Beyond the Timescape

Chapter 24: Kid, You Answer

Xu Qing didn’t let out a breath until he returned to his residence.

He felt that what he was doing wasn’t quite right, but his thirst for knowledge left him no alternative.

And he also understood that his little trick had likely been seen through.

“I’ll have to repay him in the future.”

The teenager muttered softly, committing this matter to heart. He didn’t know what he could offer in return, but that’s what he thought. Perhaps an opportunity would arise later.

Worried he might forget, Xu Qing took out a bamboo slip from his leather pouch and carved the three characters for Master Bai onto it with his iron skewer.

Upon closer inspection, besides Master Bai, the slip also bore Captain Lei’s name, and above them were three other names.

Those three names belonged to people who had helped him back in the slums. Even if it was just a little, he remembered them all.

After carving the names, Xu Qing took out another bamboo slip and began recording the content he had heard in that day’s lesson, bit by bit.

He even retrieved the slip from the previous lecture and silently recited it, confirming he had memorized everything. A look of satisfaction appeared in his eyes.

“I now know twenty-seven types of medicinal herbs.”

Xu Qing was very happy. This feeling lasted the entire day, and even during his cultivation, he was in a pleasant mood.

So the next day, he also woke up early, sold some Seven-Leaf Grass, bought an herb similar to the Destiny Flower, and skillfully went to Master Bai’s tent.

He stood in the same spot as yesterday, silently waiting while paying attention to the lesson inside. When the lesson ended and Master Bai came out to inquire, Xu Qing, with nervousness and apprehension, took out the herb and asked about it.

Looking at the herb, Master Bai coughed lightly, shook his head, but actually told Xu Qing the information about the herb he had bought.

This allowed Xu Qing to learn about another herb, deepening his satisfaction and gratitude. After bowing and leaving, from a distance, he turned back as he had yesterday and saw Master Bai standing in place, nodding to him.

This scene was imprinted in Xu Qing’s eyes and engraved in his mind.

Thus, half a month passed.

Xu Qing almost every day would bring various herbs, listen to the lesson outside Master Bai’s tent, and then ask questions.

The botanical knowledge he heard grew increasingly extensive, and later he even heard much about herbal blending methods.

This greatly enriched Xu Qing’s harvest, and the bamboo slips he recorded now numbered several dozen.

Master Bai never mentioned Xu Qing’s eavesdropping. Every day, he patiently answered his questions about the herbs.

By the end, not only had the guards grown accustomed to the child in the leather coat appearing every morning, but even the teenagers inside the tent had formed a deep impression of him.

Once, when it was raining heavily outside, both Master Bai and the teenagers thought Xu Qing wouldn’t come. Yet, through the rain, Xu Qing walked over wearing a raincoat.

Rain or shine.

This left a deep impression on Master Bai and his two disciples.

So one day, when it was time for the lesson and Xu Qing was unusually not on time, the teenagers frequently looked outside.

They seemed surprised that the dirty little scavenger hadn’t come today.

Only when Xu Qing’s tired figure cast a shadow on the tent did the teenagers withdraw their gazes.

The reason for his lateness was that besides attending Master Bai’s lessons, Xu Qing also entered the restricted zone daily, searching for Destiny Flowers and Scar-Removing Stones while honing his skills by hunting mutated beasts.

But the search wasn’t very smooth.

He still hadn’t found those two items, and he once again deeply experienced the dangers of the restricted zone.

Even though he had reached the fourth level of the Sea Mountain Technique and possessed the sharp judgment and observation skills of an old scavenger, being careful in the outer parts of the jungle could ensure survival and even allow hunting, but he still occasionally encountered crises.

That time he was late was because he encountered a mutated beast that had come out from the depths. It was a harrowing escape, and he ran all night, only returning at dawn.

After returning, he didn’t rest but silently listened to the lesson.

Besides this, during these days, Xu Qing had another small but significant gain: the insurance proposed by Gu Dao.

Gu Dao was doing well.

