Discarded Pills, Inferior Pills

The speaker was an elderly man in black, his hair and beard entirely white and his face a map of deep wrinkles. His cultivation was roughly at the fifth level of Qi Refining, and he was hunched over as he stepped out from the alchemy room.

Seeing Lin Changheng lift the curtain and step into the backyard, the old man chuckled.

Lin Changheng instinctively wanted to retort:

Can a pill-maker's affairs really be called blowing up a furnace? It should be called the furnace catching a leak...

But as the words reached his lips, they turned into a bitter smile. "Master Mo, please, don't tease me."

Master Mo did not respond. He beckoned Lin Changheng over, and just as the young man stepped into the alchemy room as instructed, the old man suddenly asked, "Were you refining a Crimson Flame Pill?"

"Yes."

"When did it blow?"

"During the blending of the herbs..."

"Hmm... wait until I finish this batch, the next one will be a Crimson Flame Pill. You stay by my side and watch closely; look for errors and omissions."

"Yes! Thank you, Master Mo!"

Lin Changheng was overjoyed and thanked him repeatedly.

Master Mo was an old guest elder of the Xu Family. Originally a first-tier middle-grade alchemist, he possessed formidable refining skills, but due to his advanced age and lingering internal injuries, he could no longer sustain the high-intensity refining required for middle-grade pills. He had voluntarily requested to be stationed at Zichuan Market, a resource-based market that had gradually fallen into decline, where he spent his days refining low-grade pills for external sale.

Even so, for Lin Changheng, the chance to observe an alchemist at work was a significant opportunity.

After all, knowledge gained from books is shallow; having someone provide a correct demonstration was a rare treasure.

"It is nothing."

"Keep an eye on the furnace fire; I am refining a Wood Origin Pill inside."

Master Mo gave this instruction, preparing to step away for a moment.

"But... I know nothing about refining the Wood Origin Pill. Usually, it is Senior Brother Xu who watches the furnace."

Lin Changheng immediately reminded him.

"Xu Hanzhou has been recalled to the family. He left early this morning with the clan's delegation that came to handle business," Master Mo explained casually before adding, "From now on, whenever I refine two batches of pills simultaneously, I will have to rely on you to watch the furnaces and tend the fires."

"Understood."

Lin Changheng froze, his expression shifting slightly as he nodded.

In this Xu Family alchemy shop, there had originally been two alchemists, four apprentices, and eight Xu clansmen handling chores.

Later, as the first-tier high-grade Red Iron Ore vein near Zichuan Market was exhausted, leaving behind a desolate, barren landscape with no profit to be made, the cultivation forces and individual cultivators who had swarmed in all retreated in a mass exodus.

Zichuan Market had withered as a result, its personnel dwindling and its former prosperity gone.

The Xu Family had made corresponding adjustments.

Five years ago, they withdrew one alchemist and two apprentices.

Now, all the pills sold in the shop were those refined by Master Mo.

Generally, Master Mo would start two batches of low-grade pills at staggered times each day, ten pills per batch, and rest every other day.

As a middle-grade alchemist, refining two batches of low-grade pills simultaneously was effortless for him—it was practically a health regimen.

But for Lin Changheng, this would further encroach upon his own time.

Of course, it was not without its benefits; he would gain access to the formula and techniques for the new Wood Origin Pill.

The Xu Family kept a tight grip on such things and would not easily pass them on.

Lin Changheng had stayed for over a decade and had only mastered the formula for the Crimson Flame Pill, and even then, his technique remained shallow and obscure, requiring him to fumble through it on his own.

For the next hour, Lin Changheng watched the furnace fire, his mind busy pondering the refining method for the Crimson Flame Pill.

Master Mo returned once during that time. He did not chase Lin Changheng away; instead, he performed over thirty alchemy hand seals directly in front of the furnace, not forgetting to toss a yellowed jade slip to Lin Changheng.

It contained the very secrets of refining the Wood Origin Pill.

Only after watching Lin Changheng swear a Dao oath to ensure he would not leak the information did the old man drift away.

At midday, Master Mo returned once more. After casting a series of complex hand seals, he ignited another furnace two yards away to begin refining the Crimson Flame Pill.

"Come and take a close look."

The aged voice beckoned Lin Changheng.

"Yes." Lin Changheng felt his spirits lift.

He had accumulated many doubts and had devised several potential solutions that now needed to be verified through observation.

Master Mo's movements were like flowing water; in his hands, the complex task of alchemy possessed a certain aesthetic beauty.

