The next morning, Xu Qing opened his eyes. Ling'er had been taking care of him all the while. When she saw Xu Qing wake up, she quickly approached, her little face filled with concern.
"Brother Xu Qing…"
"I'm fine." Xu Qing smiled. He then patted Ling'er's head, and sensed his injuries.
Under the recovery power of the purple crystal, most of his injuries had recovered, but he still felt lethargic.
This was mainly the backlash effect on the soul caused by the mosasaur's self-destruction.
However, the remaining head of the mosasaur contained even more heavenly mandate power than before, and it was of a different level. So, during its recovery process, it was a kind of enhancement for Xu Qing.
Xu Qing could sense that after this sense of weakness disappeared, his soul would be more tenacious and powerful than before.
"In about twenty days, I should be fully recovered. By then, my strength will have increased significantly, and if I encounter another Dao Nurturing cultivator, I'll be more prepared."
Xu Qing took a deep breath and sat up. At this moment, the captain revealed his figure from the door. As he ate a peach, he glanced at Xu Qing and smiled.
"You went out for a trip, but why do you look a little different after returning? Your gaze is even sharper than before."
As he spoke, the captain threw an apple to Xu Qing.
Xu Qing caught it and took a bite. He then walked out of the back room and into the apothecary.
Ning Yan was wiping the ground. As he wiped, he sighed. When he saw Xu Qing, he forced a smile.
Nether Fairy was boiling water in frustration. She could clearly use her cultivation to boil it instantly, but this was clearly not allowed. Hence, she could only sit there and stare at the stove and iron pot in front of her.
As for Li Youfei, he was enthusiastically introducing medicinal pills to a trembling Qi Condensation cultivator.
Wu Jianwu was still at the entrance. He, who was already used to his identity, was wearing rough hemp clothes and looking up as he recited a poem.
There was also an old man sitting behind the counter of the apothecary, spinning beads in his hand and smiling as he watched everything. On his shoulder was a featherless parrot that looked indignant.
"Grandpa, I suspect that it was Chen Erniu who did it…" The parrot lowered its head. After its gaze swept past Xu Qing and the captain, it immediately glared angrily at the captain and complained to the heir.
The captain smiled but didn't care. Instead, he walked to the door and took out a sword. He crossed his arms and lifted his chin, taking his position as a guard.
Warmth rose in Xu Qing's heart. Everything was the same as when he left. In this small apothecary, that warm feeling made his heart feel even more at peace.
At that moment, Nether Fairy had finally boiled the water. She hurriedly carried it to the old man and made tea for him.
The heir picked up the teacup and took a sip. After that, his gaze landed on Xu Qing.
"Your training will continue after twenty days."
Xu Qing solemnly agreed. He also felt anticipation in his heart. He could foresee that such training would definitely be very dangerous every time. However, as long as he endured it and gained some insights, the improvement would be extremely huge.
Just like that, several days passed.
Xu Qing's injuries were slowly healing, but he could already feel a difference in the power of his soul. This change was evident in the speed at which he pondered problems.
Things that used to require deep contemplation now became clear with just a little thought. This allowed Xu Qing, during his recovery period, to pick up his research on curses once again and delve deeper into the subject.
Because of this, Li Youfei became even busier.
Finally, after ten days, Xu Qing, with the growth of his own soul and his previous research results, used Li Youfei's blood as a catalyst. He utilized the chaotic growth of the flesh that had remained from before, incorporating his own Purple Moon energy, to improve the curse-resolving pill.
This improvement was different from the past. Under Xu Qing's accumulation of experience and studies, he finally managed to reduce the amount of curses by a little.
The previous curse-resolving pill could also accomplish this, but reduction was only 1 in 10,000 which was insignificant.
However, now, if the number of curses in a person's body was 100, then after eating this curse-resolving pill, it would become 99.
Hence, the effect was even more astonishing.
Xu Qing could foresee that after this type of curse-resolving pill was sold, someone would definitely sense its true effect.
"It's a pity that the reduction is still too low. However, my direction isn't wrong. If I continue like this, I should be able to gradually increase the medicinal effects until I can refine a pill that can truly neutralize the curse."
After some thought, Xu Qing headed to the Moon Rebel Hall.
It had been several months since he last stepped into the Moon Rebel Hall.
This time around, Xu Qing didn't enter alone.
Ling'er had put aside her accounting work over the past few days due to her concern for Xu Qing's injuries. She spent her time by his side, and she was also very curious about the Moon Rebel Hall. So, when Xu Qing entered this time, he took Ling'er with him.
In the Moon Rebel Hall, in Xu Qing's temple, there were seven to eight statues of gods meditating.
These were either neighbors or fanatics. Moreover, all of them had bought Xu Qing's curse-resolving pills before.
Hence, even though the Master hadn't come for a few months, the piety in their hearts caused them to come here every day. It was as though meditating here could invisibly suppress the curse.
This was especially so for the burly dude with an exposed chest. As a cultivator who had fully listened to the Dao Voice, he had already successfully created his new persona. He usually called himself a follower of the Master.
He had a strong aversion to any criticism directed at the Master. At this moment, he looked dignified and calmly spoke to the other devotees by his side.
