Chapter 518: Chapter 518: Voodoo

Yuan Chu’s affliction was far from simple.

He had been struck by lightning during his Core Formation. The strike left him paralyzed, and in his mind, he believed himself injured. As a result, his body actually shut down the corresponding function.

Bai Mo examined Yuan Chu from top to bottom but found no scars from a lightning strike.

’He must have anticipated it and deliberately diverted the main bolt of lightning away.’

’He probably didn’t expect to miss a bit and was caught in the aftershock. That must be what caused his current symptoms.’

"Senior Brother, this is an affliction of the soul."

Bai Mo told him.

"At the time, you believed you were injured, and so your soul followed your mind’s will and became damaged. Treating it will be quite troublesome."

"Fortunately, I’ve pinpointed the exact nature of your injury..."

Yuan Chu listened intently for a moment, then nodded again and again.

"I thought I’d been struck directly and was about to die. It was only later that I realized it was just a scare..."

As he spoke, he suddenly felt a sharp pain in his left ear, followed by a loud, continuous ringing that muffled all sound.

"Junior Brother?"

Bai Mo’s voice came through his right ear.

"Senior Brother, your face must have gone pale with fright back then."

"The blood rushed to your ears and then pooled, causing a blockage. Let me just release some of the pressure."

Immediately, Yuan Chu felt a sharp pain in his right ear as well, and his hearing vanished completely.

Once Bai Mo was finished, he gave Yuan Chu a light pat on the shoulder.

Now deaf and disoriented, Yuan Chu felt his way back to his small cabin to sleep it off.

Outside the courtyard, a Flying Ship descended. A disciple leaped out, ran to Bai Mo’s gate, and began pounding on it insistently.

Bai Mo called out in response.

"Alright, alright, I hear you! I’m coming."

The disciple outside was frantic. The moment Bai Mo opened the door, the disciple shoved a silk brocade into his hands.

Along with it was a pouch of Spirit Stones.

"You must refine the Pills detailed on this brocade before the fifth of next month. We need more than a hundred of them!"

Bai Mo was momentarily stunned, but he nodded in acceptance.

The disciple didn’t have time for another word. He scrambled back onto the Flying Ship, which then shot away with a WHOOSH.

’Judging by its direction, it’s heading for Zhu Tong’s location.’

Bai Mo returned to his courtyard and sat where Yuan Chu had been. He opened the pouch of Spirit Stones. Inside lay several thousand of them.

He then unfurled the silk brocade. On it, tiny characters were embroidered with golden thread in an elegant script, clearly the work of a woman.

It was a Pill Formula for a Voodoo antidote.

Bai Mo fell into thought.

’Voodoo is man-made, but the art was thought to be lost since ancient times. It hasn’t been seen in the world for ages.’

’I wonder why it’s appearing now. And by the looks of it, there must be at least fifty people infected.’

’That explains why the disciple from the Foreign Affairs Hall was in such a panic.’

’Paying with Spirit Stones upfront makes the Foreign Affairs Hall’s position perfectly clear. This task must be completed.’

’Fortunately, curing the Voodoo just requires me to follow the recipe and refine the Pill. It shouldn’t be too difficult.’

What concerned Bai Mo more was the brocade itself. The material didn’t look particularly ancient.

’Why would a Pill Formula for a Voodoo antidote be embroidered on it?’

Collecting his thoughts, Bai Mo waved Ah Er over and gave his instructions.

"Go to Medicine Peak and purchase Jinxianzi, Dragon-Startling Grass, and Hundred Herbs Monarch..."

"Buy them and return at once. Do not delay!"

Ah Er received its orders and immediately went out. It hopped onto a Flying Ship, got its bearings, and then urged it forward with all its might, quickly vanishing from sight.

Bai Mo spread the brocade out again, studying it closely to deduce how the medicinal properties would work.

He discovered that the Pill’s effects were released in three waves, taking effect in the morning, at noon, and late at night.

The first wave stimulated a Cultivator’s life force, awakening their body’s natural resistance. The second drew in potent yang energy, creating a "killing aura" that would rampage through the Cultivator’s body.

Finally, the last wave would generate a protective medicinal effect to guard the Cultivator’s heart meridian, preventing them from dying of the resulting chill.

Bai Mo had never encountered such a Pill before. He found it quite novel and spent a long time studying the formula.

