"Yang Kai?" The woman's attractive brows furrowed slightly before understanding dawned on her face. "You must be that new disciple who just joined!"
"That's right!" Yang Kai nodded with a solemn expression.
The woman looked him up and down, her gaze lingering for a moment on the golden token at Yang Kai's waist. She gave a light hum. "The Sect Master certainly thinks highly of you—actually bestowing an Elder's Token."
She beckoned to Yang Kai. "Come down first. We'll talk."
Yang Kai complied and jumped down, standing respectfully before her. Since this woman also possessed an Elder's Token, she was undoubtedly an elder of the Mystic Pill Sect, and as an elder of the Mystic Pill Sect, she was sure to be an Alchemist Master as well as a Spirit-grade martial artist.
The woman glared at him. "What were you doing up so high?"
Yang Kai came up with a ready excuse. "The Sect Master ordered me to come and contemplate the mysteries of the Medicine King Cauldron whenever I had free time. I thought that the closer I got to this divine artifact, the easier it might be to discover something. That's why I climbed up there. If I did something inappropriate, please punish me, Martial Aunt."
The woman said dismissively, "The ignorant are fearless. Do you think a divine artifact is something you can casually touch? It's a good thing I found you early. If I'd been a moment later, I'd probably be collecting your corpse."
Yang Kai was alarmed. "It's that serious?"
The woman replied, "The Ten Great Divine Artifacts represent the ultimate heavenly dao of this world. Since ancient times, those who have obtained divine artifacts have all been people of extraordinary fortune and great destiny. How could just anyone touch one?"
Although Yang Kai didn't feel it was quite as dire as she made it sound, he still put on an act of being drenched in cold sweat. "Thank you for the warning, Martial Aunt."
The woman's expression softened somewhat. She looked him up and down again. "So, did you manage to grasp anything just now?"
"A little, but it was rather vague. I'll need more time to fully comprehend it."
The woman nodded gently. "I've heard about your situation. Since you have an affinity with the Medicine King Cauldron, don't waste the Sect Master's expectations for you. But remember this—in the future, don't be greedy or rash in your actions. If something goes wrong, no one will be able to save you."
"Understood!" Yang Kai responded, feeling somewhat puzzled. This woman seemed to be showing him a measure of concern, though he wasn't sure if he was imagining it.
"Did you come here to contemplate the mysteries of the Medicine King Cauldron as well, Martial Aunt?" Yang Kai asked casually.
The woman exhaled softly, her full chest rising and falling with the breath. "Yes. We old folks come to take a look whenever we have the chance, hoping to draw some inspiration. At the Alchemist Master level, advancing further... isn't so easy. It's a pity that I'm too old and useless. But you, kid—you actually managed to perceive some of the mysteries. It's truly surprising."
"I was merely lucky. And Martial Aunt, you're not old at all. You're in the prime of your beauty."
The woman looked at him in surprise, then broke into a hearty laugh, her whole body trembling with mirth. When the laughter subsided, she gave a light hum. "Just as slick-tongued as that old codger—no wonder he took you as his disciple! Tell me, how is that old codger doing?"
Yang Kai paused for a moment before realizing that the person she was referring to must be his so-called master. Judging from her expression and tone, it seemed she shared some indescribable connection with that bargain-basement master of his. He immediately understood why she was showing him some concern.
"When Master was teaching me, I was still very young and didn't remember much. I can't recall most of it. But back then, Master was quite good to me—especially when I made mistakes and he spanked me. He hit really hard!"
The woman blinked, then burst into uncontrollable laughter. "His temper really isn't great, and his standards are impossibly high. You were just a child then, so of course he'd hit you for not meeting his requirements. If he knew what you've achieved now, he'd surely be proud."
She asked Yang Kai a few more questions, and he either spun outlandish lies or claimed he couldn't remember. He didn't reveal any inconsistencies, and no matter how trivial the detail, the woman listened with rapt interest.
After a good while, the woman finally waved her hand. "You look tired. Go back and rest early. If you ever run into trouble, come find me at Thousand-Luo Peak. That's where I usually live."
"Thank you, Martial Aunt. This disciple takes his leave!"
Back at Moon-Locking Peak, Yang Kai asked Yang Huai and learned that the peak master of Thousand-Luo Peak was an elder named Lan Yin—most likely the same woman he had encountered in the forbidden grounds.
Yang Kai had wanted to gather more intelligence about his so-called master, but unfortunately, Yang Huai had grown up in the Blood Guard Camp since childhood. He only knew that such a person existed within the Mystic Pill Sect, with very little detailed knowledge, so there wasn't much he could share.
In truth, ever since entering the Mystic Pill Sect, Yang Kai had been deliberately or casually probing for information about that bargain-basement master. After all, he had joined the sect under the identity of that master's Personal Disciple, so learning more about him couldn't hurt.
However, the Scripture Pavilion held no records of that person, and Yang Kai couldn't very well go around asking too many questions without risking exposure. As a result, he still knew very little about his so-called master.
The following days passed uneventfully. Yang Kai continued refining pills at the Alchemist's Pavilion to earn the cultivation resources he needed, while making frequent trips back and forth to the forbidden grounds, attempting to refine the Medicine King Cauldron.
He didn't know whether anyone else in the Mystic Pill Sect had ever tried to refine this divine artifact, but surely they must have. With such a wondrous object sitting in the forbidden grounds, who could resist the temptation?