Chapter 42 — ILK Chapter 42

The Medicinal Bath

Minur had previously claimed she didn't know Major General Keliu’s whereabouts because she hadn't participated in the raid due to the darkness, and that the Clan Leader suspected she aided Du Yuan’s escape, leading to her exile at the mines. She had carefully omitted the truth by choosing what not to say, making her story appear exceptionally authentic.

However, she had encountered Sang Ye—the person who cared most about Du Yuan in this world. Sang Ye stared at her stubbornly, determined to extract an answer.

"She likely has nothing to do with you, but I want to know," Sang Ye said bluntly. "Do you see your clansmen outside? They aren't beyond hope, but they need a massive, continuous infusion of mental energy—something you currently lack the power to provide. And the base Guides certainly won't waste precious energy on enemies."

"I can save them, provided you tell me everything you know." Sang Ye’s tone was certain, her expression relaxed as if this were a simple task. In reality, Minur, with water still dripping from her chin, could feel the mental energy flooding into her landscape. This Guide was special; her rank wasn't high, a fact even a Sentinel could detect, yet her mental energy seemed to be in infinite supply.

For someone who has nothing left to lose, the psychological defense is the easiest to breach.

"I am the one who let her go," Minur confessed after a period of silence. "She was like the Royal Family that landed years ago; she didn't belong to our world, and she was even less willing to help us commit evil. While she was in the tribe, she often said we were practicing ‘heretical arts’ and 'entering a demonic state.' I didn't quite understand the terms, but I understood the meaning."

"One day, when it was my turn to guard her, I set her free." She omitted many details, but now wasn't the time to nitpick. "I took her to the Snow Mountain Woods—though there are no trees left there now. On the backside of the snowy slope, there is a deserted artificial cave. I used to go there as a child to observe the stars. No one in the tribe knows about it."

"I hid her there, planning to find a way to send her to your base before I left," Minur shrugged. "But before I found the chance, I was sent to guard the mines."

"The Snow Mountain Woods? Where is that?" Sang Ye asked Asu Ment and Wu Huansheng. Their gazes immediately shifted to a certain "outsider."

Lin Changli had just finished his rice ball. Holding a massive lamb skewer, he raised an eyebrow and looked back without a hint of guilt.

"That’s the heart of the Snow Mountain that Marshal Lin burned down last time. It’s a wasteland now," Wu Huansheng explained. "Even today, the residual burning mental energy hasn't dissipated. One cannot enter without protection. For an unstable Sentinel, entering would only accelerate a mental collapse."

Thus, the Woods had become a natural shield. Because it was a barren ruin, no one suspected it. Had Minur not spoken, the base wouldn't have discovered the artificial cave hidden in the slope.

"Based on the last known direction, your people likely migrated toward the Woods as well," Minur added. "I don't know Keliu's exact location, but the Clan Leader's group certainly does." She recalled the search parties; the most numerous had been sent toward the Woods.

…

Having obtained the intelligence she wanted, Sang Ye didn't delay. She directed a robot to serve Minur some Fish-Lamb soup and returned to her temporary kitchen. The two comatose, mutating Sentinels were a problem, but she had a blunt solution.

Sang Ye filled several large vats with spiritual spring water and added various medicinal herbs: Mugwort, dried ginger, motherwort, jasmine vine, fleeceflower vine, and liquidambar. She then had Rong Cheng help heat the water. These herbs were either grown on Shifang Grotto’s mountains or brought as gifts from other sects—spiritual plants born of heaven and earth to strengthen bone and body.

In the snowy winters of Shifang Grotto, the disciples would hold a Medicinal Bath Day, filling pools with herbs and letting subterranean magma provide slow heat. They would soak and eat fruit, as happy as mountain monkeys.

Once the water in the vats was hot, the two Sentinels were moved inside. The vats, meant for multiple people, were packed tight by their mutated bodies. The water turned a deep brown, and the rising steam carried concentrated mental energy.

Others who had previously shunned the mutants now crowded near the vats to catch the leaking energy. Rong Cheng even pulled up a stool to sit beside them and eat. She had no desire to soak in public; she would wait for the base to be rebuilt and soak in private.

