Wei Luo already had several portions of the secret medicine, along with a way to eliminate its side effects.
All that remained was to refine it.
The problem was that Wei Luo had never even seen medicine or pills being refined, much less done it himself.
So, he needed to borrow the Zhao Family's alchemists to refine this medicine.
"Brother Zhao, when I obtained this medicinal powder, I also got a pill formula. It might have some special effect."
Wei Luo took out the pill formula he had prepared earlier.
The moment Zhao Xiu took the formula, his fingers were stained with ink, and the corner of his eye twitched.
"Uh... the weather was damp. I didn't store it properly."
Seeing this, Wei Luo could only keep bluffing to the bitter end.
Zhao Xiu had practiced martial arts year-round and knew little about pills.
But an unknown medicinal powder paired with an unknown pill formula—if it could truly achieve the effects Wei Luo described, that would be a fantasy beyond the clouds.
By now, Zhao Xiu had completely given up hope for the formula and said,
"Since you're so persistent, I'll help you out. Once the pill is refined, you'll understand."
Thus, Zhao Xiu called over the old steward and had him take Wei Luo to the Alchemy Hall to find an alchemist.
The Zhao Family's Alchemy Hall was in another courtyard.
Ten minutes later, Cheng Ming stared at Wei Luo's pill formula, reading it over and over.
Cheng Ming had served as an alchemist for the Zhao Family for more than a decade. Not only was he highly experienced, but his pill-refining skill ranked among the best in all of Pingjiang Town.
At this moment, the wrinkles between Cheng Ming's brows were nearly squeezed into one knot.
"I'll ask one more time. You want to use this pill formula to refine away the toxicity of this stuff, is that right?"
Wei Luo nodded at his words.
"That's right."
Cheng Ming looked at the old steward again.
"Was this Zhao Xiu's instruction?"
The old steward nodded.
"That's right."
Cheng Ming glanced once more at that absurd pill formula, and a flash of anger crossed his face.
"I only know how to refine pills, not some immortal magic. This formula doesn't follow the slightest medicinal principle. Whether it can even form a pill is another question. I can't refine it."
Seeing Cheng Ming refuse so decisively, Wei Luo could not help but smile bitterly.
As a veteran alchemist, Cheng Ming was a rare technical talent.
He held considerable status in the Zhao Family, and even they had to treat him with courtesy. Wei Luo, an outsider, had even less chance of ordering him around.
After speaking, Cheng Ming directly went to inspect the other pill furnaces, leaving Wei Luo standing there.
Faced with someone like Cheng Ming, skilled and temperamental alike, Wei Luo could only accept the loss.
"Young Master Wei, Alchemist Cheng has immersed himself in this field for many years. Since even he has said so, I think you should not be too attached to this pill formula."
The old steward also tried to persuade him.
However, Wei Luo did not give up. Nothing deduced by the Great Thousand Revelation had ever been wrong so far.
Fortunately, aside from Alchemist Cheng, the Zhao Family had other alchemists as well.
Flames surged within the Alchemy Hall. There were more than a dozen bronze pill furnaces in total, three or four of which were lit, with alchemists and medicine boys standing beside them.
"Alchemist Wang, could I trouble you to refine a batch of pills for me..."
According to the old steward, this Alchemist Wang had a relatively kind temperament, so Wei Luo made his request.
"Since the young master ordered it, wait until I finish this batch, and I'll give yours a try."
After some conversation, Alchemist Wang learned that it was Zhao Xiu's instruction and smiled as he prepared to agree.
But just then, two heavy coughs rang out.
"Alchemist Wang, mind the firewood consumption. Refugees have been gathering outside the city lately; medicinal herbs must not be wasted carelessly."
Wei Luo turned his head and saw that Cheng Ming was the one speaking.
The moment Alchemist Wang heard that, he immediately claimed to be unwell and said that after refining this batch, he would have to return home.
Wei Luo's face immediately turned cold. It seemed Cheng Ming had decided his formula was useless and could not even be bothered to try it.
