Chapter 74: It Was This Terrifying!

Lin Hui, his face stiff, cleared the bowls and dishes from the table, then excused himself with a blank expression.

As he walked out of the room, still in a daze, he tripped on the threshold and nearly fell.

Little Fox sat on the table, curling its lip at his retreating back.

Then it retracted its gaze and turned its attention to Yan Zhao.

After finishing breakfast, Yan Zhao had nothing to do. She picked up the curriculum left behind by Eldest Senior Sister again to study it.

If she mastered her characters, next time she saw Mother, could she write something to show her?

The thought crossed Yan Zhao’s mind.

So she picked up the calligraphy copybook and flipped through it casually.

Every single character looked so difficult.

Forget it.

Yan Zhao chose to give up and tossed the copybook back onto the table. She then picked up the little furnace to play with.

Writing characters was not as good as alchemy; one pill was equal to ten bowls of rice.

When cultivation ended last night, Yao Shenzi had given her ten new Pill Furnaces in one go, telling her to come back for more after she blew these up.

Seeing Yan Zhao’s lack of interest in the copybook, Little Fox jumped onto the table and flipped it open to check.

She had sorted through them all night, picking only characters with simple strokes, things like “up, down, left, right, and, maybe, thus.” Yet Yan Zhao was still deterred by the difficulty.

She really couldn’t handle Yan Zhao. Yan Zhao had the heart of a child; the moment she stopped supervising, Yan Zhao would try to slack off.

She needed to find a way to switch identities.

Its mind spun. With a swish of its large tail, it strutted openly past Yan Zhao and, right in front of her, burrowed under the desk.

The tablecloth completely hid its figure.

Yan Zhao glanced at it. Seeing it playing under the desk by itself, she paid it no mind and returned her focus to the Pill Furnace.

Boom—

The Pill Furnace exploded.

Little Fox emerged from the other side of the desk, poking its head out to peek at Yan Zhao.

Yan Zhao had already turned her back, her chin resting on her hand in confusion.

She didn’t understand why the furnace had exploded.

She had clearly followed Yao Shenzi’s instructions for the alchemy steps, and the order of placing the herbs was correct.

She had also tried to control the heat with her mind, but every Pill Furnace in her hands could last no longer than the time it took for one incense stick to burn.

Yan Zhao took out another new furnace, fighting on despite repeated failures.

When a crack appeared on the Pill Furnace, Yan Zhao noticed it immediately. Her ears had caught an unusual sound, though the furnace still looked intact.

She widened her eyes, trying to find the reason for the furnace’s explosion.

The next moment, the Pill Furnace exploded again.

Yan Zhao: “…”

Yan Zhao took out her third furnace of the day. “Again.”

Just as Yan Zhao was grappling with the Pill Furnace, a hand suddenly reached out from behind her and covered her eyes.

A cold, sharp fragrance of winter plum blossoms floated over lightly, lingering around Yan Zhao’s nose.

“Do not let stray thoughts arise. Observe with your mind’s eye.”

Ren Qingyue’s voice was clear and cold, like newly melted snow on a mountain peak.

Yan Zhao subconsciously complied.

Then she discovered that although Ren Qingyue’s hand blocked her eyes, she could still sense the leaping firelight within the Pill Furnace.

And she could see it even more clearly than with her physical eyes.

“Do you see it?” Ren Qingyue asked Yan Zhao. “The appearance of the Pill Fire in the furnace.”

Yan Zhao nodded. “Mm.”

Ren Qingyue leaned forward in a posture that half-embraced Yan Zhao. Yan Zhao could feel the breathing of another person behind her, very close.

This feeling was very strange. Her body was somewhat unaccustomed to it, and she kept wanting to shrink her neck and duck away.

But Ren Qingyue wouldn’t let her escape. Her other hand pressed down on Yan Zhao’s shoulder. She praised her, “Good, just like that. Maintain this state.”

Yan Zhao stopped moving. Her mind wandered for a moment, thinking: Did Snowball hide in time? Is she still under the desk?

At that moment, Ren Qingyue spoke again. “The Pill Fire’s temperature is rising. Now add the herbs into the furnace, according to the order on the Pill Recipe, step by step.”

Yan Zhao was like a wooden doll, with silk threads wrapped around her hands and feet, the other ends held in Ren Qingyue’s hand.

She did exactly as Ren Qingyue said.

Her chest was filled with a strange feeling.

