Eventually Leng Ling got up and pulled out bedding for herself. She climbed in before telling the men that they should go to sleep earlier since they would reach the Snow Snake Tribe in the morning.
"Don't we need to keep watch? What if a beast decides to attack us?"
Hu Feng argued.
"No one will attack us here. We're safe. Rest already."
"But... "
"Beasts in 10 Thousand Beast Forest are intelligent and my friends. They won't attack you unless they think I'm in danger. Good night."
With that Leng Ling closed her eyes and went to sleep. After watching her for a few minutes, Long Junjie quietly pulled out his own bedding and placed it outside of hers in a protective manner. He climbed in before motioning for the others to go to sleep. When everything was quiet, he continued to watch the beauty sleeping beside him deep into the night.
The next morning, the three men woke up to find Leng Ling already at the fire making porridge. The scent made their mouths water and they hurriedly packed up their things and cleaned their selves up. They had just finished when Leng Ling began to dish the porridge up.
"Do you not get good food back at home?"
Leng Ling asked as she watched them scoff the porridge.
"It's not as good as Sister Ling'ers food."
Hu Feng commented between bowls.
"Sister Ling'er could open a restaurant with this quality of food."
Fu Bohai nodded in agreement.
Leng Ling rolled her eyes and cleaned up the camp site once the pot was empty.
"Hurry up. The sooner we get to Snow Snake Tribe, the sooner I can make your elixir."
Leng Ling strode off with the others following behind.
After a couple of hours they reached the edge of the Snow Snake Tribe.
"Sister Ling'er!"
A tiny white snake slithered up to Leng Ling who reached down and allowed it to climb up her arm and around her neck. The snake was young and spoke in beast language.
"Greetings Sister Yu. Is everything all right?"
It was the first time the three men behind her realized she was speaking in the beasts language and not the human one. They didn't understand a thing being said and could only follow behind quietly.
The little white snake nuzzled Leng Ling's cheek affectionately before answering.
"Everything's fine. I just got excited when Brother Gang said you would be arriving this morning and came to greet you. Father's waiting at home for you with the Holly Berry Fruit. Who are these humans?Are they the ones Brother Gang caught with yesterday?"
"Yes. Coincidentally they need the elixer I was planning on making with the Holly Berry Fruit. One of them has Fire Poison and needs it to cure it."
"They are lucky to have met you then, Sister Ling'er. Father said that the elixer was a Godly recipe and not many people can make it in Long Guo."
"Yes, I know. They were originally planning to find some alchemist in Fenghuang Guo to make it before I told them I could. Try not to offend them though. One of them seems to be of the royal family and the other is apparently a cousin on my birth father's side. I'd rather not put 10 Thousand Beast Forest into danger because they got angry."
"Ok, Sister Ling'er. I'll pass the message along. Will they be here long?"
"Long enough for me to refine the elixer and Hu Feng to absorb it. I'll bring them back out after that."
She Yu nodded before Leng Ling lowered her to the ground and she slithered off.
They reached Laoshi She's cave a few minutes later. Leng Ling stopped and called out in the human language this time.
"Laoshi She! It's Ling'er. Can we come in?"
She Longwei poked his massive head out of his cave before transforming into his human form. The three men behind Leng Ling stared in shock. For a beast to take human form meant they had reached Deity level and passed the first lightning tribulation.
"Come in child. Yu'er explained about your companions. The Holly Berry Fruit is inside. I collected the whole plant as you requested and not just the berries. It's in a pot for you. I guess you need a room to refine the elixer?"
"Thank you Laoshi She. Yes please. The sooner I can refine it, the sooner I can bring these people back out and the Snow Snake Tribe can relax again."
"No worries. The back room should be suitable for you to use. Come on it."
Leng Ling turned back to the men.
"Come in and behave yourselves. Don't blame me if you offend someone you shouldn't by misbehaving."
With that she walked into the cave after She Longwei and into the back room. As they entered, she waved her hand towards the center of the room and a large purple pill refiner appeared there. She lit a flame under it as she picked small red berries off of a green plant in a pot on the side. She waved her left hand and the plant disappeared out of the pot and into her ring where it was planted into an area of her garden that she had specially prepared for it.
Then she prepared the berries as needed for the elixer. The other ingredients had been prepared before her journey and they appeared in her hand as needed while she began refining the Fire Poison Elixir.
The men watched her quietly stunned. It was one thing for her to tell them she could refine it and another for them to see it happen. Long Junjie was watching especially closely. It was like watching a dance. Every move Leng Ling made was precise. No movement was wasted. The look of concentration on her face kept him enchanted. Her figure was slender, her back straight, her waist tiny.
Small beads of sweat dripped down her forehead and the back of her neck. She ignored them as she placed the last of the ingredients into the pill refiner. A light fragrance began to drift around the room as she concentrated on forming the elixer. Soon a small bang could be heard and she removed the flame before opening the refiner and using her wind element to pour the elixer into a porcelain bottle. She waved her hand and the refiner disappeared again before handing the elixer to Hu Feng.
"Sit down and take your elixer. It will take you a couple of hours to absorb it and be aware that it will be painful. Fire Poison isn't that easy to get rid of. Your friends can guard you and make sure nothing goes wrong. Laoshi She and I will wait outside for you."
She left before anyone could respond and all they could do was follow her instructions.