Lin Changheng focused his attention, not daring to miss a single detail.

"Watch the fire."

With that instruction, Master Mo departed immediately.

Lin Changheng seemed not to have heard, remaining immersed in his thoughts until Master Mo reached the doorway; only then did he notice and hurriedly bow to see him off.

A flash of surprise crossed Master Mo's face, but he did not take offense, waving a withered hand before leaving behind the silhouette of his departing back.

Around the hour of the Dog, the two furnaces of pills were finally finished one after another.

As the furnace fires gradually died down, the pills were drawn out by a pill-retrieval technique. A fragrant medicinal scent filled the air as they flew from the furnaces into specially crafted wooden boxes, each settling into its designated spot.

Lin Changheng stood by with his hands at his sides, watching the scene with secret delight. Observing the alchemy process had yielded immense gains; not only could the furnace-explosion problem he encountered last time be easily resolved, but many of the steps and the transitions between pill techniques had become much clearer.

Suddenly, Lin Changheng heard Master Mo give a soft exclamation of surprise, and he saw him take out a crimson pill patterned with cloud-like markings to examine it in his palm.

Master Mo then shook his head and set it aside, separate from the wooden box.

Lin Changheng was curious, as this was the first time he had been permitted to be present while Master Mo retrieved the pills.

"This is an inferior pill."

Master Mo intended to offer some guidance. "Whether due to variations in the raw materials, deviations during the refining process, or some unforeseen accident, alchemy inevitably produces a few inferior pills, or even waste pills. Waste pills are unusable, charred and misshapen—you should be quite familiar with that..."

Lin Changheng gave a sheepish smile; the result of his furnace explosion yesterday was indeed a waste pill.

"Waste pills are recognizable at a glance. But inferior pills are different; they are still well-formed, yet contain too many impurities and lingering medicinal toxins. They cannot be consumed by cultivators, or else ailments will arise and their path to the Dao will be ruined. These are also known as 'poison pills'."

"If you refine a batch of ten, having waste or inferior pills within fifty percent is acceptable. As for my own alchemy, the number of waste or inferior pills is generally kept to around ten to twenty percent."

As he spoke, he stroked his long beard with a look of pride.

"So that is how it is. Many thanks to Master Mo for clearing up my confusion. Master Mo's alchemical skills are of such high caliber that it is universally acknowledged; there is almost no one in Zichuan Market who can challenge you."

Having gained new knowledge, Lin Changheng naturally followed up with a few words of flattery.

Seeing Master Mo's pleasant expression, a thought stirred in his mind, and he took the opportunity to ask, "I wonder how inferior pills are handled?"

"There was once an alchemist of a certain clan whose character was base; he mixed inferior pills with genuine ones to sell, swindling rogue cultivators. When the matter was exposed, the victimized cultivators gathered for revenge, and the alchemist's family was dragged into the retaliation. Their clansmen traveling abroad suffered heavy casualties, leading to the family's ruin and erasure!"

Master Mo cited this example with a stern expression, pointing out the crux of the matter as a warning.

"My Xu Family is different. We have upright family traditions, conduct long-term business, and enjoy a sterling reputation."

"Waste pills are destroyed immediately; inferior pills are either destroyed or sold at a low price to beast-taming or animal-rearing families to be used in the raising of meat-beasts."

Lin Changheng was lost in thought, sensing a loophole, and asked, "If the beast-taming or animal-rearing families buy them on the surface but actually resell them to others, wouldn't that also damage the reputation of our Xu Family?"

Master Mo looked at Lin Changheng with a gaze of approval, but he did not answer, intending to test him.

Lin Changheng pondered for a moment, and two words escaped his lips: "Cut the pills!"

If a pill is split in two, it can naturally no longer be sold as a whole, yet it remains perfectly fine for the feeding of meat-beasts.

"Not bad. Cutting the pills." Master Mo's aged eyes examined Lin Changheng with admiration. This boy had not changed much in other respects, but his personality had become somewhat gloomy and impatient in recent years.

Now that he had changed again, it was likely because the deadline was approaching, and under immense pressure, he had broken through to establish himself anew.

As the two chatted, they walked out of the alchemy room. Lin Changheng took the opportunity to ask about three points of confusion. Master Mo did not refuse, offering guidance in a few words that struck right to the heart of the matter.

Had it been the Lin Changheng of before, he likely would have struggled to understand, but now, it caused him to have a sudden, enlightened realization, and he accepted it all.