Since buying insurance from him last time, he came to buy it every time he entered the restricted zone. Although the crimson mist hadn’t appeared again and Xu Qing hadn’t needed to intervene, Gu Dao remained persistent. Somehow, word spread, and gradually, a few more people came to him to buy insurance.

Out of caution, Xu Qing mostly ignored them, only agreeing to those few he had previously saved.

This increased Xu Qing’s income. Combined with his gains from hunting in the restricted zone, his life slowly improved.

Although Captain Lei could no longer go on missions, the rent Xu Qing gave him was substantial. Even though Captain Lei tried to refuse, Xu Qing insisted, forcing Captain Lei to accept.

Captain Lei spent most of that money on food, so every time Xu Qing returned from the restricted zone, he could eat hot meals.

Captain Lei even bought Xu Qing some clothes.

These clothes were all brand new. Xu Qing couldn’t bear to wear them, folding each one neatly and placing them in a cabinet. Taking them out to look at from time to time brought him joy.

And mealtime every day was also the warmest moment for Xu Qing.

Not only was the food good, but Captain Lei, like an elder in a family, enjoyed talking about trivial matters in the camp, much like sharing neighborhood gossip.

During this time, Cross and Luan Ya also returned, spent some time with Captain Lei, and left again.

It could be said that this period was the most fulfilling time Xu Qing had experienced in six years.

He had hot meals, new clothes, Captain Lei’s company, his cultivation was improving, and his botanical knowledge was increasing.

So, besides feeling satisfied, he cherished everything he had now. His daily eavesdropping outside the tent was especially serious.

Until one day, under the morning sunlight, standing outside the tent, Xu Qing heard Master Bai questioning the teenager inside.

“Chen Feiyuan, tell me about the Night Corpse Morning Glory herb.”

Chen Feiyuan was how Master Bai addressed the teenager. Xu Qing had learned this over the past month and also knew the girl’s nickname was Ting Yu.

Hearing Master Bai’s question, the teenager couldn’t answer properly, stammering a bit before falling silent.

Xu Qing couldn’t see inside the tent, but he could imagine the other’s woeful expression from the glimpses he had caught when the tent opened multiple times.

“Unlearned and incompetent. Ting Yu, you answer.” Master Bai’s voice was very stern, calling on the girl to answer.

But this time, the girl was clearly unprepared as well.

“Night Corpse Morning Glory, also known as Poison-Root… Teacher, I, I forgot.” The girl said this and also fell silent.

The tent immediately quieted down. Clearly, Master Bai was brewing with anger. Just then, Master Bai’s voice, carrying unconcealed wrath, echoed out.

“Kid, you answer.”

Outside the tent, Xu Qing was stunned. Instinctively, he immediately spoke up.

“Night Corpse Morning Glory, also known as Poison-Root Vernonia, utilizes the vine stem and root of the fine-veined Vernonia plant, a woody vine. It grows in corpse-shaded mountain gullies, freezing streams, or jungles. Its taste is astringent and pungent, slightly warm on the tongue, with a sensation of decay. It has the remarkable effect of dispelling wind and purging the exterior, but excessive consumption is toxic. It is a classic Yin-Yang dual-polarity flora.” Xu Qing paused here.

“What are the symptoms of an overdose?” Inside the tent, amidst the slight indignation of the two teenagers, Master Bai asked again.

“Poisoning symptoms include abdominal pain, dizziness, hallucinations. Without treatment, death occurs within fifteen minutes.” Outside the tent, Xu Qing was nervous inside but didn’t hesitate at all, answering immediately.

“How to detoxify?”

“Induce vomiting and perform gastric lavage, supplemented with egg whites and Red Thorn Flower stamens. Treatment should be done at noon when sunlight is strong, lasting no more than half an hour, for three consecutive days.”

As Xu Qing answered, inside the tent, Master Bai’s face remained expressionless, but the teenagers beside him widened their eyes in surprise.

“What is Yin-Yang dual-polarity flora?” Master Bai asked again.

