novelraw Chapter 148 - 147 - Avoiding Favors
Chapter 148 - 147 - Avoiding Favors
Qing, Annabelle, and Shoti were waiting outside the forge where Lind had led the Temptress. He had explained he would be making an elixir, but all there felt the tribulation form after a massive amount of Qi had nearly been sucked into the forge area.
The celebrations had quieted as a violet bolt of lightning struck down. All knew what was but since the forges here were not set up for demons, many wondered why the Temptress was trying to make something at grade 4.
The lightning bolt was not strong enough for grade 5 but some experts like Master Cain narrowed his eyes as it did not feel like a refining tribulation either. Some time passed and then different Qi began to be expelled from the forge.
Demonic Qi was flying in the air but it was fragmented. A few experts like Dred or Cain could easily discern the odd nature of it but the rest only felt the surge in demonic Qi before the screams began.
Dred moved stunningly quickly but as soon as he touched the door to the forge, the formations flared in defense. It had been locked! Cain went to use his master key plate but then a new formation appeared.
It was demonic Qi! It was at the peak of the Gold Tier and Cain had no way to force his way past it! The 3 women were worried but then a jade flashed in their possession. Annabelle put it up to her ears and frowned before whispering to the other 2.
"Everyone, this may go on for a bit but it is nothing to be concerned about." Qing called out but she offered no other explanation. She placed a formation plate that cut off the sounds and slowly people went back to conversing. All kept glancing at the forge but demonic Qi kept pulsing the rest of the night.
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Lind was sore and wiped out but he was slowly recovering with his own elixirs. He was observing the process in front of him and frowned. Viola's body was being manipulated by both his elixir and her Qi. As it was repaired and restored, it painfully expelled the artifacts within her body.
Blood had begun to pool beneath the cot but Lind saw her swallow some dark violet pills that restored her blood. He had not expected her to immediately consume the elixir and he was pleased with how effective it was.
From what he could see, her wounds had gone unnoticed and it slowly caused fatal Qi deviation over time. His elixir essentially unknotted the tangled meridians and flesh. It could not completely overcome the deviation but Viola seemed long prepared if ever the opportunity should come. Lind saw the weakness in his elixir and wondered if he could improve it in the future.
He finally felt stable enough to stand up but continued to cultivate slowly while Viola was writhing in pain on the cot. There was nothing else he could do but he stayed there and waited. The night nearly passed before she finally passed out.
He quickly used his Eyes but breathed a sigh in relief as he could see her meridians were restored. He also noted the quality had dropped significantly. He knew Qi deviation was unavoidable but it looked like her dantian was no longer straining.
It was possible she could continue to cultivate.
Lind saw the demonic formation plate by the door and tried to get near it but it was a grade 5 plate. He had as much chance as an ant stopping his foot from falling as affecting that plate. He was exhausted even if he could move now.
His meridians and dantian were like he had run 5 marathons. Theoretically possible under the right conditions, but even so there was a price to be paid. He would have to take things easy for a while.
Lind felt the demonic Qi finally settle and turned back to Viola. Her once vibrant blue hair was now swear slicked and stained with blood. Her robes were a bloody mess as well but her heart was steady and her body was whole.
He observed a healthy cycle of Qi and nodded his head.
"It worked." He then pulled out a different communication jade. It was for sect elders. "Elder Yi, are you free at the moment?"
He waited and then felt the demonic Qi distort behind him. He turned and saw the defensive wall collapse. There was a metallic thud and then the unamused faces of Shoti, Qing, and Annabelle were looking at him from behind the rather solemn faced Elder Yi.
LInd summoned his staff and it extended instantly. It was not her Qi that brought the wall down.
"There is no need to be defensive." A young man emerged with bright and spiky yellow hair. Lind recognized him immediately but he stepped in front of Viola. An amused smirk crossed the orange eyed Crown Prince Yor but the demon made no further move.
"I am currently attending a patient, please do not come any farther." Lind slightly enjoyed the annoyed look on the prince's face but he did not care. "Elder Yi, I require the lime, the cobalt, and the iridescent orange please. Peak quality. I also need a spare cloak."
Elder Yi did not crack a smile but bowed at his words and summoned 3 vials. Yor's eyes bulged as he recognized demonic Qi in each vial at the peak of grade 3! How was that possible?
"You have made quite a mess of Master Cain's place, Master Lind." Yi's words made Yor suddenly bow to Lind. In that moment, it was not a Soul Realm in front of them, but a peak grade 3 elixir master.
"I will clean it up and apologize, but my patient was clearly at her wits' end." Lind turned around after Elder Yi had changed the robes for the cloak. It was not the best way but it got the bloody clothes off of her.
Lind then administered the 3 elixirs. They had far more effect now that she had dropped to what was likely low Gold Tier. Normally a tier was not too bad to cultivate, but Gold and Diamond were true tests of a cultivator to advance.
Each step forward was a hard fought battle and tribute to their skill, luck, or quality of resources. Lind started with the iridescent orange. It was the demonic equivalent of Restoration Elixir. Stamina and Qi were quickly recovered while she slept. The cobalt was Recovery. More Qi and any other wounds were now healed before their eyes.
The final vial was as close as Lind could come to Dantian Restoration for a demon. The cracks in her foundation became very faint and her fonts likely also recovered. The Qi that had just been restored was drained quickly to be the catalyst for that process but only half was lost.
"By the spirits. How did you–" Yor was about to ask the obvious but Elder Yi stared at him and he swallowed his words. The Demon Empire might be overbearing but there were some lines even they would not cross openly. Asking the secret of an elixir master without permission or respect was tantamount to insulting them gravely.