Sentinels followed suit, crowding around the two vats. A few thick-skinned soldiers even stripped off their boots and coats and dove in like they were hitting a swimming pool. Hot water splashed onto other Sentinels, who shouted, "Are you a space pirate?! Give me some room!"

The three exhausted Guides returned to their kin, sipping the Fish-Lamb soup. Soon, under everyone's watch, the mutation stopped. Then, it began to devolve. Transparent white mist swirled around them—their spiritual forms manifesting in a phantom state. Mental energy affects the spiritual form first, so the forms woke up before their masters. The two mists frantically tried to push the extra limbs back into the bodies, even biting and pinching. These irradiated spiritual forms were desperately trying to save their masters.

Sang Ye watched for a while, then added a massive amount of mint and cloves to the water. Once heated, the scent was intensely refreshing, bracing the Sentinels in the hall. The recovery of the mutated duo accelerated visibly.

Sang Ye, however, sighed at her dwindling herb supply. She was a chef, not a physician. Her ring was filled with food, but medicine was scarce, and she had used half of it today. Can I add seasonings to the water? she wondered. The Sentinels just need the energy. Boiled water with spices and soy sauce would basically be a brine—but she was cooking Sentinels. She dismissed the hellish thought.

…

Minur stepped out of the cell; there was no longer a need to guard her. Positions and allegiances can shift in an instant; she was no longer an enemy of the base, as she had never truly intended to oppose the Empire. Under the base's heating, her suit had dried, though her hair was still damp. She watched the two men in the vats with anxiety.

Rong Cheng kept the bath hot. Under high heat, the herbs' energy evaporated quickly, and the water was absorbed to repair the bodies. Their spiritual forms solidified into a feline and a four-legged beast. Sang Ye stopped adding herbs—it was a waste—and decided to feed the men Fish-Lamb soup. Being unconscious wasn't a problem; she simply had them force-fed.

Sentinels and Guides dared not get too close, but robots—who felt no pain, had replaceable parts, and lacked mental energy—could do the job without fear of a sudden riot. In the other vat, the "Dumplings Sentinels" had finished; the herbs were now useless twigs, and the water had been entirely absorbed.

The sight of robots pouring soup down their throats wasn't pretty, but under the constant mental grooming, the two finally shed their mutations, regained human form, and showed signs of waking. Minur rushed forward, Sang Ye behind her. The men still had traces of fur and scales on their faces, but their eyes showed the relief of survivors. Du Yuan’s presence had made them too reckless, making them forget the horrific cost of radiation.

The two crawled out of the vat filled with dead herbs. They were clean and dry; the heat generated during limb repair and spiritual molding had dried them instantly. "You're alive," Minur wept. Even if these weren't her confidants, she cared for her people far more than the Clan Leader did.

Asu Ment walked over and ordered them to be moved to a different room for detention. They weren't quite enemies, but caution was necessary. She kept Minur outside.

"Tomorrow, I will send a team with you to find Major General Keliu and that Guide," Asu Ment stared at Minur. "You had better know the way."

Asu profoundly distrusted Minur. Though she hadn't lied, her omissions could lead to disaster. "I don't have much patience. My fleet carries enough nuclear energy to blow up this entire mountain. I can destroy the Snow Mountain, your tribe, and the Black Crystals you covet so much."

No one who knew Asu Ment’s record doubted her. Lin Changli was no exception, but he remained nonchalant, as if she wasn't talking about his planet. He looked out the small kitchen window at the snowy peak. Outside was extreme cold; inside was spring-like warmth and overflowing mental energy. Sentinels were soaking in the pleasant atmosphere, some already snoring.

They had never fought such a comfortable war. And it was all due to this unique Guide. He looked at Sang Ye as she handed warm, fragrant food into the cell, his gaze deepening."It’s my first time seeing such a strange Guide too," the little Phoenix said, gone soft from the mental energy, rolling happily in the landscape. Seeing Lin Changli drop his guard, it poked a brilliant wing out from his shoulder blade and patted his arm with a surge of heat.

"Get back in," Lin Changli slapped it, expressionless. The Phoenix, in high spirits, didn't argue and continued to roll in the scorched earth, covering itself in charcoal dust.