Chapter 178 — Nine Turns, Three Gates

A dazzling succession of hand seals unfolded; his extraction and refinement of the medicine was dazzling to behold, and before he had even returned to the Scholars' Lodge he had refined a furnace of spirit elixirs.

The moment the spirit elixirs were finished, they gave off a faint, barely perceptible Buddhist sound, as though in each elixir sat a Buddha chanting sutras and offering blessings.

The instant the elixirs were done, Shen Mu opened his mouth and drew in, and a string of elixirs flew in a single line into his mouth. Driving the medicinal power as he ran toward his courtyard, he had just reached the gate when suddenly his head swam and his vision blurred, and he pitched headlong into the yard.

Snow Fox cried out in alarm and ran over.

Before he lost consciousness Shen Mu saw her come to his side and was relieved. "Help me dissolve the medicine.

.

.

" He did not finish the sentence before he fell unconscious. When Shen Mu woke in a daze, he felt the medicinal power of the elixirs in his belly melting open, like a scalding furnace sending heat through all his limbs and bones.

He breathed a sigh of relief, and a chill of dread ran through him. The unified Mystic Body Three Elixirs Art was certainly good, but it was also exceedingly dangerous. Had he not, while still clear-headed, refined elixirs to remedy it, the consequences did not bear imagining; most likely he would already be dead.

"The Mystic Body Three Elixirs Art overdraws the body when tempering body and soul. If it cannot be replenished, I fear it will kill me.

" Shen Mu opened his eyes and lay quietly, calculating: "To correct this art is very hard -- touch one hair and the whole body moves; correcting it would likely take a very long time. Since that is so, better not to correct it at all.

. .

" Snow Fox stood beside him, watching him with frantic anxiety; the Dragon Qilin crouched outside the window, wanting to poke his head in to see whether his meal-master still lived, but his head was too big, and the window could hold only one of his great eyes; he could not squeeze into the room. Shen Mu sat up and found himself lying on the bed -- it must have been the little fox who had used her demon wind to lift him onto it. He smiled.

"No need to worry. I am out of danger.

Once I fully dissolve the medicinal power, my body will recover.

" Snow Fox breathed out in relief. "Young Master, you frightened me to death.

In such a short time you went thin with hunger, and when you fell just now I feared you would never get up again. .

.

" Shen Mu calmly dissolved the medicinal power, and as it melted open and was absorbed by his body, he would not die for the moment -- yet his body remained in a state of deficit. This was the internal depletion caused by tempering body and soul.

Though his physique had grown stronger, there was not enough nourishment to replenish it. It was like a tower ship flying in midair: if the thing that powered the tower ship were a small elixir furnace, the ship would surely fall from the sky and smash to pieces.

Such had been his case just now.

Tempering the soul had consumed his spirit; tempering the body had consumed the energy within him. The elixirs he had refined replenished his spirit, keeping it from being spent entirely, yet his body remained in a state of severe hunger.

Now his spirit had fully recovered, but his body was still withered, skin wrapped over bone, frighteningly thin. Shen Mu rose to his feet and said, "Ling'er, is there anything to eat? I am terribly hungry now.

" "Young Master, would you eat the Green Ox? " Outside the window the Dragon Qilin's great eyeball rolled, and he said with delight, "There is a wild ox on the back hill.

Shall I catch it and roast it for you, Young Master? " This Dragon Qilin, no longer going hungry, was full of wicked schemes, always wanting revenge on the Green Ox.

Snow Fox laughed. "Young Master, wait a moment!

Dragon Da, let us go find the Young Master something to eat! " With that she darted out of the room in a puff of smoke, and went racing out of the Scholars' Lodge with the Dragon Qilin. "Sister Ling'er, where are we going to find food?

" the Dragon Qilin asked doubtfully.

"Can you swim? " Snow Fox inquired.

"There are a few big fish in Jade Dragon Lake, several zhang long.

I have had my eye on them for a long time.

" The Dragon Qilin said with delight, "I have had my eye on them a long time too -- only the master gave no order, so it was not fitting to make a move.

Rest easy, I am a fine swimmer; I can lie underwater for days without coming up for air. " Snow Fox was overjoyed.

She came with him to the shore of Jade Dragon Lake.

On the far side of the lake was a Daoist, who showed a look of astonishment at the sight of them; before he could ask anything, the Dragon Qilin plunged headlong into the lake. The Daoist's face changed drastically.

He hurriedly shouted at the top of his voice, "You lion, you are not allowed to bathe in the lake!

You fox, stop that lion for me!

" Snow Fox said hurriedly, "Dragon Da, hurry, hurry!

"