Night of the Broken Gliph

The elder looked at Chui Yim lazily. He suddenly found it interesting to argue with Chui Yim. “Weren’t you interested in my treasures? If you can do it, I’ll let you take one item for free, but if you can’t, stop getting in the way and get lost immediately!” 

“Hmph!” Chui Yim walked towards the wooden puppet. 

It was a special wooden puppet that could imitate a human body; energliph could even be inserted into it. The wooden puppet had a simple Leaf Blade gliph carved on its left arm chamber. However, it was slightly damaged.  

Gliphs were sustained with energliph from the six chambers. Both required each other to work. After gliphs were tattooed on chambers, energliph helped maintain the gliph’s stability and allowed cultivators to perform extraordinary things. At the same time, when damaged, imperfect gliphs would break down and cause a backlash. When a gliph was damaged, cultivators who used gliphic plants as ingredients wouldn’t suffer as much compared to those who used gliphic beasts as ingredients. This was because gliphic plants were gentler, unlike gliphic beasts, which contained the hatred of the slain beast, turning against the glipher at the last moment. 

Thus, Northerners were generally stronger, yet the risk of them losing their lives was much higher. 

The wooden puppet’s left arm chamber had apparent signs of breaking down. However, the backlash was lighter due to the gliph being a simple one. It was obviously a purposeful act for research purposes. 

“Needle!” Chui Yim took a few glances and huffed. 

The elder was fuming, but he said nothing and handed Chui Yim a set of needles with a laugh. “Let’s see what you can do, huh?” 

If any other youths that were part of the earlier gathering were present, they would be stupefied. This elder, Ping Chi, was a famous glipheon known as Doctor Odd. He was well known not just in the city; but the entire world.

It was rare for Ping Chi to treat a patient; he didn’t have the kindness or interest to save the world as many doctors did. He preferred to study medicine by researching the subject’s fundamentals to reach enlightenment instead of treating live patients. The most famous glipheon in the world was the current clan leader of the Mo-Yung Clan, Mo-Yung Yin, also known as Divine Doctor. But the Mo-Yung Clan never shared their knowledge in medicine with others. On the other hand, Ping Chi had written countless books on medicine, sharing his passion and expertise with the world selflessly, benefitting many doctors and glipheons who addressed him as Great Master Ping Chi out of respect. 

How could a boy trying to show off his knowledge in front of Great Master Ping Chi not be shocking?  

Chui Yim took the needles. Having made up his mind already, he said nothing and inserted three needles into the dummy without hesitation. 

Thud thud thud! 

“Eh?” Ping Chi gasped. As if unable to hear him, Chui Yim placed three more needles. 

There were now three needles above the gliph and three below the gliph. The six needles had suddenly stopped the gliph from breaking down. 

“Leaf blade juice.” 

The Leaf Blade gliph was tattooed with the similarly named gliphic plant, leaf blade. It was a blade-like leaf that was commonly found. Similar to the plant, the gliph was a simple one too. This was the gliph that Old Tung had tattoed. 

Ping Chi was dumbstruck. Ping Ching at the side subconsciously passed Chui Yim the leaf blade that had been grounded into juice. His knowledge of medicine wasn’t enough for him to understand Chui Yim’s actions. 

Chui Yim dipped his right hand into the juice as energliph congealed on his fingertips. Ping Ching was stunned to see Chui Yim use energliph even before reaching the single-gliphic state. He was aware of how tough it was to be able to do so. On the other hand, Ping Chi didn’t seem surprised as he continued to watch Chui Yim. 

Chui Yim worked smoothly, and in a few seconds, the gliph that was slightly damaged had been repaired. At the same time, the six needles shot out of the wooden puppet’s arms. As if anticipating it, Chui Yim kept the six golden needles in his right hand and put them back into the needle set. 

Ping Chi said nothing and frowned, only to yell after some time. “Kid, you cheated!” 

“When!” Chui Yim sneered. 

“You forcefully inserted your energliph into the needles to block the energliph in the wooden puppet!” Ping Chi sneered. “If he was an actual glipher, do you think your small amount of energliph could succeed! ? Moreover, if those weren’t the Thirty-Six Night Lunar Needles, do you think ordinary golden needles could sustain your energliph! Eh… where are my needles!” 

Chui Yim had a proud look, no longer angry that his height was insulted earlier. “You said that I could take any treasure here as long as I succeeded. So the Thirty-Six Night Lunar Needles are now mine.” 

“Didn’t you want the Focus Pearl?!” Ping Chi blew his top. “ Or the Compendium of Weeds? I can give you both! But return my needles!” 

“Old man, do you think I’m so gullible?” Chui Yim spoke proudly. “If I could identify the Focus Pearl and Compendium of Weeds, why couldn’t I identify the Thirty-Six Night Lunar Needles?” 

Ping Ching was at a loss for words. He was aware of how valuable the Thirty-Six Night Lunar Needles were. 

There was a glipheon who called himself the Gentle Moon Priest in the past. He wasn’t merely a glipheon, but he was also a thousand-gliphic gliphist at the same time. He was said to be the progenitor of glipheons and g-elixirs, and the Thirty-Six Night Lunar Needles were the Gentle Moon Priest’s treasure. Each needle was made of countless amounts of distilled minerals and the essence of every full moon. It took thirty-six months: three years to make a single needle. Every golden needle took three years to forge, and the Gentle Moon Priest refined thirty-six of them. The meaning behind the treasure was “the never-ending division of ten by three and six”. 

Legend had it that as soon as the treasure was made, the Gentle Moon Priest’s gliphs grew in strength immensely. A gliphist’s treasure was closely related to the gliphist, and the powerful Gentle Moon Priest eventually succumbed to old age at last and passed on. A hundred years ago, the spot where he died was found, and a bloody fight occurred as countless gliphists and gliphers fought for his treasure, with numerous injured and many dead. 

The Thirty-Six Night Lunar Needles and all types of g-elixirs were found, and Gentle Moon Priest’s understanding of alchemy and medicine was revealed to the world then. However, Ping Ching never thought that the Thirty-Six Night Lunar Needles would be with his master! 

Despite the gliphist passing on and the treasure losing its abilities, besides the set of needles, the Gentle Moon Priest had saved many lives in the world as a doctor. After feeding the needles with the energliph of a thousand-gliphic gliphist energliph for many years, the needles had become highly resilient. 

The needles could calm someone, nourish their blood, and even saving block the arteries to sustain life of a near-death patient for a short while.. This was a real treasure of medicine. 

Being able to insert energliph into the needle was just one of the basic yet crucial function of the needles. Compared to the Gentle Moon Priest, the amount of Chui Yim’s energliph was nothing. 

A treasure was lost like this? Ping Ching suddenly felt that he was stupid.