Chapter 25: Tempering the Body with the Inner Pill

When I woke up, White Fox and several others were discussing something in the room. “What are you all talking about?” I asked. Xu Qinghuan came over to help me sit up, and I leaned against the headboard, waiting for their answer. My head still felt heavy, as if I were drunk. Seeing that I was awake, White Fox looked at me and said, “We’re talking about your injury. You took a blow from the Rat King and have been poisoned. As things stand, only Yin-Yang Water can cure you. However—”

I rubbed my temples and said, “Miss Bai, please speak plainly.”

White Fox sat by my bed, gazing at me. “Yin-Yang Water can indeed neutralize the poison, but it’s also potentially lethal. I’m afraid your body might not withstand it.”

I forced a bitter smile. “No need to worry, Miss Bai. I can handle it.”

Even as I said this, I wasn’t sure if I truly could endure the so-called Yin-Yang Water. But this was my only lifeline, and I had to try. Before I could avenge Senior Xiaoxiang, I couldn't die. I wanted to personally finish off Shi Feng. As for Zhang Lei, if I ever saw him again, I wouldn’t hold back.

After White Fox gave me a pill to swallow, everyone left the room. She said that the Yin-Yang Water was most potent at midnight, so I should enter the pool then.

After taking the pill, I fell into a deep, peaceful sleep. When I woke, Xu Qinghuan was sitting by my bed, gently wiping the sweat from my forehead with a damp cloth. I gripped her wrist, eyes brimming with tears, and said, “Tingting, don’t leave me.”

Xu Qinghuan gazed at me with deep affection and, slowly, pressed her lips to mine…

I was jolted awake by a hurried knock at the door. Outside, Yu Jing’s voice called, “Brother Yunfei, get up! Midnight has arrived!”

I rubbed my eyes, sat up, dressed, and tucked the blanket around Xu Qinghuan before heading out. Yu Jing clapped me on the shoulder. “Brother Yunfei, you must endure. Miss Bai says you have to persist for a full hour.”

Xiaoxiang Ke’er echoed his encouragement. “Big Brother Li, hang in there.” Even taciturn Old Man Xu Lin cheered me on.

“Holding your breath underwater for a whole hour,” White Fox added, handing me another pill. I swallowed it and leaped into the pool. My body sank steadily downward. I grew anxious—how deep was this pool, exactly? Five minutes had passed, and still, I hadn’t reached the bottom. Since I’d entered from the clear side of the Yin-Yang Water, I slowly opened my eyes. To my surprise, my vision was unimpaired, and I could breathe freely. Clearly, White Fox’s pills were miraculous.

On the dark side of the pool, a massive creature seemed to lurk at the bottom. Looking closer, I realized it was the Yin-Yang Monster. I wondered if it might suddenly attack me.

At last, my feet touched the bottom. Instantly, a searing pain shot through my body, as though a thousand ants were biting into my flesh. It was agony beyond endurance, but I clenched my teeth and persevered. The Yin-Yang Monster now noticed me and began crawling toward me. Was this the end? Was it going to eat me? The monster opened its mouth, and I squeezed my eyes shut in despair.

Yet nothing happened. After a moment, I opened my eyes and saw a white pearl floating from the monster’s mouth toward me. The creature looked at me, nodded, and I thought—perhaps it was grateful I’d saved its life and wanted to give me a gift. But what was this pearl?

I reached out and grasped the pearl. It was icy cold, but then slowly dissolved, releasing a wisp of white vapor that seeped into the center of my forehead. Instantly, the pain in my body eased. As I relaxed, however, an even more excruciating agony seized me, far worse than before—I nearly lost consciousness. This cycle of pain and relief repeated, I don’t know how many times, until finally, the pain faded. At that moment, the Yin-Yang Monster seemed to exhaust its strength and closed its eyes.

When the monster’s eyes shut, the water temperature plummeted, as if I’d fallen into an ice cave. I hugged myself, shivering violently as the water grew colder and colder. Soon, a thin layer of ice formed over my body, and the pool itself began to freeze. Half an hour later, the entire Yin-Yang Pool had solidified into ice. One hour passed, then two.

