Chapter 5 — On Dan Dinh Peak

I don't care. Because we are waiting for an opportunity… and a type of weather. Finally, the opportunity came on a gloomy autumn afternoon, when light rain fell on the mountain top. The air became damp and cold to the bone. I held a pile of medicinal herbs that had just been dried, and walked past Luu Truong Phong's pill room - the master of Dan Dinh Phong, and at the same time the person I wanted to worship under. My footsteps, as if unintentionally, slowed slightly. The door to the knitting room was ajar. Through the crack, we saw a thin figure sitting inside, his shoulders shaking slightly. I know - the cold poison in his body has flared up again. At this moment, Tran Vu walked out of the room, his face pale, obviously having just been scolded. He saw me standing there and immediately shouted harshly: "What are you looking at? Get out of here!" I lowered my head, turned around, and deliberately mumbled, my voice not loud or soft, just enough to reach the ears of the people in the room: "Sigh... It's so humid and cold like this, it's really uncomfortable. Missing my hometown, there is a folk remedy, use "Noan Duong Thao" to boil water to soak your feet, I heard it can diffuse cold, relieve pain from long-term typhoid... Just, I don't know if it's really effective or not..." The sound was just enough to be transmitted into the medicine room. Tran Vu was stunned for a moment, then sneered: "Folk medicine? Do you think the lord's illness can be cured by that nonsense country medicine? Ridiculous!" I didn't answer, just grabbed the medicinal herbs and quickly left. But in my heart I know clearly... That sentence, like a seed, was quietly planted in the heart of a person who was suffering from cold poison. Noan Duong Thao of course cannot completely cure his cold poison. But it has the effect of temporarily warming the meridians and dispersing cold, and can relieve pain for a while. This is an exploratory try. Also a hook. And a person who has been tormented by pain for many years... even a small, absurdly small glimmer of hope will not be easily let go. 10 The next day, as usual, I went to the pharmacy to work. As soon as I arrived, Tran Vu was already waiting, handing me a thick scroll with a cold face: "The Phong Master told you to copy the 《Hundred Herb Collection》 one hundred times, and submit it three days later." I received the scroll and immediately understood in my heart. This is both a test and a warning. 《Hundred Herbs Mantra》 is the introductory classic of Dan Dinh Phong. Forcing me to copy it a hundred times, on the surface it humiliates outsiders, but in reality, Luu Truong Phong wants to see... do I really understand pharmacology, or was I just a lucky guess yesterday? I bowed my head slightly and replied calmly: "Yes, senior brother Tran." Tran Vu originally thought I would complain or be dismayed, but he did not expect me to calmly accept it, but instead made him a bit stunned. For the next three days, I locked myself in my room. Except for eating and drinking, I didn't step out, and spent all my time copying books. But for me, this is not difficult. As a reader of the original work, we already understand the basic knowledge of pharmacology quite well. This copying, to me, is like once systematizing knowledge, and conveniently reinforces each key point. Three days later, I delivered one hundred copies to Tran Vu on time. He casually flipped a few pages, his expression initially indifferent, then gradually turned to surprise. My autographs are neat and serious, with content without a single mistake, even - next to some types of spiritual herbs, I also used small letters to write a few notes. Those are our own interpretations of the medicinal properties, insights... that will not be revealed until the post-production of the original work.

“This… was written by you?” Tran Vu pointed to the captions, his voice clearly showing disbelief. I bowed my head and said in a humble voice: "I'm stupid. While copying, if I suddenly realized something, I'll just write it down. If there are any mistakes, please ask Senior Brother Tran for guidance." Tran Vu moved his lips, but in the end did not say anything more, holding the book and walking away, his eyes were indescribably complicated.

