Chapter Ten: Brotherhood Among Fellow Disciples

That night, nothing particularly stirring or ambiguous happened. Although they were allies, Ji Feichen found Xiao Ying no more trustworthy than she found him. After setting up their formation, each retreated to their own corner, interfering not at all with the other.

When the hour of the Tiger arrived, Ji Feichen roused Xiao Ying, and together they prepared to ascend Tiger Departure Mountain once more.

"Why so early?" Xiao Ying couldn't help but raise her eyes to the sky. The hour of the Tiger, also known as dawn, was when the sun barely crested the horizon, yet the moon still lingered. It was hardly the ideal time to confront the demonic fox.

"We have no choice but to pick this hour. Don't forget—the hour of the Dragon is also called the time when clouds emerge, and the miasma rises. Both the hour of the Dragon and the hour of the Snake are thick with poisonous vapors, which only begin to recede after noon as the yang energy wanes and the six yin hours commence."

Ji Feichen calculated with his fingers. "The twelve hours of day and night are divided into six yin and six yang. Rat, Ox, Tiger, Rabbit, Dragon, Snake are the yang hours. At midnight, the Rat hour births yang; at the crowing of the rooster, the Ox hour brings dawn..."

"If we truly wish to choose the time to enter the mountain, after the yang energy rises, the poisonous vapors will follow. After the hour of the Dragon, it's already too late."

"And the six yin hours after noon are equally unsuitable. At noon, yang reaches its peak and begins to decline, yin grows again, but at that moment, the dense fog and poisonous miasma persist. After the Monkey and Rooster hours, yin flourishes and yang fades, and only then does the poisonous gas gradually dissipate. But at sunset, the moon rises once more, and the demonic fox regains its domain—it is not a suitable time for us to enter the mountain."

The two weighed their options, realizing that the rise and fall of the miasma ought to be calculated from the hour of the Dragon, when sunlight begins to touch the earth and the poison vapor ascends, forming the miasma between heaven and earth. Thus, broad daylight was absolutely unsuitable for their ascent. Moreover, the demonic fox worshipped the moon, gaining its blessing at night, allowing it to absorb the force of the lunar essence. Dusk was also forbidden, and even midnight and the hour of the Ox, with the moon still present, were unsuitable for Ji Feichen and Xiao Ying.

So, the only viable time remained the hour of the Tiger.

After Ji Feichen's explanation, Xiao Ying's delicate brows furrowed. "Your plan is reasonable, but the hour of the Tiger is when the poisonous insects are most active. We're going at that time?"

She considered the hour of the Tiger too risky, with insects at their most aggressive, and the hour of the Dragon too dangerous with the miasma rising. In her mind, only the hour of the Rabbit was safest.

Ji Feichen clarified, "Our formation on Tiger Departure Mountain leaves a flaw; only the hour of the Rabbit, when sunlight shines but the miasma has not yet ascended, is truly suitable. But if we fail to slay the demonic fox within that hour, it will use its illusions to trap us. At the hour of the Dragon, the dense fog and poison will envelop us, and we risk being wiped out."

It was much like Ji Feichen's arrangement of traps in his own domain—luring people in and then striking decisively. Their window to enter the mountain was narrow, and there was no avoiding it.

Thus, knowing full well the danger, they pressed onward to the mountain called Tiger Departure.

Looking at the mountain, Ji Feichen felt a wry amusement. "They say 'knowing there are tigers on the mountain, still one walks toward it.' Yet this mountain is called Tiger Departure, isn't it?"

"One hour is simply not enough, so we must find a way to dispel the poisonous miasma. That's why we must act when the poisonous insects are most active," Ji Feichen explained, choosing the hour of the Tiger not to eliminate the demonic fox, but to search the mountain for a way to counteract the miasma.

As the saying goes, "Where poisonous insects roam, within ten feet there must be an antidote." Though not always accurate, the principle of mutual generation and restraint among all things holds true. Species that survive amid poison must possess certain resistance. Tiger Departure Mountain was shrouded in miasma year-round; logically, there must be antidotal herbs within. Otherwise, how could the poisonous insects survive?