Now I was encased in thick ice, unable to move—a torment nearly unbearable. Breathing grew harder, and finally, I could endure it no longer. If I didn’t freeze to death, I would suffocate. Suddenly, I remembered the low-level Fire Technique I’d practiced. Why not try it now? The book said one could use one’s own body as a vessel, condense true energy, and release flame.

I gathered my energy, forming a ball of fire to melt the ice. As I did, I felt the mass of black energy in my abdomen start to spread throughout my body. When the black energy met my true energy, the flames burst forth with renewed vigor, and the surrounding ice melted rapidly. The fire grew more intense, enveloping my body as the black energy flooded into my meridians. At last, the ice around me was gone. I clenched my burning fist and struck the ice overhead.

From the point of impact, cracks spidered outward through the thick ice. I concentrated the black energy into my right hand and punched again, this time with both black energy and scarlet flames. The power astonished me—the thick ice above shattered instantly. I leaped out of the Yin-Yang Pool. When I landed before the others, my body was still ablaze, but strangely, neither my hair nor my clothes were singed. The others stared at me in confusion. I dismissed my energy, and the flames gradually died down.

“I’m fine,” I said, flexing my limbs.

White Fox looked at me in astonishment—a look I’d never seen from her before. Clearly, she herself didn’t know what had just happened. After I briefly recounted the experience, she nodded. “I see. It’s a pity, though, that the Yin-Yang Monster is dead. But since it gave you its inner core before dying, perhaps it was fate.” She sighed softly.

Perhaps in her heart, White Fox hadn’t wanted to see her old neighbor of several centuries die like that. It seemed she was quite sentimental after all. Suddenly, White Fox’s face paled. “This is bad. Now that the Yin-Yang Monster is dead, the Rat King is sure to bring his minions here.”

I looked at the Yin-Yang Pool and said, “Since the Yin-Yang Monster entrusted me with its inner core, I suppose it wants me to avenge it. Tomorrow, I’ll go to Purgatory and kill the Rat King.” As I spoke, confidence filled me—I could feel that my body had undergone a fundamental transformation. I was certain I could handle the Rat King now.

Yu Jing and Xiaoxiang Ke’er chimed in, “We’re going with you!”

I nodded and headed for the cave entrance. For the past few days, I’d been the one venturing out for food, and today was no exception. Stepping out of the cave into the bright morning, I gazed at the blue sky and took a deep breath. A small bird flew overhead. Oh, how I envied those birds, soaring freely in the azure sky. Today, I decided to try something different—catch some fish in the canyon. Yet, after a few steps, I felt oddly uneasy, though I couldn’t say exactly why.

A few more steps and I realized, to my delight, that my footsteps had grown lighter. Ever since I saw Xu Qinghuan use the “Falling Feather” technique, I’d longed to learn it myself, but never had the chance. At the riverbank, I tried the method Yu Jing had taught me: taking several deep breaths, exhaling slowly, and gingerly extending my right foot. But as soon as it touched the water, my shoe got soaked. Clearly, I wasn’t doing it right. After several failed attempts, I thought I’d have to ask Yu Jing for more guidance. I caught a few fish and hurried back to the cave.

Xu Qinghuan was awake as well. We gathered by the Yin-Yang Pool to grill the fish, chatting and laughing. It was a blissful moment, free from the strife of the outside world—everything felt so natural. Only White Fox sat with a furrowed brow, clearly preoccupied.

After our simple breakfast, Yu Jing was about to head down with Xiaoxiang Ke’er. I told them to wait for me a moment. I called White Fox outside and asked, “Miss Bai, is something troubling you? If you need help, don’t hesitate to say so.”

White Fox’s brow remained tightly knit. She didn’t reply, only warned me that Purgatory was fraught with danger and urged me to be extremely careful. Yet from the look in her eyes, I could sense something else—her gaze had grown hollow, lacking the liveliness it once had. Was something wrong with her body? Despite my repeated questions, she wouldn’t say. I resolved to keep an eye on her. White Fox was a kind soul who never expected anything in return for her help. If she was in trouble, I would do everything I could for her.

Back inside, Yu Jing and Xiaoxiang Ke’er were already waiting near the opening the Yin-Yang Monster had made. I arranged for Old Man Xu and Xu Qinghuan, along with White Fox, to stay behind at the fortress. The three of us leapt into the tunnel, and I made sure to remind Xu Qinghuan to keep a close watch on White Fox in the coming days.