"Although Master hasn't returned for a while, as his followers and beneficiaries, we must maintain our unwavering faith. We should not blindly heed the words of outsiders."
"I still firmly believe that on the day Master returns, he will definitely cause an even greater storm in the Moon Rebel Hall!"
The burly dude's voice echoed and the other devotees in the surroundings nodded solemnly. However, one of the female immortal statues hesitated for a moment before speaking in a low voice.
"Although there have been criticisms from some proficient alchemy masters, they are of little consequence. However, recently, Master Shengluo has also raised many doubts…"
As the woman spoke, the others fell silent.
The name Shengluo held considerable weight in the hearts of the cultivators of the Moon Rebel Hall.
All of this was because this Master was the person who sold the most curse-resolving pills in the Moon Rebel Hall. Some people even analyzed that at least 30% of the curse-resolving pills in the Moon Rebel Hall were made by this Master.
Hence, the meaning of his skepticism was different.
Seeing that everyone was silent, the burly neighbor let out a cold snort and was about to speak.
However, at this moment, the altar trembled.
This tremor caused all the statues sitting cross-legged in the temple to be stunned for a moment. Their hearts stirred as they abruptly looked at the altar.
At the altar, the statue of the old man with the gourd on his back, whose eyes had been closed for a long time, suddenly opened.
"Master!"
"Master Pill Nine!"
The seven or eight statues had their spirits strongly shaken and stood up, bowing towards Xu Qing, especially the neighbor, who was particularly excited.
"Master, you're finally back!"
Xu Qing was momentarily taken aback but didn't make any hasty moves. He stood on the altar, and his gaze fell upon those who were bowing to him below. He spoke slowly.
"You are?"
"Master, we are all people who owe you a debt of gratitude. Over the past few months, we have voluntarily guarded this place in the hopes of tracking your steps and becoming your followers!"
The burly neighbor respectfully spoke.
Upon hearing this, Xu Qing remained silent and looked outside.
Outside, the bronze square cauldron emitted billowing green smoke, rising gracefully into the air, giving the appearance of a bustling incense cauldron.
Further away, he could vaguely see dozens of statues contemplating in different directions.
Although he had heard the leader mention these things, Xu Qing still fell into deep thought after seeing it with his own eyes.
Seeing that Xu Qing didn't speak, the seven to eight statues in the temple felt nervous. From what they knew, this Master Pill Nine must be an old monster with a high cultivation base.
Generally speaking, such old monsters had eccentric personalities. Hence, they didn't know if their actions of contemplating here would make the Master dislike them.
However, it was only right for them to give it a try. If it really suited the Master's thoughts, the status of a follower would be very meaningful to them.
With this thought in mind, the few of them carefully observed Xu Qing.
More than ten breaths later, Xu Qing, with an expressionless face and a calm heart, stood on the altar overlooking below. His gaze swept over the statues, and he spoke in a composed tone.
"Tell me what happened recently."
Seeing that the Master didn't refuse them becoming his followers, these statues all breathed a sigh of relief, especially the burly man. He swiftly began to speak, relaying the comments and questions raised about Xu Qing over the past few months.
Xu Qing nodded, and the information they provided matched with what he had learned from the captain, albeit with more detailed accounts from these individuals.
He thought for a moment and was about to show the newly created pill he made. However, he suddenly heard a voice in his head, which sounded annoyed, and it was the voice of Ling'er.
"Brother Xu Qing, I've heard what they said, and I have a general idea of the situation. Those people are really mean, doubting you. So, I have an idea…"
"If Brother Xu Qing has a new pill, we can use their influence to create some buzz. We can set a date for the pill's release and announce it in advance."
"This way, during the process, it will surely raise some doubts, and at that time, Brother Xu Qing, you can take out the pill to let those skeptics be proven wrong!"
"In the past, every time my father's shop was shut down, there would be rumors in the Seven Blood Eyes' main city that he couldn't make it anymore. Every time this happened, he would announce it like this."
Ling'er whispered.
Xu Qing smiled. He didn't care about these rumors, but seeing that Ling'er was so angry, he nodded and looked at the statues below.
"In ten days, I'll release an improved curse-resolving pill. This pill is very different from the curse-resolving pills in the past. It's called the curse-breaking pill."
"You wait for these ten days, spread the news to the outside world, and after ten days when I release it, I will give each of you one."
Xu Qing calmly spoke. After he finished speaking, he closed his eyes and left the Moon Rebel Hall.
After he left, these statues in the temple all gasped. They looked at each other and noticed the horror in each other's eyes.
"The medicinal effects are greatly different from the past?"
"It's not called the curse-resolving pill but the curse-breaking pill?"
"This name…"
These seven to eight statues were all moved. From this name, they could sense some content that they didn't dare to believe.
"A pill that can dispel the curse?" No matter how fanatical the burly neighbor was about Xu Qing, his breathing still paused at this moment. An incredulous feeling rose in his heart.
"What if it's true?" After a long time, one of the statues suddenly spoke.
As soon as he spoke, the breathing of the other statues instantly hastened.
"If that's true… then from now on, in this Moon Rebel Hall, Master Pill Nine will become a true god!"
The burly neighbor felt huge waves in his mind as he muttered.
