Outside Of Time

Some of them had growths that extended half a yard long, trailing behind them, making it difficult for their robes to fully cover them.

It was as though many people had fused together or their bodies had mutated and their expressions were numb.

At first, Xu Qing thought that they belonged to an unfamiliar nonhuman race, but upon closer observation, he realized that this was not the case.

"The deformities of these people should have been formed after birth."

Xu Qing, deep in thought, felt the eerie atmosphere of the desert grow even more peculiar. In the end, he walked around the small city, found an uninhabited house, and entered it.

The house was covered in dust and there were many crushed bottles and cans on the ground. There were also crooked shelves in the surroundings. It looked like it used to be an apothecary.

Looking at the mess, Xu Qing waved his hand to tidy up, and Ling'er also took on a visible form, curiously observing the surroundings. She helped with the cleanup while expressing excitement.

"Brother Xu Qing, are you going to open an apothecary here?"

Xu Qing thought about it and nodded with a smile. He recalled the first time he saw Ling'er. She and her father had opened an inn on Panquan Road.

For Xu Qing, whether it was for living or opening an apothecary, it didn't make much of a difference. Since Ling'er had suggested it, he decided to go ahead and open one.

"That's great! Brother Xu Qing, let me tell you, I have experience in running a shop. I can handle it."

Ling'er was jubilant, her eyes shining brightly. After tidying up the dust and debris around the place, she took out a cloth and began wiping down the area.

There were clearly spells that could be used to clean but Ling'er seemed to prefer to do it herself. When Xu Qing saw this, he could sense Ling'er's joy and sighed with emotion.

On his way here, Xu Qing had a deeper understanding of Ling'er's innocence. She was smart but also simple, often finding happiness in simple things that could brighten her spirits for days.

Under Ling'er's management, this long-abandoned small apothecary reopened in the small town the following morning.

The apothecary's name, 'Green Spirit Hall,' was chosen by Ling'er.

As for the medicinal pills, Xu Qing had a lot on him, especially the white pills.

After all, this was the first pill formula he had mastered. Although he didn't need it, this pill was a common necessity for the beings of this world.

Moreover, when he was in Fenghai County, he had studied Bai Xiaozhuo's medicinal pills and gained some insights.

Although Bai Xiaozhuo had added poison to the modified white pills, in terms of the quality and effects of the new white pills, it was indeed a blessing that could greatly enhance the degree of purification.

Hence, Xu Qing and Ling'er's small apothecary mainly sold white pills.

After transforming, Ling'er concealed her appearance and took on the role of an ugly girl, excitedly performing the duties of a shop assistant. However, there were not many residents in the small city, and the shop had just opened, so there were only a few customers.

But this didn't affect Ling'er's happiness.

Seeing that Ling'er was so eager, Xu Qing let her play. After he planted the seed given by the captain, he began his cultivation and research at the rear of the apothecary.

On one hand, he was trying to activate the mirror, observing and exploring it carefully. On the other hand, he was researching the curses within the bodies of the ferocious beasts he had captured along the way.

Time slowly passed.

At the start, no one was interested in their apothecary. However, now and then, a few customers would come to buy white pills. This was mainly because the prices were low and the medicinal effects were good.

The opening of the pharmacy gave even more enthusiasm to Ling'er, as she was like a little enthusiast calculating the daily income in spirit coins. She even took out a small book to keep accounts diligently.

At times when Xu Qing finished his practice, looking at Ling'er meticulously keeping accounts, a sense of peace would also rise in his heart.

Ever since he lived in firefly city, Xu Qing discovered that he was getting more and more used to this peaceful life. The peace brought about by this life caused him to have a faint change in his state of mind.

Xu Qing couldn't explain the exact changes but he enjoyed it very much and was also immersed in it.

Hence, he spent more time on exploration and research.

The exploration of the mirror went very smoothly, but the research of the curse was progressing slowly.

During this period, Xu Qing fused his Purple Moon power into the bodies of those ferocious beasts many times in an attempt to suppress the curse. However, the effect was very poor and all of them failed.

Just like now, Xu Qing stared at a trembling scorpion in front of him.

His hand pressed on the scorpion's body. As the power of the Purple Moon fused into it, the color of the scorpion changed from brown to purple. At the same time, Xu Qing also felt the curse in the scorpion's body.

The curse of the Moon Worship Region affected all living beings. Its method of existence was to fuse with their bloodlines and it was difficult to separate them. Once it erupted, it would turn all living beings into black water in a short period of time.

After Xu Qing's Purple Moon power came into contact with the curse, it would instantly erupt from its dormant state.

It seemed to come alive and wanted to absorb Xu Qing's Purple Moon power.

It was as though Xu Qing's Purple Moon power had an extremely strong attraction to curses.

After these repeated attempts, Xu Qing understood that if the amount of Purple Moon power he sent in wasn't enough, it would quickly be devoured and assimilated by the curse. After that, the ferocious beasts that were experimental subjects would instantly erupt with the curse and turn into blood.

The entire process was irreversible.

However, if Xu Qing increased the intensity, sending his Purple Moon energy more forcefully to suppress it, then after reaching a certain point, the curse would still erupt.

However, there was a slight difference in the outcome. In this case, the experimental subjects who died would not turn into blood but would instead transform into a pile of black ashes.