"It was luck, truly. I simply wanted to try it out. I have far more failures than successes but Elder Yi was nice enough to verify their effectiveness before and these are the last." Lind was not lying. Much as he had told Viola, he was not able to easily make demonic elixirs. It took 2 to 3 times the Qi for even the simplest one.
His recovery also took longer than normal.
He was likely doing something wrong or perhaps missing something crucial but he was feeling his way through the process. Success at all was good, but failures were instructive.
"Master Frey, I hereby offer our apo–" Lind held up his hands as he pointed at Viola. It was convenient but all knew Lind could have allowed the Crown Prince to finish. It was clear he did not want apologies. Any who knew his history would know why.
"M-my head…" Viola slowly opened her eyes but did not immediately notice anyone. Her face broke into a smile that made her appearance truly fit her title. She was a beauty, but now she could tempt Gods from the skies with her smile. "No pain! There is no pain!"
She hopped up but found her body was weakened. Her Qi was lower quality but it only made her pause. She channeled her Qi and felt the joy of cultivation flow through her! For the first time in centuries, there was no pain at all!
"You did it!" She rushed at Lind and nearly collapsed on him as she pulled him into a hug. Tears fell from her face in joy. Lind smiled back but only patted her as he would a child. He let her settle before bringing her back to reality.
"You had some Qi deviation but that should be mostly settled. How does your dantian feel?" Lind was not cold but his clipped tone left no room for further conversation outside what he wanted to know. Viola concentrated and frowned. She knew her dantian quite well but what she saw was far better than what she remembered.
"It is slightly cracked but seems to be slowly healing? My fonts are also much more stable than I expected." Pain was a constant and she no doubt worked through it to monitor her condition until she passed out.
Lind nodded and summoned a new cot to sit on. He had several these days.
"I cannot see into your dantian at all but I could see the flow of Qi easily enough. It looked healthy, but there were fluctuations near the dantian. I have seen that before. I used 3 more elixirs of peak grade 3 to stabilize your condition." All were stunned to see the new side of Lind. Many knew him as a kind and gentle soul that loved knowledge, puzzles, and simply teaching others.
Others had seen him angry, and a very few had seen him defy fate in the face of death.
None, until now, had seen the professional healer. Despite the many times he administered elixirs, it was mostly experiments or unique situations. It was the first time everyone really accepted he was a peak grade 3 master.
"T-three elixirs?! B-but you already did so much!! I can never–" Lind held up his hand to stop her and smiled back.
"I have already been paid in something far more precious. I made my first grade 4 elixir. I have much to digest but like you, I do not make elixirs because I want profit or gain. I do it because I love it." A serene smile spread on his face and all were enamored at that moment. Yor shook his head hard at the strange thought that passed through his mind.
"Ahem. I am afraid I must take my subject away to recover." He sounded stiff being polite. Before he had arrogance or supreme confidence in his words, but now he was trying to be humble and failing miserably.
Viola nearly jumped before she looked for her mask but a blaze of lightning smashed it to pieces.
"You don't need that anymore, correct? Come, Master Frey had cleared you and it is time–" Once more, Lind stood between Yor and Viola. He did not look stern exactly, but the feeling of annoyance was clear.
"This patient is mine. I will let her go when I am good and ready to. She had just been through a transformative and highly dangerous process. I must make sure there are no side effects as I have never done that before." Yor sneered now. It was not entirely an incorrect statement but Lind seemed to have slipped up.
"You know more about demon recovery than us?" Yor was full of his pride and seemed much more confident standing before them but Lind smiled quietly before he began speaking.
"Peak Gold Tier of cold fire and dark light. Lighting Gold Art also at the peak. Approximate age is 215 years old." Stunned silence filled the forge. Elder Yi stared at Lind as if she had never seen him before. The 3 women also were surprised but wondered if Lind was right.
Viola and Yor were flabbergasted. It was absolutely impossible for a tier 9 Soul Realm to have such detailed information on a peak Gold Tier of the Demon Empire. The art was also not something easily identified as there were several lightning arts for the World Realm.
"You said you could not see her dantian, so how did you see mine?!" Yor was sparking in anger but he did not lose his head. Elder Yi was right in front of him ready to stop him at any time.
"I devoted myself to study and you see the results. She came to me as herself only. I know who she is and where she is from but until I say she can go, she will not go." Lind then stepped forward and stared with his dark green orbs at Yor.
"I am not going to take much longer, but unless you have another peak grade 3 elixir master lying around, I will not have any debt to pay to the Demon Empire today." Lind then turned as if the matter was closed. The tension in the air was thick as Yor stared at the ground.
His shoulders began to shake before laughter was heard. The Imperial Crown Prince of the Demon Empire was laughing in joy.
"I knew you were worthy, Lind Frey. You have won this round of words and position for tonight, but next time, we will face each other in my arena! Do not make me wait too long!" Yor then swept his robes as he turned and left. Lind looked slightly put out at the exit.
"What is with demon princes wanting to fight me? Do I have a curse?" Lind mumbled something but no one dared to point out he invited such a fight with his attitude. Shoti was shaking trying to not laugh while Qing held her head in her hands. Annabelle just looked in worry at Lind as he went back to finish his evaluation of Viola.
Elder Yi stayed with them until Lind discharged the Temptress who kept thanking Lind Frey over and over. He waved it off and saw her off with a smile. He then tried to clean up the mess but Poe and Marin barged in while Annabelle made him sit.
Despite his objections, the others began the clean up as Elder Yi sat back and watched the show. Her normal amused smile spread on her lavender cheeks. The ramifications of the night were slowly spreading but it would not be until he was in the pit of vipers that Lind would regret revealing what he was capable of.