The exploration of the secret base had given Xiao Qi a preliminary grasp of the jade pendant's purifying power. Though progress was slow, the direction was clear. Like a cautious apprentice, accompanied by the rabbit spirit, he gradually unveiled the mysterious veil of his own power within that abandoned herb garden.
One day, while attempting to use the purifying power to nourish a vine with oddly speckled leaves, he overexerted his spiritual energy, experiencing waves of dizziness and a faint, stinging sensation in his consciousness. This was the side effect of overusing that power; he was already familiar with it, knowing that he needed to recuperate in time through meditation, or else subtle damage would be inflicted upon his soul.
In the past, when encountering such situations, he would either meditate to regulate his breathing or take the most basic tranquilizing pill. But today, as he gazed at the plants in the herb garden that had been revitalized under the purifying power, a thought suddenly emerged in his mind: Did these plants nourished by the purifying power themselves possess a special tranquilizing or healing effect? Could they be used to alleviate mental fatigue? He remembered that the Clearheart Grass had the effect of clearing the mind and purifying the spirit, but it was too precious for him to use recklessly. His gaze then fell upon the unnamed shrub beside it, which he had successfully nourished earliest and had mostly regained its vitality.
The shrub's leaves were elliptical, with fine serrated edges, now lush and green, emitting a faint, mint-like cool aroma. Xiao Qi picked a few of the freshest, most tender leaves, preparing to try brewing a simple medicinal decoction. Habitually, he took out that black iron frying pan from the cloth pouch on his back—this pan had now become a regular "tool" in his secret base. Occasionally, he would light a fire here to heat up some dry rations or experiment with fire-control techniques.
He set up a simple stove with stones, lit a small fire, and placed the frying pan on it. He poured in a little clear water fetched from a nearby mountain stream, then washed the shrub leaves and placed them in the pan. Carefully controlling the heat to avoid scorching, he habitually attempted to channel a trace of weak fire-attribute spiritual power into the pan handle, sensing and guiding the heat distribution within the pan's body.
The water gradually came to a boil. The leaves unfurled in the rolling water, their emerald-green hue slowly dissolving into the water, dyeing the clear water a faint jade color. A clearer, mint-like cool aroma rose with the steam. Xiao Qi extinguished the fire and, after the medicinal decoction had cooled slightly, scooped some with a cleaned bamboo tube and cautiously took a sip.
The decoction entered his mouth, carrying the anticipated mild bitterness and minty coolness. As it flowed into his stomach, a gentle coolness spread throughout. However, immediately afterward, an unexpected sensation emerged! After the medicinal potency dispersed, it didn't merely bring coolness; instead, it nourished his overconsumed soul with exceptional gentleness and purity! His consciousness, which had been faintly aching as if covered in dust, felt as though washed by a clear spring. The stinging sensation quickly diminished, and a refreshing, tranquil feeling spread. His mental fatigue was also greatly alleviated! This effect... was far better than he had anticipated! It was even comparable to the lowest-grade tranquilizing pills distributed by the sect!
Xiao Qi was stunned. He knew that shrub itself wasn't some remarkable spirit plant. Even after being nourished by his weak purifying power, its medicinal efficacy should not be so significant, so pure and gentle! Where did the problem lie? His gaze involuntarily fell upon that black iron frying pan, still stained with traces of the medicinal decoction. Yes! During the brewing process just now, he habitually infused weak fire-attribute spiritual power to control the heat. Could it be... that this pan, during the boiling process, further purified the medicinal properties? Or perhaps, it itself possessed some "purifying" or "harmonizing" characteristic?
This thought shook him to the core! He looked again at that black, unremarkable frying pan. It had accompanied him longer than the jade pendant. From the time he could remember, it had been in his mother's hands, frying, stir-frying, boiling, and steaming—the mundane world of smoke and fire. Later, it became his toy; later still, it was a survival cooking utensil in the wilderness, a laughingstock in Qingxu Temple's menial yard, a "pan shield" for warding off demon beasts, a "magical tool" for assisting qi sensing and practicing fire control... He had always felt this pan was exceptionally sturdy, definitely not ordinary iron, but he had never imagined that it might hide extraordinariness in the matter of "cooking"!
To verify this conjecture, Xiao Qi immediately took action. He picked a few more leaves from the same shrub, dividing them into two portions. For one portion, he found a flat stone slab, cleaned it, placed it over the fire, and boiled it using the same method. For the other portion, he still used the frying pan, similarly infusing weak spiritual power to control the heat.
Moments later, the results were starkly contrasting. The decoction boiled on the stone slab was turbid in color, heavier in bitterness. After drinking it, although it had a cooling, tranquilizing effect, the medicinal potency seemed mixed and impure, its nourishing effect on the soul far less significant and pure than that brewed in the frying pan. Meanwhile, the decoction boiled in the frying pan remained clear and bright, jade-green in color, with a pure aroma and a gentle, concentrated efficacy!
The facts were laid bare before his eyes! This frying pan indeed had the wondrous effect of purifying medicinal properties (and perhaps not just medicinal properties) during boiling, making them gentler and more easily absorbed!
Xiao Qi stroked the cool, rough body of the pan, his heart surging tumultuously. Mother Su Wan... did she know of this pan's extraordinariness? The food she cooked daily with it—did it also... He dared not think further, feeling only a slight sting in his nose.
The jade pendant, the frying pan... the two relics left by his parents actually concealed such astonishing secrets! One contained the power of purification origin; the other could purify and harmonize medicinal and food effects! This was no coincidence! What kind of place was Xu Lan Mountain Villa? What exactly was hidden in his parents' identities?
A massive enigma loomed like dark clouds, but this time, besides heaviness, Xiao Qi's heart held more of a firm determination to investigate.
Xiao Qi, sitting alone on Qingxu Temple's back mountain, was moved to compose "Five-Regulated Verse • Night Thoughts":
*Mountains still, pine winds chill,*
*Stars sparse, moon shadows cold.*
*Kinship and enmity sunk deep beneath the sea,*
*The road ahead veiled within clouds.*
*The pan's bottom reflects dying embers,*
*Within my breast surges a great wave.*
*When shall I smite the evil fiends,*
*And watch, awaiting all lands in peace?*
*Note: For the first time, revealing confusion over the mystery of his origins and the seeds of vengeance—the beginning of a shift in his state of mind.*
He carefully cleaned the frying pan, wrapped it up again, and slung it over his back. From this day on, the weight this pan carried in his heart became equal to that of the jade pendant. It was no longer merely a memento, but a rare treasure that needed to be rediscovered and used with caution.
Within the secret base, besides cultivating the power of purification, there was now another new subject—exploring the wonders of this frying pan. Xiao Qi faintly sensed that between these two parental relics, there might exist some deeper connection, both pointing toward the Xu family, toward the truth of that calamity. And what he must do was, in this corner unknown to all, gradually uncover their power, until the day he possessed enough to unveil the mystery.