Wait a minute, where is my master?

"Then just deduct a bit, and we'll know how many pills Grandma Yu has refined this half month..."

The little Taoist muttered to himself, then as he put away the jade bottle, he casually inquired.

"Uncle Wu, speaking of such desire-suppressing pills, are they usually consumed in large quantities? The Shui Clan actually has such a large reserve."

The 'Water Monkey' Island Master scratched the back of his head with his furry hand and, with a hint of puzzlement in his voice, answered.

"According to common sense, if it's pills like Strengthening Pills and Gathering Spirit Pills, which are consumed during cultivation, the inventory would be even larger than this. After all, our Shui Clan is not small, and the pills, whether used by ourselves or sold, are consumed in great quantities every day.

"However, for auxiliary effect pills like the Desire Suppressing Pill and Six Harmonies Extinguishing Yang Pill, the demand isn't that high. This batch of pills was reserved by the Great Elder a hundred years ago.

"Originally... it seems it was to deal with some incident, that's why they focused manpower and spent a year to refine this batch of pills."

As the Water Monkey Island Master said this, a hint of nostalgia appeared on his face, and then he shook his head regretfully.

"However, during those two years, I drank a potion of ancient brew from a relic, and I spent most of my time drunk, so I'm not too clear on the specifics of what happened."

Seeing that Wu Youren only answered with uncertainty, Jin Xu also gave up on being curious about why the Shui Clan had stored so many desire-suppressing pills.

Now that he had both talismans and pills ready, it was time to go to the place that had been selected earlier and awaken the Big Willow Tree senior who had been sleeping for a long time.

But before the little Taoist could make a move, Yu Yaoer at his side suddenly pulled at him and said.

"Young Master, I know why Grandma had stored so many Desire Suppressing Pills and Six Harmonies Extinguishing Yang Pills."

"Oh?"

Hearing this, Jin Xu set down his raised foot and after a brief moment of thought, he spoke.

"In that case, tell me about it on the road. Now that we have the pills and talismans ready, we can set out to awaken Senior Guan Ling."

"Okay~"

Little Yu, the fish demon, nodded vigorously, her clear eyes slightly curving, and she turned to address the husky training the elephant.

"Little White, Little Purple Spirit, let's go. The Young Master is going to awaken Senior Big Willow Tree."

Let's leave the two ladies aside for now.

When the Old Dean heard that Jin Xu was going to awaken the Ten-thousand-year-old Heart Calming Willow, he stepped forward and said.

"Little Taoist, may I accompany you on this trip?"

Jin Xu was aware that his master's old friend wished to know his master's condition at the earliest possible time, and he immediately nodded in agreement.

Afterward, as if suddenly remembering something, he slapped his forehead and said to the 'Water Monkey' Island Master, who had not yet left.

"I almost forgot. Uncle Wu, this item was promised to Grandma Yu, please take it back to her."

As he spoke, the little Taoist took out a wooden box containing a Recording Ball from his chest and handed it to Wu Youren.

"Please be assured, little Taoist, I will make sure to deliver this to the Great Elder."

The 'Water Monkey' Island Master took the wooden box curiously and looked it over, then blew on it gently.

Amazingly, the wooden box shrank dozens of times in size and was carefully tucked into the same ear from which the jade bottle had just been taken.

"Thank you for your efforts, Uncle Wu."

After a polite remark from Jin Xu, and after asking via a whispered message whether the Immortal Palace Ancestor wanted to join them and receiving a refusal, he did not linger any longer at the martial arts field.

The group quickly exited Shangjing City and fled toward the north of the city.

...

...

Halfway there.

All over the sky, countless white clouds were scattered, leaving behind a long white trail within the grand golden light shield.

Jin Xu and the Old Dean stood side by side, quietly observing Yu Yaoer, waiting for her explanation as to why the Shui Clan had stored so many heart-calming and desire-suppressing pills.

"It was probably one hundred and twenty-three years ago, I remember..."

