WT 16 - But you are a rarity

 

Heng Zhen Gan turned his attention to Bao Hai, who remained silent while the adults were talking. "Could you tell me what you are?"

 

Bao Hai's whole body shook fiercely and his arm accidentally hit the corner of the table. But he does not react to the collision, as if he does not feel it. He stared at Prince Heng with guarded eyes, his posture in defense ready to fight if needed. 

 

Prince Heng continued, "Your disguise is only enough to fool non-cultivators and lower-ranked cultivators."

 

But not Heng Zhen Gan, the fourth rank cultivator. He could sense unnaturalness from Bao Hai, but unable to see past his disguise. "I can smell white lotus flowers from you.” His first guess was Bao Hai to be a flower demon.

 

"You are from a sect?" Bao Hai’s face quickly lost most of its color and his eyes looked like one that was being cornered. 

 

"No, nor do I have any intention of giving you to any sect." After a moment, Prince Heng continued honestly. "I prefer to keep good things to myself than sharing them without a good return."

 

Clearly, Prince Heng's answer was not a good one to Bao Hai, for even his lips lost their color with his panic. He turned to look at Wan Ting, his last option of seeking help from. 

 

It was not that she does not want to help the pitiful looking boy, but she trusted Prince Heng more than Bao Hai who she just met yesterday, even if his advice were given to her earlier with kind intention. Not to mention, she was also curious who exactly was Bao Hai that the evil sect would kidnap him. 

 

But she still made an attempt to calm him down. "Don't worry, Prince Heng would never do an inhumane thing, even if you are not a human."

 

Wan Ting's smile filled with the intention to reassure Bao Hai was useless, as it was worth nothing to him. 

 

Prince Heng knew that the child was currently treating him the same as his kidnappers. "I have no intention of abusing or dissecting you. I will hire you the same way as my servants, with wages, food, clothing, and a shelter provided."

 

Those things were not Bao Hai's priority. "I will stay with Wan Ting."

 

"That is your choice. But I need to know what you are, and why that sect wanted you. I also need to know if you will not harm Miss Wan for your own survival."

 

He cared for her. Wan Ting squeezed her hands hidden under her sleeves, struggling not to show the joy on her face. 

 

Bao Hai was not experienced with humans, but his encounter with them was not pleasant. Twice he had been betrayed by those humans he believed to care for him. The first betrayal had him lose all the treasures belonging to his master in his secret realm. The second betrayal took away his freedom and vitality. Will his third encounter with humans change his dreadful fate, or will he once again be locked away and suffer an even worse encounter than his previous two?

 

Bao Hai was tired of being harmed and wanted to believe this was the favorable opportunity given to him. Even if he wants to leave, where would he go? Outside the secret realm was a world full of unknown and it gave him a deep fear that could not be erased.

 

The only thing he could hold on tight to was the woman with Flame Spirit, who will be able to help him regain his former strength and vitality. Bao Hai decided to gamble his remaining life on trusting Wan Ting.

 

Once he thought of this step, he realized he does not have much to lose anymore and forgo his hesitation. "... I am the tenth-grade Soul Locking pill." 

 

The tenth-grade Soul Locking pill's purpose was to save someone very close to dying and just like its name, chaining down the soul to prevent it from being guided away to the afterlife until the body was healed. Once the body was recovered, the soul will be released back to the body. 

 

"That is not a useful pill."

 

Bao Hai pursed his lips, unable to refute Prince Heng's words. After all, the Soul Locking pill does not always work every time. The chance of it working was only known after returning the soul back to the healed body. But after knowing that, it was already too late to do anything to save that person!

 

There was even a better pill created after that, and the Soul Locking pill became a useless unpopular tenth-grade pill. His master had concocted him just for practice and then left him with his piles of treasures, which then to be completely forgotten. 

 

"But you are a rarity," Prince Heng added with a small curve of his lips. "For a tenth-grade pill to be left so long until you gained consciousness and formed a human body, you must have been stored at a special place?"

 

"My master placed me in a secret realm with his other treasures for fated cultivators to encounter."

 

Usually, most tenth grade pills were immediately consumed after it was concocted. No one would waste such a high-grade pill and leave it in storage for rainy days except for a rich cultivator. Even if they were stored, it had not been as long as Bao Hai had experienced. 

 

"A living pill…" Wan Ting stared at Bao Hai as if he was a miracle descended from heaven. For a pill forger, it was a blessing to encounter a living pill! There were only three living pills recorded in history books, each of them famous and strong.

