Lin Changheng's idea was simple: alternate between one mid-grade defensive artifact and two low-grade offensive artifacts.
That would ensure he had enough means to protect his life while also giving him a variety of ways to attack.
With the terrifying, unpredictable Fire Bullet Art in reserve, he finally felt a little safer.
"This one, then."
Lin Changheng's gaze swept over the wares before he pointed at a bamboo whip Xu Xuyang had brought out.
"Alchemist Lin has a keen eye. Though the Jade Bamboo Whip is primarily an offensive artifact, it can also ensnare enemies, making it both an offensive and restraining weapon. And it costs only seventy spirit stones. An excellent choice!"
Steward Xu Xuyang was in high spirits at having attracted such a major customer. The corners of his mouth lifted as he praised the choice.
Lin Changheng merely smiled. He took out three hundred and thirty spirit stones, put away the two artifacts, and let the steward see him all the way to the door before leaving under his gaze.
He went straight back to his courtyard and began refining the artifacts in an orderly fashion.
The low-grade artifacts were easy enough. He finished refining them in less than half a day.
The mid-grade artifact, however, took a full two days to refine successfully.
During that time, he had even stopped partway through and gone to the alchemy room to spend a day making pills before returning to continue.
When he opened the furnace that day, the results were just as Lin Changheng had expected: ten pills in a single batch, two of them Premium Grade.
The effects of the four-layer Fire Crow's Fire Control Art: Ascension to Truth were indeed astonishing.
Even Master Mo, a mid-grade alchemist who had spent years immersed in his craft and dealt with fire day and night, couldn't control flames as well as he could.
Whenever Lin Changheng went to the alchemy room, he often ran into Master Mo, and they would chat.
The old man was living comfortably these days. He was hale and hearty, and in better spirits than before. He could focus on alchemy without being bothered by the many management duties of the pill shop.
Half a month later.
Lin Changheng received a letter.
It was from Xu Fugui, who had volunteered for the land reclamation and had finally reached the entrance to the Wilderness.
Aside from greetings and complaints, the letter mentioned only two things.
First, after so many years of land reclamation, the Wilderness had become a deep and dangerous place.
Demonic beasts prowled everywhere, poisonous insects were rampant, miasma filled the air, and perilous places lurked in the shadows...
Though the effort was now in full swing, progress remained slow. The reclamation teams had advanced barely twenty-odd miles in any direction, and every so often, cultivators would stagger back, missing limbs, their bodies darkened and poisoned. Twice, entire reclamation teams had been wiped out.
Xu Fugui had never seen such a scene. His heart and liver had nearly stopped in fright. He had barely managed to keep himself together, yet still hadn't forgotten to write back and warn him: "Brother Lin, if you're summoned, you must not come. You'll have to find another way to get out of it."
Second,
he also wrote that the Spirit Root woman of the Xu Family whom he had recently married was now pregnant, thanks to his tireless efforts.
If he were to meet his end out there, he asked Brother Lin to look after his wife and child as best he could.
He didn't want the mother and child to be bullied.
He ended with the words, "I bow my head in gratitude."
After reading it, Lin Changheng picked up his brush to write a reply, but couldn't help pausing.
Even in the perilous Wilderness, surrounded by danger, Xu Fugui hadn't forgotten about him and had gone out of his way to send a warning. Such friendship truly moved him.
But he couldn't bring himself to write something like, "Go on, your wife and children will be supported by me; don't worry."
Instead, he simply wrote, "A young child cannot be without a father, and a wife cannot be without her husband. Take good care of yourself, and return to comfort your wife and children."
Then he took out two Miasma-Clearing Pills that were close to Premium Grade and tucked them into the fold of the letter before sending them together.
Though the pills weren't Premium Grade, their medicinal effects weren't far off. When used to purge poison, they might produce an astonishing result.
It was the only thing he could do for now.
Time passed as Lin Changheng made pills and cultivated in an orderly fashion.
In the blink of an eye, a month had passed since the Xu and Chen families began their standoff in the Wilderness, and skirmishes along the front lines continued without pause.