“Yin-Yang dual-polarity means both orthodox and unorthodox properties reside in one body. The orthodox Yang acts as medicine; the unorthodox Yin acts as poison.” Xu Qing answered without hesitation. These were all things he had heard during this period and had memorized repeatedly, long since ingrained in his heart.

“How does this manifest in this plant?” Master Bai asked faster.

“Taking this Night Corpse Morning Glory as an example, combined with Square-Inch Leaf, its Yang efficacy doubles, primarily treating soul injuries and offering slight soothing effects against Mutagen. But if combined with Downy-Fleece Flower, its Yin efficacy greatly increases, its toxicity so high that if an ordinary person mistakenly ingests it, they die within thirty breaths.”

“How to process the Downy-Fleece Flower?”

“What is the use of the Square-Inch Leaf’s root fibers?” Master Bai asked increasingly faster. Xu Qing’s inner tension gradually decreased, answering just as quickly.

Thus, an old man and a teenager, separated by the tent, asked and answered. As time passed, a full incense stick’s worth of time went by.

Master Bai asked many questions, even many that required synthesizing content from lectures days apart to know the answers, but Xu Qing answered them all fluently.

The two teenagers had gone from initial surprise to shock, staring dumbfounded at the figure cast on the tent.

Finally, under the stunned gazes of the teenagers, Master Bai asked the last question.

“Three one-year-old Night Corpse Morning Glories, combined with six three-year-old Passing-Cloud Grasses, plus nine ten-year-old whole plants of any Single-Spike Kyllinga from the Sedge family. What is the efficacy of the resulting medicinal liquid?”

This question caused the teenagers’ expressions to shift rapidly, their breathing quickening. This involved not just simple spirit herbs, but the complex art of blending them.

This question was also the one that made Xu Qing silent the longest in this interrogation. He thought for over thirty breaths before taking a deep breath and speaking in a low voice.

“Evil cannot suppress the orthodox; Yang flourishes while Yin decays. Combined with the Passing-Cloud Grass’s effect of transforming orthodox properties, it can elevate the detoxifying effect of the Single-Spike Kyllinga whole plant to a startling degree.” After saying this, Xu Qing’s eyes widened, vaguely realizing something.

“This,” Master Bai’s voice calmly came from inside the tent, “is seventy percent of the foundational formula for the Great Transformation Pill. Add three more herbs, simmer over a gentle flame for seven hours, and it can be refined.”

“I’ve tested you so much. Do you have any questions you want to ask?”

Xu Qing’s spirit shuddered, his breath catching in a sharp, quickened rhythm.

Over this past month, he indeed had many unresolved questions. But since he was only eavesdropping, and though Master Bai was kind and didn’t stop him, he didn’t want to disturb the lessons and had no way to ask.

Now, hearing Master Bai speak, Xu Qing quickly organized his thoughts and immediately asked.

“Master Bai, Flame-Rope Hemp and Yang-Seedle Thorn share both origin and efficacy. What is the difference between them?”

“Why can’t the Soul-Resting Flower be picked during the day?”

“The sap of the Square-Inch Leaf clearly has evil-repelling uses. Why can’t it be used together with the Life-Eye Branch, which also repels evil?”

…

Xu Qing asked his questions one by one. Master Bai answered them all in detail.

Xu Qing seemed to have endless questions. Only when time passed, far exceeding the lesson time, under the teenagers’ looks as if he were a monster, did Xu Qing reluctantly glance at the sky and had to end his inquiries.

He felt that this day’s gains for him were indescribable. Most of his doubts were answered, and he even had a sense of comprehensive understanding.

This made his thirst for knowledge even stronger, and he prepared to go back and carve all this down.

Just as he turned to depart, Master Bai’s voice—heavy with a deep, weary exhaustion—drifted from within the tent.

“From this moment on, you are no longer required to stand guard outside. And cease bringing that haphazard collection of common herbs. Starting tomorrow, you will enter the tent and listen to the lessons directly.”