Purple smoke puffed out of an old cauldron in the middle of the woods.
Rusted, bronze and filled with bubbling green liquid.
A fair hand daintily threw two stalks of red-orange four-leafed plant.
The liquid slowly turns into a dark shade of orange, bubbles popping due to the heat.
"Is it supposed to look like that?" Feng Jiao Xue asked doubtfully.
HuangJinDe, who was floating crossed legged behind her peers over her shoulder.
"No, it's supposed to be blue. Forget about the right shade, you don't even have the right colour" He replied with a frown. "You sure you got the steps right? Cause I watched you put the ingredients they where the right order"
Feng Jiao Xue flipped over an alchemy book, it was full of basic formulas but baby steps.
"Maybe I missed a stir or did not cut the herbs correctly" Feng Jiao Xue thoughtfully replied reading over the formula for a healing pill, tier 1. low grade.
"Yeah, because you know, that's supposed to be... not liquid. But, uhm... it smells like a healing pill" Huang Jin De tried to comfort her, trying hard to find a praise but... looking at the cauldron with bubbling multi shaded orange liquid, he could only swallow his pride as an alchemy master to praise the abomination that should be shamed for being even made up of the herbs from the space.
"...Wanna try what it can do?" Feng Jiao Xue asked curiously.
"Uh... you do know that might kill you, right?" Huang Jin De reminded her with a cautious look. "I can't bring you back to life twice. Death doesn't work like that"
Feng Jiao Xue rolled her eyes. "I'm not suicidal. We can fetch a low level beast... preferably one close enough for a human physique so a monkey would be preferable."
Huang Jin De's red eyes turned into slits as he spread his divine consciousness allowing him to 'see' the entire forest.
"I don't think there are any beasts here that would fit that but if you want there are venomous rats around here. North side, you won't miss their cave" Huang Jin De replied.
"Neat" Feng Jiao Xue nodded, packing her stuff back to her space ring with a wave of her hand, leisurely walking towards their direction.
"You know, just a thought. How come the magical beasts here are so similar to the myths and you know, regular animals back on earth?" Feng Jiao Xue asked, leaping up a rock as Huang Jin De followed after her.
"Well, it's not really a surprise. You can count that world as a low level one now. It used to be filled with Qi and to some extent, magic. But, it began to thin out until the inhabitants forgot about them and the creatures regressed while humans managed to somehow evolve into another form of advancement through their ingenuity and inventions."
"So, there was a chance that it could have been a mix of cultivation, magic and technology at one point?" Feng Jiao Xue raised her brow at that.
"Not, exactly. Technology thrived because humanity focused on that so perhaps it could have. Or they could have disregarded technology and focused more on advancing cultivation or magic. There are plenty of possibilities as variables do tend to create different outcomes. It's not always 1+1 equals to 2" He explained making Feng Jiao Xue nod.
"...Think I can introduce technology to this world?" She thought.
"Technology reached that point because of the minds of hundreds of people that supported and grew it over time. It spans to years. Think of it like a bud planted by one man and was tended and grown by various generations over time. You can but it won't be easy."
"It can be advantageous but I know my capabilities." She paused and smiled softly as one person came to mind. "Lou Xi might succeed though. He has always been a master in that field."
Huang Jin De did not know how to reply to that and simply kept silent because sometimes, the best way to comfort someone isn't to speak flattering words.
He placed a hand on Feng Jiao Xue's shoulder.
Sometimes, people just need to know that they aren't alone, that you are there. And sometimes that's more comforting than words.
"I'm fine" Feng Jiao Xue assured him as she stopped in front of a cave, hidden by a boulder while observing as the 'rats' were gathered to a canine beast, or the corpse of one.
The beast wasn't easily identifiable because it's being torn apart by rats. Even its intact fur barely shows its true color aside from the blood that soaked it.
The 'rats' on the other hand.
Feng Jiao Xue can see thirteen of them.
Their teeth are the size of a kitchen knife while their size is almost that of a racoon. Their fur is a faded gray with claws that reminded Feng Jiao Xue of those that belonged to moles.
"Can you tell me their cultivation level?" She asked cautiously.
"2, mid level. However-" Feng Jiao Xue cut him off before he could finish.
"I can't take them on. I know." She observed the rats. "I can take them one at a time but together, I can take three or even four if I push it. Yin Xiao can use his mist to pour the... potion on the... whatever that is that their mauling"
"Gray fire hound. You can tell by the general structure and the fire energy on its beast core" Huang Jin De supplied before taking the cauldron using his Qi and floating it over the group.
"And no need. You know you can rely on me sometimes too" With that said, the liquid was poured.
The rats scrambled away as the orange liquid fell before they all scrambled back to mauling the remains of the corpse.
"They're not dying" Feng Jiao Xue pointed out, appearing on a tree branch while observing the rodents.
Unknown to her, golden eyes watched the happenings from above the clouds, bored and cold eyes observing Huang Jin De besides her before it fell back on Feng Jiao Xue.
"Interesting" The owner mused, cold and yet mellow voice mused. Instead of Feng Jiao Xue's physical appearance however, in the golden eyes' view, she appears to be a fragmented soul, flickering light a candle flame ready to fade and yet still shining brightly.
Going back to Feng Jiao Xue, the rats' mouth foamed as if they began to have rabies but instead of white it was black, their silvas melting whatever they can drop into like acid.
"...The pill I was trying to make was a healing one right?" Feng Jiao Xue asked doubtfully.
"It was, I double checked. Little Xue is just so awesome to be able to create poison out of cultivated herbs that were filled with the properties to heal" HuanJinDe blindly praised with dead eyes as his heart as an alchemy master cried in insult since no matter how that was supposed to be mixed, cut, dized, stirred or heated, they shouldn't be able to harm.
"Yin Xiao" Feng Jiao Xue called out in her mental link.
The white deer who was taking a nap in the space ring opened his eyes.
"What is it, Xue?" He asked, eager to be of help.
"Can you come out and observe this group for me? If anything else change tell me"
"Yes, of course" Yin Xiao appeared below the tree.
"Good boy" Feng Jiao Xue stroke his head. "Don't forget to be careful and if danger comes up, retreat immediately. Your safety will always be top priority."
Soft, cool muzzle nuzzle on her neck. "I know, don't worry."
Feng Jiao Xue nodded before retreating to continue her practice. As they left, Huang Jin De frowned and glanced at a certain direction above, using his divine consciousness to scout again only to come up with the same as ever. Magical beasts lower than level 3 and not a single presence in the clouds.