Seeking a Pill

Jiang Qinghe felt a chill in his heart.

If I faced any one of them head-on, I probably wouldn't be able to Withdraw Safely.

The guards of a mere branch pavilion under the Four Great Clans possessed such strength.

The clan heads, and even the city lord who controlled all of Cangfeng City—how terrifying must they be?

By then, Gong Yongxing had led Jiang Qinghe and Gong Jie to a relatively secluded counter.

Behind the counter sat a young clerk, his head lowered as he worked an abacus.

Gong Yongxing cupped his hands, his tone quite courteous.

"Excuse me, young brother. May I ask whether Pavilion Master Zheng Borui is in the pavilion today? The son of his old friend Gong Yuntian has come to request an audience."

"See the Pavilion Master? Are you sure?"

The clerk sized up the three of them, suspicion in his gaze.

But on second thought, no one should dare falsely claim to be an old friend of the Pavilion Master at the Spring Return Branch Pavilion anymore.

After all, Last Time, the fellow who had tried to make up an excuse to see the Pavilion Master had his legs mercilessly broken by the guards before being thrown out. His end had been miserable.

Seeing that the three were earnest and did not appear to be faking it, the clerk Nodded.

"Please follow me."

The rules at this branch pavilion were not so cumbersome; there was no need to report their arrival through layer after layer.

The clerk set aside his work and led the three toward the Stairs at the corner of the main hall.

After nodding to the Guard stationed at the foot of the Stairs, he led them up and straight to the third floor.

Jiang Qinghe and the other two followed close behind.

Unlike the broad hall on the first floor, the third floor did not seem any larger. Rather, its layout made it feel more compact.

There were no counters open to the public on this floor. The surrounding walls were almost entirely occupied by tall apothecary cabinets, their densely packed drawers labeled with the names of various medicinal herbs.

Jade bottles and porcelain jars of every size filled the shelves, too numerous to count.

They evidently contained all manner of carefully refined pills and processed medicinal materials.

A strange medicinal fragrance permeated the air. One breath left the three feeling refreshed and clear-headed, even causing the flow of blood and qi within their bodies to accelerate slightly.

The clerk pointed to a wooden door at the end of the corridor.

"The Pavilion Master is in the room at the south end. Just knock lightly when you get there."

"Thank you, young brother."

After thanking him, the three walked to the door and knocked softly.

"Elder Zheng, the son of an old friend requests an audience."

"Enter."

A vigorous voice came from within, exceptionally concise and stingy with words.

The three pushed open the door and carefully entered.

The sight within the room stood in stark contrast to the scene outside, packed with medicinal herbs and pills.

It was clean and spacious, almost empty.

Bookshelves lined all four walls, neatly filled with a great number of thread-bound ancient books and scrolls.

At the center of the room stood an elderly man in a simple gray robe. His hair and beard were entirely white, and his frame was slightly stooped.

He stood sideways beside a broad rosewood table, Staring At its surface with complete focus.

There were no documents or medicinal herbs on the table, but a polished square wooden Go board.

It was densely covered with black and white glass stones.

The old man's brows were tightly furrowed. A black stone was held between his Fingers, yet he hesitated to place it, clearly deep in thought.

Is that Go?

Jiang Qinghe's heart stirred slightly, and he was rather surprised.

He had not expected Elder Zheng, who managed such a vast branch of the Hui Chun Pavilion and seemed as though he should be immersed in the Dao of alchemy, to possess such refined leisure as a scholar.

At that moment, Zheng Borui slowly turned around. His gaze swept across the unfamiliar faces of Gong Yongxing, Jiang Qinghe, and Gong Jie, and his brows drew together slightly.

"Whose children are you?"

Gong Yongxing answered respectfully.

"Elder Zheng, this junior is Gong Yongxing. My father was Gong Yuntian. Many years ago, while my father was still alive, he was fortunate enough to escort medicinal materials for you several times."

"Gong Yuntian."

A trace of reminiscence flashed through Zheng Borui's eyes. After a moment, he seemed to remember and gave a slight nod.

"Oh, that little fellow."

Little fellow? Jiang Qinghe was secretly stunned as he listened.

Gong Jie's grandfather was merely a little fellow in this man's eyes?

Just how old was he? Over eighty?

Looking more closely, Elder Zheng had a head of white hair, yet not a single wrinkle could be seen on his face.

His eyes contained an inwardly restrained divine light, without the slightest trace of aged frailty.

It seemed that those proficient in alchemy truly possessed extraordinary methods of preserving their youth.

"What have you come to see me about today?"

Zheng Borui asked directly. He did not invite them to sit, clearly hoping to keep things brief.

Gong Yongxing promptly shot Jiang Qinghe a meaningful glance.

Understanding, Jiang Qinghe stepped forward and took a small white porcelain bottle from his robes.

He respectfully offered it with both hands as he spoke.

"This junior is Jiang Qinghe. Forgive my presumptuous disturbance, Elder Zheng. I beg you, for the sake of your past friendship with Old Master Gong, to refine a Foundation Solidifying Pill for this junior. The required main ingredient, the Vermillion Fruit, is here. As for the remaining supplementary materials..."

Zheng Borui's gaze fell upon the porcelain bottle, but he did not reach out to take it.

He merely nodded faintly and cut Jiang Qinghe off.

"Leave the Vermillion Fruit behind. Return in three days to collect the pill. After this matter, the favor owed to my old friend will be considered settled. Go."

There was a trace of indifference in his voice, as though he were merely handling an insignificant transaction.

Three days later?

Jiang Qinghe's heart sank.

At dawn tomorrow, once the rest of the escort party had finished resting, they would have to set out for Lin'an County.

If he waited three days to collect the pill, he would have no time to return with them.

"Elder Zheng, could you perhaps..."

Jiang Qinghe could not help trying to press for it once more.

"Hm?"

Zheng Borui turned his head to look at him. His gaze condensed into something tangible, and the temperature in the room seemed to drop by several degrees.

Jiang Qinghe felt helpless, but he understood.

The other party had agreed to refine the pill and had tacitly taken on the cost of all the other supplementary materials.

That was already entirely due to the enormous favor he owed Old Master Gong; he had done everything benevolence and righteousness could demand.

If Jiang Qinghe insisted any further, he would be pushing his luck, unable to tell when to advance and when to retreat.

He sighed inwardly and was about to cup his hands and take his leave when his gaze inadvertently swept across the Go board again.

When he had first entered, he had only caught a fleeting glimpse and had not looked closely.

Now, focusing his eyes upon it, he saw black and white stones tangled in fierce combat, the situation extraordinarily complex and intense.

As he looked at the familiar shape and flow of the game, lightning flashed through Jiang Qinghe's mind.

This midgame melee bore such a striking resemblance to a Town God's Head position that one of the teachers at the Go training class in his previous life had once set up?

At the time, that teacher had even explained the ingenious solution in detail.

In a flash of inspiration, Jiang Qinghe blurted out, "Elder Zheng, this junior begs your pardon. Might I have the honor of playing a game with you?"

"You?"

Hearing This, Zheng Borui's white brows lifted. He scrutinized Jiang Qinghe, a trace of displeasure Appeared on his face.

A wet-behind-the-ears boy had yet to settle the matter of alchemy, and now he suddenly wanted to play Go?

This was utter nonsense!

At the side, Gong Yongxing and Gong Jie widened their eyes in astonishment, completely unable to understand the purpose behind Jiang Qinghe's sudden action.

Gong Jie anxiously tugged at the corner of Jiang Qinghe's robe in secret, signaling for him not to make more trouble.