Beyond the Timescape [Wuxiaworld]

Painquelling lozenge? The first thing he puts up for sale is a painquelling lozenge? And that price....

The burly man started breathing heavily, as if he didn’t dare to believe what he was seeing. He checked again, just to make sure he wasn’t hallucinating.

Only one hundred drops of godservant blood?

The burly man was almost struck senseless. Although painquelling lozenges were rare, having been in the Moonrebel Congregation for years, he had seen them for sale many times. Thus, he knew how outrageously expensive they could be. In his memory, he had never seen any painquelling lozenge offered for such a low price. At first, he suspected that it might be some sort of scam.

However, in the Moonrebel Congregation, the way transactions worked was that the seller had to put the sales item on display so that potential buyers could inspect it. For one thing, that forestalled inadvertent mistakes. Beyond that, it made it possible to inflict severe penalties in the case of fraud. In minor cases of fraud, the result might be trade sanctions on that temple. But in severe cases, the owner could be expelled from the Moonrebel Congregation, and never allowed to return. Because of that, most people never tried to run scams. It just wasn’t worth it.

The burly man looked closer at the pill. After examining it, he started breathing even more heavily, and his heart started pounding. Turning, he rushed out of the temple.

A mistake! From the time I joined the Moonrebel Congregation until now... this is the biggest mistake I’ve ever seen! I need to buy that thing immediately. If I miss this chance, it’ll be the biggest regret of my life! The little rabbit must surely know how much that pill is worth. So why offer it at such a low price...? Maybe he wrote down the price wrong. He probably meant one thousand drops of godservant blood!

The burly man was determined to get that painquelling lozenge before the foolish seller returned.

I’ve got to snatch it before someone else does. Thankfully this location is relatively remote. I doubt anyone will notice that pill for a while. I can’t let anyone find out about it!

The burly man struggled to suppress his excitement and instead look cool and collected. Noticing someone walking down the road in his direction, he plastered a look of disdain onto his face, as if he had just looked at a pile of trash.

After quickly finding a place with no one nearby, he further suppressed his excitement and got in touch with his friends in the Moonrebel Congregation. He also used all of his other connections and contacts to find godservant blood.

The little rabbit didn’t specify blood from a specific person, which makes this easy. Over the years, lots of people have made deals with godservants, so their blood isn’t exactly rare.

The burly man was in very high spirits. It only took a day for him to make arrangements to get the hundred drops of godservant blood. Worried that someone might beat him to the punch, he stood guard outside his own temple while he waited for the blood to arrive. He pretended like he was just out enjoying the scenery, but was constantly keeping an eye out on all the other passing statues, worried that one of them might enter Xu Qing’s temple.

When he finally got the godservant blood, he raced like the wind into Xu Qing’s temple, rushed over to the ball of light, and completed the transaction. Once the painquelling lozenge was in his hand, he smelled it, whereupon his heart erupted with excitement.

The color. The smell. It’s the same as the ones other people sell. Seems this thing is real! Hahaha! What a big mistake!!

All of a sudden, he realized that the statue on the altar seemed to be moving.

The little rabbit is coming back. He must have realized he made a mistake. I can’t stick around!

Spinning, he hurried out, looking very much like someone who felt guilty at having taken advantage of someone.

***

The moment the burly man left, the statue’s eyes opened.

Xu Qing was back.

I had no idea I would sense it when someone buys something from me. Pleasantly surprised, he glanced outside the temple. A moment ago, he had seen someone hurrying out. Though he’d only seen their back, it seemed like his angry neighbor. Given how the man had been hurrying out, Xu Qing could guess what had happened. He probably thinks I made a mistake in the price. So he hurried away feeling guilty.

Xu Qing didn’t care. Stepping off the altar, he walked over to the ball of light. The light glittered, and a bottle flew out into his hand. After checking it, his eyes gleamed with satisfaction.

It’s not blood from a single person. There’s blood from a few dozen. Not bad. Not bad at all.

He was very pleased. He now had plenty of specimens to work with. With that, he took out another painquelling lozenge and put it into the ball of light. Just as before, he listed the price as a hundred drops of godservant blood. After that, his statue went still again as he left the Moonrebel Congregation.