She threw all the Blood-Clotting Herb ingredients into the Pill Furnace. The Pill Fire burned away the stems and leaves, extracting shimmering droplets from them.

Yan Zhao always made mistakes at this stage.

After the medicinal power was extracted, the Pill Fire’s temperature needed to be lowered, and then she had to use her mind to fuse the droplets in the furnace.

But with the furnaces Yan Zhao used, the Pill Fire couldn’t be lowered. The high temperature not only instantly evaporated the droplets in the furnace but also placed unbearable stress on the furnace walls.

If this pressure persisted too long, the Pill Furnace would be destroyed.

However, this time, under Ren Qingyue’s guidance, the Pill Fire’s temperature was controlled in time. A portion of the droplets in the furnace evaporated, but a small half remained.

Yan Zhao was thus able to proceed to the next step.

The fusion of the droplets proceeded smoothly. After compression, condensation, and then raising the Pill Fire again, the pill’s surface was refined to a solid state.

The Pill Fire extinguished, and Ren Qingyue released her hand, allowing Yan Zhao to see her own results.

Several small, solid particles of varying sizes and strange, irregular shapes lay in the belly of the Pill Furnace like fragments of residue.

“I succeeded!” Yan Zhao was overjoyed.

Ren Qingyue poured out these solid particles and brought them to her nose to smell them.

It was the scent of a Blood-Clotting Pill.

However, the proportions of these Blood-Clotting Pill fragments were imbalanced, and the ingredients were mixed and impure. The medicinal properties were already minuscule.

Compared to the previous practice sessions, the greatest improvement was successfully completing the entire process without the furnace exploding.

This was already very good.

Ren Qingyue felt gratified. She placed the residue from the furnace into a white jade bottle and shook it in front of Yan Zhao’s eyes.

The jade bottle lightly brushed the bridge of Yan Zhao’s nose. Ren Qingyue smiled, her expression gentle. “Very good.”

Meeting her gaze, a sudden drumbeat pounded within Yan Zhao’s heart.

The drumbeats were dense and urgent, thumping incessantly.

Yan Zhao was at a loss. She lowered her head, trying to make out the source of the drumming.

At that moment, Ren Qingyue spoke again. “But there is still much room for improvement. Continue practicing, do not slack off. If you blow up the furnace more than ten times today, you will skip lunch and dinner.”

The drum surface shattered with a boom, air whistling through the hole.

Yan Zhao pouted unhappily, her cheeks puffing up.

Ren Qingyue paid no mind to Yan Zhao’s little tantrum. She immediately produced a new Pill Furnace and told Yan Zhao to continue practicing.

Yan Zhao stuck out her tongue at Ren Qingyue’s back.

Ren Qingyue turned her head.

Yan Zhao immediately dropped her gaze, pretending to fiddle with the Pill Furnace in her hand.

The corner of Ren Qingyue’s mouth lifted slightly.

She added, “If you succeed one more time, I will give you a gift.”

Yan Zhao lifted her eyelids, her thick lashes fluttering. She asked curiously, “What gift?”

Ren Qingyue raised a finger and wagged it. “A secret for now.”

“Oh.”

Yan Zhao thought to herself: I’m not interested at all.

This kind of unknown thing held no appeal whatsoever.

She placed the Pill Furnace on the ground, injected Dharma Power, and ignited the Pill Fire.

I’m only practicing seriously because I don’t want to go hungry.

Hmph.

Tushan Yu and Bai Jin had been staying at the Medicine God Sect for a few days now. With the Medicine Ceremony concluded, even though he hadn’t managed to buy a Yang Marrow Pill, he still had to return and report. So he led Bai Jin to find Yao Shenzi and bid farewell.

Approaching the Sect Main Hall, they met a young servant from the Treasure Pavilion head-on.

The servant was beaming, his face full of joy as he left. Passing by Tushan Yu and Bai Jin, he even nodded proactively and greeted them.

Tushan Yu entered the Main Hall and saw several wooden crates half the height of a person stacked inside.

Yao Shenzi was lifting the lids of the crates, carefully counting the merchandise within.

Tushan Yu noticed that these crates were all full of Pill Furnaces.

“Senior, you’ve purchased so many Pill Furnaces. Are you planning to recruit new disciples next year?” Tushan Yu initiated a conversation with Yao Shenzi.

