Learning Alchemy

Lin Ye returned to the storeroom.

Chen Feng was counting medicinal ingredients. Seeing him return, he asked in a low voice, "Did Zhou Bapi come looking for you?"

"Yeah." Lin Ye nodded. "We've reached an agreement."

"Reached an agreement?" Chen Feng frowned.

"He wanted Contribution Points, so I gave him a safe way to get them," Lin Ye said calmly. "If you play by the rules, you won't last long. If you break them, you need a way to do it."

Chen Feng studied him for a long moment. "You're bolder than I thought."

Lin Ye smiled and started counting the medicinal ingredients.

His movements were still meticulous, but a hint of sharpness had entered the depths of his eyes.

In the days that followed, Lin Ye began to "work the system."

When counting the "Qingling Grass," he recorded twenty of the slightly inferior plants as "slightly withered leaf edges" and entered them into the ledger at eighty percent of their value.

When drying the "Chiyan Flowers," he "accidentally" left thirty of them out too long, recorded them as "slightly dull in color," and processed them at seventy percent of their value.

When sorting the "Hanyu Ginseng," he recorded five with slightly broken roots as "damaged in appearance" and entered them into the ledger at sixty percent of their value.

All in all, after a month, the losses on the books looked entirely reasonable, while he had actually "held back" fifty-eight Contribution Points.

Lin Ye finished the accounts and handed them to Zhou Bapi.

Zhou Bapi checked them carefully. Once he confirmed everything was in order, a smile spread across his face. "Not bad. You kept it nice and clean."

"You flatter me, Steward," Lin Ye said.

"This is yours." Zhou Bapi took a small pouch from his drawer and tossed it to Lin Ye.

"Thank you, Steward."

"Let's do this every month from now on," Zhou Bapi said with satisfaction. "Keep up the good work, and I won't shortchange you."

Lin Ye left the room and returned to the storeroom.

Chen Feng was waiting for him.

"How did it go?"

"Twenty points, split three-seven." Lin Ye transferred ten Contribution Points to Chen Feng. "Yours."

"I don't want it." Chen Feng shook his head. "You took the risk to earn it."

"Take it." Lin Ye insisted. "We're partners. We share the risks and the rewards."

Chen Feng looked at him, then finally accepted.

"What now? Keep doing this?" Chen Feng asked.

"No." Lin Ye shook his head. "This is only a stopgap. Zhou Bapi is insatiably greedy. Sooner or later, something will happen. Before it does, we need to find a way out."

"What way out?"

"Alchemy," Lin Ye said. "How's the alchemy manual I asked you to get?"

"I got it." Chen Feng took a thin booklet from inside his robe. "Basic Alchemy. Every outer disciple in the Alchemy Hall has a copy."

Lin Ye took it and quickly flipped through the pages.

Basic Alchemy recorded the methods for refining three low-grade mortal pills: the Body Tempering Pill, Hemostatic Powder, and Qingxin Pill.

It also covered basic flame-control techniques, ingredient preparation, and the key to forming pills.

"That's enough." Lin Ye closed the booklet. "Starting today, I'm going to learn alchemy."

"Learn here?" Chen Feng frowned. "Private pill refining is forbidden in the Herb Repository."

"Not in the Herb Repository." Lin Ye looked out the window. "We'll find somewhere in the back mountain."

At midnight.

Lin Ye and Chen Feng quietly left the Herb Repository and headed to the secluded cave in the back mountain.

Inside the cave, Lin Ye had already prepared a crude pill furnace.

There was also a batch of medicinal ingredients on hand. They were scraps left over from "reasonable losses" while he was counting the ingredients. They weren't worth much, but they were enough to practice with.

"You really plan to refine pills here?" Chen Feng asked.

"Yeah." Lin Ye nodded and lit the furnace.

Following the instructions in Basic Alchemy, he began preparing the ingredients.

The main ingredient for the Body Tempering Pill was Blood Qi Grass, supplemented by Ninglu Flower and Iron Bone Vine.

Though this was Lin Ye's first time refining pills, he had "points" to give him a cheat.

"How many points will it take to analyze Basic Alchemy?"

[Analyzing Basic Alchemy (low-grade mortal), requires 50 Martial Arts Points]

[Analyze?]

"Yes."

A phantom appeared and began demonstrating the pill-refining process.

The details of preparing ingredients, the precision of controlling the heat, the timing for blending medicinal liquids, the trick to forming pills...

A flood of information poured into his mind.