The sunlight began to rise, though it had not yet dispelled the night. The two moved covertly under the moonlight.

Serpentine shadows twisted through the ravines, and some venomous snakes had already set their sights on Xiao Ying and Ji Feichen.

Ji Feichen raised his hand, and the demonic dragon mace spun around him. The black dragon aura swept through, leaving the snakes limp and powerless upon the ground.

"Your dragon aura is truly formidable," Xiao Ying said, smiling. Indeed, dragon energy suppressed serpents; these venomous snakes posed no threat to Ji Feichen.

After a while, a pile of insects and snakes lay about them. Xiao Ying drew a cold dagger, making swift marks and slaying them one by one, collecting their gall and insect pellets for study.

After some deliberation, Ji Feichen mused, "If we're talking effectiveness, the best would be maggot medicine."

"Maggot medicine?" Xiao Ying frowned. Ji Feichen spoke elegantly, but in truth, the so-called maggot medicine was simply earth dragon dung. They had slain many earth dragons with alchemical stripes, and after testing, found their dung most resistant to the miasma.

"These earth dragons tunnel through the soil, adapted to the miasma. Their dung works best."

---

But Xiao Ying, being a young woman, was reluctant to smear herself with dung.

"We'd better find another way."

What other options were there?

Ji Feichen pondered, "The demonic fox absorbs lunar energy, and this place is bathed in moonlight; perhaps there are similar herbs."

They searched again, and under a distant blue stone, found a luminous herb.

"It's Golden Thread Moon Grass!" Xiao Ying recognized it and hurried forward.

Golden Thread Moon Grass absorbs lunar essence and grows in places of extreme yin. Its leaves have veins like golden threads, hence its name. In the Underworld Sect, it was commonly used by the white and yellow branches; the white branch absorbed moonlight, while the yellow used it to nourish spiritual sand.

"This place is thick with miasma, yet Moon Grass flourishes here—it must have antidotal properties!" Ji Feichen said, digging up the herb with a hoe and handing it to Xiao Ying. "Take this one, and if we find another, I'll use it."

They wandered on, but Moon Grass was scarce, and a second specimen eluded them.

"How about your side?" Xiao Ying asked.

"No luck," Ji Feichen replied, casting a casual glance at a golden-threaded herb hidden under a tree in the distance. "Looks like we won't find another. No matter—I'll use maggot medicine. It's late now, let's leave quickly."

It was barely four quarters past the hour of the Rabbit. Why leave now? Xiao Ying didn't have time to ask before Ji Feichen produced a Concealment Talisman, gave it a gentle shake, and both vanished, slipping away from the mountain unnoticed. On the way out, they were cautious, leaving no signs of their return, only a path up the mountain littered with the corpses of poisonous insects.

"Is this... letting others think we're still on the mountain?" Xiao Ying, quick-witted, immediately understood Ji Feichen's intention.

"Exactly." They left Tiger Departure Mountain and found a hidden place to take cover. Ji Feichen burned maggot medicine in a wooden cauldron, collecting its fragrance and refining it into antidotal pellets. Xiao Ying used her sect's secret method to ingest Moon Grass, circulating its medicinal power within to strengthen her resistance.

As Xiao Ying meditated, she failed to notice the strange smile flickering across Ji Feichen's face as he worked.

---

Only a short time after they departed, several streaks of light flew toward Tiger Departure Mountain.

Luo Qingyi and her group of paramours arrived at the mountain's foot. Under the starlight and moonlight, looking up, they could clearly see the traces left by Ji Feichen and Xiao Ying's ascent.

After examining, Luo Qingyi said, "The signs of battle progress upward; there's evidence on the mountain but none descending. They must still be up there."

A male cultivator calculated with his fingers. "I see. Tiger Departure Mountain is shrouded in miasma year-round; the hour of the Dragon brings thick poison fog. Only the hours of the Tiger and Rabbit are safe. So they haven't been up long—perhaps they're just now confronting the Black Moon Demonic Fox. If we're to pursue, we must act now."

They estimated the time and dared not linger, ascending the mountain along the newly cleared path.

In the Black Moon Cave, a fox of dark silver lay upon a soft couch, a moon pattern etched on its brow. It clutched a magical artifact, probing the mountain's movements.

