Watching Zhao Zhen's back disappear at the end of the mountain path, brimming with anticipation and joy, Zhou Xuan felt a weight lift from his heart.
He had forged a favorable connection, and had even unexpectedly learned an important clue about the Devil-Infected Demon Pill. It had been a fruitful trip.
He gathered his thoughts and calmed the excitement stirred by his sudden windfall, then turned to head down the mountain and return to the Chore Servant Courtyard.
No matter how rich Red Sword Peak's spiritual energy or how beautiful its scenery, it still couldn't compare to the Trash Mountain at the Miscellaneous Affairs Department, where he could make a living and find shelter.
But just after he descended the stone steps at Red Sword Peak's gate, before he had gone far, a familiar figure appeared in front of him without warning, blocking his way.
The newcomer wore the scarlet robes of an Inner Sect Disciple, her hair tied in a simple ponytail. She had delicate features, but at that moment her willow brows were drawn together and her almond-shaped eyes were wide as she glared at him, fuming.
Who else could it be but Fairy Danhuo, Zhang Ling?
Zhou Xuan's heart tightened.
He had assumed this alchemy fanatic was a disciple of Pill Peak, living in a Cave Abode there, so he hadn't expected to run into her here.
Could she be a disciple of Red Sword Peak too, and simply like to visit Pill Peak?
The thought flashed through his mind and vanished. He didn't dare delay, quickly stopping to bow respectfully to her.
"Senior Sister Zhang Ling." Zhou Xuan greeted her without thinking.
Zhang Ling ignored his greeting completely. Instead, as if she had finally found the person she was looking for, she strode toward him, bristling with fury.
Before Zhou Xuan could react, a fair but powerful hand shot out and seized him by the collar.
"Come with me!" Zhang Ling's tone brooked no argument, edged with a strange anger.
The sudden turn of events startled Zhou Xuan. An irresistible force dragged him along, and he stumbled after her.
His mind was blank with confusion and fear. What was going on?
Sis, what are you trying to do? I'm just a Chore Disciple. I'm not selling myself!
An absurd thought flashed through his mind, but Zhang Ling looked so furious that she didn't seem to be joking.
He didn't dare struggle. He could only let her drag him along as they hurried down the Sect's mountain paths.
They drew plenty of sidelong glances from the Inner Sect Disciples along the way. Seeing an imposing senior sister striding along while gripping a Chore Disciple by the collar, they all wore strange, gossipy expressions.
Zhou Xuan's face burned. He wished he could crawl into a crack in the ground.
Before long, Zhang Ling had dragged him all the way to Pill Peak. Looking at the mountain steeped in the scent of medicine and the aura of alchemy fire, Zhou Xuan finally understood. It seemed his guess had been right; this was their destination.
Zhang Ling led him with practiced ease to a Cave Abode halfway up the mountain.
Before they even reached it, Zhou Xuan caught a strong smell of something burnt. Blackened patches still stained the stone walls around the entrance.
Only when they arrived did Zhang Ling let go. Pointing at the Cave Abode's entrance, she said angrily, "Get in! Hurry!"
Only then did Zhou Xuan realize that this young lady's Pill Room had blown up again.
He was speechless.
Normally, the Sect had a fixed schedule for clearing waste from the Pill Rooms: people were sent to deal with it only once every seven days.
Clearly, this Explosion Immortal had run out of patience.
But while her impatience was a problem for her, it was a tremendous stroke of luck for Zhou Xuan.
He gathered himself and entered the Cave Abode.
Compared to last time, he was much more cautious.
He didn't start working right away. Instead, he made a circuit of the Pill Room, carefully inspecting the surroundings.
The entire Alchemy Room was a mess. Shattered pieces of the Alchemy Furnace lay scattered across the floor, while black medicinal dregs and unidentified sticky liquids smeared the walls and floor.
The burnt smell in the air was even stronger than last time.
Zhou Xuan secretly activated the system, sweeping his gaze over the areas that looked most dangerous.
[Ding! Unstable Waste Pill residue detected. Energy structure is chaotic; risk of a secondary explosion!]
[Ding! Highly active medicinal liquid mixture detected. Conflicting properties; approaching may trigger a violent reaction!]
There really was danger!
Zhou Xuan's heart tightened, and he didn't dare be careless. He decided to start with the waste that posed the greatest risk.
He went to a pile of Alchemy Furnace fragments that were still trailing wisps of green smoke, then cautiously reached out and touched the charred pill residue hardened onto the shards.
