During one of the rests they take. A rest they take despite being cultivators, to please the demands of Madam Perlmut. For you need it to collect yourself and think, she tends to say. And so they set up campfires from time to time, with Hyang taking out two stylish leather tents instead of one, as the gentleman he is. While Perlmut enjoys the theoretic warmth of the campfire. As of right now, Hyang strikes up a conversation on what to do next on their cultivation journey.
Hyang: "So the next thing we ought to do for you would be body transformation, as that is the only thing I can think of at the moment that could truly restore your crooked body. Also, it is normally very painful. Your frost should dull the pain. And in case you are scared, I'll do it as well, beside you, to calm you down. After all, I've got more than one cauldron."
Perlmut: "Why a cauldron? Will we be making hot pot?"
Hyang |-_-|
Hyang: "It's to bathe in the solution that transforms your body. Which requires specific ingredients."
Hyang goes to count the required ingredient they need to have for it. "1000-year-old cold iron, which I have. Two cauldrons to bathe in, which I have. Gold, which I have. And jade, cinnabar, hematite, which I all have. There is just a slight problem. We also need 1000-year-old cold QI water. Fun fact about it. It's also falsely called 1000-year-old spirit water. Since the QI in the world is partly transformed into spirit instead of raw power during cultivation. And as raw power rules, it is seen as inefficiency that cultivators try to reduce as much as possible. Which isn't possible with that specific type of water. And now comes the crux. If you use this water, you will end up converting more QI into spirit, making it harder in the future to break through as your QI gets transformed into spirit. Other names for it are water of life, water of waste, and water of forging and creating."
Perlmut: "? Doesn't spirit water fit it perfectly then?"
👓*Glad you asked*👓thinks ?
Hyang: "... Well, while you can't optimize the QI gain for it. It still is incredibly potent, nonetheless helping you a lot when used for cultivation. Now you might ask why it is not a coveted treasure. That is because cold Qi like that easily turns you into an icicle."
Perlmut *Spirit water still fits it perfectly though...*
As Hyang explains, Rex's nose starts leaking snot, building a Spirit Ice Spike. Hyang looks baffled at Perlmuts's hair and with a surprised expression.
Hyang: "High-quality-Spirit-Ice? Not quite what we need, as it would be a waste to try to turn it into a meager amount of cold QI water, but it might come in handy someday. You should take care of that after all those spikes are growing out of your hair."
Perlmut uses her hair to make it look like a pretty hair garment.
Perlmut: "Quite beautiful, isn't it?"
Hyang: "Anyway, the best cold water would be 1000-year-old-bone-freezing-spirit-water, but that's impossible as it basically doesn't even exist. It's a myth in itself. And since Rex isn't a factory, we'll have to wander up north."
👓~North is where your nose points~👓
Whispers ? the wind and rustling of leaves, webbing those words, hiding them unnaturally.
The next morning, as they start to walk again, they head south, and Hyang starts talking once again.
Hyang: "And also, thanks to the elixir, the body reforging technique that can be used to break through the 9th stage of the body tempering realm is even less dangerous for you and faster in addition to bearing greater rewards. Not to forget, that thanks to the elixir and you having used only the purest QI possible to cultivate, the dangers one would face are nonexistent as you also got an Ice Body. And as for Rex Unustuse, do not worry about him. He doesn't seem to have the body of a mortal anyway. He would most likely just end up freezing the liquid in the cauldron solid."
Perlmut: "Are these lectures really necessary?"
Hyang: "As you are a former mortal, there is a need for you to gather knowledge of the cultivation world, and as your" 'he points towards the sky with a smile' "master I'm obligated to teach you along the way."
While continuing to walk like that, a coach with a bunch of guards on horses drives past them. During which some guards look at them and speak.
Guard1: "Ha, look at them! For sure they are a noble from a fallen house and their most loyal servant."
Guard2: "Ya, I know what ya mean. It's one a those evil nobles that think they are better than us common folk. Serves ya right that a king got rid of al of ya."
Guard3: "Human trash!"
Guard1: "Now we are a great and noble example for what you should have done."
Guard3: "Pay a bunch of guards to protect their riches?"
Guard1: "No! I mean honest work, you dunce."
As they ride on, they spit on the way before Hyang and Perlmut and leave.
Hyang: "Hm, I wonder why the king got rid of nobles. Something bigger must have been going on for that to happen. It might still be farfetched, but perhaps there was more to what happened back then at that village."
Perlmut: "Or perhaps those were just internal disputes, you dunce of a servant. Ohohohoho"
Hyang: "You really can't help yourself. But I suppose that is still an option. Although our king wouldn't have done something like that for no reason, or how you said it, internal disputes."
Perlmut: "Still farfetched to believe that it could have something to do with such a backwater village, don't you think?"
Hyang: "Well, how about we look at other villages after fixing you up?"
Perlmut: "Why not now?"
Hyang: "...you. I wonder why, perhaps because you sparkle and glitter like there is no tomorrow. And I don't want to have encounters like that. Additionally, making sure you don't randomly die is still the priority. Although your internals seem healed, your appearance says otherwise. Even worse is the way you talk without changed appearance."
Perlmut: "I'll have you know that I'm doing my best to sound as soothing for the ear as possible without the crown."
As she says that, Hyang gets goosebumps and responds.
Hyang: "If that is your best, I don't even want to imagine your worst."
She reacts in the role she plays with the Illusion.
Perlmut: "Hmpf, how ungentlemanly of you."
And so they walk over a hill and a bridge that led over water until 1500 words were spoken, and they heard something.
Hyang: "Why is it suddenly so cold?"
Perlmut: "Whaever do you mean?"
Hyang: "I feel a sudden chill permeating throughout my body."
Perlmut: "Are you scaaared?"
Hyang: "I meant an unexplainable sudden coldness."
Perlmut: "So you're not feeling anythiiing?"
She says with a mockingly playful smile.
'>:3' something like that
Hyang: "What is it that you are doing?..."
Perlmut: "Oh, nothing-"
Hyang: "..."
Perlmut: "Just releasing a little of Rex's innate aura that I have been dampening."
Hyang: "Wait, what? That seems like something one shouldn't just simply be able to do. How are you capable of such a thing?"
Perlmut: "Don't know. But I can adjust it for some reason."
Hyang: "And this is what you use it for? Fooling around."
Perlmut: "I can use Rex's aura as a fridge." at the same time Hyang: "Also, you did protect the environment from his cold aura, I suppose. But don't use him as a fridge. Please."