Rust Pill

Li Banfeng held up a candle and searched all around for the corpses of Gold Rimmed Glasses and Hu Gaozi.

He found no bodies, only some scattered belongings in a corner.

He found their shredded clothing. Judging by the damage, the clothes had been forcibly torn off the two of them by some outside force.

The items inside the clothes were still there. Li Banfeng found both of their wallets.

The cloth sack containing the Snake Spot Chrysanthemums was also there, and the flowers inside were all intact.

Beside the Copper Lotus, Li Banfeng also found Gold Rimmed Glasses's spectacles. Next to them was a wooden glasses case, and beside that was an iron cigarette case.

But one thing was missing: Gold Rimmed Glasses's Folding Fan.

Li Banfeng had been very interested in that Folding Fan with its strange fragrance. Its material was unusual, and its craftsmanship was equally unusual. With the fan surface folded away, it could be used as an iron rod. Spread open, it could serve as both a blade and a shield.

Where had the fan gone?

Had the Copper Lotus eaten it?

And the corpses?

Had the Copper Lotus eaten those too?

It had devoured the two corpses and snatched Gold Rimmed Glasses's weapon.

What did the Copper Lotus want with a weapon?

Could it be that this lotus statue could actually wield a weapon in battle?

And before this, the Copper Lotus had eaten Snake Spot Chrysanthemums and refined Snake Spot Pills.

Now that it had swallowed corpses and a weapon, why had it left Gold Rimmed Glasses and Hu Gaozi's Snake Spot Chrysanthemums untouched?

Could it be that now it had meat to eat, it no longer wanted vegetables, and had eaten a fan afterward to pick its teeth?

That thought was quite reasonable.

Then what was inside these three lotus seeds?

Could it be that it had refined Gold Rimmed Glasses and Hu Gaozi into pills as well?

Li Banfeng carefully peeled the three lotus seeds from atop the seven-holed lotus heart. The lotus immediately closed.

Two lotus seeds swelled in his palm. After roughly ten seconds, they split apart, each bursting out a red bead.

These two beads were slightly larger than Snake Spot Pills. Their color was pure, and beneath the candlelight, they looked exceptionally crystalline.

What kind of pills were these?

As he pondered, the third lotus seed exploded as well. Inside was only one bead, rust-colored.

Not only did its color resemble rust, its feel did too. Held in his hand, it gave off an unbearably unpleasant sense of sluggish resistance.

It was not merely sluggish—it stung. Li Banfeng tossed the Rust Pill aside and found a red mark on his palm. Along with the pain came a trace of numbness.

Poisoned?

Li Banfeng did not know how to deal with it when the red mark suddenly split open and a little blood flowed out.

After the blood flowed, the stinging pain and numbness vanished.

A House Cultivator possessed powerful self-healing abilities within his own home. The bleeding just now should have been a process of actively expelling the poison.

But Li Banfeng had not expected that a mere brief touch of the rust-colored bead would cause him such grave harm.

If he had touched it for a little longer, or even swallowed the rust-colored bead directly, could he still have been saved?

Even if a House Cultivator was in his own home, he likely could not be saved.

In the spirit of seeking truth from facts, should I personally conduct an experiment?

At that thought, Li Banfeng suddenly gave a cold laugh and muttered to himself, "Do you think I'm crazy?"

Li Banfeng emptied Gold Rimmed Glasses and Hu Gaozi's wallets, used the shredded clothes on the floor to pad his hands, stored the two kinds of pills separately in the two wallets, then squatted down and began studying the Copper Lotus's characteristics.

For now, he would call the red beads Red Pills and the rust-colored bead a Rust Pill.

The Red Pills should have come from Gold Rimmed Glasses and Hu Gaozi's corpses.

The Rust Pill should have come from that vanished Folding Fan.

The Copper Lotus had turned them all into pills. Li Banfeng could not understand the precise principles behind it, nor did he yet know what uses these two types of pills had.

The question Li Banfeng cared about most now was this: by what principle did the Copper Lotus choose its materials for pill refining?

It had chosen Snake Spot Chrysanthemums before, so why was it no longer interested in them now?

Would it take an interest in me someday and directly turn me into a pill?

