"Pill refining isn't easy. Otherwise, alchemists wouldn't be so rare.
It's hard to imagine that someone who doesn't even know how to use a magical tool pill cauldron could refine graded pills!"
The woman from Shuiyue Pavilion shook her head.
Yu Yuehai smiled calmly.
"Not everything in this world can be judged by common sense. Take Kaiyuan City, for instance. Before coming here, who could have imagined that a monstrosity had set its sights on this place?
And even before fully taking shape, it could control the thoughts of every cultivator in the city and siphon away their flesh and divine souls without them noticing.
Who could have imagined that two dignified Black Demon Sect Core Disciples like us would be trapped here for years? The people back at the sect probably think we're already dead!"
The woman sighed with emotion at his words.
She sighed again and said, "Thankfully, you noticed something was wrong, Senior Brother. Otherwise, we'd still be waiting ignorantly for death, just like the other cultivators in the city!"
At this point, she gave Yu Yuehai an apologetic look and said softly, "If you hadn't forcibly suppressed the changes in my body for me, you wouldn't have ended up like this."
Yu Yuehai reached out and drew her into his arms. "Why bring that up? Once I get the Blood Demon Pill and break through to foundation establishment, I'll be able to sever the red line and leave this place. Even if I lose half my lifespan, I'll still have twenty or thirty years left. Spending that long as a foundation establishment expert wouldn't be so bad.
Besides, reaching foundation establishment normally is extraordinarily difficult. This might well be a stroke of fortune. And as I've told you, I'm willing to do anything for you."
With that, he stroked her long hair and kissed her smooth forehead.
Her eyes filled with tenderness, and she nestled closer against him.
Chen Lin knew nothing of what was happening outside. It took him three attempts to figure out how to use the pill cauldron.
There was nothing particularly mysterious about it. He simply had to use his own mana to activate the formation on the cauldron, then regulate the temperature by adjusting the strength of his mana output.
At that point, he discovered that his reserves of mana at the mid Qi refinement realm were insufficient for a complete round of pill refining.
The cauldron consumed a great deal of mana.
Even if the process didn't collapse midway because of a mistake, he would still run out of mana.
Upon discovering this, he immediately stopped refining, tidied up, and opened the door to leave.
By now, the woman from Shuiyue Pavilion had returned to her room. Only Yu Yuehai remained at the doorway, his expression brooding.
Chen Lin walked over unhurriedly and said, "Fellow Daoist Yu, my mana is too weak to sustain a complete round of pill refining. I'm afraid I'll need some Qi Replenishing Pills."
Yu Yuehai sneered. Without wasting any words, he tossed him a porcelain bottle.
Chen Lin caught it and opened it to find a full bottle of Qi Replenishing Pills. He nodded in satisfaction, put it away, and turned to leave.
Besides wanting to squeeze out a few benefits, he naturally wanted to keep his secret from being discovered.
If Yu Yuehai discovered that he had never completed even one full refining attempt, yet somehow produced finished pills, it would take only a little thought to realize something was wrong.
Judging by what Yu Yuehai had said earlier, he seemed to believe Chen Lin had managed to refine Chuyuan Pills and Enlightenment Pills because of his good luck.
Since that was what he believed, Chen Lin would keep up the act.
Just as Chen Lin opened his door and was about to enter, that cold, sinister voice sounded behind him again.
"Fellow Daoist Chen, I don't have much time left. I advise you not to stall. If you still haven't refined the pills in three days... heh!"
Chen Lin paused, then stepped into the room.
Just then, the window of the room opposite opened, and the Sallow-Faced Female Cultivator poked her head out.
She looked at Chen Lin, then at Yu Yuehai, and shouted at the top of her lungs, "What pills? Who got their hands on pills? Can you sell me some? I'll service you any way you like!"
After shouting, she fixed her gaze on Yu Yuehai and teased, "Old Yu, was it you who got the pills? Come to my room and let me examine them for you! Hahaha..."
"Scram!"
Before her laughter ended, Yu Yuehai barked coldly, and a black glimmer shot out, piercing her skull.
Then the black glimmer traced an arc and flew back.
A bloody hole the size of a peach pit remained between the Sallow-Faced Female Cultivator's brows, and she slumped limply over the windowsill.
Chen Lin sensed the fluctuation of mana and turned around just in time to see the black glimmer pierce her skull. A startled cry escaped him.
A chill ran down his spine, while a surge of fury rushed straight to his head.
The emotions he had suppressed for so long finally erupted at that moment.
He stepped out of his doorway, his expression dark, and demanded in a tightly restrained voice, "Why did you kill her? She wouldn't have affected you!"
Yu Yuehai looked at Chen Lin with murderous eyes and sneered. "Do I need a reason to kill someone? If you can't hand over the Blood Demon Pill in three days, you'll meet the same end."
With that, he turned and returned to his room.
Chen Lin stared at the door for a long time, then silently turned and walked to the female cultivator's window.
He reached out and closed her eyes, which still held a look of terror, then tore off one of her sleeves and wrapped it around the bloody hole in her forehead.
Next, he hauled her body through the window, hoisted it onto his back, and slowly walked toward the courtyard gate.
Yu Yuehai had clearly been venting his anger, taking his frustration over Chen Lin's delays in refining the pills out on her.
Although this female neighbor had many faults, they had lived in the same courtyard for so long. Chen Lin couldn't bear such a sight.
But his strength was meager, and he was powerless to do anything. All he could do was lay her to rest, taking her outside the city to find somewhere to bury her.
As for reporting it to the authorities?
This city had no real authorities. The rogue cultivators in Shanty Town received no protection from the Five Major Families. Those families only bled them dry.
An early Qi refinement realm rogue cultivator with no backing was simply dead once she died. Her death wouldn't stir even a ripple.
Of course, he also wanted to use this as a test, to see whether this excuse would let him leave the courtyard.
As long as he could leave the courtyard, he would have other options even if he didn't flee.
For instance, he could accept Zhang Mazi's offer and become a Guest Elder of the Zhang Family. If he demonstrated his skill at refining Chuyuan Pills, they would surely be delighted to have him join.
If nothing else worked, even marrying Zhang Mazi's widowed older cousin was worth considering. It would be better than sitting here waiting for death.
With the Zhang Family's strength, dealing with a Qi Condensation cultivator who had yet to reach foundation establishment would be more than easy enough. Even someone at the Qi Condensation Great Circle couldn't withstand the pressure of a long-established lineage.
But if he refined the Blood Demon Pill and Yu Yuehai used it to become a Foundation Establishment Cultivator, there truly might be no one in Kaiyuan City capable of stopping him.
Even if there were, no one would risk their life fighting a Foundation Establishment Cultivator for a nobody like Chen Lin.
Chen Lin walked slowly, keeping his senses trained on Yu Yuehai's room.
One step.
Two steps.
He carried the corpse all the way to the courtyard gate, but Yu Yuehai never came out.
A flicker passed through his eyes, and he pushed open the gate, ready to leave.
Just then, a sharp, rushing sound tore through the air behind him. A black glimmer traced an arc and hovered in front of him.
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