[Analysis complete]

[Basic Alchemy has been optimized. Pill success rate increased by 30%, pill quality increased by 20%.]

[Flame Silk Yuan Control Method derived. Allows precise control of flame temperature and reduces waste.]

Lin Ye opened his eyes, a glimmer of understanding flashing through them.

He started over.

He removed impurities from the Blood Qi Grass, collected the dew from the Ninglu Flower, and snapped the Iron Bone Vine at its joints.

Once the ingredients were prepared, he put them into the pill furnace.

He controlled the flame, raised the temperature, melded the ingredients, condensed the liquid, and formed the pills.

The entire process flowed as smoothly as a single breath.

Half an hour later, he opened the furnace.

Three round pills lay at the bottom. They were milky white from head to toe, and their fragrance filled the air.

"You succeeded on your first try?" Chen Feng was astonished.

"Yeah." Lin Ye took out the pills and examined them carefully.

Their pill patterns were clear and their medicinal power full. They were indeed top grade.

At market price, a single top-grade Body Tempering Pill was worth fifteen Contribution Points.

And it cost less than ten points to make.

Lin Ye didn't stop. He continued refining.

Hemostatic Powder: done! Top quality.

Qingxin Pills: done! Top quality.

By the end of the night, all the ingredients had been used up. He had refined fifteen Body Tempering Pills, twenty packets of Hemostatic Powder, and ten Qingxin Pills.

Their value already exceeded three hundred Contribution Points.

"This..." Chen Feng stared at the pills scattered across the ground, at a loss for words.

"This is only the beginning." Lin Ye put the pills away. "We can't sell these directly. We need to find somewhere to handle them."

"Where?"

"The black market," Lin Ye said. "There's an underground trading ring in the Miscellaneous Affairs Hall. I know a way in."

Chen Feng gave him a long look. "You seem to know everything."

Lin Ye smiled and packed the pills into separate containers. "I'll handle it tomorrow. Keep an eye on the Herb Repository, and don't let Zhou Bapi get suspicious."

"Okay."

The next day, Lin Ye took half a day off, saying he was going to the Miscellaneous Goods Hall to trade for some things.

After making several detours and confirming that no one was following him, he arrived at an old, run-down courtyard west of the Miscellaneous Affairs Hall.

The courtyard gate was ajar, and faint voices drifted from inside.

Lin Ye pushed the gate open and entered.

Several servants were making trades in the courtyard. When they saw someone come in, they all froze.

"New face? Who sent you?" A burly man with a scar across his face walked over, his eyes wary.

"Zhao Xiaosi," Lin Ye replied.

The scarred man's expression eased slightly. "One of Xiaosi's people? What do you want?"

"I'm here to sell a few things," Lin Ye said in a low voice.

"Come in."

The scarred man led Lin Ye into the inner room.

It was very bare, with only a table and a few chairs.

"Where's your merchandise?" The scarred man sat down.

Lin Ye took out three small bottles and set them on the table.

The scarred man opened them, poured out the pills, and examined them carefully.

"Body Tempering Pills, top grade. Hemostatic Powder, top grade. Qingxin Pills, top grade." The scarred man looked up, surprise in his eyes. "All good stuff. Where'd you get them?"

"I made them myself," Lin Ye replied frankly.

"You know how to refine pills?" The scarred man was even more surprised.

"I know a little."

"Fine. I'll take them," the scarred man said. "I can only offer eighty percent of market price. Agree and we trade. Otherwise, leave."

"Fine, but I don't want Contribution Points. I want medicinal ingredients," Lin Ye said.

"Medicinal ingredients?" The scarred man raised an eyebrow. "What kind?"

"Fifty portions each of Blood Qi Grass, Ninglu Flower, and Iron Bone Vine. And add a recipe for the Qi Gathering Pill."

The Qi Gathering Pill was a mid-grade mortal pill, suitable for cultivation in the late Body Tempering stage, and quite valuable.

"You want to learn how to make the Qi Gathering Pill?" The scarred man stared at Lin Ye. "You've got big ambitions, kid."

"I just want to give it a try," Lin Ye said calmly.

"Fine. I have the ingredients and the recipe, but they won't come cheap," the scarred man said. "Your pills are worth two hundred and forty points in total. That's just enough for the ingredients and the recipe."

"Deal."

Lin Ye took the ingredients and recipe and left the courtyard.

Back at the Herb Repository, he hid the ingredients. After memorizing the recipe, he burned it.

Then he returned to his work and continued to "follow the rules."

Zhou Bapi came by to inspect. Everything was in order, so he left, satisfied.