Carrying the sack of Snake Spot Chrysanthemums, Li Banfeng walked up to the Copper Lotus. The lotus did not react at all.

Then why had the Snake Spot Chrysanthemums I brought back before turned into Snake Spot Pills?

Thinking back to when I returned last night, what had been different?

As he thought, Li Banfeng's head began to spin again.

This was a normal reaction after inhaling poisonous mist. After the dizziness came nausea.

Vomit!

Li Banfeng remembered something. The first thing he had done upon returning to the Portable Abode was vomit. Unable to find a suitable place, he had vomited directly into the cloth sack holding the flowers.

Before that, Li Banfeng had poured the Snake Spot Chrysanthemums from the sack straight onto the ground.

Could it be that, separated by a cloth sack, the Copper Lotus could not sense the Snake Spot Chrysanthemums?

Li Banfeng opened the sack and poured the more than forty Snake Spot Chrysanthemums Gold Rimmed Glasses had gathered near the Copper Lotus.

The instant the Snake Spot Chrysanthemums hit the ground, the Copper Lotus's petals began to tremble.

Hiss—hiss—

The sound of metal grinding rang out as the lotus's seven petals unfolded one by one.

Li Banfeng was once more won over by this exquisite mechanism. He could no longer understand whether modern civilization or these bizarre technologies was more advanced.

Once the seven petals opened, Li Banfeng clearly saw the seven-holed lotus heart.

Li Banfeng sensed that the air in the Portable Abode was moving in an abnormal direction.

The air spun into a vortex, and at the center of that vortex was the seven-holed lotus heart.

The more than forty Snake Spot Chrysanthemums on the ground gradually rose with the vortex, flying up and down through the room.

This scene must have appeared last night too, but I had slept so deeply that I noticed nothing at all!

Li Banfeng instinctively backed two steps away from the Copper Lotus. He feared that he would be sucked into the lotus heart.

A total of forty-three Snake Spot Chrysanthemums were drawn into the lotus, and the petals closed again.

Sure enough, only when they were directly exposed before the Copper Lotus could it sense them.

Exposed before it?

That phrase seemed somewhat inappropriate. Could the Copper Lotus see?

As he pondered, Li Banfeng suddenly heard a crisp sound. Holding up the candle, he lowered his head and searched for a while, only to find that the Rust Pill had fallen onto the floor.

Hadn't I put it in the wallet?

Li Banfeng picked up the wallet and inspected it. A hole had appeared in the bottom of the leather wallet, surrounded by bluish-black scorch marks.

Had it been corroded?

The Rust Pill actually had corrosive properties?

What would happen if someone ate the Rust Pill?

Forget a House Cultivator—even a Poison Cultivator would most likely be unable to withstand it!

Li Banfeng grew even more curious!

Using a rag from the floor as padding, he carefully put the Rust Pill into the iron cigarette case.

Could an iron box withstand the corrosion?

It could not!

The corrosion was even more obvious than it had been on the wallet.

The moment the iron cigarette case touched the Rust Pill, it began rusting rapidly. By the time Li Banfeng took the Rust Pill out, the case was covered in rust, its original appearance no longer visible.

An iron case would not work. What about a wooden case?

Li Banfeng put the Rust Pill into the glasses case. After observing it for a moment, he found that the Rust Pill did not corrode wood. Only then did he set the glasses case in a corner of the room with relief.

Li Banfeng silently waited beside the Copper Lotus. After estimating that half an hour had passed, the petals opened again, and there was one lotus seed inside.

Li Banfeng held the lotus seed in his hand. Once separated from the lotus heart, it rapidly expanded.

Bang! After a muffled sound, a black-and-white pill burst out.

This was a Snake Spot Pill!

Li Banfeng counted them. There were ten pills in total.

Previously, he had used thirty-seven plants to refine eight pills. By that calculation, the Copper Lotus's refining ratio was one pill for every four and a half plants, more skillful than the methods of any major apothecary.

This time, fewer Snake Spot Chrysanthemums had been consumed and the yield was higher. That should have been related to the larger size of the Snake Spot Chrysanthemums gathered by Gold Rimmed Glasses.

Li Banfeng poured out all the Snake Spot Chrysanthemums, including Qin Xiaopang's, You Tao's, Cao Ye's, Old Smoke Cannon's, Hu Gaozi's, Bald Head's, and his followers'...

