The kind of cave Han Yu wanted cost well over a hundred thousand rit points.
Han Yu rubbed his forehead. He would need ti. rit points flowed in, but he was spending them rapidly on puppet materials, books, and resources.
He could also beco an Inner Court disciple. That would grant him a superior cave imdiately.
But that was not easy.
He leaned against the wall as he thought about the Sect's peculiar system.
Unlike the Twin Leaf Peak sect or practically any other sect in the Great Continent, the Slaughtered Moon Divine Blood Sect did not promote disciples purely based on cultivation realm. A Core Condensation realm cultivator did not automatically beco Inner Court. A Peak Core Condensation realm cultivator did not automatically beco Core Court.
Here everything was based on achievent.
Prestige gained from battles. Contribution points earned. Missions completed. Skill demonstrated in major arts like formations, curses, alchemy, and puppetry.
To beco an Inner Court disciple, one needed spectacular accomplishnts. Passing certain brutal tests was one way, but those tests nearly always required the strength of a Nascent Soul cultivator.
Han Yu was far from that.
He possessed enough potential to climb quickly, but he could not reveal his Soul Skills or his true strength. If he displayed soul abilities in front of the elders, they would investigate him. This was not the Great Continent.
Han Yu had already read so Soul related books here and knew that the sect had better insight into Soul Skills and Techniques than other sects back at ho. If they investigated him, they would unravel everything.
He could not afford that.
So he pushed aside the thought of becoming an Inner Court disciple and focused on the work in front of him.
ng Jueyan continued sorting herbs, her face tight with focus despite her damaged vision. Han Yu watched her silently for a ti. Her breathing was uneven, and her movents carried subtle tremors. No doubt the mories she had just spoken of were still tornting her.
After several minutes, she spoke.
"Master," she said softly. "These herbs are separated. Do you have further instructions?"
Han Yu nodded, suppressing the urge to treat her gently.
"You will continue assisting in alchemy when I tell you. You will clean the cauldrons and sharpen the tools. When I make pills, you will prepare the next batch of ingredients. You will accompany when I go to the Alchemy Division, unless I order otherwise. You will also help with puppet materials when needed."
She bowed her head in acknowledgnt.
"I can do all of that."
Han Yu exhaled quietly.
"Good. For now, rest."
She bowed deeper, then moved to sit in a corner, her posture stiff and wary.
Xuan Qing sat in her motionless pose, looking like a lifeless doll.
The cave felt smaller than ever.
Han Yu turned around and lit the cauldron again.
He had pills to make.
He had puppetry to learn.
He had a Doll Seal to break.
He had slaves to save.
And he had an entire evil sect to eventually escape.
The work never ended. But he would keep pushing. Because these two won deserved a fate better than this and so did the others who had yet to appear on the lists.
The next two days passed with a deceptive calm that Han Yu almost found unsettling. After the chaos of rescuing ng Jueyan, the fear of being discovered, and the emotional storm that had struck him while seeing Xuan Qing's hollow eyes, he had expected the following days to be just as tense.
But instead, life inside the cave settled into a strange but steady rhythm.
Han Yu spent most of his ti at the alchemy table, grinding herbs, preparing ingredients, heating cauldrons, and producing batches of Blood Flood Pills and other common pills he intended to sell.
The rest of his ti was divided between studying puppetry, morizing formation diagrams, and occasionally practicing new rune combinations on wooden boards or tal scraps.
ng Jueyan assisted quietly beside him.
She had taken over the tasks of sorting herbs, organizing jars, keeping count of ingredients, and preparing everything before each batch. She said little, but she perford her duties with ticulous attention.
Even her lone eye seed bright with focus when she worked. Her hands trembled faintly at tis, but she forced them to be steady through sheer determination.
Han Yu noticed this and pretended not to. He could not risk softening in front of her, yet seeing her remain silent even through discomfort stirred sothing painful in his chest.
What ng Jueyan noticed during these days left her far more confused than Han Yu realized.
At first, she had expected Ju Fan to be like every other disciple in the Slaughtered Moon Divine Blood Sect.
Brutal. Sadistic. Irrational.
She had assud that any mistake she made would be punished harshly, perhaps even violently. Her entire body had been confined to tension the first day as she prepared ingredients for him.
Yet the punishnt never ca.
She made one small mistake earlier, miscounting the number of Spirit Fenugreek Seeds for a batch. She had braced herself instantly, expecting a slap, a kick, or a lash of Qi. Instead Han Yu had only clicked his tongue in annoyance and scolded her.
"Slow work wastes ti. Do it again. Correctly."
His tone was sharp, cold, and harsh. But he did not hit her. He did not use Qi on her. He did not even threaten to punish her.
ng Jueyan had almost cried from relief, though she forced herself not to show it.
Even more bewildering to her was the situation with Xuan Qing.
ng Jueyan had assud the woman was a bed slave.
Anyone could see that. A Doll Seal was unmistakable. Bed slaves were coveted by many disciples and elders. They were used without restraint. Yet Han Yu had not touched her once. He barely even looked at her except to check whether she was following instructions.
There was no lust in his gaze.
No hunger.
No possessiveness.
If anything, it was the sa cold look he wore for everyone else. Detached and indifferent.
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