Chen Yang had been back at the medicine garden for a full month.
During that time he had been extraordinarily cautious, going about his daily labors as usual while concealing his true cultivation at the second level of the Qi Refinement Realm.
The clay bowl had been wrapped in layer upon layer of cloth and hidden in the most secluded corner beneath his bed.
The wonders of that clay bowl far exceeded anything he had imagined.
Chen Yang had tried to subtly probe Xiaodouzi for information about Magical Artifacts in the cultivation world, yet he had never heard of any treasure capable of duplicating objects.
Xiaodouzi said that even the most powerful Magical Artifacts could do no more than store Spiritual Energy or unleash formidable spells — something that could conjure objects from nothing was the stuff of legend, a divine immortal artifact.
"Brother Chen, do you think there's really a treasure out there that can produce whatever you want?" Xiaodouzi asked one day during idle conversation.
Chen Yang's heart skipped a beat, but his expression remained calm. "How could anything so good exist? If such a treasure were real, it would have already set the world awash in blood."
Xiaodouzi nodded in agreement. "True. I've heard that even the Sect Master's own life-bound Magical Artifact can do no more than command the wind and rain."
Chen Yang quietly congratulated himself on his caution.
If anyone were to learn of the clay bowl, the entire cultivation world would be shaken to its core.
He had an intuition that the bowl's secrets went far beyond what he had discovered so far — it was simply that his cultivation was still too shallow to fully unlock its potential.
Time passes unnoticed in the mountains; the cold fades and the years slip by.
Summer arrived in the blink of an eye, though the mountain range where the Verdant Wood Sect was situated enjoyed a pleasant climate, as temperate as eternal spring.
Chen Yang had been on the mountain for more than half a year, cultivating from an ordinary mortal all the way to the fifth level of the Qi Refinement Realm. If word of such speed were to spread, it would surely shake the entire sect.
Yet over the past month, Chen Yang had not dared venture again into the depths of the back mountains.
The experience of losing his memory last time had left him deeply shaken.
He was fortunate to have awakened in a relatively safe clearing — had he fallen unconscious near a demon beast's lair, there would have been nothing left of him.
On this particular morning, Chen Yang was seated in meditation inside his room, contemplating his next steps in cultivation.
If he could break through to the sixth level of the Qi Refinement Realm, he would at least not feel as lowly as before when facing Zhao Yanran's three Senior Brothers.
Just as he was deep in thought, there came a soft knock at his door.
Chen Yang assumed it was Liu Yiyi bringing his morning meal.
Although his cultivation at the fifth level of the Qi Refinement Realm already allowed him to practice Inedia for many days at a stretch, Liu Yiyi's cooking was exceptional, and since it was her heartfelt gesture — and he had no wish to reveal his true cultivation — he had accepted her kindness every day.
The two of them were both laborers, and in this great cultivation sect they supported each other like brother and sister.
But when he opened the door, the figure standing outside was not Liu Yiyi — it was a familiar face he recognized.
"Junior Sister Chunhua?" Chen Yang said, somewhat surprised.
The young woman before him had delicate features tinged with timidity — it was Xiaochunhua, the laborer from Butterfly Valley.
Chen Yang had known her for some time; he had often heard Liu Yiyi speak of this unfortunate younger sister.
Xiaochunhua and Liu Yiyi shared similar backgrounds — both had been rescued by Elders of the Verdant Wood Sect after suffering great hardship.
But Xiaochunhua's story was even more tragic.
Years ago, in order to pay for her father's burial after he died of illness, she had sold herself into a brothel.
After two months of serving clients there, she was purchased by a man who appeared kind and benevolent.
She had thought she was finally free of her misery, but the man turned out to be a beast in human clothing, tormenting her day and night without respite, not even sparing her during her monthly days.
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Later she fell ill with a cold and was cast out onto the street in the dead of winter, nearly freezing to death. It was only because an Elder of the Verdant Wood Sect happened to pass by and rescue her that she was able to enter the sect and begin cultivating.
Now Xiaochunhua's eyes were red and swollen as though she had been crying. Her fingers twisted anxiously at the hem of her robe, and she kept glancing back over her shoulder, as if frightened of something.
"Senior Brother Chen... Senior Brother Chen..." Xiaochunhua's voice was barely above a whisper. "Sister Yiyi... she's feeling a little unwell today. She asked me to let Senior Brother Chen know — she won't be bringing breakfast this morning."
Chen Yang frowned.
Over the past month, Liu Yiyi had never once missed bringing a meal — even when she had minor ailments, she always came in person.
That she would send Xiaochunhua with a message today was deeply out of character.
"Is Yiyi ill? Is it serious?" Chen Yang asked with concern.
Xiaochunhua bit her lip, tears welling in her eyes. "It's... it's not too serious... she just needs to rest for a few days..."
Seeing her flustered expression, Chen Yang grew even more suspicious. "Junior Sister Chunhua, has something happened? If you won't tell me the truth, I'll go to Butterfly Valley to check on Yiyi myself."
"Don't!" Xiaochunhua grabbed Chen Yang's sleeve in a panic, her voice breaking with sobs. "Senior Brother Chen, please don't go! If those people see you, you'll be in danger too!"
"Those people?" Chen Yang's heart sank. "What exactly happened? What's wrong with Yiyi?"
Xiaochunhua could hold back no longer — tears burst from her eyes. "Sister Yiyi... she's in a bad way! I don't know what to do. They're so cruel..."
