Chapter 23: Yi Yun’s Elixir Refinement
"So I can refine the desolate bone?" asked Yi Yun.
Lian Chengyu made a silent acknowledgement. It was so pitiful seeing a person live a life where he was so happy to be sent to his death.
"Thank you Young Master." Yi Yun was very happy. This was not faked, for he was truly happy. He had originally thought Lian Chengyu would go crazy and pat him a few more times after seeing him alive to ensure his death.
Although Lian Chengyu's methods would not harm Yi Yun, it would result in many implications.
Lian Chengyu might have mistaken it for an error for failing to kill Yi Yun the first time, but he would realize it if there was a second time. For Yi Yun, that was not good news.
Yi Yun's goal to refine the desolate bone was fulfilled by Lian Chengyu.
Refining the desolate bone gave Yi Yun time to breathe. Yi Yun's strength increased exponentially, so things would no longer be the same in two months!
"Yun-er, why aren't you coming home to eat?" Jiang Xiaorou had finished preparing the meal and had come out to look for Yi Yun. But she saw Yi Yun speaking to Lian Chengyu the moment she came out the door.
Jiang Xiaorou instantaneously felt worried. Lian Chengyu had previously harmed Yi Yun grievously, and had almost taken his life!
She walked over quickly, afraid that Lian Chengyu would harm Yi Yun.
Although Jiang Xiaorou hated Lian Chengyu to the bone, she knew she could not lose decorum with him.
"I see, it's Young Master Lian." Jiang Xiaorou smiled wryly after seeing Lian Chengyu as she pulled Yi Yun behind her.
"Oh? Jiang Xiaorou, I'll remember you." Noticing Jiang Xiaorou's actions, Lian Chengyu frowned. This girl was still hostile towards himself!
Lian Chengyu disliked having the poor plebeians of the Lian tribal clan show any disrespect to him. It was a result of an inferiority complex within him under all the larger powers, so he aimed to establish his authority among the poor who could not compare to himself.
But Jiang Xiaorou was considered a woman he admired, so he was more tolerant of her. He would slowly tame her.
Lian Chengyu left. Although he admired Jiang Xiaorou, he did not give her any attention, nor say one word more to her. He was an elite. He was like an emperor who only visited, but never chased. He just needed to wait for Jiang Xiaorou to reach a desperate situation and get Zhao Tiezhu to deal with her.
Jiang Xiaorou looked at Lian Chengyu's back as she clenched Yi Yun's small hands, "Yun-er what was going on?"
"Nothing, Sis Xiaorou. You don't have to worry," answered Yi Yun.
Yi Yun was the one who told Jiang Xiaorou that Lian Chengyu had hurt him. Since Yi Yun assured her, Jiang Xiaorou eased up. These few days, she began to vaguely feel that her brother was no longer the mere child he was. He had his own ideas.
But Jiang Xiaorou began to think before she felt something amiss, "Yun-er, you can't be thinking of refining the desolate bone? You can't go to that place!"
Yi Yun looked at Jiang Xiaorou in surprise. Jiang Xiaorou's keen intuition was surprising. Though she didn't know what mysteries the refinement process had, she had figured that it was a dangerous job.
Yi Yun thought it over before saying softly, "Sis Xiaorou, I'm not as weak as you think. Having come back from the dead, I think I'm different from the past… Don't you remember me climbing up the twenty-meter-tall cliffs a few days ago?"
With Yi Yun saying that, Jiang Xiaorou recalled. She was astonished at Yi Yun's speed while he climbed up the cliff, but she accepted it because Yi Yun liked to climb and pick herbs since he was young.
Thinking it through, Yi Yun was indeed more agile. He was much better at scaling cliffs than most of the members of the warrior preparation camp.
With that in mind, Jiang Xiaorou felt reassured. Her brother was indeed different.
Sometimes, surviving a fatal situation could result in great fortune. Jiang Xiaorou had heard of people who were struck by lightning, and not only did they not die, they also obtained special abilities.
Could Yun-er be in a similar situation?
That night, Yi Yun as a new hire was brought to the grain-sunning grounds.
Wooden fences surrounded the grain-sunning grounds. Because of the "typhoid" incident, the wooden fences increased, preventing anyone from the outside to see in.
