There was a standalone stone house in the courtyard. It was not large, but its walls were thick and heavy, and its doors and windows were tightly shut. It was clearly a place specifically meant for alchemy.
The steward pushed open the stone house door and stepped aside.
Li Bufan entered the stone house and looked around. The interior was quite spacious, covering nearly a hundred zhang in area. A faint glow emanated from all four walls, clearly meant to block outside interference. Two standard-issue alchemy furnaces, each three zhang in size, stood inside as well.
Li Bufan looked at the two furnaces, then shook his head and said to Zhao Mengdong, "I'll have to trouble District Master Zhao to find me some larger alchemy furnaces. The bigger, the better."
Zhao Mengdong froze, about to speak, when Li Bufan raised a hand and waved. A colossal alchemy furnace flew out of his storage ring and crashed onto the ground with a bang, letting out a dull thunderous boom that made the stone house tremble slightly.
Zhao Mengdong stared at the enormous furnace, his eyes going wide. He could not help swallowing.
Though he was not an alchemist, he had seen quite a few alchemy furnaces. Yet he had never seen one this massive.
He cautiously asked, "Nephew Li, this... is this really all right? Such a large furnace must be difficult to control, no?"
Li Bufan said calmly, "Rest assured, District Master Zhao. Since I, Li Bufan, agreed to this matter, I naturally have sufficient confidence. I have used this furnace for a long time and can handle it as easily as moving my own arm."
Zhao Mengdong nodded and asked no further questions. Turning to the steward behind him, he ordered, "Go. Prepare two more furnaces of this size