Chen Yang felt as though he had been struck by lightning. He grabbed Xiaochunhua by the shoulders. "What did you say?! What happened?!"
Xiaochunhua sobbed as she recounted the whole story.
It turned out that early that morning, Senior Brother Li Baode from the Pill Hall had come to Butterfly Valley to collect medicinal herbs.
Li Baode was an inner disciple who habitually bossed around the laborers like them.
That day he had set his eyes on a stalk of Century Purple Ginseng that Liu Yiyi had painstakingly cultivated, and he tried to force her to sell it at a pittance.
"Sister Yiyi refused, saying it was meant to treat a Junior Sister who had been poisoned. Li Baode flew into a rage and said that laborers of lowly birth had no right to defy an inner disciple..." Xiaochunhua grew more distraught with every word. "He... he struck Sister Yiyi and pushed her down the hillside..."
Chen Yang felt a surge of fury shoot straight to the top of his head, his fists clenching involuntarily. "Where is Li Baode now?"
"He's already gone..." Xiaochunhua wept. "He said a mere laborer who dies is worth nothing. When we sisters carried Sister Yiyi back to the room, she was already at death's door, murmuring Senior Brother Chen's name over and over..."
Without another word, Chen Yang turned and went back inside to retrieve a medicine pouch. "Lead the way!"
Xiaochunhua cried out in alarm. "Senior Brother Chen, Li Baode said he would come back. If he sees you..."
"Never mind that!" A fierce light flashed in Chen Yang's eyes. "Take me to Yiyi — now!"
The two of them set off at a brisk pace toward Butterfly Valley.
Chen Yang's heart burned with anxiety. Over the past month, Liu Yiyi had treated him like a true elder brother, and that warmth was especially precious in this cold and indifferent cultivation world.
If anything were to happen to her...
At that thought, Chen Yang quickened his steps, the power of the fifth level of the Qi Refinement Realm circulating through him unbidden, nearly leaving Xiaochunhua unable to keep up.
Butterfly Valley lay at the Western Mountain Foothills, one hour's journey from the medicine garden.
But Chen Yang was consumed with urgency, and he arrived at the valley entrance in little more than a quarter of an hour.
The atmosphere inside the valley was heavy and somber. Several female laborers were gathered before a wooden hut, each wearing an expression of worry.
When they saw Xiaochunhua arrive with Chen Yang, they parted to make way, their eyes filled with sympathy and concern.
Chen Yang pushed open the door, and a sharp smell of blood hit him in the face.
Liu Yiyi lay on a crude wooden bed, her face as pale as paper, a trace of blood at the corner of her lips.
There was a visible wound on her forehead where the blood had already dried, but the most serious injury was her right leg, twisted at an unnatural angle — clearly broken.
"Yiyi!" Chen Yang strode to the bedside, his voice trembling despite himself.
Liu Yiyi struggled to open her eyes. Seeing Chen Yang, she managed a faint smile on her pallid face. "Brother Chen... you came..."
"Don't speak. Let me treat your injuries first." Chen Yang hurriedly drew various medicinal herbs from his medicine pouch.
Over the past month he had used the clay bowl to duplicate a number of precious medicines, originally intending them for his own cultivation — but now he took them all out without a moment's hesitation.
He first cleaned the wound on Liu Yiyi's forehead and applied a medicinal powder to stop the bleeding and promote healing.
Then he carefully examined her right leg, his brow furrowing deeper and deeper — the bone was severely fractured. Without timely treatment, she might be left permanently disabled.
"The bone needs to be set," Chen Yang said in a low, steady voice. "It will likely be very painful. Bear with it."
Liu Yiyi nodded weakly and bit down on a strip of cloth.
Chen Yang channeled his spiritual energy, pressing his hands precisely over the fracture.
Crack. Liu Yiyi's entire body convulsed with pain, cold sweat streaming down her forehead, yet she did not cry out.
Once the bone was set, Chen Yang applied the Bone-Mending Salve and secured the leg with a wooden splint. Only after all of this was done did he allow himself a small breath of relief.
"What exactly happened?" Chen Yang asked, his voice tight with suppressed fury.
Liu Yiyi recounted the events weakly — much the same as what Xiaochunhua had told him.
Li Baode had coveted the Purple Ginseng she had cultivated to save a Junior Sister, and when his attempt to force a purchase failed, he had resorted to violence.
"That stalk of Purple Ginseng took me three years of effort to cultivate..." Liu Yiyi's eyes glistened with tears. "I had hoped to sell it and buy a Poison-Cleansing Pill for Xiaochunhua's Junior Sister... Now it's all for nothing..."
A sharp pang shot through Chen Yang's heart. These Menial Disciples lived in hardship, yet they still looked out for one another — they had far more humanity than those so-called inner disciple elites.
"Don't worry. I will get justice for you," Chen Yang said quietly.
Liu Yiyi grabbed his hand in alarm. "Don't! Li Baode is an inner disciple — his cultivation has already reached the fifth level of the Qi Refinement Realm. You can't beat him... and besides, his uncle is an Outer Sect Steward with considerable power..."
Just then, a commotion erupted outside the room. An arrogant voice rang out:
"Is that wretch Liu Yiyi dead yet? If not, drag her out here! Senior Brother Li says that stalk of Purple Ginseng must be handed over today, no matter what!"