you. It’s unseemly of me, and….”

Liu Jin trails off. One of the tree branches is held out towards him. By sheer happenstance, it happens to be one with a large fruit.

“Are you… offering this to me?” Liu Jin asks, tilting his head to the side. “Are you sympathizing with me?”

The branch shakes, almost making a so-so motion.

“I am grateful for your kindness, but I am also worried that you have somehow reached the point where you can understand words,” Liu Jin points out, taking the fruit. Shockingly, the tree doesn’t try to get him this time. “No, not words. More like… feelings. Is that it?”

If so, he wonders just how far along the tree is in its evolution. Perhaps they will have to worry about it becoming a demon in a few centuries. Liu Jin frowns as soon as the thought appears. No, it is not quite so simple. The process toward becoming a demon has stages, and they all take time.

“But maybe…”

“Are you trying to make friends with the Reverse Tree?”

“Senior Brother Luo,” Liu Jin says as he blurs all the way to the entrance, well out of the Reverse Tree’s reach. “I was not expecting you.”

Senior Brother Luo is an Inner Disciple who works at the Apothecary. He specializes in translating the old texts they have stored. Before the contest, he approached Liu Jin with a proposition that led them to cooperate in rediscovering the elixir that allowed Senior Brother Guo to surpass the limits of the Earth Realm.

“You did not answer my question,” the older disciple points out.

“I find myself needing to air my thoughts,” Liu Jin says, casting a look at the Reverse Tree. The idea that Elder Xue may have fed him something that has made him more honest is considered but swiftly discarded. Not only would he have sensed something like that, but Elder Xue doesn’t need to rely on that sort of method to compel the truth out of someone. “The Reverse Tree proved an able listener.”

“It tries to drain the life out of anyone who enters this room,” Luo points out.

“A listener only needs to be silent.”

“Only you, Brother Jin.” Luo shakes his head. “Only you.”

“I will take that as a compliment. Did Senior Brother Luo wish to talk to me about something?”

