Chapter 160: The Calming Hallucination Pill

When dawn was approaching, Moon woke up.

Ugo was still sleeping deeply, his breathing slow and steady. One arm rested loosely across the empty space where Moon had been.

Moon glanced at his face and almost felt guilty for leaving him alone.

For a moment, he hesitated, wondering whether he should stay a little longer. But the thought of refining pills pushed the hesitation aside.

He turned away before the feeling could settle.

The air inside the Stardust Sanctuary had already begun to stir.

Dew clung to the blades of grass, and from time to time, a soft breeze carried the sweet scent of the flower buds waiting to bloom.

Everything felt fresh and full, as if the whole place were holding its breath for the coming full moon.

They were all waiting.

Just like him.

Moon walked to the edge of the pond, pulled off his outer robe, and stepped into the water without bothering to remove the rest of his clothes.

Despite it being winter, the sanctuary water remained warm. Its warmth wrapped around his legs and gradually spread through his body as he sank deeper.

He took a breath and dived down.

Schools of small silver fish scattered around him.

Water ferns swayed gently with the current, their long leaves brushing against his arms as he swam past. Moon watched the fish for a moment, and a sudden thought crossed his mind.

’Could these be spiritual too? If I eat them, would they give me more energy?’

He took a small jar from his storage and used a quick sweep of spiritual force to catch several of them. After securing the jar, he swam deeper into the pond.

The light above gradually faded, and the water grew clearer.

At the bottom, nestled between two smooth stones, he finally found what he had been looking for.

A blue sphere.

It pulsed faintly, like a condensed drop of spiritual water. Moon reached out and closed his fingers around it.

He waited for something to happen—a protective formation, a guardian beast, or perhaps some hidden mechanism that would attack anyone who touched it.

Nothing came.

He examined the sphere briefly before storing it carefully and swimming back to the surface.

When he broke through the water, the Moon Goddess finally spoke.

[You are taking a bath this early?]

Moon scooped water over his face and rubbed the back of his neck. "Where were you? You didn’t answer me last time."

[I have so many calls... which one should I answer first?] she replied playfully.

"Hmm."

Moon knew she wasn’t telling him the full truth.

After RuYi’s thunderbolt attack, he no longer dared to press these rulers of the world too hard. Whatever secrets they were hiding, he had already learned that asking the wrong question could bring trouble.

[You got a good thing. But without this spirit heart, the Stardust Lily might slowly weaken.]

Moon ignored her for a moment.

He climbed out of the pond, used a simple drying spell, and pulled his clothes back into place. Only then did he answer.

"I have a plan. This spirit heart’s power is being wasted under the pond. Rather than letting it spread freely, I will make a condensed spiritual pool. And I..."

His voice trailed off a little as he considered his next words.

"I want to use a little of its water in today’s pill. I’m not completely confident, and I have a shortage of the main ingredient, so I’d better be cautious."

[Oh? The calming pill?]

"Not only that. The transformation pill too."

Before the Goddess could respond, Moon’s stomach suddenly growled.

He froze for a moment before pressing a hand against his abdomen.

He hadn’t eaten properly for some time. With all the pill refining, cultivation, and trouble surrounding his mates, he had barely paid attention to something as simple as eating since the fasting pill was enough for him.

But today is a big day for him; he wanted to indulge a little.

Moon took out the fish he had caught, sparked a small fire, and began grilling them.

The smell of roasted flesh quickly filled the air around the boulder. He turned the fish occasionally, waiting until their skins were crisp and the meat was thoroughly cooked.

By the time the fish were ready, Ugo had woken up.

The man sat up slowly, rubbing his eyes. After looking around and finding Moon beside the fire, he walked over.

Moon smiled, "You are up? Let’s eat."

Ugo had never eaten anything Moon cooked. He was curious. He hurriedly freshened up by the pond and sat down beside Moon.

He took a piece of fish and began eating. It was delicious.

The warm energy melted in his body. Ugo had never felt anything like this when eating.

The fish was indeed spirit fish. They had been inside a spiritual pond all this time and evolved into spirit fish.

They ate quietly.

Neither of them talked much. When they finished, Ugo stood and stretched.

"I’m going to the medicinal garden. Find me if you need anything. By now, the plants should already be starting to sprout."

Moon nodded. "Hmm. I will."

Moon watched him go for a moment before returning to the rock platform.

He sat cross-legged and closed his eyes, meditating until his spiritual sea felt full and steady.

Luckily, he tried the fish today. After eating, he no longer needed the spirit stone. Just refine the energy he got already.

He guided his qi through his meridians, allowing the lingering restlessness in his body to settle. Only when his breathing had become even, and his mind was clear, did he open his eyes again.

Moon took out the ingredients for the calming hallucination pill and arranged them carefully on the stone platform.

[Are you sure about this?] the Goddess asked. [Illusion pills are tricky. One wrong step, and the effect can reverse. Instead of calming them, you might get trapped in your own illusion when refining.]

"I know."

[Then why risk it?]

"Because I need those contracts." Moon’s voice was low. "I can’t keep them like this forever. And I can’t wait for natural bonding. I don’t have that kind of time."

The Goddess fell silent for a moment.

[...Be careful with the fox blood. Ten drops are not much. If you fail even once, you may not get another illusion fox blood in this realm anymore.]

Moon already knew that.

That was precisely why he had spent so much time preparing himself before touching the ingredients.

He took a deep breath and began.

First, he carefully measured out a single drop of the nine-tailed fox blood.

Using a thin strand of spiritual force, he divided it into ten tiny portions on a jade plate, making each one so small that it was almost impossible to see without concentrating.

Then he brought out a small amount of water from the spirit heart and mixed it with the blood, allowing the spiritual energy to seep into each tiny portion.

After that, Moon took out the Frostheart Lotus petals and the Three-Leaf Spirit Calming Grass.

He purified each ingredient ten times, removing every trace of impurity he could detect.