Chapter 171: Suppressing Snake Venom

After her conversation with Feng Yi, Gu Qingli resumed her cultivation, while Feng Yi slipped once more into a state of semi-dormancy.

So long as Gu Qingli called for him, or if she encountered any danger, he would awaken at once to aid her.

The days left before their departure from Loulan City were swiftly dwindling, and the agonizing Fifteenth Night that tormented Shao Lan was drawing near. Time was running short.

Instead of recklessly using Shao Lan's blood straightaway, Gu Qingli meticulously revisited the Poison and Medicine Sutras within the Phoenix Flame Codex, recalling each passage with great care.

Although she had committed the texts to memory long ago, it was only now, in the moment of practical application, that she realized their profound intricacies. Much remained to be studied and understood.

After an entire day and night of analysis and refinement, Gu Qingli finally devised a comprehensive plan: a regimen involving both medicinal pills and therapeutic herbal baths. She was confident that, even if the venom from the Serpent Gall could not be completely neutralized, at the very least, it could alleviate Shao Lan's pain.

Still, this was but a temporary reprieve. To truly cleanse the poison from her body, a more permanent solution would need to be found.

For now, this would have to suffice.

At dawn, Gu Qingli went directly to Shao Yan's estate and handed over a list of the necessary herbs. Without hesitation, Shao Yan immediately began gathering them.

Fortunately, the ingredients were not particularly rare—Shao Lan's condition meant the household had long kept a stock of quality medicinal herbs on hand. The preparations were completed swiftly and efficiently.

"Qingli, is there anything else you need?" Shao Yan inquired.

"Yes, Uncle Shao," Gu Qingli replied. "I'll need a large wooden bath—very large. It's for the medicinal soak."

Though Shao Yan was unfamiliar with the concept of herbal bathing—it had yet to be popularized on the Shen Gu Continent—the meaning was plain enough.

"I'll begin refining the pills now," Gu Qingli said. "Uncle Shao, please ensure that I am not disturbed. Tonight is the Fifteenth Night. If the refinement fails, we'll have to wait until the next cycle. By then, it may not be as convenient as it is here in your estate."

"Understood. Don't worry—everything will be arranged. Just focus on the pill refining."

Shao Yan quickly withdrew, leaving Gu Qingli in a quiet room prepared for alchemy.

Gu Qingli calmly organized the herbs and summoned her pill furnace. With practiced precision, she began adding the ingredients one by one, each step following the plan she had meticulously devised.

Time slipped by quietly as the herbs gradually melted, their impurities slowly stripped away. A faint, fragrant aroma began to waft from the furnace—soothing, pure.

With her eyes closed, Gu Qingli concentrated her soul power. Then, at just the right moment, her eyes flashed open.

"The time has come!"

She swiftly retrieved Shao Lan's blood and poured it into the furnace, channeling her soul power into it to preserve the blood's unique energy.

The process was grueling. The strange power within the blood proved potent, and even Gu Qingli, with her abundant mental strength, found beads of cold sweat forming on her brow.

It was impossible to know how much time passed, but finally, the blood fused completely with the herbal essence. The resulting liquid shimmered with alternating hues of crimson and silver—radiant, mesmerizing.

Gu Qingli exhaled a breath of relief. The final moment was approaching.

Now more than ever, she had to stay vigilant. And then, just as she hoped—

"It's done!"

A swirl of aromatic mist rose from the furnace. A smile curved Gu Qingli's lips. Though she could not yet be certain of the pills' exact effects, the successful refinement alone confirmed her earlier hypothesis: Shao Lan's blood could indeed serve as a medicinal primer.

She stepped forward and retrieved the pills. After all that effort, and all that blood, the yield was shockingly meager—only three pills.

Far fewer than she had anticipated.

"Why?"

Frowning, she scrutinized the pills. She had expected five to seven at the very least. What had gone awry?

Turning the pills over in her hands, she examined them closely. Each was perfectly round, brimming with potent energy, and she noticed that a faint silvery-red membrane encased them. Held up to the light, tiny glimmers of silver danced across their surface.

She pondered deeply. The herbs had been carefully selected after intense study of the Poison and Medicine Sutras. There should have been no flaws there. The only unknown variable was Shao Lan's blood.

As a practitioner's soul power and experience grew, the pills they refined became more concentrated and pure. And these pills, Gu Qingli realized, surpassed anything she had ever created before.

There was only one explanation: the mysterious energy within Shao Lan's blood had autonomously filtered out certain impurities, reducing the volume of effective material and thus limiting the yield to only three pills.

Gu Qingli marveled. Just what kind of power resided in Shao Lan's veins?

Still, this was not the time for speculation. She placed the pills carefully into a porcelain vial and stepped out into the open air.

Outside, dusk had already fallen. The sky was tinged with soft amber hues, the golden light slowly spreading across the horizon.

"Qingli, how did it go?"

Shao Yan had been pacing outside the door the entire time, unable to rest.

Though he had caught the faint scent of medicinal fragrance earlier, he dared not assume success until Gu Qingli confirmed it herself.

"You've been waiting here this whole time, Uncle Shao?" Gu Qingli asked in mild surprise, once again touched by the depth of his care for Shao Lan.

"Don't worry," she said warmly. "The pills were successfully refined. In fact, their efficacy may even exceed my expectations. But it's too early to say how effective they'll truly be."

"That's all right," Shao Yan said, emotion thickening his voice. "So long as you're here, I know Lan'er will be all right."

Years of watching Shao Lan suffer had left a wound on his heart. Now, at long last, hope had begun to blossom.

"Let's go to her room quickly," Gu Qingli urged. "It's almost time."

Though the real agony only began after nightfall, Shao Lan had not left her room all day. Her body had already begun to feel unwell—alternating between chills and fever—as the Fifteenth Night drew near.