Chapter 77: The Demonic Melody of the Blood Clan

"Mr. Yajak, your culinary skills are truly admirable. Today’s lesson has benefited me greatly. Thank you very much for your guidance."
After finishing the meal, Qi Xiao bowed to Yajak in gratitude.
"Oh, not at all, not at all. I’m just happy to help. I only know a bit about cooking, and I’m not sure if it’s actually useful."
Yajak waved his hands frantically, looking flustered. Qi Xiao didn’t press further, thanked him sincerely again, and left the dining room.

On his way back, Qi Xiao stopped by the study to pick up some books recording culinary arts spells. Coincidentally, he ran into Merck, who had just returned.
"Grandpa Merck, you’re back. Welcome."
Qi Xiao greeted him with a smile. Though Merck’s face had no features, it still radiated a kind and gentle expression; he had always liked this polite junior.
"Young master, are you heading to the study?"
"Yes, but there’s no rush. Grandpa Merck, I have a few things to ask you."
Qi Xiao condensed the details as much as possible, explaining Feng’s request and his own understanding of the blood plague, finally asking Merck how much he knew about it.

Merck stood in silence, as if deep in thought.
"Hmm… blood plague, it truly is ancient. The virus existed in our race since the royal days. It has always been a fatal disease among the Blood Servant clan… only the high nobles and royals could afford the treatment. But the wizards’ research and experimental spirit surpasses ours, so perhaps the cure won’t be so costly."
These seemed to be memories from a distant past for Merck; the blood aura on his face wrinkled into a knot as he continued in a low, buzzing voice: "But after all these years, the virus’s host has changed—from the Blood Servants to humans. Who knows what mutations have occurred? I can ask Reina for you. She’s the leader of another branch of the Blood Servant clan, just like me."

Qi Xiao was somewhat delighted, but his tone was tinged with hesitation: "Wouldn’t this trouble you? You just got back, and I suppose your kin isn’t near the Secret Vault of All Spirits either."
Merck chuckled softly: "Don’t worry. Go to the study and find what you need. In half an hour, I’ll have an answer for you. We Blood Servants have ways of sending messages over long distances, as long as we’re not too far apart or separated by realms."
"The master has never restricted me from using this ability. Reina is unable to send messages herself, but she can receive them without issue. Her master always seeks favors from ours; as long as Reina explains, he won’t refuse her a response."
Merck saw Qi Xiao’s mouth open, as if about to ask something else, and continued: "Rest assured, young master. The teacher won’t be swayed by such trivial matters. He’s already agreed to help with this request, so there’s no question of leveraging favors."
Qi Xiao was reassured, thanked Merck, then entered the study to collect a few beginner cookbooks and recipe manuals. He settled onto the sofa, flipping through them while waiting for Merck to gather information.

Actually, culinary arts and alchemy have much in common at the lower levels—at least in Qi Xiao’s view, one could easily borrow techniques from the other.
At higher levels, culinary arts transcend food, and alchemy ceases to be a rote process like blacksmithing. That’s when a true alchemist’s imagination and fundamental skills are put to the test.

Soon, Merck knocked and entered, handing Qi Xiao a thin booklet written in blood aura. He seemed to have other matters to attend to and left quickly, barely giving Qi Xiao time to thank him.

Waving to the little sprite greeting him between the bookshelves, Qi Xiao returned to his bedroom.
The little mushroom had recently grown fond of sleeping, so Qi Xiao didn’t disturb him. He quietly leaned against the bed, reviewing the information Merck had just obtained.

The booklet roughly recorded the Blood Servant clan’s understanding of the blood plague during their days as the Blood Melody clan, including descriptions of the symptoms, transmission routes, and some treatment methods of the time.

It detailed the blood plague’s manifestations among the Blood Servants: abnormal blood coagulation, gradual physical decline, and other symptoms that drastically shortened their naturally long lifespans.

There was also a rough record of the special herbs, magical rituals, and blood purification methods used by the Blood Servant clan—these treatments might have been effective then, though costly. Given the passage of time, Reina’s recollections were vague, and many entries were written hastily. The herb names were unfamiliar to Qi Xiao, due to differences between the two realms’ climates and customs, and the long gap meant he recognized very few.

Fortunately, Reina seemed to anticipate this, describing the herbs’ general appearance, growth habits, and functions. Qi Xiao could make some guesses, but would need to test them—he couldn’t simply use them outright.

Even if Qi Xiao managed to reproduce the remedies, since they were designed for Blood Servants, their effects on humans remained uncertain. Future modifications would be needed; at best, they could serve as references.

Despite this, the information was invaluable to Qi Xiao, sparking new inspiration and even giving him ideas for improving the blood fusion potion.

Qi Xiao always acted on his thoughts without delay. Rising, he took the booklet and headed for the alchemy laboratory.

Though he lacked most of the herbs for now, the few available were enough for experimentation. He took out a finished bottle of blood fusion potion, set it aside, and changed into his alchemy uniform, then gathered the materials he had just selected.

Perhaps because his teacher was a main force during the Blood Melody realm’s wars, the few herbs Qi Xiao had in stock were actually rarer and not commonly found in books—likely specialties of the Blood Melody realm, gathered by his teacher at the time.

Placing a crimson flower in the mortar, Qi Xiao gently crushed it. As soon as the pestle broke the flower’s surface, a surge of viscous, blood-like liquid gushed out. Fortunately, the mortar was a professional device; a flash of white light contained the blood-colored liquid within, preventing any spillage.

He repeated the crushing five times, withdrawing the pestle each time, letting the liquid slide naturally into the mortar without leaving residue.

Qi Xiao shook the mortar lightly, judging it sufficient, and stored the remaining crimson flowers.

The liquid from the crushed flowers carried a faint blood aura, without any unpleasant odor—an excellent ingredient for brewing blood spirits.

The thought flashed through Qi Xiao’s mind as he poured the liquid into a beaker and conjured a strand of violet flame between his fingers, gently heating it.