 

As for why there were so few numbers of living pills, it was because not every pill could form a consciousness, and eating them has more benefit than betting on its chance to gain consciousness, which likely to be many hundred years. It was rare for a cultivator to be able to cultivate until they could have a three-digit lifespan.

 

Wan Ting looked as if she wanted to touch Bao Hai from head to toe, and he stared at her warily. He was ready to jump away if she reached her hands out to him.

 

Noticing his disturbed gaze, Wan Ting collected herself. "You could have continued pretending to be a human if the evil sect had not discovered your true identity. You look just like us."

 

Bai Hao faltered, went silent for a long time before shaking his head. "I failed to form the full correct autonomy of a human. I am genderless, without female or male organs. I went around dressed as a male because it's more convenient."

 

When he gained consciousness in his master's secret realm, he does not know which year it was, or how long it took to finally form a human figure according to his flimsy memory of human anatomy from visitors that happened to stumble into his master’s secret realm. There was no one in the realm to teach him things, and he could only learn a little by himself from some picture books among the treasures. He does not know many years have passed until a new group of cultivators managed to enter his master's secret realm and take him out.

 

"Of course," Prince Heng agreed. "Secret realms have rich energy beneficial for cultivators. It won't be strange that you absorbed the energy. Plants and beast cultivators gained their consciousness that way. If you can still form your body, try to target a female body. If you want to stay by Miss Wan's side, being a female is advised."

 

Wan Ting secretly agreed. Judging from Bao Hai’s current state, he would be useless as a bodyguard. Being a maidservant would help to hide his identity, albeit flimsy, from the evil sect and could remain by her side anywhere she goes.

 

"You don't want to hire me anymore?" Bao Hai asked suspiciously. 

 

"That could be discussed again after the danger passed. According to my little understanding of a Soul Locking pill, I guess that you are kidnapped because of your massive pure energy? Other than that, you should have no use for them."

 

Bao Hai grudgingly nodded. "Yes, they had their people keep on sucking my energy alternatively." He would have died after three more full moons because that was how much his energy was left.

  

Wan Ting recalled, "Is that why you wanted me to forge energy gathering pills for you?" 

 

"Yes. I'm not the same as humans, who can regain their energy just by resting. I need to absorb energy."

 

"Now that Miss Wan knew your true identity, she can directly refine you, right?" Prince Heng asked.

 

Bao Hai stiffened and then nodded with a wary stare at Prince Heng. He had indeed planned not to reveal his identity to Wan Ting and eat as many Energy Gathering pills to recover. But that method will take a very much longer time to recover than directly refining him with the ingredients to make Soul Locking pills. 

 

But Wan Ting was worried. "But I don't have all the ingredients needed for a Soul Locking pill…" And they were all expensive, which with her current finances could not afford. Even if her father was still an official, she still does not have enough money to purchase them. “I also do not know the complete list of ingredients.”

 

“I know them,” Bao Hai said. “However, the two main ingredients are hard to obtain.”

 

“Which are?” Wan Ting asked curiously.

 

“The ice lotus flower and the tears of fire Salamander.”

 

Wan Ting immediately fell silent with an expression of a person that had given up hope.

 

"Leave the ingredients to me," Prince Heng said, earning a respected stare from Wan Ting. "Until then, please make more energy gathering pills for Bao Hai."

 

"My level is also too low to refine a tenth-grade pill," Wan Ting added anxiously. Her previous reluctance to help Bao Hai had completely disappeared and she wanted to do her best to help the living pill. 

 

"Don't worry. Right now, my rank had dropped to the first rank," Bao Hai revealed with misgiving. He was very close to his death. With his current level, she can slowly build up experience to refine him rank by rank without large problems. This method was only feasible because she has the Flame Spirit and her innate talent as a pill forger.

 

“You will need more than one-time refining then,” Prince Heng concluded, his mind already decided on purchasing a few sets of ingredients for Bao Hai to fully recover.  

 

"...What did you want in return for helping me?" Bao Hai suddenly asked Prince Heng. "I will be teaching Wan Ting how to use her Flame Spirit, but what about you?"

 

"What do I want in return?" Prince Heng looked as confident as an elegant scholar about to achieve his victory. "I want you to serve and protect Miss Wan well."

 

"You fancy her?"

 

Wan Ting choked on air and unable to stop, her noble lady temperament before her crush was completely destroyed by Bao Hai's question.