Pill Formula

"Aiya, anyway, I've told you but you wouldn't understand—the intricacies here are quite complicated. Just follow Master closely, watch carefully, and learn well."

"Oh, I see." Feigning a contemplative expression, Li Huowang was actually thinking about other things.

The pill Danyangzi had given him was clearly effective, which also meant the rules of this world were completely different from his own.

If he wanted to deal with Danyangzi, he still needed to learn more about this unfamiliar world.

"Cultivators from novels? Doesn't fit. What cultivator uses people to refine pills? What cultivator enslaves mortals to help them ascend?"

"And by convention, shouldn't an ordinary immortal sect give me a foundational cultivation method? Why hasn't that happened either?"

The more Li Huowang understood this place, the stranger this Daoist temple felt—nothing like the image of Daoist practitioners he had in mind.

"By the way, Junior Brother Xuan Yang, let your senior brother teach you a lesson. It's best if you get everything properly prepared before Master opens his mouth."

"Take yesterday's pill, for instance. Because your madness flared up, you missed the Double Hour. If you'd sent the Medicinal Guide over before the Son of Heaven's Zi hour the day after, wouldn't that have been like apologizing to the old master?"

"Don't mind Master's mood swings—if you can make him happy, you'll naturally get your reward."

"Yesterday's pill materials?" Li Huowang was taken aback.

"Right, what, you forgot? What did Master tell you to deliver yesterday?"

"Bai... Bai Lingmiao." Li Huowang's pupils instantly shrank to pinpricks. So much had happened before, but this matter wasn't over yet.

If he didn't come up with a solution before the day after tomorrow, that albino girl would be pounded into meat paste, just like all the previous Medicinal Guides!

Li Huowang didn't remember how he got back to his dwelling. He lay on his stone bed, the Golden Anklet wrapped in red thread pressing against his chest like a red-hot iron, urging him to think of a way out.

But not only was the gap in strength between Danyangzi and Li Huowang enormous, the entire temple was filled with his people.

The fates of the dead senior brothers before him also showed that blind escape was useless.

Tossing and turning, a whole night passed.

On the eve of morning lessons, Li Huowang put on his clothes and walked out of the cave.

He wanted to go to the Pill Refining Room and see if there was any other way there.

Just as he stepped out holding an oil lamp, a sharp-faced, monkey-cheeked face emerged from the darkness, startling Li Huowang—it was Gouwa's face.

"Hehehe, Senior Brother Li, nothing much. I just saw you didn't come to the Material Room all day yesterday, got a bit worried, so I came to check on you."

"Is Bai Shimei alright?" Li Huowang stepped back and asked.

"Fine, fine. Since you personally said to let Bai Shimei take over the Material Room, who would dare disobey? Hehehe, Senior Brother Li is really something. Look, ever since you took charge of the Material Warehouse, you haven't taken anyone away yet."

Hearing Gouwa say this, Li Huowang felt extremely irritated. He pushed the man aside with his oil lamp and strode out.

When Li Huowang arrived at the Pill Refining Room, he found some Apprentices who had risen early already scrubbing the furnace and floor with linen cloth.

One Apprentice was even standing inside a Stone Urn, using a pig-bristle brush to scrub the stone walls hard.

As Danyangzi's disciple, naturally no one dared say anything when he entered the Pill Refining Room.

Li Huowang pretended to stroll casually, his gaze sweeping carefully around.

The entire Pill Refining Room was very simple—aside from the massive black Alchemy Furnace taking up a third of the space, there was only a Stone Urn and a stone pestle used by Danyangzi.

There wasn't even a single scroll on the walls, let alone alchemy books, and the whole room was very empty, with no cover anywhere.

"What are you looking at?" A familiar yet spine-chilling voice suddenly sounded behind him.

Li Huowang turned to see who it was and quickly clasped his hands in greeting. "Master."

"I asked what you were looking at."

Li Huowang's mind raced for a second, and he quickly came up with an excuse. "Disciple saw how formidable Master's Pill Dao is, and felt admiration, so I was wondering when I might reach that level."

Danyangzi was very pleased with Li Huowang's change in attitude—it seemed this little brat had finally figured things out.

He clasped his hands behind his back and circled the black Alchemy Furnace. "Having ambition is a good thing, but it's not that I won't teach you—the Outer Elixir Path is no simple matter."

"Ordinary pills are one thing, but if you want to achieve immortality through the Pill Dao, you must refine both the Outer Elixir and the Inner Elixir together. I've been refining up to now, about to reach the Great Vehicle, and it's taken quite some effort."

A hint of pride and excitement showed on Danyangzi's face, as if he were savoring the immortal life he'd live after ascending.

"Master... are you about to become an immortal?"

As soon as Li Huowang said this, Danyangzi's expression sobered. "Becoming an immortal isn't that simple—the road is long—but I am certain I will become an immortal. Do you know why?"

"I do not."

Danyangzi's expression grew somewhat agitated. "Because the method for becoming an immortal was written in Lord Lao's Heavenly Book, and Lord Lao personally delivered it into my hands. Ask all under heaven—who else could become an immortal? He said I can become an immortal, so I definitely will!"

"Lord Lao? Who is that? One of the three Divine Statues?" Li Huowang couldn't quite follow this myth-like description.

Though he understood none of it, Li Huowang still flattered him: "Master speaks truly. You will surely become an immortal and live as long as heaven and earth!"

Danyangzi clearly loved hearing this, his ugly face blooming into a grin.

"Hahaha, good, good, good. Since you want to learn alchemy, I'll first teach you a simple Blood Nourishing Pill formula. Write it down. Red Cinnabar, twelve taels; Nutgrass Galingale Rhizome, half a catty; Yangqi Stone, two taels and four qian."

Though this unexpected gain came out of nowhere, Li Huowang certainly wasn't going to refuse it.

He hurriedly looked for brush and ink to record it, but glancing around, there was none to be found in the entire Pill Refining Room.

In a pinch, he grabbed a piece of charcoal slag from under the furnace and simply wrote it down on the hem of his Daoist Robe.

"...Third Quarter of the Hour of the Ox, raise the furnace, just as it bathes; gaze in silent stillness, breathe with gentle sighs, steam with spirit, nourish slowly with gentle fire. Fourth Quarter of the Hour of the Rabbit, open the furnace."

"Take this Pill Formula and practice it slowly. Let This Daoist see how gifted you are first."

Li Huowang dropped the charcoal scrap in his hand and cupped his hands as he presented it before Danyangzi. "Master, does your disciple's recollection have any omissions?"

But when he saw the hem of the robe covered in charcoal-written characters presented before him, the joy that had just lit up Danyangzi's face instantly turned to storm clouds.

He lifted his right foot and kicked Li Huowang flying. With a resonant thud against the Pill Refining Furnace, Li Huowang crashed heavily to the ground.

Danyangzi's face darkened as he grumbled and walked away with his hands behind his back, leaving Li Huowang stranded in place.

As the surge of emotional anger gradually faded, Li Huowang sensed something very strange about this. He hadn't done anything wrong—why had the man suddenly turned on him like that?

Li Huowang looked down at the Pill Formula in his hand, pondering. His handwriting might be ugly, but it was clearly still legible.

Suddenly, Li Huowang thought of something. He glanced around the Pill Refining Room, which had no calligraphy or paintings as decoration, and then recalled that during morning lessons, no one had any scriptures.

An abrupt thought burst into Li Huowang's mind. "Could it be that this Leper Head is illiterate? He doesn't know his characters?"