Pill Refinement

Li Huowang cautiously looked at the Small Pill Furnace before him. Three incense sticks stood beside it, serving as timers.

In an environment without alarm clocks, Li Huowang could only rely on such a crude method to keep track of time.

When the last incense stick had completely burned out, he immediately extinguished the furnace fire and opened the pill door. A scent mixed with the fragrance of strange herbs drifted out from within.

Joy surged in Li Huowang's heart. It had succeeded. The refined pill materials continuously shook within a sieve. Once all the useless Pill Residue had been sifted away as ash, only black pills of varying sizes remained in the box.

These pills were the Blood Nourishing Pills Danyangzi had mentioned. They were an extremely simple type of pill, used to stop bleeding.

One could not take more than one or two taels at a time, or there would be a danger that all the blood in one's body would completely coagulate.

It sounded rather useless—perhaps better for harming people than healing them.

But because this was the simplest pill, Danyangzi had given it to Li Huowang for practice.

After carefully counting them, Li Huowang had obtained thirteen Large Blood Nourishing Pills and twenty-six Small Blood Nourishing Pills.

Li Huowang's gains were not limited to these. Through the process of refining Blood Nourishing Pills, he had also learned some basic knowledge about pill refinement.

Pill refinement was far more difficult than he had imagined. Aside from differences in timing, even herbs that grew in different directions had to be carefully distinguished.

So long as he made one wrong move, the pill's efficacy and success rate would differ like heaven and earth. The pile of charred waste beside him was proof enough.

Li Huowang took out a Small Bamboo Tube and stored all the pills inside. Then he drew a deep breath, put on the Daoist Robe beside him, and headed out the door. "It's about time. Zi Hour is almost here."

When Li Huowang reached out and pushed open the door to the Material Room, everyone working inside rose to their feet in unison and stared at him in terror.

In everyone else's eyes, he was the very image of the King of Hell.

Li Huowang looked at them with a complicated expression. Under everyone's gaze, he walked past them and eventually arrived before Bai Lingmiao.

The girl's white hair trembled along with her body. She tried to hold back her tears, but in the end, she could not. Tears ran from the edges of her pale pink pupils, a trait unique to Albinism.

With a grave expression, Li Huowang reached out and took her hand, leading her out of the Material Room toward the Pill Refining Room.

Inside the damp Karst Tunnel, Bai Lingmiao choked back sobs as she gave Li Huowang her last words.

Li Huowang listened in silence without saying a word. When he deliberately led her to the door of his own quarters, he turned and pulled her inside. "Take off your pants."

Bai Lingmiao's eyes flew wide open, and she froze in place, seemingly frightened by his actions.

Three quarters of an hour before Zi Hour, Li Huowang brought Bai Lingmiao to the Pill Refining Room. Danyangzi had only just arrived as well.

When he saw that Li Huowang had brought the Medicinal Guide ahead of time without needing to be told, a trace of satisfaction appeared on Danyangzi's face. He found this youngest disciple of his slightly more pleasing to the eye.

"Hehe, good disciple, come here." With a casual beckoning gesture from Danyangzi, Bai Lingmiao flew straight over. He seized her by the neck and threw her into the Stone Urn meant for one person.

Li Huowang's heart pounded wildly at the sight, and his hands clenched tight.

Just as the Pestle weighing several hundred jin was about to smash down, Danyangzi suddenly stopped.

"Ah, why did her monthly blood come at precisely this time? Now the medicinal properties have completely changed." Danyangzi frowned slightly as he looked at Bai Lingmiao's blood-seeping pants.

Li Huowang immediately let out a sigh of relief. His plan had worked.

After Li Huowang learned what pill refinement in this world was truly about, he had found a way to break the deadlock.

Since the medicinal properties of metals, stones, plants, and wood could vary so much, the human Medicinal Guide could naturally change as well.

And in his memory, a woman's monthly blood was considered something filthy in Daoism. Having Bai Lingmiao pretend that her period had come was his countermeasure.

Moreover, to avoid arousing suspicion, no one else could point it out. Danyangzi had to discover it himself.

Now, it seemed his goal had been achieved. Bai Lingmiao's life had been saved.

With a sweep of Danyangzi's broad Daoist Robe, Bai Lingmiao flew straight out of the Stone Urn and crashed heavily onto the ground.

The fall was severe. It took Bai Lingmiao a long while to rise while clutching her knee, but Li Huowang could not help her. He could only watch coldly from the side.

"Xuan Yang, take this Medicinal Guide back." Only upon hearing Danyangzi say this did Li Huowang finally relax completely. He respectfully bowed to Danyangzi. "As you command, Master."

When Bai Lingmiao came to his side, Li Huowang noticed that she seemed to have struck her head. Bright red blood ran down her cheek.

Even so, Bai Lingmiao still looked at Li Huowang with gratitude. Before death, suffering this little hardship no longer counted for much.

No matter what, we managed to muddle through this ordeal. It will probably be a long time before Bai Lingmiao is chosen again. Li Huowang led Bai Lingmiao toward the door.

But just as they were about to walk out from beneath the huge black shadow of the Alchemy Furnace, Danyangzi's light voice sounded from behind them.

"Xuan Yang, since this Medicinal Guide will not do, go bring another one. I remember there is one more White Medicinal Guide like this. Go quickly and return quickly; do not delay the Double Hour."

Li Huowang's body trembled faintly at those words. Then he turned around and respectfully bowed to Danyangzi once more. "Yes, Master."

Li Huowang did not know how he made it back to the Material Room. He could only numbly walk up to another man with Albinism, take his hand, and lead him outside.

The man cried and screamed in despair, kneeling on the ground and repeatedly kowtowing to beg for mercy. Yet Li Huowang could do nothing at that moment. He could only personally send the man to the Pill Refining Room.

As the trembling Li Huowang turned to leave, Danyangzi called out to him. "Do you not yearn for the path of pill refinement? Come here and take a good look. You will not see the refinement of such a complicated and rare pill anywhere else."

Li Huowang walked over and watched with great care, listening as Danyangzi explained when to add which materials and when to increase the fire. Like an eager child, he observed the entire pill-refinement process.

When the flames beneath the Alchemy Furnace went out and it was opened, seven fully formed black pills lined up and came before Danyangzi.

"Not bad, not bad. You have talent. None of the other disciples are as studious as you. Here, this is your Master's reward." Danyangzi took out a pill from his palm.

"Thank you, Master, for bestowing this medicine!" Li Huowang solemnly performed a deep bow to Danyangzi, his hands trembling as he held the pill.