“Yes,” he says. As he approaches him, Liu Jin notices his eyes are red, and there are dark circles under them. “There is one particular matter I need your help with.”

~~~

Squawk!

Soaring Feather leaps into Liu Jin's arms as soon as he enters the room. It would have been cute a few months ago, but Soaring Feather is almost as big as a horse now. His wings are so large that they completely hide Liu Jin's body as they close around him in a facsimile of a hug.

"I missed you too," Liu Jin tells the Black-Winged Imperial Eagle. He scratches the back of his head, and the bird croons softly. "I am sorry for not coming to pick you up sooner."

Shameful as it is to admit, between what happened with the Patriarch, Elder Xue parading him around, Bei Hong's party, and his very long nap afterward, Liu Jin had completely forgotten about visiting Soaring Feather.

“What have you been feeding him?” He asks Luo. “He was not this big when I left.”

It is not just Soaring Feather’s size that surprises Liu Jin. The Spirit Beast has grown in cultivation while he was away. While Soaring Feather’s physical growth has always been quick, he was never particularly strong as a Spirit Beast. That is why Liu Jin did not take him to the Dead Plains and instead left him in Senior Brother Luo’s care.

However, if his growth keeps following this pace, Liu Jin will not have to worry about that in a few more months.

“Feeding him! Ha!” Luo lets out a harsh laugh. “If only it could be so simple. No, let’s call it what it is, Brother Jin. This bird of yours has been extorting me!”

That draws a raised eyebrow from Liu Jin. He slowly shifts his gaze to Soaring Feather, who squawks in indignation.

Liu Jin crosses his arms.

Soaring Feather looks down.

“We agreed that he should keep providing me with feathers for the elixir, but your bird stopped cooperating after only a week. Instead of offering them freely, he kept demanding more and more food for them!”

The increasingly guilty look on Soaring Feather’s face makes the truth of Luo’s accusations obvious. However…

“How did he demand food from you?” Liu Jin asks. “He can’t talk.”

“That’s not important!” Luo says, blushing in embarrassment.

What sort of brutal haggling happened while he was away? The question passes through his mind before Liu Jin realizes he has no interest in the subject. There are already too many ridiculous things in his life to add more.

“What matters is that progress has slowed down greatly because of it!” Luo angrily points at Soaring Feather. “Lord Feng Gui was more than satisfied with the first batch, but we both know the process for making it still needs to be refined.”

“I see.” Liu Jin rubs his chin. “Soaring Feather, you did wrong.”

The bird flinches.

“Apologize.”

A timid, barely audible cry leaves the eagle’s beak. Some would have been moved by the pathetic sight, but not Liu Jin.

“You are far too big to play cute. Do it properly.”

That earns him an indignant look from Soaring Feather, but he meets it with a steely gaze that has the bird shrinking away from him. Soaring Feather bows his head to Luo and shakes some feathers from his wing.

“Thank you, Brother Jin,” Luo says. “These will do for now.”

“I don’t foresee you having any more problems getting feathers from him, but don’t hesitate to call me if he’s being troublesome,” Liu Jin says, patting Soaring Feather’s head.

“Trust me,” Luo says, glaring at the eagle. “I won’t.”

“How far have you come along?” Liu Jin asks when the two don’t seem to be in any hurry to stop glaring at each other.

The success of the treatment on Senior Brother Guo would lead one to believe there is nothing more that needs to be done, but that could not be further from the truth. The recipe for the elixir used came from an old scroll. The original maker never once considered it could be used in conjunction with something like the Spring of Enduring Valour. There is still plenty of room for improvement. Be it in the ingredients, the steps for making the potion, or in the best way to take advantage of the interaction between the elixir and the spring.

“I believe I have made some improvements, enough that Senior Brother Guo will not be our only success. However, the process is still not refined enough.”

“I have a few ideas for ingredients that could be added to the formula,” Liu Jin says. “I think they will increase its effectiveness.”

“Since it’s your idea, it’s basically guaranteed to work.”

“You praise me too much.”

“No. There is not a single person in the Apothecary who would disagree with me on this,” Luo says. “Had it not been for you, it might have taken me several more months of work to reach this stage, and I’m not just saying that because you gave me access to your pet's feathers.”

“I only helped out towards the end.”

And only because the inevitability of the contest loomed over them.

“And that was enough to greatly speed up the process,” Luo affirms.

Liu Jin doesn’t say anything. It’s always awkward when people praise him too much.

“By the way, have you planned on taking the treatment?” Luo asks him. “You refrained from doing so before taking part in the contest.”

Liu Jin shakes his head.

“I am in no position to undergo the treatment right now,” Liu Jin says. “My body is still recovering from what happened in the Dead Plains.”

In theory, the treatment should only increase his physicality and leave his meridians untouched. However, there is no telling how that sort of change will affect his body, weak as it is right now.

Luo frowns. “Are you ever intending to take the treatment?”

“I am not sure,” Liu Jin confesses. “At first, I declined because I wasn’t sure how effective it would be on someone who is only in the Spirit Realm. Now… my body has several modifications that make me unsure of how it would interact with the treatment.”

He needs to understand how much has his body been changed by Nine-Headed Snake God’s Veins.

“I need far more study to be sure it is safe.”

“You should not admit something like that so easily,” Luo tells him. “Let me tell you this right now, there is not a single person who has failed to notice the drastic increase in power many of the disciples went through. There is much talk of hidden treasures and fortunate encounters, but those of us in the Apothecary have a good idea of who is to blame. Lord Feng Gui will be delighted, I am sure, but Elder Xue is keeping you here for a reason, junior. Rest assured, no one here is foolish enough to betray you.”

“Even those who don’t like me?”

“Especially those who don’t like you.”

Liu Jin smiles.

“How lucky I am to have such dependable seniors.”

~~~