The Reticent Blade
Chapter 240 – Taking Medicine

Chapter 240 – Taking Medicine

Baili Gucheng walked to Yang Lu's bedside and sat down, solemnly receiving the pill in Xue Qiming's hands. He closed his eyes and took several deep breaths, his hand holding the pill trembling slightly.

Everyone could see that Baili Gucheng was nervous, but they held their breath and waited quietly. After so many days of perseverance, the moment of truth had finally arrived.

Baili Gucheng steadied himself and slowly extended his hand, bringing the pill to Yang Lu's lips. Just as he was about to feed her the medicine, a thunderous explosion suddenly erupted in the distance.

Boom!

The sound was like a lightning bolt crashing down. Baili Gucheng's hand trembled violently, almost dropping the medicine to the ground. The others all turned their heads toward the direction of the noise.

"It's the catapults," Ye Beizhi announced calmly, "It's starting."

As soon as he said this, everyone realized the war was beginning.

Baili Gucheng seemed even more anxious now. His normally steady hand began trembling again.

Growing impatient, Tang Jinnian snatched the medicine from his hand.

Baili Gucheng was shocked and furious. "What are you doing?!" he demanded.

But Tang Jinnian ignored whatever Baili Gucheng was saying. With one hand, he pinched Yang Lu's jaw, and with the other, he immediately fed her the pill. Yang Lu's throat moved slightly, and the Transcendence Stone went down into her stomach.

"So indecisive..." Tang Jinnian looked down at Baili Gucheng and said, "It seems you've not only lost your internal strength but also your courage."

Baili Gucheng ignored Tang Jinnian and simply fixed his gaze on Yang Lu, not daring to look away for even a second.

"Stop staring. Even the most miraculous medicine doesn't work instantly." Tang Jinnian pursed his lips in disdain. "Don’t you even know that much?"

Before he could finish speaking, Yang Lu’s eyelashes fluttered slightly.

Tang Jinnian’s words were cut short as Baili Gucheng’s face lit up with overwhelming joy.

Yang Lu slowly opened her eyes. Baili Gucheng quickly grasped her hand and gently asked, "How do you feel—"

Before he could finish, Tang Jinnian shoved him aside, exclaiming, "What's this!? How could the effect be this quick?!" Tang Jinnian immediately grabbed Yang Lu’s wrist and used his internal qi to examine her condition.

Baili Gucheng felt an unprecedented weakness without his internal qi, and was pushed to the ground by Tang Jinnian. As soon as he got back up, he lunged at Tang Jinnian and shouted, "Get out of my way!"

Tang Jinnian was shoved aside but didn’t get angry. Instead, his expression was one of utter shock. Whatever he had discovered left him at a loss. He murmured repeatedly, "What’s going on... what is this?!"

Noticing his unusual expression, Ye Beizhi approached him and asked, "What’s wrong?"

Tang Jinnian didn’t respond. He simply stared blankly at Yang Lu who was lying in the bed.

Alluring Elegy was now fully awake, appearing none the worse for wear. She looked at the visibly anxious Baili Gucheng with a puzzled expression and asked awkwardly, "Young Master Baili... what’s going on?" After speaking, she noticed the others in the room and grew even more confused. "Where... where am I?"

Baili Gucheng took a few deep breaths to calm himself before asking, "Miss Yang, do you feel any discomfort?"

Yang Lu tried to prop herself up in bed, and Baili Gucheng quickly helped her sit up.

Yang Lu smiled and said, "I feel perfectly fine right now. Young Master Baili, you’re being too considerate." But as soon as she finished speaking, her expression changed abruptly. "No... Wait! What... what’s wrong with me!?"

Everyone in the room was startled and quickly stepped closer to look at Yang Lu.

Yang Lu clutched Baili Gucheng’s arm tightly, her voice trembling. "Why are my meridians depleted? My internal qi, it’s all gone!"

Everyone in the room gasped out in shock.

"What?!"

Ye Beizhi glanced at Tang Jinnian and immediately understood.

Baili Gucheng sat by the bed and recounted the events leading up to this moment, occasionally gesturing toward the others in the room as an introduction. Yang Lu nodded in acknowledgment, as if greeting them.

She had met Ye Beizhi and Chi Nanwei before she fell into a coma. Seeing them again in these unexpected circumstances, Yang Lu maintained a calm and composed demeanor like a noblewoman unshaken by adversity.

It wasn’t until Baili mentioned Tang Jinnian and the Transcendence Stone that Yang Lu finally showed a look of surprise. She turned to Tang Jinnian and asked, "The medicine you gave me... was it made from the Transcendence Stone?"

Tang Jinnian glanced at her and gave a curt nod.

Yang Lu brushed a few stray hairs from her temple, her gesture elegant and full of charm. "I’ve studied medicine to some degree and have heard of the miraculous Transcendence Stone. But I’ve never known how it’s refined. Might I ask... Young Master Tang, what is the name of this medicine made from the Transcendence Stone?"

The others in the room were taken aback. They realized that while they had been hearing Tang Jinnian mention the Transcendence Stone nonstop, he had never mentioned the name of the medicine he made. They all turned to him, waiting for his answer.

Tang Jinnian’s face turned slightly awkward, and he stammered, "Uh... I’m not a doctor or a healer. The refining method for the Transcendence Stone came from a book, so naturally, the name is whatever the book called it..."

Xue Qiming’s eyes darted as he sensed Tang Jinnian’s awkwardness. Noticing that there was something embarrassing about it, he couldn’t resist probing him further, "What’s the name? Why can’t you just say it? Out with it!"

Tang Jinnian couldn’t stand Xue Qiming’s smug expression and sneered, "Why not? Fine, listen carefully. This pill is called... The supreme pill of the cosmos, crafted from the essence of heaven and earth, infused with the brilliance of the sun and moon. Rejected by the underworld, it defies reincarnation and transcends the bounds of the eight directions and six realms."

The room fell into utter silence.

"Uh..." Xue Qiming gulped involuntarily, clutching his chest. "This... this is..." He struggled for a while but ultimately failed to find the words.

"What kind of ridiculous name is that?!" Fang Dingwu blurted out on Xue Qiming’s behalf, his face a mix of amusement and disbelief.

Tang Jinnian pulled something from his robe and tossed it onto the table. "How should I know? That’s exactly what the book says, the medicine's ridiculous name takes up an entire page!"

"Is that the book?" Yang Lu leaned forward curiously to examine the object on the table.

The item was square and sturdy and looked like it was made from neither metal nor wood. It looked more like a box than a book.

"That's right." Tang Jinnian confirmed with a nod as he stepped forward. He extended his hand and deftly manipulated the box in a dazzling flurry of movements. The box emitted a series of mechanical clicks as its surface split and rearranged, eventually transforming into the shape of a book.

"What is this thing?!" Even someone as well-traveled as Fang Dingwu couldn’t contain his amazement. "That's truly incredible!"

Tang Jinnian brushed his palm lightly over the book’s surface, causing its outer layer to slide aside. A beam of golden light shone from within. Everyone looked closely and saw that the inner pages were made entirely of gold foil. On the very first page, two bold, elegantly crafted characters stood out: Automata Scripture.[ref]So the word the author uses is 偃经, there was a legendary craftsman of mechanical devices in ancient China known as 偃師 so this scripture should be his work.[ref/]