Cannon fodder in a classic cultivation story

8. She was totally screwed

Su Jing stared at the bottle, which resembled a butterfly. It looked strange and pretty, so she rotated it for a few minutes to admire its design. 

" Isn't this precious?"

She had never heard of such a thing. They were right now outside, going together towards an inn, so the twilight rays were colouring the bottle in an orange shade.

Ya Wen, however, shook his head.

" Disciples in Heavenly Clouds Sect are passionate about drinking, so usually there are a lot of such bottles everywhere, even between the outdoor disciples. Personally, I don't really drink, so it would be more useful for you to keep the tonic from going stale. I already have many more since they are easy to obtain."

Su Jing wasn't a fan of alcohol either, but since Ya Wen was willing to give it to her, she didn't refuse. Remembering the tonic, her stomach hurt, still unwilling to digest such an untasteful thing.

Typically, bitter liquors held the most potency in the immortal realm, at least according to Feng Zhi Hao's experiences. However, Su Jing felt that hers did little more than offend her taste buds. As swordmasters consumed this tonic daily, Su Jing suspected it was meant for longer use, but her resilience wasn't sufficient for that. 

She tucked it into her sleeves and followed Ya Wen. Outside, the crowd buzzed with activity, even as the sky darkened. Vendors had started lighting their stalls, creating a warm, welcoming glow. 

After walking for a while, they stopped in front of a small wooden building. The modest structure and the people around instantly indicated to Su Jing that she had arrived at an inn. 

"There should be a few rooms open," Ya Wen said, glancing at her. "I'm sure your journey from Mountain Shun was tough. Be sure to rest well since we can't predict what we'll face at the sect tomorrow." 

Su Jing nodded, thanking Ya Wen. She felt bad for being a freeloader, but she really had no funds to cover anything! 

All in all, once they each got a room, things seemed to calm down. Despite having consumed spiritual food earlier, fatigue pulsed through her body, and the thought of resting in a comfortable bed was irresistibly appealing.

"This is the key," Ya Wen's voice was heard as he came from the innkeeper, giving her a piece of wood. Su Jing frowned when she saw it, not understanding how that resembled a normal key.

After Ya Wen explained to her, she understood that the key token was meant to be put inside a device, and once you entered a bit of your Qi, you were teleported directly inside a private room. To get out, you had to infuse your Qi in the door.

"Your Qi seems unstable," Ya Wen said, frowning as he gently held her wrist. "I'll channel some of my Qi into your fingertip. When you need to activate a spiritual device, just touch it and let the Qi flow through."

Su Jing glanced at him, a little uneasy. She'd thought that her Qi had stabilized after consuming so much spiritual food. But now that Ya Wen mentioned it, there was indeed a lingering discomfort—a subtle, tingling pressure in her chest, as though something inside her was trying to break free.

"Is it that bad?" she asked hesitantly. "It's been quite difficult for me to sense the Qi around me."

Ya Wen, as a core disciple, surely knew what he was talking about. She watched as his brows furrowed slightly. "Your dantian isn't properly settled yet, and there are fissures in it. The small amount of Qi you've cultivated is leaking out and swirling chaotically within your body. Your roots are straining themselves to keep this chaotic Qi under control."

Chaotic Qi? Su Jing unconsciously touched her chest, her heartbeats slowing down for a few seconds as another energy pulsated more strongly, making her dizzy for a second.