There were three hundred and thirty-two flowers in total, all swallowed by the Copper Lotus into its lotus heart.

After another half hour or so, the petals bloomed again. This time, there were three lotus seeds in the lotus heart.

Li Banfeng peeled off the seeds and quietly waited for them to burst one after another.

A few minutes later, Li Banfeng picked up the pills scattered across the floor from the exploded lotus seeds. He had harvested seventy-six Snake Spot Pills in total.

Adding the eighteen Snake Spot Pills he and Gold Rimmed Glasses had refined earlier, he now had ninety-four altogether.

Money!

Stacks upon stacks of money!

Li Banfeng had bought two cloth sacks at the general store, but he had actually used only one to hold pills. The other had been used to hold vomit.

He packed the pills into the remaining clean cloth sack, then casually sorted through Gold Rimmed Glasses and Hu Gaozi's inheritance as well.

Gold Rimmed Glasses had 2,613 yuan in cash, while Hu Gaozi had 3,528.5 yuan on him.

The current Li Banfeng did not care about this small amount of money. He put it away out of respect for the two dead men.

After all, they had known each other for a time and had even formed a partnership. He had to keep their belongings safe!

After resting in the Portable Abode for more than two hours, Li Banfeng left Bitter Mist Mountain and headed to the gathering place of the various apothecaries.

The cultivators carrying Snake Spot Chrysanthemums were still arguing with the apothecaries. They claimed they would not sell, yet none of them had gone far.

If they did not sell to the apothecaries, who else could they sell to?

They only hoped to win themselves a little better price through this kind of resistance. As one middle-aged cultivator put it, "Even thirty would be fine. Twenty-five is just too much bullying."

Li Banfeng had no interest in watching them bicker. Qin Xiaopang and the others were still waiting for him in a secluded place.

Li Banfeng had been gone for nearly three hours, and Qin Xiaopang was worried sick!

"I never should've let him go alone! The mountain is so vast—where am I supposed to find that old woman? He spent an entire night on the mountain too. Isn't that going to kill him?"

Qin Xiaopang paced back and forth, rubbing his hands over and over.

Cao Ye lowered her head and said, "If Brother Bai Sha can really trade for pills, I only need half..."

You Tao muttered to herself, "An old woman... what kind of old woman? Could he have run into Lucky Star...?"

When they saw Li Banfeng's figure, everyone was overjoyed. Li Banfeng had no mood to listen to their thanks, nor did he have time for pleasantries. He distributed the pills directly.

"You Tao, you had thirty-eight flowers. They traded for four pills."

You Tao was startled. "Wasn't I short by two plants?"

Li Banfeng said, "I made up the difference for you. Consider it rounding things off."

You Tao looked at Li Banfeng, both grateful and ashamed.

Li Banfeng took out another six pills. "Cao Ye, you had sixty-one plants. The shortfall was too great, so I couldn't make it up for you. I could only round it down."

Cao Ye was overjoyed and hurriedly checked whether the pills were genuine.

Next came Qin Xiaopang.

His account was not easy to calculate. Qin Xiaopang originally had twenty Snake Spot Chrysanthemums, enough for two pills.

After splitting Old Smoke Cannon and Bald Head's group's Snake Spot Chrysanthemums evenly, Qin Xiaopang had eighty-four plants.

That made one hundred and four in total. Taking into account Qin Xiaopang's care along the way, Li Banfeng gave him eleven pills.

Qin Xiaopang held the pills, his hands trembling uncontrollably.

"One pill is worth ten thousand! Come on, let's go sell the medicine right now!"

Cao Ye stopped Qin Xiaopang. "Brother Fatty, where are you planning to sell them?"

"To the apothecaries, of course! Aren't they right here?"

Cao Ye shook her head. "We can't sell them to the apothecaries. We can't explain where these pills came from."

Qin Xiaopang frowned. "How can we not explain where they came from? Isn't this... isn't it just... that thing...?"

The matter truly could not be explained. Even if it were explained, no one would believe it.

Cao Ye said, "I used to be an apprentice at an apothecary. They will not accept pills with unclear origins. If they press us to get to the root of things, we may end up inviting trouble instead."