The Little Fish Demon counted on her fingers, her eyes filled with a look of reminiscence as she spoke, "During that time, Grandma had a particularly bad temper, seemingly because the 'Eight Desolate Moon Spirit Pills' in her storage kept disappearing without a trace, and there was no clue to be found.

"Back then, the clan grounds were even placed under martial law for two months because of this.

"However, later on, I remember it was a fairly calm afternoon when Grandma told me she knew who had stolen the pills. She had me cook a dish to celebrate and came up with a strategy to punish the thief. Since that day, Grandma gathered many of the clan's alchemy experts and began to produce these heart-calming and desire-suppressing pills."

"Sister Little Yu, what does the production of these heart-calming and desire-suppressing pills have to do with punishing the pill thief? Also, who was the thief?"

Shiqi, eager to know, couldn't help but interject and ask.

"Little White, don't be impatient, let me tell you the story slowly," Yu Yaoer waved her hand to signal him not to rush and continued, "When I heard Grandma mention punishing the pill thief, I asked the same question. However, she seemed to be very wary of disclosing the thief's identity and didn't reveal it to me.

"As for the method of punishing that person...

"Ahem, you all know how profound Grandma's achievements in Alchemy Dao are. If she were to be ranked second in the Nine Provinces, no one would dare to claim the first. So after she gathered a large workforce to produce these pills, she personally disguised their outer shell so perfectly that unless someone actually ingested them, they would be indistinguishable from the real pills.

"Then, Grandma mixed these disguised pills in with the jade bottles containing the 'Eight Desolate Moon Spirit Pills.'

As Yu Yaoer spoke to this point, a hint of regret crossed her face.

"However, after the pill thief stole several bottles mixed with 'Heart-Cleansing Ice Soul Pills,' they suddenly vanished without a trace. The huge batch of Desire Suppressing Pills and Yang Extinguishing Pills ended up remaining in her storage."

After hearing this account from the Little Fish Demon, Jin Xu fell into a moment's thought, a mysterious glimmer flashing through his eyes.

Little White, still confused about some aspects, continued to interject.

"Sister Little Yu, I don't understand. Are those Heart-Cleansing and Ice Soul Pills poison? Why would mixing them with the original pills in the bottles be considered punishment for the pill thief?"

Yu Yaoer blinked her clear, large eyes in surprise at the question, taking a moment before responding.

"I forgot to explain the effects of these pills to you, Little White.

"Heart-Cleansing Ice Soul Pills are top-tier pills used by cultivators when facing tribulations of the heart during ascension. If someone who isn't experiencing a Heart Demon Tribulation consumes them, even a cultivator of the Mahayana Realm would be affected. For months or even years, they would become indifferent and desireless, their heart realm extremely peaceful.

"For those with weaker cultivation that take it, not to mention forgetting about worldly affairs, they wouldn't experience a ripple of emotion until their time comes."

Seeing Shiqi's expression still somewhat confused, Yu Yaoer elaborated with an example.

"Imagine, Little White, if you could no longer feel joy from eating or gathering followers, wouldn't that be terrifying? Or, if – say the temple master – were to die in front of you and you wouldn't feel sad, wouldn't that be terrifying?"

The Little Fish Demon had intended to use the example of kin and friends being harmed but, upon catching sight of Little Zi Ling there, she swiftly changed her example.

After hearing this, Shiqi lowered her head, contemplating the scenario for a moment, as if trying to imagine it.

Moments later, she shivered uncontrollably, drawing in a breath of cold air.

"Hiss~~~ So it seems, this punishment strategy is indeed dreadful!"

On the side.

Jin Xu looked kindly towards Yu Yaoer who had used him in her example, to which she responded with a sweet smile.

"..."

The Taoist sighed helplessly, shrugging his shoulders and turning his gaze away.

He then noticed that under the Old Dean's outwardly serene appearance, there seemed to be a flicker of reminiscence.