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墨書 Inktalez
Human Sacrifice
The reflection in the bronze mirror showed an aging face, youth long gone.
I touched the wrinkles on my face, feeling a pang of sorrow, but the pain in my body distracted me from dwelling on it.
I took down an oil lamp from the wall and walked deeper into the cave opened by the Medicine King. The Zhou Compass on me vibrated again, its needle pointing toward a stone trough in front of me.
This was a cavern that resembled a stalactite formation, surrounded by hewn stone grids, each containing a sealed vial.
Next to the stone trough lay a collapsed medicine cabinet, its contents scattered on the ground. Although they hadn't begun to mold yet, when I gently touched one of the pills, it crumbled into powder, as did the other herbs.
Surely the Medicine King never anticipated that no one would find this place for such a long time after his death.
But thinking about it, in such a concealed location, how could anyone have discovered his true hiding place if not for my accidental stumble upon it and the presence of the Zhou Compass?
At this point, I finally recognized another use for the Zhou Compass: treasure hunting.
No wonder Wuhe, Mr. Chang, and even Guo the Blind praised it so highly; the Zhou Compass led me to the Medicine King's Cave because of the Human Pill and now alerted me to something special about the stone trough before me.
I looked at the stone trough, which had an artificially carved hole inside it. Surrounding it were some fine holes that seemed to be for drainage purposes.
When I looked up at the ceiling of the cavern, I noticed a stalactite hanging above. The tip of the stalactite was directly aligned with the hole in the trough below.
It is said that stalactites drip water over many years, and if liquid drips from them in specific Feng Shui treasure lands, it is formed from the essence of mountains and rivers—known as Treasure Liquid. If collected and consumed, it can prolong life. However, collecting Treasure Liquid from stalactites is challenging; either it becomes contaminated with dust over centuries or new liquid replaces old liquid, resulting in diminished effects.
The stone trough before me was clearly specially carved. The Medicine King, Sun Simiao, who cherished longevity so much, had thought of this method to collect Treasure Liquid dripping from above. The mountain's Treasure Liquid dripped into the hole of the stone trough, leaving behind its essence while excess moisture flowed out through holes beneath the trough.
If this method works, then the trough must be filled with Mountain Essence right now.
The Mountain Essence collected over a thousand years has left the surface of the Stone Trough undamaged. Now, even the Stalactites above the mountains have lost all moisture. It seems that over time, the essence of the mountains has dried up, and it can no longer produce Treasure Liquid. I wonder what could be inside that excites Zhou Compass so much.
I picked up a vial from the stone shelves around the cave and opened it, only to find it empty. This vial must either be used by Medicine King to store Treasure Liquid or to cultivate the Treasure Liquid that drips from Stalactites. Perhaps even the medicines in the Medicine Cabinet were meant for cultivating the Treasure Liquid within the Stone Trough.
I don't know what is so special about the Treasure Liquid in the Stone Trough, but since Medicine King went to such great lengths to cultivate it, it must be extraordinary.
Inside the cave, I found tools that Medicine King used to excavate it long ago. The wooden tools had rotted away, leaving only a Stone Hammer and a sharp, curved sword. The hilt of the sword was engraved with two characters: Fish Intestine.
I had heard that ancient artisans' skills in sword-making and weapon crafting were unmatched by modern techniques. Seeing this sword from over a thousand years ago confirmed that. The Sword Body showed no signs of rust and still emitted a cold gleam.
At this point, I was starving; I hadn't eaten anything for at least two days, and my long escape had drained most of my strength. I struck at the Stone Trough with the Stone Hammer for a long time before finally breaking it open.
Once shattered, an unusual medicinal fragrance wafted through the air.
As I cleared away the debris from the Stone Trough, I discovered it was filled with a large chunk of milky-white Ointment.
This Ointment was cultivated by Medicine King using Mountain Treasure Liquid combined with various herbs. After a thousand years, its color remained unchanged, feeling smooth and soft to the touch.
Medicine King's Human Pill has special effects and looks like a pebble. For now, I didn't know how to consume it, but the fragrant milky-white Ointment made me feel an urge to eat it.
I used the Fish Intestine Sword to carve off a piece of Ointment and put it in my mouth. The taste wasn't particularly pleasant; it had a strong medicinal flavor, but it should suffice to fill my stomach.