***

Shortly after, his bare-chested neighbor cautiously stepped out into the open. After making sure Xu Qing was gone, he breathed a sigh of relief.

Hahaha! That idiot must have been so pissed off just now.

Thinking back to all those months of noise, the burly man felt wonderful. Then he noticed that the ball of light in Xu Qing’s temple again had something for sale in it. Looking very pleased with himself, he walked over.

Let’s see what other stuff the little rabbit is selling.

Feeling very smug, he reached out and touched the ball of light. Instantly, his eyes went wide, and he felt like his mind was being struck by even more lightning bolts than before. Yet again, he wondered if he was hallucinating, and had to double check what he was looking at. A moment later, a blank look appeared on his face.

How... is there another one? And the price is still a hundred drops of godservant blood? Impossible! Is this guy really just a complete idiot...? No. There must be something wrong with the pills!!

Expression turning grim, the burly man hurried back to his temple. He was going to go see if the pill he had purchased was real.

If it’s fake, I’m going to make sure he gets what’s coming to him!

Gritting his teeth, he left the Moonrebel Congregation. The next day, he came back, bits of lingering shock still on his face. Looking like a madman, he raced back toward Xu Qing’s temple.

Real. It was real!

However, his excitement only lasted until he walked back into Xu Qing’s temple, where he discovered that someone else had already purchased the second pill. Regret filled him.

Dammit! Why didn’t I buy the thing right then and there?

The burly man slumped, feeling pain in his heart, as well as the regret of missing out on something. He waited around for a few days after that, hoping that Xu Qing would come back and put up more medicinal pills for sale. During that time, his regret intensified.

***

However, Xu Qing never came back. The two hundred drops of godservant blood had given him a lot of inspiration, and had also helped him improve his concocting techniques.

He was still about half a month away from the Yin Sacrifice River, but this time, he was in the middle of a sprawling plain, concocting more pills using Li Youfei. Yet again, he was thinking about the medicinal plants in the forbidden regions.

Just because I don’t have any right here doesn’t mean they don’t exist....

After some more thought, he went back to the Moonrebel Congregation, where he put another painquelling lozenge up for sale. This time, instead of asking for godservant blood, he asked for a specific medicinal plant. Having done that, he left.

About an hour later, his burly neighbor emerged from his temple looking full of regret. Acting on instinct alone, he looked over at Xu Qing’s temple. When he saw the ball of light glowing, he shivered from head to toe, then rushed over. Getting the godservant blood he’d prepared ready, he reached out to the ball of light.

There really is another one for sale! This guy... wait, hold on!

Although the asking price had changed, making it impossible for him to buy the pill immediately, he knew the medicinal plant in question. He had seen it for sale before. Though it was expensive, it couldn’t possibly compare to a painquelling lozenge.

This guy must be some sort of grandmaster! He must be able to concoct painquelling lozenges with ease. Either that, or they aren’t important to him. Or maybe he has some amazing background that makes him so generous! Regardless, he’s clearly a very important person!

The burly man was convinced that this was the most amazing destined opportunity of his entire life. Turning, he left to find the medicinal plant the grandmaster wanted, deeply worried that someone might beat him to the punch.

Unfortunately, his fear came true. The moment he walked out of the temple, another statue rushed over, burst into Xu Qing’s temple, and headed right toward the ball of light.

Shocked, the burly man turned to look at the newcomer. The newcomer touched the ball of light, looked shocked, and then noticed the burly man looking at him. He looked back. The two of them obviously recognized each other and didn’t like each other very much.

“It’s you, 99715!” the burly man said through gritted teeth. In the Moonrebel Congregation, people didn’t use their real names. When they got to know each other, they used their temple address number. The burly man was familiar with this newcomer, as he was another of the local neighbors.

“Only those connected by destiny can get the pills of a grandmaster!” the other statue said. Chuckling coldly, he raced away.

The burly man replied with a cold harrumph. Then he raced away in the opposite direction. About ten hours later, he finally found the medicinal plant Xu Qing wanted. After rushing back, he saw 99715 walking out of the temple.

“Too late,” said 99715, who then sat down cross-legged outside of Xu Qing’s temple.

