Chapter 19: Pulling Out Hair_1
Seated in the Dual Lacquer posture, Shangguan You practiced the methods of the Medicine King Canon until her body felt exceptionally comfortable. Only then did she take a bath and once again grapple with her books. Balancing her cultivation practice with her studies yielded better results, a principle Shangguan You naturally understood.
After that day’s failed attempt at concocting elixirs, she immersed herself in the alchemy room right after school, incessantly crafting various elixirs. Failure was the mother of success. Despite several botched attempts and countless wasted herbs, her first batch of elixirs was finally successful. Youth-preserving Pills, Health Pills, and antiseptic medicine—she had practiced making ten of each.
Not knowing whether the effects were as miraculous as the Medicine King Canon claimed, she naturally sought someone on whom to test her creations.
On a night when the wind howled fiercely and the moon hid behind the clouds, a petite figure slipped gently out of the second-floor window of the villa, moving lightly and agilely. In a matter of seconds, she had evaded the Hidden Guards lurking in the shadows as well as the cameras, and with fluid movements, she vaulted over the surrounding wall and ran toward a secluded alley.
The newcomer was none other than Shangguan You. In her search for someone to test her elixirs, she naturally sought out the most chaotic and accident-prone locations. And indeed, the most chaotic places were invariably near entertainment venues—nightclubs and bars. She had learned about these from Zhu Li; Shangguan You had never visited B City in her previous life, and the original owner of her body had suffered from severe social anxiety, completely unaware of such places.
Before even reaching the entertainment district, Shangguan You found her target.
In a damp and gloomy alleyway just short of the entertainment district, a dark figure was huddled into a ball, hiding in a corner. A heap of trash was piled in front of him, and a nearby sewer opening partially concealed his body. As Shangguan You entered the alley, she was drawn to a pair of tear-filled, innocent eyes reminiscent of a deer’s. The sight of these eyes inexplicably stirred a few strands of compassion in Shangguan You’s detached heart.
The face of this ’deer’ was covered in blood, his hair as unkempt as wild grass, and his clothes were in tatters, stained with dried blood, their original appearance indiscernible. His body trembled constantly, revealing his fear and innocence.
Looking down from her slightly elevated position at the person trembling in the corner, Shangguan You crouched, her deep eyes examining him. The sight of such a pitiful figure, seemingly left to perish on his own, ignited a strong desire within her—She wanted him to work for her, to devote his life to her.