"More visitors?" The moment Ji Feichen entered the mountain, it had sensed him, intending to capture both when they arrived at the cave. But Ji Feichen had touched and left, thwarting the fox's plan. Now, before it could relax, another group was ascending.

"From their attire, they hail from the same place as the previous pair." Its bushy tail swayed as the fox pondered, paw beneath its chin. "Were those two just scouts?"

Its vigilance heightened, it spat out a treasure bead, controlling the golden-threaded poisonous gu it had hidden throughout the mountain to ambush Luo Qingyi and her companions.

---

Ji Feichen burned maggot medicine in a wooden cauldron, refining its scent into a small yellow pellet. He crushed it and sprinkled it over himself, completing his poison-proofing.

As for Xiao Ying, she absorbed the Moon Grass essence into her body; as long as she didn't fully refine it today, she could avoid the miasma's corrosion.

The pair returned to the mountain, first spotting a mess of footprints.

"It seems others really did ascend after us."

"Are they ours?"

"Probably," Ji Feichen replied. "Most likely someone from the green or red branches."

Tiger Departure Mountain in the morning was utterly different from dusk. Mist shrouded the landscape, dew thinning, illusions rising between the peaks, and the nocturnal insects disappearing once more. There was a strange tranquility amidst the wilds.

They strolled slowly, following the tracks upward. Suddenly, Xiao Ying thought of something. "Brother, do you think one of the Immortal Masters might arrive?"

"You're overthinking." Ji Feichen studied the path and retorted, "Do you know how many herbs are needed for the Seven Aperture Underworld Pill? For a mere demonic fox, no Immortal Master would waste their time."

Xiao Ying fell silent, embarrassed. Though shrewd within her sect, she seldom ventured out, focusing more on the subtle calculations of human hearts.

Unwilling to seem naïve, she recalled her teacher's words. "The Seven Aperture Underworld Pill requires ten thousand and eight kinds of spiritual herbs: one thousand flowers, three thousand leaves, one thousand woods, one thousand stones, one thousand beast bloods, and three thousand miscellaneous auxiliaries."

"Correct. These are just auxiliaries, not involved in the actual pill-making, merely preparatory for refining medicinal properties. Only the remaining eight hundred are truly used."

"The auxiliaries can all be supplied by our Underworld Sect, but many were drawn away in recent days by others," Xiao Ying said. "Just collecting the auxiliaries will be a major effort for Uncle Black Pool."

No one dared openly obstruct Black Pool's ascension, but covertly, they claimed herbs for their own cultivation. Black Pool could hardly protest—could he say only he could ascend to Earth Immortal, while others couldn't use herbs to strengthen themselves?

"Uncle Black Pool isn't foolish; he's surely prepared his auxiliaries from elsewhere," Ji Feichen observed. His junior sister, sharp as she was, remained limited to the sect's affairs, rarely considering the broader cultivation world. If the Underworld Sect couldn't provide, why not buy elsewhere?

Ten thousand and eight herbs sounded vast, yet most were not for the final pill, merely for washing or soaking the main ingredients. After the first stage, only eight hundred herbs were refined. Among these, there were thirty-six major and one hundred and eight minor herbs.

These, major and minor, were the true core of the Seven Aperture Pill.

The heart blood of the demonic fox, cultivated in the Heart Moon Fox Path, was one of the minor herbs. The heart blood was dripped into a jade bowl carved from millennial cold jade, placed under the full moon, mixed with sixty-four herbal juices boiled into black broth. The heart blood would then condense into a black pearl, which could finally be used for pill refining.

"This is just one minor herb, not enough to alarm the Immortal Masters. They'd be better off searching for Seven-tail Phoenix Grass or three-thousand-year-old Celestial Jade Marrow."

If those rarest herbs were blocked, Black Pool's path to advancement would be sealed.

As they walked, they found more and more insect corpses along the path, even fragments of robes and magical artifacts.

"Excellent, a real battle has begun," Ji Feichen said with satisfaction. Using these unknown fellow disciples as pathfinders—this, truly, was the spirit of brotherhood.