[Ding! Absorbed residual spiritual energy from a Second-Rank Waste Pill, Dew Rain Pill. Metal Touch Value +50!]
[Ding! Absorbed residual spiritual energy from a Second-Rank Waste Pill, Dew Rain Pill. Metal Touch Value +50!]
Zhou Xuan's eyes lit up at once.
Dew Rain Pills? They were second-rank pills!
He was a little surprised. As far as he knew, Dew Rain Pills were water-element pills with mild medicinal properties.
They were mainly used to nourish the Meridians and, among second-rank pills, were among the easiest to refine and the most stable in nature.
He couldn't understand how Senior Sister Zhang had managed to blow up such a mild pill.
But surprise or not, he kept working.
Fifty points!
A single pill's worth of residue could be converted into fifty points of Gold Touch Value. The conversion rate was astonishingly high!
Suppressing his excitement, he began treasure-hunting through the wrecked Pill Room.
Before long, he found seven relatively intact pieces of Waste Pill residue in various corners.
Those seven pills alone had earned him a full three hundred and fifty points of Gold Touch Value!
Zhou Xuan's enthusiasm had been thoroughly kindled.
He no longer limited himself to Waste Pills, turning his attention to all the other trash in the Pill Room.
The blasted medicinal herbs, scorched talisman paper, cracked jade bottles, even the floor stained by medicinal liquid—all of it became resources he could convert with his system.
[Ding! Absorbed residual spiritual energy from charred spirit herbs. Metal Touch Value +3!]
[Ding! Absorbed residual spiritual energy from a damaged jade bottle. Metal Touch Value +2!]
[Ding! Absorbed residual spiritual energy from an Alchemy Furnace fragment. Metal Touch Value +5!]
Like a diligent cleaner, he went over the entire Pill Room with meticulous care.
After absorbing the last handful of medicinal ash, he was delighted to discover that he had earned a full five hundred Gold Touch Value today!
[Metal Touch Value balance: 617 points!]
Looking at the impressive figure on the system panel, Zhou Xuan felt as if he'd gotten rich all over again.
The feeling was even more exhilarating than getting Spirit Stones outright.
He gathered all the trash into a corner, leaving the entire Pill Room spotless.
When he was done, he dusted off his hands and prepared to take his leave of Fairy Danhuo, who was still sulking outside the door.
But just as he reached the entrance, Zhang Ling stopped him.
"Wait."
Her expression wasn't as grim as before. She looked Zhou Xuan up and down, apparently somewhat surprised by how quickly he had cleaned the place.
"Does Senior Sister have any other instructions?" Zhou Xuan asked respectfully.
Zhang Ling hesitated, seeming to search for the right words. After a moment, she asked, "Would you be willing to come work for me?"
Zhou Xuan was taken aback.
Zhang Ling continued, "You're pretty quick at your work. From now on, you won't need to go to the Miscellaneous Affairs Department. You can just take care of cleaning my Pill Room."
"Something might go wrong from time to time, but there's not much work. You can arrange your own schedule most of the time."
As if she thought that wasn't enough, she added, "If you agree, I can give you three Qi Condensing Pills a month as payment!"
Qi Condensing Pills!
Zhou Xuan's eyes lit up.
Those were pills used by cultivators in the Qi Refining Realm to aid their cultivation. Their medicinal power far surpassed that of Qi Gathering Pills. One sold for ten Low-grade Spirit Stones at the Marketplace—and they were in such high demand that they were practically impossible to find.
Three a month was worth thirty Low-grade Spirit Stones. For a Chore Disciple, it was an unimaginably generous offer.
Becoming her personal servant would mean an easy workload and such a generous reward. It really did sound like a golden opportunity to rise straight to the top.
Besides, he had already considered working under Zhang Ling. But now that he thought about it...
Leave the Miscellaneous Affairs Department?
But that was his true treasure vault, the steadiest and most plentiful source of his Gold Touch Value.
Giving up a stable supply of resources for three Qi Condensing Pills a month would be like tossing aside a watermelon to pick up a sesame seed.
Without the Miscellaneous Affairs Department, a place where every last thing was a treasure, how long would it take him to earn ten thousand Gold Touch Value and improve his Spirit Root if he relied only on the occasional furnace explosion at Zhang Ling's place?
Seeing Zhou Xuan's furrowed brow, Zhang Ling was puzzled. In her eyes, not a single Chore Disciple could refuse the offer she had made.
Before you continue