The Best Should Be a Great Tonic

(This chapter has been revised.)

Zhang Kui's voice was flat, devoid of any discernible emotion: "Steward Su probably doesn't have anything he wants right now."

"And..."

He paused for a moment before adding,

"Steward Su is currently in secluded cultivation. He won't see anyone for four days."

"You should just give up and honestly go back to mining your ore."

After saying that, Zhang Kui ignored him. He closed his eyes again, adopting a 'don't bother me' posture.

Qin Feng stood frozen in place, holding the heavy cloth bag. His mind buzzed and went completely blank.

He didn't need it anymore?

The hundred catties of Black Vein Iron he had risked his life and worked so hard to save up had just... become worthless?

An indescribable sense of defeat washed over him like a tidal wave, instantly drowning him.

Just as Qin Feng's heart turned to ash and he prepared to turn and leave...

Creak—

The faint sound of a door opening echoed without any warning.

Zhang Kui's eyes snapped open, filled with disbelief. Qin Feng also subconsciously turned his head, staring blankly at the courtyard gate that should have been tightly shut.

What happened to the secluded cultivation?

Why... why did the door open?!

Under their watchful eyes, a somewhat gaunt figure squeezed out through the gap in the door.

Su Ji's face was unhealthily pale. There was no trace of color in his lips, and heavy, dark circles hung under his eyes.

He couldn't even stand steadily. With one hand supporting himself against the doorframe, his footsteps were unsteady, looking as if a gust of wind and sand could blow him over at any moment.

"S-Steward Su?"

Zhang Kui was the first to react. He dashed forward, wanting to support Su Ji, his face showing unconcealed astonishment and worry: "Why are you..."

"I'm fine. Don't come over and ruin the array; setting it up again later will be a hassle."

Su Ji waved his hand, signaling Zhang Kui to stay back.

Then, he quickly peeked outside. After confirming that only Zhang Kui and Qin Feng were there, he immediately pulled the door tightly shut from the outside.

Only after doing all this did he let out a long breath of stale air, leaning his entire body against the courtyard wall and panting heavily.

"Steward Su, what happened to you?" Zhang Kui asked, extremely anxious at seeing his half-dead appearance.

How did he end up looking like a ghost after only four days of secluded cultivation?

Su Ji did not answer immediately. He merely lifted his eyelids and weakly glanced at Qin Feng not far away.

He opened his mouth as if to say something, but swallowed the words back down. Instead, he just let out a long sigh toward Zhang Kui.

"Sigh..."

That sigh contained far too many complex emotions. There was helplessness, bitterness, and a hint of something inexplicable...

Zhang Kui followed his gaze to look at Qin Feng nearby and instantly understood.

Some things were not convenient for outsiders to hear.

He turned his head, his rugged face instantly darkening, and impatiently scolded Qin Feng.

"What are you looking at?!"

"Get back to mining your ore! What does this have to do with you?!"

Startled by his roar, Qin Feng shivered and subconsciously prepared to turn and run.

"Wait."

Su Ji's weak voice rang out at that moment.

Leaning against the wall, he slowly straightened up and shook his head at Zhang Kui.

"Forget it, Brother Zhang."

"Qin Feng... he isn't an outsider either."

Zhang Kui paused, looking at Su Ji in confusion.

"It's not like he can't hear anything."

Su Ji didn't explain. He just shifted his gaze to Qin Feng. His eyes, which should have been dull and lifeless, now carried a worldly weariness.

"Brother Qin, since things have come to this, I won't hide it from you anymore."

Qin Feng's body subconsciously tensed up.

"I suppose you've already noticed that I, Su Ji, am no ordinary cultivator."

Qin Feng subconsciously nodded.

Nonsense, did that even need to be said? Being able to neutralize baleful aura and making both Zhang Kui and Zhao Tianyang treat him with special regard—if that was considered ordinary, then what was he, Qin Feng?

"I am a demonic cultivator. The faction behind this mine needs my help."

"If things go smoothly, I'll be able to escape this sea of suffering."

"Of course..."

"As you can see now."

"Things did not go smoothly."

Su Ji clutched his lower back and sighed again.

"Everyone says demonic cultivation is great, but who knows the suffering of demonic arts..."

"The Heaven Devouring Demonic Art is truly overbearing, but its backlash is also truly deadly..."

Hearing this, a look of realization dawned on Zhang Kui's face.

He remembered that Su Ji had indeed mentioned before that his acquired Flawless Body was obtained through a devouring demonic art.

At the time, he was half-skeptical, but now it seemed to be the undeniable truth.

Only such a heaven-defying demonic art would have such a terrifying backlash.

"So, you've been inside these past few days suppressing the backlash of your demonic art?" Zhang Kui asked tentatively.

Hearing this, Su Ji shook his head. Su Ji took a deep breath, as if organizing his words.

"When things reach an extreme, they must reverse. Yin cannot grow in isolation, and Yang cannot be born alone."

Zhang Kui and Qin Feng exchanged a glance, both seeing confusion in the other's eyes.

Not caring whether they understood or not, Su Ji continued speaking.

"I gave it a try. Borrowing the power of the Flawless Body causes an excess of Yin energy in my body and a depletion of Yang energy. Without Yang energy to harmonize it, sooner or later, the Yin and Yang will lose balance, and I will explode and die."

"I originally thought that by entering secluded cultivation for seven days and using the unique baleful aura of this mining area to fight poison with poison, I could forcefully restore the balance of Yin and Yang energy in my body."

At this point, Su Ji's face showed the helplessness of plans failing to keep up with changes.

"But despite all my calculations, I missed one thing."

He pointed to the pale, cracked earth beneath his feet and looked up at the gloomy sky overhead.

"This godforsaken place is a barren wasteland. The spiritual energy is pitifully thin."

"The rate at which the spiritual energy in my body was consumed was far faster than I imagined."

"Now, I am in a state of... spiritual depletion."

Su Ji's voice carried a weakness that seemed hard for him to admit.

Spiritual depletion?

These two words simultaneously popped into Zhang Kui and Qin Feng's minds.

They looked at Su Ji's pale face, his sunken eye sockets, his unsteady footsteps...

An incredibly absurd yet incredibly reasonable thought rose in both of their hearts at the same time.

Could this kid... have... over-consumed his spiritual energy?

Were demonic arts actually this terrifying?

"So..."

Su Ji looked at their strange expressions, but continued his performance.

"I might... need to rely on some external forces."

External forces?

Hearing these two words, Qin Feng's heart skipped a beat.

He subconsciously took half a step back, his hands involuntarily moving to guard his behind. His eyes were filled with unprecedented vigilance and terror.

Could this Su Ji... could he have some special fetishes?

The external force he wanted to rely on, could it be...

Otherwise, why would he ask him to stay?

Were these things he was supposed to hear?

Countless indecent images instantly flashed through Qin Feng's mind.

He even began to calculate whether he should rather die than submit if Su Ji really made some excessive demand, or... temporarily compromise for the sake of survival?

Just as Qin Feng was battling with himself, a cold sweat about to break out.

Su Ji's voice, tinged with a hint of weakness, sounded once again.

"Big Brother Zhang, Brother Qin."

"Are there any... spirit herbs in this mining area or nearby that can replenish blood qi and spiritual energy?"

"Preferably... the highly potent kind!"

"The older, the better!"