Staring at the strange tri-colored light cluster, Feixiao couldn't figure out its origin, but the extraordinariness of a golden Curio was known to all. The memory of Jingliu obtaining the [Samsara Elixir] was still vivid before her eyes, and when that memory overlapped with what lay before her, the matter she thought she had long since accepted and let go of stirred once more in her heart.
Perhaps she was simply too emotional, for in the quiet little room where four people sat silently, her ears were filled with deafening noise. Perhaps it was desire, perhaps instinct, but something kept whispering to her—telling her that this was what she wanted most.
Even though the appearance of this object bore no resemblance to any pill or medicine, even though she could not discern what this small cluster of light was meant for, under the coaxing of her 'self', she found herself believing in it seven-tenths already.
With the last of her reason, she forced her violently beating heart down to a steady rhythm, swallowed once, and asked cautiously:
"Shopkeeper Sylvester, what is the origin of this thing? Could it perhaps be a cure for my Moon Rage?"
The moment she spoke, Yanqing listened with rapt attention. A Curio far surpassing the [Massacre Ruler]—though he could only admire it from afar, was that not still a rare joy? For most people, such things remained forever as mere legend, never to be seen with one's own eyes.
Jing Yuan likewise straightened his posture, his gaze seemingly calm as still water, but in truth wavering between gravity and elation. To witness a golden Curio with his own eyes left him uncertain what demeanor was appropriate.
Shopkeeper Sylvester felt the scorching weight of three gazes upon him, and raised his torso from where he had been slouched against the chair's back.
He himself felt little toward the Curio, but the sudden vigor in the others made him feel it would be somewhat discourteous to continue showing such laziness.
Indeed—even here, among those who had already seen or even possessed golden Curios, no one could remain indifferent when another golden light emerged.
But as for Feixiao's hope… to cure Moon Rage? For this pill, that was truly a case of squandering a divine treasure, like using a hawk meant to soar the skies as nothing more than a pet bird for chasing rabbits.
He shook his head calmly. "It does not cure that. This is indeed a pill, but its purpose lies far, far beyond Moon Rage."
"Ah…"
A long sigh escaped from all present.
The greater the desire, the deeper the disappointment.
Feixiao lowered her head, staring silently at the tri-colored light cluster. After Jing Yuan sighed, he closed his eyes and assumed a meditative calm, showing no trace of joy or sorrow, utterly different from the man who had been stirred just moments before. Yanqing still held interest, but the mood of those around him had infected his own.
They were not disappointed in the pill itself, but in the odds—odds too slim to cling to. Moon Rage for the Foxians was akin to Mara for ordinary humans—long recognized as an incurable affliction.
And yet, the appearance of the [Samsara Elixir] had given them a glimmer of hope.
But only a glimmer.
Because the [Samsara Elixir] was a golden Curio. The probability of acquiring one was abysmally low. And with so many cosmic treasures in existence, if one failed to appear now, when would the next golden Curio come? And even then—would the next golden Curio even be a pill? And if so, what were the chances that pill could cure Moon Rage?
Layer upon layer, the odds collapsed into despair. The more they thought, the more reality revealed itself, and the more pessimistic they became.
This pessimism dulled even their thirst to know more about the Curio in hand.
Feixiao cursed her own greed in silence—how could she, when holding a highest-grade Curio, still dare to nitpick? At this rate, perhaps next time she would not even get a purple Curio!
But even if reason scolded her so, could emotions truly be governed by reason?
Her fox ears betrayed her heart: though she tried to hold them upright, the green tips still drooped ever so slightly.
She was still downcast.
That feeling lasted—until Shopkeeper Sylvester's next words struck her ears.
With disdain, he said: "Because for this pill, Moon Rage isn't even worth mentioning! To use it for such would be a waste beyond imagining."
"Hm?!"
Everyone's heads snapped up at once, their faces first showing shock.
What did he mean? Curing Moon Rage wasn't even worth mentioning? But that was an incurable disease! An affliction that had plagued the Foxians for millennia! A curse etched into their very bones by the Abundance of Yaoshi!
Feixiao wanted to shout this aloud, but she held herself back.
The reason was simple—the [Samsara Elixir]! She remembered clearly its ability to shift attributes and Paths at will.
That was at least a tenfold increase in strength!
She was already an Emanator of The Hunt—if she could gain such an increase, then beneath the Aeons themselves she would be invincible, without a doubt!
The illness that had haunted her all her life—was it now nothing more than a hurdle already behind her? And beyond that hurdle… lay a straight road to the heavens?
It was too sudden, too overwhelming.
In that moment, her heart soared as if from hell to heaven. The hope and despair she had just felt became as though she had looked up at the night sky hoping for a single meteor—only to be gifted instead with a whole meteor shower.
Joy—indescribable joy!
Joy so immense it struck her mind like a hammer, leaving her throat tight, words locked behind her lips, when she had so much she wanted to say. All she wanted was to celebrate like a youth struck by fortune, to revel wildly until her spirit was spent.
Looking at Shopkeeper Sylvester behind the counter, she almost wanted to leap at him and engage in a fierce bout, to fight until sweat drenched them both, until the world spun, just to release her joy.
"Then what power does this thing truly possess?"
Amid the sudden ecstasy, Jing Yuan, as an observer, was the first to regain some composure. After a few seconds of swallowing down his own emotions, he asked the most important question.
Since Shopkeeper Sylvester had said curing Moon Rage was beneath mention, then Feixiao's affliction was no longer any concern. The words that had once spelled a deadly peril now seemed like the name of some long-forgotten acquaintance from the past—blurred, distant, irrelevant.
What truly mattered was this: what kind of power could this pill bestow? That was the only thought occupying his mind.
What a curious feeling.
Even as he considered it, Jing Yuan found himself marveling at the human mind. 'How swiftly and neatly it can reorder its priorities.'
For the soul-shaking revelations that had struck both Feixiao and Jing Yuan, Shopkeeper Sylvester merely gave a faint smile.
As though it were the most trivial thing.
"This is a pill crafted by a supreme being from a parallel universe, made in their struggle to resurrect a dear friend, a cherished kin. In that universe, immortals truly existed, though utterly different from the Aeons. In the end, that supreme being endured countless trials and forged this pill."
After roughly explaining the origin, he spoke of its effect: "It is called the [Resurrection Elixir]. It wrests the authority over life and death from the unconscious laws of the cosmos, and bestows vitality anew upon the departed."
At these words, the pupils of all three listeners contracted sharply.
Feixiao blurted out: "This is impossible!"
Not merely enhancing ability—but returning the dead to life? That was beyond a hundredfold, even a thousandfold increase in power. It defied belief!
"How does it revive? I mean—what requirements are there for the deceased? Must death have been recent? Must the body remain intact?"
Feixiao tilted her head toward Jing Yuan, who had posed the question. His half-hidden eyes behind his bangs betrayed no ripple of emotion, yet anyone could feel the hot blood surging beneath.
She understood why he asked. For her, this was an overabundance of power, a treasure that shattered her understanding. But for Jing Yuan—this was truly to the point. Not just a cure for one person, but a remedy for an entire era.