I ate a few more pieces but dared not overindulge. Back when I was at Futu Ridge listening to Old Man tell stories about ghostly Fox Demons, I often heard about Woodcutters discovering treasures in caves and gorging themselves on them, only to be overwhelmed by their potency and die. Just like how a weak person drinking ordinary ginseng soup for the first time would surely have a nosebleed—this is what they mean by being unable to withstand nourishment beyond one's capacity.
After consuming a few pieces of Ointment, I felt a surge of strength within me, and my body was no longer as cold and painful. I looked at the crossbow bolt lodged in my leg; the wound had begun to ooze pus and blood. If I didn't tend to it soon, it would become infected, and even I, the Immortal, would be rendered useless.
In this desolate wilderness, there was no way to seek a doctor. I had no idea if the Serpent Cult members were still around, and with my current condition, I would likely perish before reaching any town with people.
For someone like me, who knew nothing about medicine, I could only rely on the Medicine King Senior's Ointment.
I usually had no particular faith, but at that moment, I found myself praying for the protection of Medicine King Senior, feeling deeply remorseful for intruding upon his secluded Cave.
I sat beside the Stone Trough, placing an oil lamp next to my leg. I removed the remaining vestige of my shirt and used the Fish Intestine Sword to cut off the tip of the crossbow bolt. One hand held my leg steady while the other grasped the end of the bolt. As I pulled it slightly outward, blood immediately gushed forth.
The pain made me convulse; I nearly lost consciousness and couldn't help but cry out.
Taking a deep breath, I gritted my teeth and yanked the bolt out of my leg. Blood flowed freely, and the pain was numbing.
I placed the tip of the Fish Intestine Sword over the oil lamp to sterilize it before scraping away the pus from my leg. Then I took some Ointment from the Stone Trough and applied it to the wound, wrapping it with a piece of cloth. Leaning against the Stone Trough, I drifted into a hazy sleep.
When I awoke again, there was a dull ache in my leg. I had no idea how much time had passed; the blood-soaked cloth had come undone, and there was no more pus or blood—only clotted remnants remained. It seemed that this Ointment was effective.
I consumed some more Ointment and then got up to venture deeper into Medicine King's Cave. After taking a few steps, I entered a spacious cavern where a beam of light shone down from above.
Using that light as a guide, I realized that this was indeed the end of Medicine King's Cave—there was no way out.
In this cavern, I could faintly hear the sound of flowing water outside. If I guessed correctly, this Cave was situated within the mountain where a waterfall flowed.
Inside this cavern, there were pools of bubbling water, their surfaces emanating warm steam.
The Waterfall Spring is known as the Feng Shui Treasure Land, but it is impossible for it to be a hot spring, as the bottom of hot springs is always volcanic. According to the records in the Feng Shui Secret Record, this place must have been altered for its feng shui.
In life, the Medicine King was not only unparalleled in medicine but also well-versed in both Buddhism and Taoism, with extensive knowledge. Altering feng shui and arranging the layout was not a difficult task for him.
The fact that this hot spring caught the attention of the Medicine King speaks volumes about its uniqueness.
I scooped up some of the spring water and took a sip; it was sweet and refreshing. At that moment, I was severely dehydrated, so I drank several large gulps. Feeling fine, I stripped off my clothes and stepped into the hot spring. The water was shallow, and when my wounds touched it, a sharp pain shot through me. Gritting my teeth, I lay back in the spring, submerging my entire body. Time passed slowly; I had no idea how long I had been there.
When I opened my eyes again, a faint beam of moonlight filtered through the cave above.
To my astonishment, all my wounds had healed, leaving only some faint scars. Although the injury on my leg had not fully recovered, the bruising had disappeared, and new flesh had begun to grow.
In the Medicine King's Cave, I finally felt certain that I would survive. There was no other food in the cave, so I consumed the ointment from the Stone Trough within the cavern and applied some to my leg. At night, I soaked in the hot spring to sleep. Each day, I noticed some impurities being expelled from my pores and sensed that my body was growing stronger.
Eventually, there was only one piece of ointment left in the Stone Trough—enough for one last meal.
I gazed at the stone steps carved into the cave wall that led upward. During my time recuperating in the Medicine King's Cave, I had been using the Stone Hammer and Fish Intestine Sword to chisel away at the steps above me. As long as I could create a hole, I would be able to climb up.
I needed to get out of here.
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