Chapter 405: Master Han’s Perfect Recovery (Bonus - 5/10)

Inside the storage room, Liam had retrieved a pill bottle from the Dimensional Space.It was a simple container made of jade, designed specifically for storing precious pills and preserving their medicinal properties.

He carefully guided all four Transcendent Recovery Pills into the bottle using his telekinesis, not wanting to touch them directly and potentially contaminate their pure essence with his unique energy. He has no idea what might happen and he wasn’t ready to find out.

The moment the last pill entered the bottle and he sealed the lid, the overwhelming fragrance diminished significantly. It was still present, still powerful enough that anyone near the bottle would smell it clearly, but no longer flooding the entire house with its presence.

Liam dismissed the white flame with a thought, watching as the mythical fire simply ceased to exist, snuffed out as easily as a candle. The cauldron was returned to the Dimensional Space.

He stood slowly, his body stiff from sitting in lotus position for what must have been close to two hours. The pill bottle felt warm in his hands, its jade surface smooth and pleasant against his palm.

Liam walked to the storage room door and pulled it open. The hallway beyond was still filled with lingering traces of the fragrance, though it was fading now without the source to constantly renew it. He could hear voices from the living area.

His footsteps were quiet as he walked down the hallway, but both Master Han and Luo heard him coming. By the time he emerged into the living area, they were both staring at him with expressions of hopeful anticipation.

Luo looked like he wanted to bombard him with questions but was physically restraining himself, his jaw clenched with the effort of staying silent. Master Han’s gaze was calmer but no less intense, his eyes tracking the jade bottle in Liam’s hands with unmistakable interest.

Liam smiled and held up the bottle slightly. "It took three attempts, but I succeeded." He walked closer to Master Han, his expression growing more serious. "The pills inside are called Transcendent Recovery Pills. They’re Rank 4 pills capable of healing any mortal injury, no matter how severe."

Master Han’s eyes widened slightly at that description. Rank 4 pills were legendary even in major cultivation cities. It represented the peak of what mortal realm alchemy could achieve.

"Master, you honor me too much," Master Han said quietly. "Such a precious pill, wasted on an old blacksmith’s injuries—"

"Not wasted," Liam interrupted firmly. "Not on you."

He uncorked the pill bottle, and immediately the fragrance intensified again, filling the room with that same profound aroma of vitality and healing. Liam tilted the bottle, carefully guiding one of the four pills to roll into his palm. It was warm to the touch, pulsing gently with contained energy.

"Take this," Liam said, extending his hand toward Master Han. "It will restore your hand and leg completely. More than that—it will leave you healthier than you were before the injuries."

Master Han stared at the pill in Liam’s palm, his weathered face showing a complex mixture of emotions, from hope, to fear, then gratitude, and even grief for what he’d lost. His good hand trembled slightly as he reached out to accept the offering.

The pill was surprisingly light despite its density of spiritual energy. Master Han held it between his thumb and forefinger, studying it for a moment. The golden glow emanating from its surface made his scarred and calloused skin look almost young again in its light.

Then, with a deep breath and a prayer to whatever heavens might be listening, Master Han placed the pill in his mouth.

It dissolved instantly, melting like snow on warm stone. There was no need to chew or swallow. The pill simply transformed directly into liquid essence that flowed down his throat like the finest wine he’d ever tasted.

The effect was immediate and overwhelming.

Vast amounts of spiritual energy flooded through Master Han’s body, racing along meridians he’d never properly developed due to his focus on blacksmithing rather than cultivation. The energy didn’t care about his limited cultivation base, as it simply went everywhere, to every damaged piece of his physical form.

Master Han gasped, his back arching slightly as the sensation hit him. It wasn’t painful, but it was intense. He could feel the energy working through him. His left hand, crippled and twisted for months, began to straighten. The unnatural angles his fingers had been locked into slowly corrected themselves, joints popping softly as they found their proper positions.

His right leg, which had ached constantly since the beating, grew warm and then hot as the spiritual energy concentrated there. The limp he’d carried, the way he’d had to carefully distribute his weight to avoid pain, it all simply ceased to matter as the damage repaired itself at a fundamental level.

But it wasn’t just healing. The pill was doing exactly what Liam had promised—it was making him better than before.

Master Han could feel his body growing stronger, his muscles denser, his bones more resilient. Decades of accumulated minor injuries from his blacksmithing work, little aches and pains he’d learned to live with and barely noticed anymore, all of them vanished as the spiritual energy purged every imperfection it encountered.

He opened his eyes, which he has no idea when had he closed them, and looked down at his left hand. The bandages were still wrapped around it, but he could feel that what lay beneath was whole. Carefully, hardly daring to believe, he began unwinding the cloth.

Luo leaned forward, watching with breathless anticipation.

The bandages fell away, revealing Master Han’s hand. The fingers that had been bent at unnatural angles now rested in perfect alignment. The swelling was gone. The discoloration had vanished. His hand looked exactly as it had before the assassins had stomped on it. No, it actually looked better.

Master Han flexed his fingers experimentally. They moved smoothly, without the slightest hint of stiffness or pain. He made a fist, then opened his hand, then made a fist again. Each movement was fluid, natural, perfect.

Tears began flowing down the old blacksmith’s weathered cheeks, though his expression remained remarkably calm. "Master," he said, his voice thick with emotion. "I can... my hand is..."

He stood from his chair, putting his full weight on both legs without thinking about it. His right leg, which had forced him to limp for months, bore his weight easily. There was no pain, no weakness, no lingering damage whatsoever.

Master Han took a step. Then another. He walked in a small circle, his movements growing more confident with each stride. There was not even the slightest of a limp.

"It’s gone," he breathed, almost laughing with disbelief. "All of it. The pain, the damage—Master, you’ve truly given me back everything they took."

Luo had tears streaming down his own face, though he was grinning so widely it looked almost painful. "Master! Your hand! You can forge again! You can—"

His words dissolved into incoherent joy as he rushed forward and embraced his master, his usual deference forgotten in the overwhelming relief and happiness of the moment.

Master Han wrapped his newly healed left arm around his apprentice, holding him tightly. His eyes found Liam over Luo’s shoulder, and the gratitude in that gaze went deeper than words could ever express.

"Thank you," Master Han said simply. "Thank you, Master."

Liam smiled, genuine warmth filling his chest. "Welcome back."