Chapter 12: The Obsidian Salve

The old carpenter standing to the side looked from one to the other, so fraught with anxiety that sweat beaded on his forehead, leaving him utterly at a loss.

Su Qinghan, however, remained as unconcerned as if it were none of her business, merely nodding her chin toward the stove.

“Don’t just stand there. Saving her is what matters. Light the fire.”

As if granted a reprieve, the old carpenter scrambled to his knees, pulled a fire starter from his robes, and began to blow gingerly on the tinder and straw packed inside the furnace.

The sparks sputtered fitfully, refusing to catch.

“That’s enough,” Su Qinghan said coolly.

She produced a blank sheet of yellow paper from her robes, holding it between her fingertips.

With a light flick, she sent it sailing toward the stove.

The paper burst into flame of its own accord. With a whoosh, it transformed into a streak of light and shot into the furnace.

The next moment, the flames within surged, no longer their usual orange-red, but a bizarre, swirling conflagration of crimson, cyan, and yellow, burning with ferocious intensity.

The temperature in the courtyard rose several degrees in an instant.

Terrified, the old carpenter fell to the ground, his jaw hanging open wide enough to fit an egg.

Lu Hongzhuang’s pupils contracted in shock.

‘What kind of technique was this?’

Ignoring their astonishment, Su Qinghan helped Lu Hongzhuang to a low stool, her expression instantly turning focused and solemn.

She picked up the herbs one by one, processing them with practiced ease—some she derooted, others she stripped of their leaves—before adding them to the pot in some arcane sequence.

“Sizzle—”

The herbs didn’t simmer as they hit the pot, but sizzled and popped as if thrown into hot oil.

A peculiar, pungent odor—a mixture of fresh herbs and something scorched—instantly permeated the air.

The herbs in the pot withered before their very eyes, turning black until they dissolved into a bubbling, viscous, pitch-black paste.

Lu Hongzhuang’s brow furrowed into a tight knot.

It looked absolutely awful.

“Did you… scorch it?” she couldn’t help but lean in and ask in a low voice. “It’s so black. Can it even be used?”

Without so much as lifting an eyelid, Su Qinghan rolled her eyes.

“Be quiet. I could prepare this salve in my sleep. I’m not so clumsy as to mess this up.”

She took up a spatula and deftly scraped the dark concoction into a waiting wooden tray.

“Appearance doesn’t matter. If it saves a life, it’s good medicine. Just wait for it to cool, then apply it to her face.”

Lu Hongzhuang stared at the tray of paste, which was still bubbling ominously, and the corner of her mouth twitched.

‘This stuff… are you sure it isn’t some kind of potent poison?’

Outside the door, Liu Ruyan was growing impatient.

She crept over to the door, peeking through a crack in the frame.

She was just in time to see Su Qinghan pour a tray of pitch-black substance out of the pot.

“Tch.”

She let out a soft scoff, her face a mask of disdain.

‘All that mystifying nonsense just to cook up a pot of black sludge. And she treats it like some priceless treasure… Hmph.’

Her interest completely gone, she turned and returned to her post, clutching her sword as she vigilantly guarded the entrance against the demon’s potential return.

Inside the room, every second spent waiting for the salve to cool felt like an eternity.

The old carpenter wrung his hands, pacing back and forth before finally steeling himself and cautiously approaching Su Qinghan.

“Miss…” he began, his voice trembling, his clouded eyes filled with pleading. “My daughter’s face… is there really… really no way to restore it?”

Su Qinghan was silent for a moment.

“We need to find out what that demon is using her face for. If it was simply destroyed, then it’s beyond saving. But if it was for some other purpose, there might still be a sliver of hope.”

She called out in her mind.

‘Hey, little fox, wake up and get to work. What’s the deal with this face-stealing demon?’

“What’s all the noise! This fox needs her sleep!” Jiu Li’s petulant, girlish voice rang out lazily. “Do you think I’m some local spirit? This fox came from another plane, too. How would I know what strange demons and monsters you have here! You idiot!”

Su Qinghan was speechless.

‘Completely useless when it counts.’

She turned her head to look at the equally troubled Lu Hongzhuang.

“Does the Demon Exorcism Division have any leads?”

Lu Hongzhuang pondered for a moment, her brow tightly knit.

“A fortnight ago, a guard at the Demon Prison vanished. But she always kept a low profile and was quite introverted, so everyone assumed she’d found the life of a demon exorcist too grueling and dangerous and simply left. No one gave it much thought.”

“Thinking back, a crime this cruel is beyond human capability. It had to be a demon. Besides, she wasn’t the type to do something like this, so we can rule her out as the perpetrator.”

“Miss! The salve has cooled!”

The old carpenter’s cry broke through their thoughts.

Su Qinghan nodded, directing Lu Hongzhuang to carefully apply the now-solidified black gel to the girl’s mangled face, spreading it meticulously until the entire area was covered.

The paste was cool to the touch and carried a strange, woodsy scent.

Once it was applied, Su Qinghan’s expression became incredibly grave.

She formed a hand seal and began to chant, her voice low yet filled with an ancient, solemn power.

“Mystic Elixir to extend life, Spirit Salve to protect the body, Three Huns return to their place, Seven Poes find their peace!”

“By my command!”

As the final word fell, a faint shimmer of light, almost imperceptible to the naked eye, flashed across the surface of the black salve.

A miracle occurred.

The dissipation of the girl’s life force came to an abrupt halt.

Her shallow, rapid breaths gradually deepened, becoming steady and even.

The old carpenter stared intently at the rise and fall of his daughter’s chest. When he confirmed it wasn’t a hallucination, the fear and despair that had been crushing his heart instantly shattered, and with a great sob, he began to wail.

“Divine healer! You truly are a divine healer!”

Su Qinghan shook her head, her voice tinged with exhaustion.

“Her life is saved. But how she will face all this when she wakes up… that will be the hardest part.”

She looked at the old carpenter and gave him her word.

“Rest assured, I will find out which demon is responsible. Perhaps there’s still a way… to restore your daughter’s face.”

With that, she turned to Lu Hongzhuang and said succinctly, “Carry me. To the Demon Prison.”

Without a moment’s hesitation, Lu Hongzhuang knelt.

Su Qinghan expertly climbed onto her back.

That feather-light weight made Lu Hongzhuang’s heart clench for reasons she couldn’t explain.

They had just stepped out of the carpenter’s shop when Liu Ruyan, who had been guarding the door, blocked their path.

“Is she cured?” Liu Ruyan’s tone was still laced with suspicion.

“She won’t die,” Su Qinghan replied wearily from Lu Hongzhuang’s back.

For the first time, Liu Ruyan actually gave Su Qinghan a proper look.

“I have to admit, you really do have some skill.”

She looked them both up and down.

“Are you heading back now?”

Lu Hongzhuang didn’t break her stride as she answered grimly, “We’re going to check the Demon Prison.”

“Stop!”

Liu Ruyan moved like a flash, planting herself directly in their path. Her hand rested on the hilt of her sword, her expression turning frigid.

“She can’t go.”

Her voice was ice, devoid of any emotion.

“Do you know what the Demon Prison is? It’s a restricted area of the Demon Exorcism Division! Not just any stray cat or dog can waltz in for a look!”

“Lu Hongzhuang, don’t be a fool! If something goes wrong, can you bear the responsibility?!”

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