44: Chapter 44 First Entry into the Yin-Yang Well of Ice and Fire

Bai Qi, holding Liu Erlong in his arms, leaped directly down from the mouth of the valley, lightly tapping the cliff face a few times mid-descent to cushion the impact.

After landing steadily, he found a relatively clean patch of grass and gently laid Liu Erlong down. He then rose, retrieved a tent from his storage ring, and began setting it up not far away.

In truth, Liu Erlong had already regained consciousness earlier; she had become aware while being carried by Bai Qi towards the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well.

But discovering she was being held by Bai Qi was too embarrassing for her to face, so she simply continued feigning unconsciousness.

Bai Qi set up the tent swiftly, securing its four corners, raising the canvas, and checking once more for stability.

While Bai Qi was setting up, Liu Erlong secretly opened her eyes, watching his back, observing the young man's focused demeanor.

Once the tent was ready, Bai Qi turned and walked back. Seeing she still hadn't woken, he bent down and picked her up.

As Bai Qi turned around, Liu Erlong hurriedly closed her eyes, even making her breathing light and slow.

After carrying Liu Erlong into the tent, Bai Qi took a blanket from his storage ring, spread it on the ground, placed Liu Erlong on it, then fetched a thinner blanket to cover her. He then turned and walked out again.

Only when the footsteps faded did Liu Erlong open her eyes. She stared at the tent ceiling for a moment, the corner of her mouth unconsciously curling up as she chuckled to herself.

"This kid has a bit of a conscience, at least."

Bai Qi walked out of the tent and made a circuit along the bank of the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well.

The red and blue spring waters formed a massive Taiji diagram. The red side steamed with heat, while the blue side was shrouded in a chilling mist.

The banks around the spring were densely covered with exotic flowers and rare herbs, each emanating a rich fluctuation of Soul Power.

He looked up towards the valley entrance, using his Soul Power to sense for a moment, confirming that Dugu Bo had left and would not return for a while. Only then did he slightly relax.

"Time to attend to the main business."

Bai Qi murmured softly.

After speaking, his gaze fell upon the two most conspicuous plants. One resembled a cabbage, fiery red all over; the other was icy blue, its top shaped like a large, octagonal white flower.

These were precisely the Blazing Fire Apricot and the Octagonal Mysterious Ice Grass, one of Bai Qi's purposes for coming here.

Taking a deep breath, because unlike Tang San, he lacked the Blue Silver Grass for long-distance harvesting, he chose the simplest and most direct method. Activating his third Spirit Ability, Torch Dragon Armor, the armor instantly covered his entire body.

He directly coated the armor's surface with magma, using Soul Power to contain it and prevent it from flowing down. His entire body instantly turned crimson, radiating scorching high temperatures, as he boldly charged into the area of the Octagonal Mysterious Ice Grass.

The moment he entered, the magma on the outside of his armor solidified instantly. Fortunately, the intense cold did not penetrate the armor, allowing Bai Qi to relatively easily walk in and pluck this celestial-grade herb.

The same principle applied to the Blazing Fire Apricot. In fact, holding the Octagonal Mysterious Ice Grass made entering its area even easier with its assistance.

The instant both celestial-grade herbs were in hand, he shed the armor. Blazing heat and icy cold simultaneously surged into his body, as if someone had simultaneously ignited a fire and stuffed a block of ice inside him, the two forces locked in fierce opposition.

Without hesitation, Bai Qi immediately sat down cross-legged and placed both celestial-grade herbs into his mouth at the same time.

As the medicinal potency entered his stomach, Bai Qi felt as if his insides had exploded into chaos.

The medicinal power of the Blazing Fire Apricot was like a fire dragon, rampaging wildly through his meridians.

Meanwhile, the medicinal power of the Octagonal Mysterious Ice Grass was like an ice dragon, fiercely clashing against the fire's force.

The forces of cold and heat refused to yield to each other, engaging in an intense tug-of-war within his body.

His complexion alternated between flushed red and a purplish-blue hue.

When red, beads of sweat evaporated the moment they emerged.

When blue, even frost formed on the surface of his skin.

His clothes were soaked through with sweat one moment, then frozen stiff the next.

But for Bai Qi, this process was not particularly painful.

He immediately began circulating the Mysterious Heaven Skill to guide these two forces.

Bai Qi's innate fire affinity granted him high compatibility with the Blazing Fire Apricot, so its medicinal power was quickly accepted by his Spirit. As for the ice attribute of the Octagonal Mysterious Ice Grass, under the suppression of the Torch Dragon and in concert with the fire attribute of the Blazing Fire Apricot, a delicate balance was achieved.

A moment later, Bai Qi opened his eyes, exhaling a long, turbid breath. A flash of red and blue light briefly passed through his eyes.

That breath hung condensed in the air, half scorching like fire, half icy like frost.

Bai Qi stood up, stretched his limbs, and looked at his clothes—they were now completely ruined. Fortunately, there was no one here, allowing him to quickly change into a new set.

After changing clothes, Bai Qi walked back to the tent, peeked inside at Liu Erlong, and found her still lying there, sound asleep.

Reassured, Bai Qi walked to a rock by the spring and sat down, silently invoking the system to check in.

[Ding, check-in successful.]

[Sunset Forest, reward: Forest Affinity increased (Soul Power recovers faster within forests).]

[Liu Erlong, reward: Crimson Dragon Bloodline.]

As the system's voice faded, Bai Qi felt a warmth spread through his body. The Crimson Dragon bloodline was perfectly absorbed by the Torch Dragon, refining his mastery over fire and enhancing his physique.

Bai Qi looked at his hand, clenched his fist, and assessed his improved physique and fire control ability. He then continued to view the subsequent rewards.

[Dugu Bo, reward: Dugu Bo's Poison Compendium.]

[Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well, reward: Ice-Fire Cauldron.]

Looking at the system's rewards, Bai Qi murmured to himself.

"The current system is truly artificial intelligence."

After saying this, he stored all the rewards in his storage ring.

After claiming the rewards, he went to the lakeside at the confluence of the Ice and Fire Yin Yang Well and found the long-sought-after Forget-Dust No-Thought Grass. Memorizing its location, he decided to wait for Liu Erlong to awaken before letting her absorb it.

Returning to the tent, he found Liu Erlong still sleeping and did not disturb her. Instead, he went back to the lakeside and gathered some ordinary herbs for consolidating foundation and nurturing vitality. Of course, these were merely a pretense. Bai Qi knew that now, his own blood was the best antidote for treating Dugu Bo and Dugu Yan.

He then crushed several herbs and placed them into the newly acquired Ice-Fire Cauldron from the system rewards. Biting his fingertip, he dripped a few drops of his blood inside.

A faint mist rose from the cauldron, and the aroma of medicine filled the air.

Bai Qi sat beside the cauldron, wholly absorbed in pill refining. Unnoticed, the sky gradually darkened.

Inside the tent, Liu Erlong turned over in her sleep, a faint smile on her lips, clearly having a pleasant dream.

Bai Qi poured the first batch of refined medicinal liquid into a porcelain vial and wiped the sweat from his forehead.

He stood up and walked to the spring's edge, gazing at the red and blue waters shimmering with an ethereal glow under the moonlight.

After watching quietly for a while, he sat down cross-legged and began cultivating.