Since this incident, my position in Dan Dinh Phong has changed miraculously. They still despise me for "relying on force" in the mountains, but no one dares to openly mock me in front of me anymore. That afternoon, Luu Thanh Nguyet suddenly appeared at Dan Dinh Phong. Now, she has become a character of the inner sect, working side by side with Luc Van Phi every day, making many people jealous and red-eyed. She came here to replace Luc Van Phi to ask for spirit pills to heal her wounds. Seeing me bending down to clean the kiln, her eyes flashed with a hint of gloating and patience. “Junior sister Su, I really didn't expect to see you here.” She stopped walking, her posture was lofty and superior, looking at me with eyes like a superior looking down at an ant: "If you had followed suit and worshiped Elder Vuong for initiation, now I'm afraid you would have reached the ninth level of Qi Refining. Why would you have to suffer here, doing these worthless chores?" The disciples next to her heard that, bowed their heads and laughed softly, full of sarcasm. I raised my head, slowly wiped the sweat from my forehead, then smiled brightly: "Thank you, Senior Sister Luu, for your concern. It's just... everyone has their own path. There are landscapes that you can never see from a high place... Only when you bend down low, do you know that pure gold is hidden in the mud." The smile on Luu Thanh Nguyet's face stopped in the blink of an eye. She didn't understand everything I said, but she felt in that voice a kind of leisurely freedom... and even... a faint trace of pity? Pity her? Luu Thanh Nguyet's face suddenly turned cold and he snorted softly: "Pretending to be a ghost." Then he turned around and left, his heels stepping heavily on the stone steps. I lowered my head and continued to wipe the furnace, as if I didn't care, but the corner of my lips curled up into a sharp line. Luu Thanh Nguyet, do you think you and Luc Van Phi are a perfect match? You don't know - Luc Van Phi, a long time ago because of my change, a thorn has grown in my heart. You don't even know - Tieu Tran, the person you miss every day, is at this moment in a faraway secret place, getting the first chance in his life... I know everything about your story. And our story has just begun. 11 Time passes quickly like a fishing shadow, in a blink of an eye two more months have passed. Then a shocking news for the entire sect was announced - The three great sects join forces to explore "Mist Van Coc", a secret realm containing countless elixirs and opportunities, which will officially open. All inner sect disciples of the Qi Training period have the opportunity to participate. Hearing this news, my heart pounded. I've been waiting for this moment for a long time. Because Me Mist Van Coc is where Long Hoa Sam grows. But… now, I'm still just a handyman disciple of Dan Dinh Phong, I don't even have the qualifications to register. If I want to participate, I must ask Liu Changfeng to personally grant me a special spot. The opportunity… has finally arrived. At the end of autumn, a cold wave descended, the temperature in the sect dropped suddenly, and cold frost penetrated into the bones. That day, the cold poison in Liu Truong Phong's body broke out, more intense than any time before. All day long, from his alchemy room, there came a suppressed scream, mixed with the sound of broken bottles. The entire Dan Dinh Phong stood restless, everyone was afraid, not daring to take a step closer. Even Tran Vu stayed three miles away, his face free of blood. Everyone knows - at this time, the master of Dan Dinh Phong is like a barrel of gunpowder, with just a spark, it will definitely explode. But I... carried a bowl of hot medicine, step by step, straight into the center of the storm. "To Tinh! Are you crazy?!" From afar, Tran Vu panicked and shouted softly: "If you go to disturb the wind master at this time, do you want to die?!" I didn't pay attention to him, just walked slowly but steadily, straight to the front door of the pill room. Taking a deep breath, I pushed the door open. The scene inside was as chaotic as a battlefield. Tables, chairs, and broken vases littered the ground. Luu Truong Phong sat against the corner of the wall, his messy hair covering half of his face, his whole body covered with a layer of frost, his lips were purple, his body trembled violently, like a candle about to go out in the wind. "Fuck off!" He raised his head, his eyes red with pain glaring at me, his voice hoarse and roaring, his chest heaving like a beast. I did not back down, calmly put the bowl of medicine down in front of him, my voice was firm: "Master Feng. This bowl of medicine... can help you feel more comfortable." “I told you to go away!” A cold shout, accompanied by a billowing stream of true essence, swept across.