Yao Shenzi waved his hand. “Next year’s matters can be considered next year. These Pill Furnaces are all for my precious Disciple. We don’t know if she’ll learn to control Pill Fire by the time she finishes blowing all these up.”

Tushan Yu: “?”

Yao Shenzi’s disciple—shouldn’t she be a prodigy of Alchemy Dao, someone who understands everything at a single hint, capable of refining high-grade medicinal pills even with a low-grade Pill Furnace?

The very mention of this matter made Yao Shenzi anxious. Not wanting to say more, he quickly stored the furnaces from the hall.

Looking up, he saw Tushan Yu and Bai Jin each carrying a small bundle. Surprised, he asked, “Worthy Nephew, are you leaving?”

“Yes.” Tushan Yu nodded and cupped his fist to bid farewell to Yao Shenzi. “My sister and I have troubled you for many days and caused Senior much inconvenience. It is time we returned.”

Hearing this, Yao Shenzi did not object. He simply drew a Jade Casket from his bosom. “In that case, Worthy Nephew, take this item back with you.”

A rich pill fragrance seeped from the gaps in the jade casket. Tushan Yu recognized the casket, his expression showing surprise. “Senior, this is…”

“A Yang Marrow Pill.” Yao Shenzi stood up, stroking his beard. “Wasn’t this your purpose for coming to the Medicine God Sect? Take it back to treat your father’s injuries.”

Tushan Yu waved his hand. “How can I accept this?”

Yao Shenzi slapped the Jade Casket firmly into his grasp. “Why not? It’s my pill, so naturally my word is law. This one was prepared for your father all along. Just take it. Don’t be so hesitant and indecisive! It’s unbecoming!”

Receiving such a great gift, Tushan Yu felt a burden of debt in his heart. He then produced a Universe Pouch. “Here are fifty million Spirit Stones…”

Seeing Yao Shenzi’s eyes glare, about to refuse outright.

Tushan Yu’s mind spun rapidly. He hurriedly said, “This small token is a trifling gesture of respect, not worth mentioning. This Junior was thinking, if Senior’s Pill Furnaces aren’t enough, these Spirit Stones could be used to buy a few more.”

The words of refusal had already reached Yao Shenzi’s lips, but he forcibly swallowed them back.

He thought about it. At the rate his beloved disciple burned through resources, ten thousand furnaces might indeed not suffice.

Fifty million Spirit Stones for one Yang Marrow Pill wasn’t an exorbitant price, either.

“Worthy Nephew is very thoughtful.” Yao Shenzi, slightly embarrassed, cleared his throat. “Since that’s the case, this old man will accept.”

Tushan Yu smiled and took his leave.

The two exited the Main Hall. Seeing Bai Jin’s mind was elsewhere, Tushan Yu asked, “What’s wrong with you? You didn’t even speak when you saw Senior Yao Shenzi just now.”

Bai Jin’s brows drooped, looking listless. “I met the woman of my destiny, but now I’m leaving. We’re just going like this, I didn’t even get a chance to say goodbye to her.”

As she spoke, she sighed. Fox Immortal Sister didn’t even know her true identity.

“?” Tushan Yu looked at her, puzzled.

When did this happen?

Bai Jin sighed continuously as they walked.

Just before reaching the Mountain Gate of the Medicine God Sect, she suddenly stopped. “No, I have to go back and check. What if my sister has returned?”

No matter what, she had to see Fox Immortal Sister one more time.

Before Tushan Yu could stop her, Bai Jin turned her head and dashed back through the Mountain Gate, her speed astonishingly fast.

Tushan Yu: “???”

Fearing Bai Jin would get lost again, Tushan Yu had no choice but to follow.

Before long, Bai Jin returned to the Pill Tower.

Hearing voices coming from inside the tower, Bai Jin’s heart leaped with joy. She landed and transformed into a little red fox, racing straight for the Pill Tower.

Suddenly, a loud boom echoed out.

The Pill Tower and the entire courtyard beneath it trembled.

A piece of metal flew out of a window, smashing with a clang into Bai Jin.

The little red fox’s body swayed. Its tongue lolled out, and it collapsed onto the ground with a thud.

Tushan Yu, who had followed into the small courtyard and witnessed this scene: “…”

He picked up the metal fragment from the ground and examined it carefully. The material seemed identical to the Pill Furnaces Yao Shenzi had purchased.

Tushan Yu drew a sharp breath.

Who was refining pills in the tower, and how could it be this terrifying!