When Ah Er returned with the ingredients several days later, Bai Mo had already deciphered the Pill Formula completely. He immediately lit his furnace and began the Alchemy.

The raging flames licked at the Pill Furnace, casting flickering shadows across his face.

Bai Mo picked up a brush and jotted down his findings from the past few days in a notebook.

"The medicinal properties are like an army on the march. They advance in stages, each with a specific duty. One Pill does the work of several..."

"...It’s a brilliant concept."

After the Pill had been refining for half a day, Bai Mo placed a hand on the Pill Furnace. The energy of his Golden Core seeped inside, causing the Pill within to undergo a transformation.

Another four hours passed before the Pill was ready. It emerged from the furnace emitting a faintly astringent odor.

Bai Mo and Ah Er examined it for a long while before finally sending a message to the Foreign Affairs Hall.

In the pre-dawn hours several days later, the green-robed steward arrived.

Lying in the Flying Ship was another person—a disciple from War Peak. His face was deathly pale, and he was unconscious, shivering uncontrollably.

The green-robed steward cut straight to the chase, asking urgently:

"Where is the Pill?"

Bai Mo produced the Pill. The steward took it and, without a moment’s hesitation, forced it into the unconscious disciple’s mouth.

He then said bluntly:

"He was one of the first disciples to be infected with the Voodoo. If this medicine doesn’t work, he’s a dead man."

"Junior Brother, are you certain it will work?"

Bai Mo shook his head.

"I refined the Pill exactly as the formula on the brocade described. However, I’ve never encountered Voodoo myself, so I don’t know what to expect. I dare not make any guarantees."

The green-robed steward fell silent and nodded.

Bai Mo invited him into the courtyard, but the steward refused, choosing to remain outside the gate with the disciple from War Peak.

Bai Mo waited with them. Seeing that the cold mist was leaving them damp and chilled, he took out a Fire Essence.

He infused it with Spiritual Qi, and a rolling wave of heat erupted from the Fire Essence, quickly dispersing the dampness and chill within a twenty-foot radius.

As the sun rose over the horizon, the Pill began to take effect.

Bai Mo watched as the veins on the War Peak disciple’s skin bulged grotesquely. All of his stagnant qi and blood were mobilized, surging through his body in wave after wave.

’What kind of poison could provoke such a violent reaction?’

Yuan Chu’s hearing had returned. Hearing the unconscious murmurs of the War Peak disciple, he felt his way along the courtyard wall and came over.

"Have we got a new patient?"

Bai Mo glanced back. "A fellow disciple who was poisoned beyond the Celestial Barrier Mountain range. His life hangs in the balance."

During the wait, Bai Mo had spoken with the green-robed steward and learned of the War Peak disciple’s plight.

The man had been exploring some ruins when he accidentally broke a seal, releasing a cloud of toxic gas.

He seemed fine at first, but his condition deteriorated day by day until he ended up like this.

"Oh."

Yuan Chu nodded. He felt his way back along the wall, not wanting to be a disturbance.

「At noon」

Suddenly, a ray of white light descended from the sun and merged into the War Peak Cultivator’s body.

The disciple’s body temperature rose sharply. Bai Mo could sense several currents of heat coursing through him, scorching his skin fiery red.

After a long time, the disciple awoke. Before he could speak, his expression changed drastically. He shoved the green-robed steward aside and retched, spewing a large mouthful of blood.

The blood was filled with insect eggs and grubs. Most were dead, but a few of them were still twitching weakly.

One of them was especially active. It squirmed on the ground, and upon contact with the air, it began to grow. In moments, it was over ten feet long and as thick as a bucket.

The snow-white worm twisted its body and, opening its circular maw, charged toward Ah Er, who was planting bamboo nearby.

Ah Er was startled at first, then became indignant, figuring the creature was just picking on the weakest target.

It let out a fierce cry.

From its chest, it pulled out a short pestle, mustered all its strength, and swung at the worm.

There was a loud THWACK, like a club hitting leather.

The great worm’s head slammed into the ground, getting a mouthful of dirt. Ah Er was sent flying, tracing a golden arc through the air.

THUNK!

Three flying swords shot out, pinning the great worm’s head to the ground in a triangular formation. It writhed its body but was held fast.

It was the green-robed steward who had made the move.

"So this is the ’thing’ that ’Tian Weng’ brought back?"

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