I Have Medicine

Chapter 617 - (Striking-Thunder Bamboo) Another Massive Harvest

After receiving Gu Zuo’s pills, the group did not hesitate to swallow them. As soon as the medicine hit their stomachs, a surging warm current coursed through their bodies, instantly soothing the pain caused by the lightning strikes. Their torn skin and ruptured veins healed and regrew at a speed a hundred times faster than before; in just a few breaths, they were no longer a bloody mess of “mangled flesh.” Simultaneously, a terrifying burst of energy filled them, causing the muscle and blood—which usually grow too slowly during rapid healing—to become full and robust. Within a single breath, they had returned to normal!

Duan Yunbeng and the others felt the anomaly within their bodies, their pupils contracting sharply.

This pill… its medicinal power was incredibly formidable. It felt as though it wasn’t an ordinary Profound-Level pill at all. But after a moment’s thought, they grew accustomed to it. Every pill this Junior Brother Gu produced was remarkably powerful; this one was simply adapted to their current situation, so there was no need for alarm.

Of course, the one most satisfied with the pill was Lei Pengfei. As a lightning-attribute martial artist, his bloodline was intimately linked to electricity, and physical tempering made up a huge part of his cultivation. In such tempering, injury was inevitable. While he was used to being hurt, the assistance of pills remained paramount. The better the pill, the better it solved the problem of honing his physique. This pill was the best he had ever seen; he decided that once this was over, he would have a lot of business to conduct with Gu Zuo.

With this in mind, Lei Pengfei continued to resist the lightning as he walked toward the core. As for the remaining pills in his hand, he wasn’t in a hurry to swallow them—he would wait until he was more severely injured and his natural healing could no longer keep up before taking them, so as not to waste the medicinal power. This decision was also because his physique was stronger than Duan Yunbeng’s and Feng Xueqin’s; he could endure more while they reached their limits. Of course, the fact that he didn’t have a massive supply of the pills was also a factor…

Before long, the group had traveled a great distance. Along the way, while Lei Pengfei rarely took the medicine, the others had already swallowed five or six pills each. The lightning grew denser as they neared the core; Lei Pengfei was almost entirely enveloped in electricity, moving forward like a ball of lightning. His skin split and healed repeatedly, yet throughout the process, he didn’t let out a single groan of pain.

However, Gu Zuo’s attention wasn’t on Lei Pengfei. His gaze was fixed on his Big Brother, Gongyi Tianheng.

Unlike Lei Pengfei’s flamboyant absorption, Gongyi Tianheng did not have a lightning attribute in his six qi seas. However, his Heavenly Human Dao qi sea could dissolve wisps of electricity, and his Hell Path qi sea could be honed by the lightning. Consequently, as the lightning struck him, it formed a web of sparks that seeped inward, only to be ground out of existence by his qi oceans like a giant millstone.

During this process, Tianheng’s physique received an immense boost. Although his physical body hadn’t been as strong as Lei Pengfei’s initially, under this lightning, its strength was steadily catching up. To achieve this, Tianheng endured lightning intensity no less than Lei Pengfei’s. Even though his natural recovery was slower, he had an infinite supply of pills compared to the others. No matter how much damage he took, he could simply swallow a pill and use his inner energy to repair himself instantly. Compared to the others, his progress in this area could truly be described as “terrifying.” Even Lei Pengfei’s speed of improvement paled in comparison.

Gu Zuo cautiously projected his psyche power, avoiding the dense lightning to scout the surroundings. He had ventured this deep not only to accompany his brother but also to find top-tier lightning-attribute herbs. He had found some along the way, but they were relatively common types that only satisfied his collecting hobby. To truly satisfy him, he needed more… he refused to believe a place like this lacked something truly special.

As a pharmacist of the Spirit Psyche Realm, his psyche power was extraordinary. With the aid of his manifested Divine Spirit, Gu Zuo soon detected three locations where the lightning was extremely dense and emitted distinct medicinal auras.

He narrowed his eyes and turned to Gongyi Tianheng: “Big Brother, there are three spots nearby where we can harvest herbs…”

Gongyi Tianheng smiled slightly. “Wherever it is, I will accompany you.”

