The other two ingredients that we needed—the bile of a viper and the blood of a scorpion—might sound strange and exotic to some, but since Bai Ye had been experimenting with myriads of rare herbs and medicines for hundreds of years, we happened to have both of those in storage. I poured everything carefully into a pot, made another fire in a ventilated side chamber, and started boiling the mixture.
The next nine days passed quickly. Between tending to the fire and making sure that things didn't dry up before they were ready, I kept my routine of brewing Bai Ye's potions and keeping him company while reading. By the time I finished the last book in my pile on demonic swords, the ninth day had arrived. The medicine had boiled down into a dark plaque, which I transferred to a fresh pot to bake over the fire.
