Rebirth of the Fallen Master

A Failed Repair

With a gloomy expression, Li Cu gave a signal. Two servants immediately left and soon returned carrying a large chest filled with wooden boxes.

Bai Lian opened the wooden boxes one by one. Within a few breaths, her expression changed.

"Something is missing. The Blue Pearl and the Horned Spider Core Crystal are gone."

Li Ye immediately shot Li Cu a sharp look.

"I used them. If that's not enough, tell Bai Lian to buy more," Li Cu sneered as he shoved Li Ye, who did not move an inch. After that, he stormed off in annoyance.

"That person is truly..." Bai Lian muttered, unable to believe Li Cu's behavior.

"Forget it. I'll collect the rest another time," Li Ye said calmly.

"Collect them another time? In your dreams!" Li Cu thought as he could still hear their conversation.

Bai Lian nodded and handed the list of items to Li Ye.

"All of these should have belonged to you," she said.

Li Ye looked through the items one by one. Before long, he frowned.

"Purple Bud Blossom?"

Hearing that, Bai Lian immediately pointed at the herb Li Ye was referring to. Li Ye nodded in understanding.

"So the names of some herbs have changed."

He immediately picked up a brush and wrote down the characteristics of the herbs he needed rather than their names.

"What are you writing?" Bai Lian asked curiously.

"The staff will understand this better than if you simply tell them the names of the items I mentioned earlier," Li Ye replied as he handed the paper to Bai Lian.

"The names may have changed, but their properties remain the same," the young man thought.

"I understand. I'll look for these ingredients right away," the girl said happily as she accepted Li Ye's note.

"Then I'll be leaving. Use all of these however you want."

After Bai Lian left, Li Ye stared at the chest for a long time.

"I don't like owing favors. One day, I'll repay her many times over."

He immediately selected the herbs he needed before checking which medicinal solutions he could use.

After gathering everything he required, Li Ye poured the herbs and medicinal solutions into the bathtub without hesitation.

Slowly, he removed the bandages wrapped around his wounds and stepped into the water infused with herbs and medicine.

A stinging pain spread across his body as the water touched his wounds. Li Ye immediately swallowed a Dantian Strengthening Pill. Closing his eyes for a moment, he focused on circulating qi throughout his body.

Qi surged violently through every meridian. Li Ye quickly tapped several vital acupoints to stabilize it. The cracks in his dantian slowly began to mend.

However...

"Ugh!"

Blood burst from his mouth. The cracks that had just begun to close split open again from the backlash. Li Ye immediately swallowed an Internal Injury Suppression Pill.

"It still failed," Li Ye thought in disappointment.

For a brief moment, he had believed the method had worked. He wiped the blood from the corner of his lips. His vision blurred from the backlash his body had suffered.

"For now, I can only strengthen my body first," he murmured as he searched for another solution.

He immediately drank a Body Strengthening Elixir and leaned against the edge of the bathtub. His thoughts drifted into the distance.

After soaking for quite some time, the young man stood up and smiled in satisfaction as he saw that the wounds on his body had improved considerably.

He immediately took out all the herbs Bai Lian had given him that had yet to be processed. A faint smile appeared on his face.

"With my current abilities, I can still produce several fairly valuable medicinal solutions."

Afterward, his hands moved without hesitation. One herb after another was transformed into high-quality medicinal solutions as though he had repeated the process thousands of times before.

Less than an hour later, more than a dozen bottles of medicinal solutions were neatly lined up. Even an intermediate alchemy disciple might not be able to produce medicine of such quality.

"According to Bai Lian, the Herbal Tower sells many valuable treasures. Why not sell these medicinal solutions there while taking a look around?"

Li Ye carefully stored all the bottles away. Tomorrow, he would begin accumulating wealth.

Meanwhile, Li Cu stared irritably at the wound on his forehead, which had already been treated.

"Well? What has that bastard been doing?" Li Cu hissed angrily.

Aning immediately knelt with a guilty expression.

"My apologies, Young Master. Li Ye has locked his room tightly. No one has been able to enter," he reported nervously.

Li Cu's expression darkened even further upon hearing that.

"The last servant watching him said he only took a few tools used for preparing medicinal solutions," Aning quickly added.

Bang!

Li Cu slammed the table in frustration.

"What exactly is that brat doing? If this continues, all the valuable things Bai Lian gave him will end up being wasted," the young man growled unwillingly.

"Young Master, before Li Ye reports Gong Cu's matter to the Patriarch, why don't we make the first move?" Aning suggested, catching Li Cu's attention.

"What do you mean?"

"No matter what evidence Li Ye has, if we strike first, we can simply claim that all of it is fabricated."

The servant's suggestion made Li Cu smile.

Aning smiled faintly.

"Besides, who would believe a family disgrace over a young master like you?"

Li Cu's smile slowly widened.

"Tomorrow morning, we'll meet the Patriarch," Li Cu said in agreement. "Before Li Ye even has the chance to open his mouth, we'll make the entire family believe that he's a liar."

***

That afternoon, after soaking in the medicinal bath once again, Li Ye's condition had improved significantly. Only a few external wounds remained.

He finally opened the door to his room, which had been locked all this time. The Li Residence seemed unusually quiet.

"Strange. Li Cu is never this quiet. Did my threat really work?" Li Ye thought, sensing that something was wrong.

"Forget it. There are more important things to deal with right now," the young man muttered, dismissing the thought.

He quietly left the Li Residence through the back gate and headed toward the Herbal Tower.

Li Ye strolled past rows of bustling market stalls. The streets were crowded with people coming and going.

On his way to the Herbal Tower, he happened to pass an old shop that looked somewhat different from the others.

"Thousand Treasures Shop."

Li Ye frowned as he read the signboard. During all the years he had lived in this small city, there were several places he had never entered before, and this shop was one of them.

"I wonder what kind of things are sold in a place like this," Li Ye thought as he walked toward the seemingly deserted shop.

As soon as he stepped inside, he saw the shopkeeper sitting lazily behind the front counter.

"Buying or selling?" the shopkeeper asked flatly. He did not sound friendly, but neither did he sound hostile.

Li Ye glanced around the spacious room. Five large cabinets stood inside, filled with all kinds of miscellaneous items.

"I'll have a look first," Li Ye replied.

"Hm..."

The shopkeeper responded lazily, showing no interest in making a sale.

Li Ye swept his gaze across the room in curiosity. The shelves were cluttered with items arranged haphazardly.

"Can a place like this really stay in business?" he muttered.

Li Ye picked up a small jar containing several pills. He opened it and inhaled the fragrance.

"The refinement technique is quite good," He shook his head slightly. "Unfortunately, the medicinal effects are already gone."

Expired pills, talismans, swords, and ancient maps were displayed together on the same shelf.

Li Ye suddenly came to a halt. In the corner of the old shelf lay a leather scroll almost completely covered in dust.

The moment he opened it, his eyes narrowed.

"The Eighteen Medical Needles," The corners of Li Ye's lips slowly curled upward. "I thought no one used this technique anymore."