Sure enough, they could not sell them to the apothecaries.

Li Banfeng said nothing and quietly watched as they considered their options.

Qin Xiaopang was deeply discouraged. "Then what do we do? We traded for pills, only for them to rot in our hands."

You Tao smiled. "How could they rot in our hands? There are plenty of people who want pills, and they are all wealthy. You might not even be able to buy one for ten thousand.

"You take his money, and he still has to remember your kindness. A business this good cannot be begged for even in dreams."

Li Banfeng's brow relaxed. There was still a way.

It was simply not a path that suited him very well.

You Tao meant selling them through private channels to people who wanted to buy them.

Li Banfeng was unfamiliar with this place and did not know suitable buyers. He would have to see whether Qin Xiaopang had a channel for moving the goods.

Qin Xiaopang scratched his scalp. "But that's not something we can sell off in a day or two."

You Tao looked astonished. "What are you in such a hurry for? Pills won't spoil in a day or two either!"

"That's true, but..."

You Tao had no interest in wasting words with Qin Xiaopang. She turned and cupped her fist toward Li Banfeng. "Great kindness needs no thanks. I owe you these pills, and I owe you my life too.

"If you ever come to Ma Bamboo Village in Outer Valley, ask for You Xuetao and you will surely find me. If there is ever anything you need, just say the word. Through mountains of blades and seas of fire, this young lady will not even blink!"

You Xuetao, You Tao—her nickname was somewhat similar to her name.

She had given him her address. If Qin Xiaopang could not find a way to sell the pills, it would not be too late to seek out You Tao then.

Cao Ye bowed to Li Banfeng. "Brother Bai Sha, my name is Xue Yingying. Ask around about the Old Xue family in Sanpu Village, Outer Valley, and you'll find me."

You Tao took out two medicinal pills. "We sisters can't repay this kindness anytime soon. Please accept these pills as a token of my gratitude."

Cao Ye also took out two medicinal pills. "This is a small token from me as well."

Li Banfeng waved his hand and refused their pills.

The two women thanked him profusely, but if they learned that Li Banfeng still had sixty-five pills in his possession, who knew what they would think.

You Tao looked at Li Banfeng, and she really did have a few thoughts.

A Joy Cultivator's thoughts were very straightforward.

If she could meet a man like him, then long might not be any worse than flat.

Cao Ye's thoughts were more complicated.

Though she had not clearly seen what happened back then, Bald Head's group had indeed died at the hands of him and that little fatty.

This was a man capable of great things!

With him looking after them, they really could open that medicine shop!

The two women took their leave in turn. Li Banfeng remained where he was, considering the journey back to Yuezhou.

By rights, with so many pills in hand, money should no longer be a problem.

But until the pills were sold, they could not be counted as money.

How could he sell the pills quickly?

Li Banfeng looked at Qin Xiaopang. The little fatty seemed to be in urgent need of money too.

Yet after sitting silently for so long, Qin Xiaopang, who had been frantic just moments ago, gradually calmed down.

He felt that You Tao had made sense. "There's no need to rush the sale of these pills. That woman was right—these are good things.

"Not only can I sell them for a good price, I can also use these pills to make plenty of good friends. So there's no need to rush this at all!"

You're not in a hurry anymore?

That won't do!

"I'm in a hurry!" Li Banfeng sat beside Qin Xiaopang. "I need money urgently."

Although Li Banfeng had also found quite a bit of money on Gold Rimmed Glasses, these pills seemed useless if he brought them back to Yuezhou.

Qin Xiaopang was very curious. "What do you need money for so urgently? Want me to lend you some first?"

Li Banfeng waved his hand. "I don't want to borrow money. I just want to sell the pills as soon as possible."

"Sell them as soon as possible..." Qin Xiaopang understood Li Banfeng's thinking. Li Banfeng had come from the Outer State and was unfamiliar with Medicine King Gully. He barely knew any ordinary people, let alone wealthy nobles.

After thinking for a moment, Qin Xiaopang pinched his chin. "There is a place where you can get rid of the pills quickly, but the price will have to be discounted."

Li Banfeng's eyes lit up. "How much of a discount?"

PS: Dear readers, Salad has been so conscientious. It's the end of the month, so give all your monthly votes to Salad.