Chapter 22: The Medicine Master Lapis Lazuli Light Saintly Venerable

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“Hmm…”

Watching the changes taking place in Chen Duo’s body, Xia Ye smiled faintly. His gaze was sharp, and light flickered within his pupils.

Just as he had anticipated, the Apothecary Pill was gradually transforming Chen Duo, expelling the impurities from her body, infusing her with an immense vitality, and heightening her ability to perceive the natural world.

What, then, was “medicine”?

The Records of the Grand Historian: Annals of the Three Sovereigns states: “Shennong tasted a hundred herbs, and thus medicine first came into being.”

The Commentary on the Urgent Chapters records: “Plants and trees, metals and stones, birds and beasts, insects and fish—anything capable of curing illness is collectively called medicine.”

Medicine itself originated from Heaven and Earth, from the vitality of all things. Only by comprehending that vitality could one grasp the true principles of medicine.

And what, then, was a “master”?

The Book of Documents: Yi and Ji states: “The realm had twelve masters.”

Here, “master” meant a leader.

The Rites of Zhou: Spring Office says: “With fragrant wood and fire, sacrifices were offered to the Masters of Wind and Rain.”

Here, “master” meant a deity.

The Discourse on Teachers declares: “A teacher is one who transmits the Way, imparts learning, and resolves doubts.”

Here, “master” meant a sage.

Therefore, only one who was the leader of the world, the deity of all medicines, and the sage of all living beings could truly be called an “Apothecary Master.”

Without question, “Apothecary Master” was not merely a title. It was also a symbol of ability and virtue. Even after completing her transformation, Chen Duo would still be unworthy of bearing such a sacred name.

But that was not important. It was merely Xia Ye’s vision for her future. So long as she was willing to set foot upon that path, he would do everything in his power to help her realize it. The experimental data generated in the process would also be invaluable to him.

Put simply, Xia Ye’s “treatment”—or rather, “transformation”—of both Xiao Zizai and Chen Duo was not merely a matter of “giving a man a fish.” He was also “teaching him how to fish,” helping them broaden the paths available to them…

As for what achievements they would ultimately attain, no pill could guarantee that. Cultivation could not always rely upon external forces. In the end, they would still have to depend on themselves.

As for Chen Duo, at this very moment, it was not only the Apothecary Pill that was taking effect. The Glazed Heart was working as well. Orange-gold radiance flowed downward along her meridians and soon entered her lower elixir field.

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This was the location of the “energy mass” created by the Gu-Inducing Pill. Countless black specks clung densely to it, while a very small portion had begun to faintly spill away.

Those were the Primordial Gu.

Then—

Whoosh!

The instant the orange-gold radiance entered the lower elixir field, it suddenly burst into dazzling brilliance. At the same time, several orange specks of light, roughly the same size as the Primordial Gu, shot forth and plunged directly into the vast swarm of black creatures.

At first glance, the orange specks seemed to vanish into the sea of mud, swallowed without stirring the slightest ripple…

But immediately afterward, threads of light extended from the radiance, burrowing into the Primordial Gu and linking themselves to the orange specks.

In the next instant…

As though injected with a stimulant, the orange specks suddenly blazed with light. Then, like wolves descending upon a flock of sheep, they began to “devour” the black specks of the Primordial Gu.

Yet the Primordial Gu that were devoured did not truly disappear. Instead, they split apart from the orange specks, as though they had been “assimilated,” and were completely transformed into the same orange-gold hue.

That was right—they had been “transformed.”

This was precisely why Xia Ye had specially refined two pills.

After all, Chen Duo was a Gu Master. Her transformation had to be divided into two parts: her physical body and her Gu. While transforming her body, he also had to reshape the Primordial Gu into a form suitable for her. That was why he had spent an entire month refining the pills.

During that month, Xia Ye had devoted at least half of it to studying the Primordial Gu: their characteristics, their reactions to various circumstances, their conditions for survival, their inherent abilities, and countless other details…

His intention was to preserve the Primordial Gu within Chen Duo while turning them into a power she could completely control—a power modeled after the abilities associated with the legendary Medicine Master Buddha. After all, such a rare and powerful resource should not go to waste.

Thus, after unceasing research, experimentation, and refinement, Xia Ye had finally created the Glazed Heart. It was both a pill capable of transforming flesh and Primordial Gu, and a “larva,” inspired in part by the Black Gu Eggs of the Medicine Immortal Society.

Those orange-gold specks were the Primordial Gu he had transformed. He named them Pure Glaze.

They could consume all filth, evil spirits, disease, plague toxins, and even negative emotions. They could feed upon another person’s energy, the power of their soul, and even their flesh and blood…

They could be used to kill—or to purify all living beings.

Under Xia Ye’s watchful gaze, the transformation of Chen Duo’s body and the devouring and assimilation of the Primordial Gu proceeded in tandem. Guided by the flow of energy and sensation, Chen Duo calmed her mind, closed her eyes, and entered meditation.

It was clear that, after more than a month of deliberation, experimentation, and refinement, the entire process was proceeding smoothly. Every change was unfolding as expected, without the slightest deviation.

“Heh…”

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“At least all those pills weren’t eaten for nothing.”

With that thought, Xia Ye smiled faintly. No one knew that, before this, he had personally conducted preliminary trials on nearly every pill he refined—including the Asura Pill and the Apothecary Pill—using various methods to expel their medicinal effects afterward.

In his eyes, the ancient legend of Shennong tasting a hundred herbs represented both the reverence of physicians and the pride etched into their very bones. Therefore, he had always adhered to the principle that “the healer must first test the medicine upon himself.” From the beginning of his medical practice until now, he had never wavered.

Of course, Xia Ye was no fool. The reason he possessed the courage to test medicines was also due to his innate ability. Through Understanding Principles, he could simulate the effects in his mind, formulate antidotes, and neutralize the medicine in time.

Not only that, but he had long since modified his own body. He possessed an extraordinary resistance to drugs, while the vitality within him had grown immeasurably powerful. Every organ and every inch of tissue could, when necessary, be discarded like a lizard shedding its tail, then restored and regenerated with the aid of healing pills and his overwhelming vitality.

However, such minor modifications meant little to Xia Ye. There was no need to record them in the experimental files. They remained far from his ideal “body” and could not be considered part of the experiment—at most, they were merely preliminary preparations.

His Experiment Zero would not truly begin until Xiao Zizai had completed the first stage of testing. He estimated that some time would still be required, and so he was in no hurry.

After that, under the transforming power of the medicine and Xia Ye’s close observation, time passed. In the blink of an eye, an hour had gone by, and the radiance within Chen Duo’s body finally began to fade…

When the light receded, her skin returned to normal and was no longer translucent. Her body trembled, her eyelids fluttered, and she slowly opened her eyes.

Whoosh!

In the next instant, a bright, warm radiance shot from her eyes. Everything before her appeared clearer than it ever had before; with a single glance, she felt as though she could see straight through it.

Then, a faint aura of vitality spread from within her body. Every breath carried a freshness she had never known, and every movement felt as though it were merging with nature. The unfamiliar sensation left her astonished.

“Duo Duo, the treatment is complete. How do you feel?”

Xia Ye’s voice sounded beside her ear. She turned toward it and saw his gentle expression and brilliant smile.

“From today onward, your body will never hurt again. All the suffering of the past will leave you. You will become an entirely new you…”

He did not finish the last sentence, because Chen Duo was not yet capable of understanding it.

Just as Xiao Zizai had taken on the form of an Asura, she too would bear the identity of the Medicine Master, Glazed Light, Sacred Venerable…

And be reborn.