Gu Zuo then explained the situation to the others: “Big Brother and I will go ahead first. We shall reunite at another spot later.” He didn’t want to waste the others’ tempering time, thinking just the two of them would go.

But Feng Xueqin said coolly, “I will go with you.”

Duan Yunbeng laughed. “This place is most beneficial to Brother Lei. I am nearly at my limit anyway; I’ll accompany Junior Brother Gu, gather the herbs, and then we can move on sooner.”

Lei Pengfei added, “The more precious the herb, the denser the lightning. I can temper my body there. In this place, my constitution is the most suited for protection. To ensure nothing goes wrong, I will guard Junior Brother Gu as well—consider it thanks for your help with the pills.”

Essentially, everyone volunteered to go for the sake of Gu Zuo’s safety. Gu Zuo naturally didn’t refuse such “deep friendship” and nodded in thanks.

The group followed Gu Zuo’s directions. Indeed, the herbs at those locations were far more precious and rare than what they had seen before. Gu Zuo was pleased, thinking it was about time to leave… but just as he prepared to go, his Divine Spirit suddenly vibrated.

Instinctively, Gu Zuo walked toward the location that triggered his intuition. The others followed, assuming there was more to find, but realized the direction was now leading straight into the core of the cultivation site.

After a moment of thought, they understood. The core would have the densest lightning and thus the best herbs. Chilling in the core to cultivate might be impossible for most of them, but holding out for a short time while Gu Zuo harvested was doable.

The group sped forward, using secret techniques to shield themselves. Lei Pengfei’s brow twitched as he summoned a bowl-like object from his qi sea to hover above his head. The bowl expanded, sucking in the surrounding lightning. It was clearly a powerful spiritual weapon, though whether it was his innate spiritual weapon remained unknown. Walking within the purple light emitted by the bowl, they were completely shielded from the strikes.

Finally, a even more violent force of lightning appeared ahead!

Everyone took a deep breath. Gu Zuo’s gaze landed upon a cluster of purple-gold bamboo standing amidst the lightning.

His voice was slightly muffled by the thunder: “The Thunder Pool… Striking-Thunder Bamboo…”

This time, everyone recognized the herb. It was a rare treasure highly sought after by lightning martial artists and pharmacists alike. However, obtaining it was incredibly difficult.

Lei Pengfei hesitated for a second, about to step forward to help Gu Zuo. He had resisted the temptation of the Qingxue Fruits; while he craved the bamboo, he wouldn’t let it shake his resolve this time.

But Gongyi Tianheng stepped out, saying softly, “Ah Zuo, let me go.”

At some point, he had also donned a black robe identical to Gu Zuo’s—the Sky-Shrouding War-Mad Robe. Even though it wasn’t fully restored, it could resist dense lightning for a short time. Even if some force leaked through, Tianheng could simply use his physique and pills to neutralize it.

Seeing this, a glint flashed in Lei Pengfei’s eyes. He stopped his own movement—not because he didn’t want to help, but because he wanted to see what this “all-star prodigy” Gongyi Tianheng was truly capable of.

Gu Zuo looked seriously at his brother. Tianheng smiled back.

Gu Zuo’s gaze softened. “Big Brother, I believe in you.”

Tianheng reached out, rubbed Gu Zuo’s head through the hood, donned his own hood, and strode into the Thunder Pool!

[Big Brother, use the Thunder-Jade Gourd to collect the Striking-Thunder Bamboo Liquid…]

[Don’t dig up all the bamboo. Leaving some here allows us to collect more liquid in the future; Brother Lei can come here himself later.]

[There are six stalks in total. Just dig up three—they can be used to refine powerful spiritual weapons. The remaining three can be distributed among the senior brothers and sisters…]

Communicating through their consciousness, Tianheng’s movements were swift. He endured the lightning strikes on his hands each time he reached out, rapidly collecting everything Gu Zuo requested. Then, he swallowed a pill and dashed back!

He had collected a total of 5,218 drops of Striking-Thunder Bamboo Liquid!

Afterward, the entire group—including Lei Pengfei, who still could not fully acclimate to the depths of this place—fled the terrifying core area of the lightning at top speed to recover and recuperate.

Gu Zuo and the others bid a formal farewell to Lei Pengfei and headed toward the next location.