There were about thirty people split into two shifts involved in the refinement of the desolate bone.
Yi Yun was assigned the night shift. There were about a dozen people for the night shift. Although these people were not as fit as the men from the warrior preparation camp, they were all large in size. Among them, Yi Yun was like a little chicken among swans. His height only reached their chests.
Seeing Yi Yun, the men were shocked. The reason for the stares was obvious, how did such a thin child get selected to refine the desolate bone?
Besides his strength, his height was so short that even he could not reach the mouth of the cauldron while standing on a stool. How would he be able to add the "Li Fire Water" into the cauldron?
"Lad, are you kidding me? A person like you can refine the bone?"
"What can you do with your little body? Your legs aren't even thicker than the firewood!"
All the men had strong views upon seeing Yi Yun. Yi Yun would be given a piece of bacon for not doing any work. They were unhappy about that.
Yi Yun did not bother speaking, and he sat by the pile of firewood, allowing them to speak as they wished.
"Time for porridge!" A man from the warrior preparation camp brought out a bucket of porridge. There was food provided for those who refined the desolate bone. This was a welfare the upper echelon gave to ensure the smooth refinement of the desolate bone. Only after eating would they have the strength to work.
Upon hearing that the porridge arrived, the men's eyes lit up and ran towards it.
With a brouhaha, the bucket of porridge was wiped empty. With Yi Yun at the back, together with how these people struggled and fought for the food, there was already none left for him.
Yi Yun felt helpless. The phrase—bad surroundings make bad civilians—had its logic. It wasn't because the people in bad surroundings were immoral, but being moral did not ensure their survival.
"Time to work! Work time!" The guys from the warrior preparation camp shouted.
A few men walked towards the big cauldron. It was time to replace the day shift.
Yi Yun straggled at the back. He walked slowly as he stared at the cauldron.
In the eyes of others, Yi Yun looked stunned by the huge bronze cauldron that was being licked by the purple flames. Indeed, the cauldron was huge. Yi Yun's height did not even reach the second handle of the cauldron.
In fact, Yi Yun's vision was filled with faint points of light. It looked like flying fireflies dancing in the night.
Such a mystical power! This was the energy of the desolate bone, and it was the legendary—Power of Desolates!
This endless stream of light dots excited Yi Yun. Previously, the Purple Crystal had absorbed some of the desolate bone's energy, but he was standing far away, preventing him from absorbing much. It was unlike today, where he was in close contact with the desolate bone.
In comparison, the Purple Jade ginseng and the Black Fungus were incomparable to this. Like a person who was accustomed to eating plain food and seeing a lavish meal, Yi Yun was extremely excited.
This was like a thief entering an emperor's tomb, or a weasel sneaking into a chicken coop!
All the energy of the desolate bone belonged to him.
"Kid, what are you idling for? Chop the firewood!" shouted a man before landing an axe in front of Yi Yun.
Yi Yun was awakened from his sluggish state, and happily proceeded to chop wood.
"This lad has a brain problem!" swore the man. He also began busying himself. He and the others were in charge of chopping the firewood.
The firewood was the key to the fire source. It was extremely strong and heavy. A few strongmen had to work hard before they could cut up the purple firewood.
These men worked hard, because if they did well, they could be promoted to foreman, getting more bacon and food.
Yi Yun, though happy, did not get carried away. He knew the desolate bones refinement had something to do with the "typhoid" break out!
He wanted to investigate the cause of the typhoid breakout thoroughly. If the Purple Crystal could not resolve it, then no matter how great the rewards, Yi Yun would only run.
So as Yi Yun chopped the firewood without much purpose, he was carefully observing the red-hot bronze cauldron.
Slowly, Yi Yun realized the problem.
From the big cauldron two differently colored light dots flew out.
The first was purple in color. It was part of the primary stream. It flew around aimlessly, and Yi Yun realized that if he focused, these light dots would fly towards him.
With the Purple Crystal merged with Yi Yun's heart, Yi Yun felt that he could now control the amount the Purple Crystal absorbed ever since he had broken through to the second level of Mortal Blood.
He could choose if he wanted to absorb it or not.
The other light dot was another color, icy blue…
Gifts
-- Gift
received Weekly Power Status
-- Power
Ranking 
-- Power
stone