Mu Ran thought she would be staying in the underground city for a long time before the people above came to take her out to test their medicines. To her surprise, she had only been trapped there for two days when someone from above came to extract her.
Come to think of it, it made sense. When the women of the Mu family practiced their sect's core technique, their constitutions became much gentler and purer than ordinary people. Even though her spiritual roots and bones were shattered and her cultivation completely crippled, the bloodline of the Mu family still flowed in her veins.
For those solely devoted to studying forbidden arts and using humans to test medicines, such a constitution was naturally the finest experimental material.
During the two days she was trapped in the underground city, the elders above had likely been fighting over her ownership, and now the results were out.
Mu Ran was escorted to a room filled with alchemy furnaces. The outer walls of the copper furnaces were blackened by smoke and fire, bearing eerie and treacherous patterns. The mouths of the furnaces faintly spewed pale cyan smoke. In the air, besides the fragrance of medicine, there lingered a sickeningly sweet scent of blood.
The elder known as the Mad Elder had a scruffy beard and an unkempt appearance. He stood before a high-grade alchemy furnace, staring intently at the flames in front of him. Even when someone brought him the finest human test subject, he did not spare a single glance.
That was until a loud bang echoed, and the alchemy furnace in front of him exploded.
The Mad Elder clutched his head and screamed, Failed again! How could it fail again!!!?
The people around him didn't even dare to breathe loudly, terrified of drawing the wrath of the elder who was in a foul mood.
In a fit of rage, the Mad Elder kicked the alchemy furnace away. Flames splattered everywhere. Some disciples in black robes were hit by the sparks, but they could only endure the pain in silence, not daring to cry out.
Mu Ran dodged the flames that landed near her feet, but she could still feel the scorching heat, making her scalp tingle with fear.
After a long time, the Mad Elder finally vented all his anger. He calmed down, regained his reason, and immediately looked at Mu Ran standing not far away.
He had been guarding the alchemy furnace continuously for a very long time. His face was haggard, and when he grinned, he looked even more bizarre and eerie.
You are the medicine tester sent over by Biyun Mountain. The Mad Elder's eyes lit up, unable to suppress the excitement in his heart. He rubbed his withered hands together repeatedly, stumbling yet eagerly approaching Mu Ran. His voice was full of manic joy. Not bad, not bad, truly not bad! To snatch you away, I gave more than half of my treasured premium spiritual pills to those old geezers!
As he spoke, he reached out and forcefully pinched Mu Ran's chin. His knuckles turned white from the force as he forced her to look up. Those cloudy and crazed eyes stared fixedly at her gentle and pure Mu family bloodline constitution, as if examining a rare and precious treasure.
The girls of the Mu family are indeed different. Although the spiritual roots and bones are shattered, the bloodline is incredibly pure. Just perfect for testing my newly refined Bone-Melting Vein-Generating Pill!
The Mad Elder suddenly let go, turning around to pick up a small blue-and-white porcelain bottle from a blackened wooden table nearby. The bottle still carried the residual heat from the recently refined pills.
He pulled out the stopper, and a pungent, spicy medicinal scent instantly filled the air. Mixed with the sickeningly sweet smell from the furnace, it choked the lungs and made one's chest feel tight.
Three pitch-black pills, glowing with an eerie red light, rolled into his palm. The medicinal power was so violent that even the surrounding air slightly distorted.
Open your mouth. The Mad Elder's tone suddenly turned cold and harsh, entirely devoid of his previous excited warmth. Don't force me to do it myself. Your fragile body can't withstand my rough handling.
Mu Ran gripped the hem of her skirt tightly and asked, If I take this medicine, will I die?
Hearing this, the Mad Elder burst into loud laughter. Die? There's no such easy way out!
He narrowed his cloudy eyes, his face showing undisguised madness. I paid such a huge price to snatch you over just so you could live and suffer pain, live and test my medicines. If I just let you die like that, wouldn't I lose everything I invested!
The Mad Elder originally thought that this young girl would be even more terrified upon hearing these words, but unexpectedly, Mu Ran instead relaxed her tense body.
She said, As long as I won't die, it's fine.
The Mad Elder was genuinely puzzled.
Most of the medicine testers in the underground city would rather die a quick death than live and suffer. Death was considered a release for them, but their lives were in the hands of Zhenyue Mountain City; they couldn't just die even if they wanted to.
Where exactly are you taking me?
Hongfu followed behind Cangshu Qihua, her tone cold and hard. She stopped in her tracks and refused to go any further.
Cangshu Qihua turned around and smiled carelessly. Aren't your wounds still unhealed? My sword pierced right through your body back then. The smell of blood on you is so heavy. Enduring it like this is no solution. If your heart doesn't ache for your own body, mine does.
Hongfu said coldly, Hypocrite.
Hearing you say that really breaks my heart. Cangshu Qihua hooked a strand of Hongfu's long hair. Even when she glared at him with cold eyes, he just treated it as flirting. Don't worry, I'm taking you to get some medicine. The Mad Elder's pills are the best refined in the entire mountain city.
Hongfu, however, did not appreciate the gesture. I disdain to take any medicine from Zhenyue Mountain City.
Cangshu Qihua smiled and pinched Hongfu's face. She tried to struggle, but because of the bracelet on her wrist formed by a restrictive seal, her cultivation was suppressed, leaving her unable to resist.
He patted her cheek through her veil and said playfully, Fairy Hongfu, do I need to remind you that the face beneath your veil is not all that noble and proud either? When a woman puts up a brave front for a moment, it's cute. But if she stays stubborn like this forever, it's just putting on an act.
The feigned smile in Cangshu Qihua's eyes vanished. He lowered his voice and said, It's quite disgusting.
Hongfu froze in place, her fingertips suddenly gripping her sleeves so tightly that her knuckles turned white. Beneath the veil, she bit her lip hard. A bitter and burning wave of humiliation rushed from her heart straight to the top of her head.
Cangshu Qihua let go and casually pointed to the side. You there. Since Fairy Hongfu is unwilling to take the healing medicine of Zhenyue Mountain City, escort her back to her room to rest.
A black-robed disciple nearby lowered his head and said, Yes.
Cangshu Qihua's interest was fleeting like this. He seemed to favor Hongfu, which was why he wanted to take her as a cultivation vessel, but in the blink of an eye, he could treat her like a discarded shoe, casually tossing her aside.
Feeling deeply humiliated, Hongfu walked back under the supervision of the black-robed disciple.
However, at the path where she should have turned right, she chose to go left.
The black-robed disciple behind her reminded, Miss, you've gone the wrong way.
I know. I don't need you to tell me.
Hongfu still did not choose the path on the right.
The disciple spoke again, If the Second Young Master finds out, I'm afraid you will have to suffer another round of humiliation.
Indeed, everyone in Zhenyue Mountain City knew that Cangshu Qihua only treated Hongfu as a plaything, but no one dared to directly use the word humiliation to point out his vile behavior.
Hongfu turned around and looked straight at this lowliest of black-robed disciples for the first time, angrily shouting, What do you think you are? You are nothing but a lowly servant, yet you dare to dictate to me!
