Ji Yin, having exited his seclusion, first went to inspect the spiritual field. He was very satisfied with the growth of the spiritual herbs.
"You've done well. Keep up the good work."
After feigning encouragement to Song Wen, he left the spiritual field.
He now had more important matters to attend to. His alchemy this time had been exceptionally smooth, producing two pills in one furnace for the first time ever, which indicated a significant improvement in his alchemy skills.
Therefore, he was full of confidence in the Blood Qi Pill he had refined this time. He felt that he must have refined a true Blood Qi Pill this time.
"Er Niu, Zhang Cheng, both of you come up to the second floor with your master. Your master has prepared good things for you."
Ji Yin shouted loudly, and without waiting for Er Niu and Zhang Cheng to react, he went up to the second floor himself.
Zhang Cheng was the first to open the door, impatiently heading to the second floor.
His master had been in seclusion refining pills for so long, and as soon as he came out, he summoned him. His master must want him to consume the pill to improve his strength.
His master had said that as long as he could advance to the Qi training second level, he would be given a vacation to return home and visit his relatives.
By then, he would not only be able to travel as a core member of the Tian Sha Gang but also receive a considerable amount of silver every month.
When he appeared before his parents, relatives, and neighbors, he would truly be returning home in glory, bringing honor to his ancestors.
Thinking of this, Zhang Cheng's steps quickened, and he hurried towards the second floor.
Er Niu, who was a bit slower, hesitated after opening his door.
The experience after consuming the pill last time was still vivid in his mind. Although his strength had greatly improved after consuming the pill, it had almost cost him his life.
If it weren't for his master giving him a large amount of tonics, Er Niu even suspected that he wouldn't live for three days.
He had never expected that in less than a month, he would have to consume the Blood Qi Pill again. He really didn't want to eat it anymore.
Although he knew the side effects of the Blood Qi Pill, the honest Er Niu didn't think too much. In his simple heart, he had never considered that his master, who had changed his fate and whom he regarded as his second parent, would do anything to harm his life.
Er Niu finally stepped onto the second floor.
"Come, these are the pills your master refined. After consuming them, your cultivation will greatly improve. You will consume the pills in your master's room, then immediately circulate your energy to refine the medicinal power, and your master will guard you from the side."
"Thank you, Master."
Zhang Cheng said with high spirits and gratitude.
After receiving the pill, he swallowed it into his stomach immediately.
After a moment of hesitation, Er Niu ultimately did not have the courage to question Ji Yin and also swallowed the pill.
A moment later, mist rose from the heads of the two who had taken the pills, and expressions of pain appeared on their faces.
"Hold on, continue to circulate your energy to refine it. Interrupting the circulation now will make all your efforts in vain. Not only will it not increase your cultivation, but it may also cause your cultivation to regress."
Ji Yin sternly reprimanded them from the side.
Upon hearing this, both of them gritted their teeth and persevered.
The body temperature of both of them suddenly began to rise, and their skin gradually turned crimson, like river shrimp being steamed.
When Ji Yin saw their reaction, he felt a sudden unease.
"Ah!"
Er Niu suddenly let out a shrill scream, then fell backward directly, his body still twitching uncontrollably.
As if triggering a chain reaction, Zhang Cheng followed closely, falling to the ground unconscious.
"How could this happen!"
Ji Yin's face showed panic and unwillingness.
He could feel the violent spiritual energy and rapidly depleting vital energy on their bodies.
Their cultivation had indeed improved significantly, but just like the previous pills, it was still at the cost of rapidly depleting their vital energy, and the speed of vital energy depletion was even greater than before.
Although Er Niu and Zhang Cheng had fallen unconscious, the Blood Qi Pill was still exerting its medicinal effects.
Their vital energy was still being consumed at an extremely fast rate and then converted into spiritual energy. However, since the two were not circulating their energy at this time, this spiritual energy lost control and began to dissipate into the surroundings. Gradually, the spiritual energy concentration in the room even saw a slight increase.
As their essence and blood were continuously consumed, their condition visibly weakened. Their skin gradually became loose, and wrinkles covered their entire bodies.
Er Niu, who was on his second trial of the medicine, even developed age spots.
Their auras also gradually weakened, indicating that their lives would not last much longer.
Ji Yin's expression became extremely grim. He had failed again, and this time he had lost two test subjects at once.
"I should have only let one person test the medicine just now."
Ji Yin felt some regret in his heart.
A moment later, Ji Yin collected his thoughts, and his eyes became sinister.
"It seems I can only use that kid outside for the next test. I originally wanted him to live a bit longer, but fate doesn't cooperate. The matter of selecting new test subjects must also be put on the agenda. It would be troublesome if we run out of test subjects again and waste time like last time."
Ji Yin opened the door and walked out, no longer looking at the two still weakly struggling on the ground.
Song Wen, who had been observing the second floor, his gaze just met Ji Yin's as he walked out of the room.
Song Wen immediately felt as if he was being stared at by a fierce beast, as if he could be devoured at any moment.
"Did those two fail the medicine test? Has Ji Yin turned his attention to me?"
With a fearful mind, Song Wen casually turned his head away, no longer paying attention to Ji Yin, and diligently worked in the medicinal field.
The entire day, Song Wen kept an eye on the movements on the second floor.
He hoped to see Er Niu and Zhang Cheng walk down from the second floor alive.
However, he waited for a long time, but there was no movement from the second floor.
It wasn't until dusk that two Tian Sha Gang members went up to the second floor, then each carried a large burlap sack and left the courtyard.
Song Wen was now certain that Er Niu and the other had died, and the next test subject would probably be himself.
That night, Song Wen suffered from insomnia again. He could no longer remember how many times he had lost sleep.
The next day, Ji Yin found Song Wen and told him that he was going into seclusion again and that Song Wen must take good care of the medicinal field.
After respectfully seeing Ji Yin off, Song Wen felt both excited and nervous. He understood that the ten days Ji Yin spent refining pills were his last chance to escape.
He absolutely could not sit idly by anymore.
Having decided to try to escape from the back mountain tonight, Song Wen immediately lost the desire to continue tending to the medicinal field.
He found a wood-cutting knife in the tool shed and selected four small trees far from the wall.
He planned to cut down these four small trees after nightfall, bundle them together to form a ladder, and use it to climb the cliff face.
He was the only one in the entire courtyard, with the guards stationed outside. As long as he was careful while cutting the wood, it should not attract the guards' attention.
Moreover, he now had the strength of the first level mid-stage, and his strength and agility had greatly improved.
There was still a good chance of escape.