The atmosphere within the clan had grown increasingly polarized.
Those who were frightened wanted the clan to exercise restraint and preserve the peace, at least for the time being.
Others, eager for battle, seethed with indignation. They believed the Chen Family had snatched food from a tiger's mouth, had been quietly taking the Xu Family's interests for years, and was eyeing the clan's spiritual lands during the land reclamation. To them, it was an insult and a humiliation. They demanded that the clan attack the Chen Family's stronghold outright and teach them a lesson to vent their anger!
Lin Changheng offered no comment. He simply focused on making pills.
After finishing a batch, he walked out of the alchemy room full of energy, without the slightest trace of fatigue.
"Alchemist Lin, the steward requests your presence."
Someone had been waiting at the entrance. The moment he saw Lin Changheng, he immediately relayed the message.
He couldn't help but marvel at Lin Changheng's condition. He'd been waiting for a long time and had watched several alchemists leave the room looking utterly exhausted, as though they'd been drained dry.
Lin Changheng was completely different. No wonder the steward valued him.
"All right. Let's go quickly. We mustn't keep Brother Xuzhong waiting."
As though he had guessed what this was about, Lin Changheng's heart lifted. He immediately strode off, moving like the wind.
Xu Xuzhong, steward of the General Affairs Hall, had grown much closer to Lin Changheng. After getting drunk at a banquet, he'd felt they'd become friends too late in life and insisted on addressing him as a brother.
Lin Changheng couldn't talk him out of it, so he had no choice but to call Xu Xuzhong—who was nearly twice his age—"elder brother."
"Yes."
The two arrived at a side room of the General Affairs Hall. There, Lin Changheng saw Xu Xuzhong bent over his desk, busy with paperwork. Ten long wooden boxes were stacked high to his right.
Lin Changheng knew those boxes very well. They were unmistakably used to store pills.
"Did you ask for me, elder brother?"
"Changheng, you're here? Have some tea and sit for a while. Let me finish this urgent matter first."
Xu Xuzhong looked up, his face dark and solemn. He managed a smile, gave a brief explanation, then bent back over his desk. By then, the attendant who had shown Lin Changheng the way had already brought in spiritual tea.
"Your important business should come first. There's no rush."
Lin Changheng sensed his mood and replied accordingly, suppressing his own longing for the blood essence from the defective pills.
It wasn't until the sun had set and Xu Xuzhong had sent someone to deliver the documents that he finally put down his brush. After apologizing, he got down to business and handed all the wooden boxes to Lin Changheng.
As expected, they contained defective Miasma-Clearing Pills.
And he had given Lin Changheng the entire clan's supply in one go.
Unlike before, he hadn't split it among several people.
Lin Changheng put all the rectangular boxes away, thanked him, and chatted with him for a few moments before taking his leave.
"Wait..."
Xu Xuzhong seemed to remember something and suddenly called out to him.
"Is something the matter, elder brother?"
Lin Changheng turned with a slight smile, only to find Xu Xuzhong looking as though he wanted to speak but couldn't.
Lin Changheng's thoughts stirred. Could it be related to the urgent matter Xu Xuzhong had just handled?
Outwardly, he remained calm.
An odd silence fell over the side room. Only after a long while did Xu Xuzhong let out a sigh and speak again.
"When you go back, make sure to spend more time studying the Pill Dao and improving your alchemy..."
"Trust me, it'll do you good. All right, you may go..."
The cryptic remark left Lin Changheng unsure of what was going on. He could only answer, "Yes," then leave with his doubts.
But when Lin Changheng thought it over, Xu Xuzhong held a high position and seniority within the clan. If even he couldn't speak openly about it, then it might truly be no simple matter.
"Best to do as he says. Advancing in the Pill Dao can only help, never harm."
Back in his courtyard,
he brushed his palm across the ten boxes of defective pills.
Whoosh!
Above the Origin Cauldron, a new Emerald Treasure Seed slowly took shape.
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