The burly man wasn’t ready to give up that easily. After going inside to check the ball of light, he went outside and also sat down to wait. He had the right idea. In the following days, Xu Qing came back over and over again with more painquelling lozenges. To Xu Qing, it was a very convenient situation. By doing business in the Moonrebel Congregation, he was able to easily make progress with his painquelling lozenges. Whatever he needed for his experiments, he could get by offering pills for sale. At the most, it would take about a day to get what he wanted. Sometimes it only took three or four hours.

As a result, the quality of his painquelling lozenges increased quickly and dramatically. Although he had already sold a few dozen painquelling lozenges, he could make more at any time using Li Youfei.

Li Youfei, meanwhile, grew so astonished that he was numb. Every single day, Xu Qing used him to concoct more medicinal pills. It was almost unimaginable. Occasionally, he found himself wrapped up in a childish daydream in which... he ended up being the hero who saved all of the Moonrite Region. But after looking at Xu Qing, he would abandon such thoughts and make sure to be even more cooperative.

Meanwhile, Xu Qing’s activities were causing a bit of a commotion in the Moonrebel Congregation. It had started with two statues waiting outside of his temple. That soon changed to four or five. Eventually, as word spread, the number of statues waiting outside his temple reached into the dozens. The statues all stayed on guard. Whenever light started shining in Xu Qing’s temple, they would rush inside, check the ball of light, and then scatter in the hopes of being the first person to track down what was being asked for. Of course, the sight of so many statues sitting around waiting made passersby curious. And the clamor prompted inquiries. As a result, astonishment spread in the Moonrebel Congregation.

Before long, the number of statues waiting outside of Xu Qing’s temple went from dozens to hundreds. The effects of so many people milling about were terrifying. The situation became even more pronounced as the cauldron outside Xu Qing’s temple accumulated more than thirty sticks of incense burning in it. That was especially eye-catching. When the crowd reached into the hundreds, word really started spreading.

“Did you hear about the mysterious and compassionate grandmaster?”

“His temple address is 99719. Because of that number, I say we should call him Grandmaster Pill Nine!”

“Grandmaster Pill Nine’s painquelling lozenges cost only a tenth as much as everyone else’s. And they’re more effective! He really cares about the common people, and wants to save all living beings!”

“That’s right. That’s why Grandmaster Pill Nine only asks for medicinal plants and godservant blood!”

“I knew about Grandmaster Pill Nine’s amazing power when he first joined the Moonrebel Congregation! All of you people who just showed up recently have no idea how extraordinary he really is. Back then, the grandmaster spent two months transmitting an amazing dao reverberation that filled the area and resonated with the heart and mind! It was an immeasurable blessing for me to be here from beginning to end. It was an exciting experience, but at the same time, it left me feeling very clear-headed. What’s more, the curse in me was suppressed, all thanks to the mysterious and unpredictable mercy of Grandmaster Pill Nine! Sadly, it only lasted for two months. That’s what leaves me sighing with regret. As I think back, those two months were so wonderful....”

From the burly man’s facial expression, it seemed that he was having trouble even expressing himself in words. And thus, word started to spread through the Moonrebel Congregation about Grandmaster Pill Nine.

***

However, it eventually reached the point where Xu Qing didn’t put up any new medicinal pills for sale for a few days in a row. That was because he had finally reached the banks of the Yin Sacrifice River.

Off in the distance he could see the roiling waters. Even being far away, he smelled the stench of gore and saw countless corpses floating by. It filled him with revulsion. Even the sand was red, and the entire place thrummed with the feeling of the curse.

This was the spot the parrot had led him to, where he was supposed to meet the Captain.

He continued walking. After passing some warding spells, and reaching the red sand, his expression flickered as he heard the sound of the Captain, Ning Yan, and Wu Jianwu breathing heavily.

He also could hear some of their conversation.

“I can’t do it. It’s stuck! It won’t come out!”

“It’s fine. Don’t be scared, Big Jianjian. Just pull harder! It’ll come out at any moment! Put your back into it, Big Jianjian! Use those legs!”

A strange look appeared on Xu Qing’s face as he heard Ning Yan screaming.

“Nooo! It’s gonna break. Everybody get your hands off….”

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