It seemed Cheng Ming was the boss of the Alchemy Hall. Seeking out the other alchemists would only bring the same result.
Wei Luo fell silent for a moment, then made his decision.
"You won't refine it for me? Then I'll refine it myself!"
Wei Luo did not know whether pill refining had any shortcuts.
But Wei Luo had the Great Thousand Revelation. He had thought of a way to use it long ago, and today was the perfect time to test it.
Thus, for the next two hours, Wei Luo stood behind Cheng Ming the entire time without saying a word.
Just over half an hour later, Cheng Ming began to feel uncomfortable.
Could Wei Luo be so humiliated and enraged that he wanted to attack?
But Cheng Ming quickly dismissed the thought, because he noticed that Wei Luo had been watching every step of his pill refining with utmost care.
Very quickly, Cheng Ming understood.
Wei Luo wanted to secretly learn his pill-refining methods!
"If pill refining were so easy to learn, then anyone could become an alchemist."
Cheng Ming shot Wei Luo a sideways glance, his meaning clear.
What he said was indeed true. There were fewer alchemists than martial artists, and even Cheng Ming, who had immersed himself in pill refining for decades, did not dare call himself a master.
For an ordinary person to become an alchemist, they first had to study medicinal herbs for three years, then medicinal principles for another three years. Only afterward could they begin assisting an alchemist.
Even if Cheng Ming explained every technique and step of pill refining to Wei Luo in one breath, he was certain Wei Luo would not be able to refine a pill.
So Cheng Ming did not hide anything. Instead, he stepped aside and occasionally explained things to Wei Luo.
"You need to control the temperature of this fire well. A single mistake and the medicinal herbs are ruined. Do you understand?"
"You also need to pay attention to the order in which you add the herbs... and then there's how the medicine forms into pills..."
Cheng Ming refined pills while mocking him, to the point that even the old steward could hardly bear to watch.
"Young Master Wei, why not have the young master introduce you to an alchemist from another family another day?"
Yet Wei Luo did not care. He shook his head firmly.
Only when Cheng Ming grew tired from refining pills and went aside to rest did Wei Luo rise and leave.
"Heh, he's finally leaving. No, wait... what is this fellow doing?"
Cheng Ming's eyes suddenly widened. He watched Wei Luo first take more than ten kinds of medicinal herbs from the medicine cabinet, then light a fire beneath a pill furnace.
"He wants to refine pills?!"
Inside the Alchemy Hall, several alchemists were all left dumbfounded.
"Is he crazy? Does he really think he can refine pills just by watching a few times? He's looking down on pill refining far too much."
Even Cheng Ming's eyebrows trembled. He had never seen anyone so arrogantly self-important.
He immediately strode furiously over to Wei Luo.
"Stop right there! If you damage the pill furnace—"
Wei Luo could not be bothered to say another word to him. He grabbed Cheng Ming's outstretched hand and said coldly,
"If the pill furnace breaks, I'll go back and apologize to Zhao Xiu myself. Stand farther away."
Cheng Ming's arm hurt from the grip. Only then did he remember that Wei Luo was not an ordinary person, but a martial artist.
He could only stand off to the side resentfully, muttering meaningless complaints under his breath.
Meanwhile, Wei Luo had already immersed his mind in the [Great Thousand Revelation].
What he needed to do was simple: continuously break down every step of pill refining.
Deducing an entire pill-refining process required a great deal of time, but if he broke it down finely enough, things would be different.
If he refined it into every raised hand, every addition of firewood and control of the flames, and whether each medicinal herb could be added, he could deduce while refining at the same time.
[Add firewood] [Light fire] [Waiting time] [Temperature range] [Add herbs or not]...
In just two minutes, Wei Luo used the Great Thousand Revelation to deduce the process dozens of times.
Every step he took now followed the deductions exactly.
And by observing Cheng Ming refine pills earlier, he had gained a basic understanding of the process, making his deductions slightly faster.
With both combined, although Wei Luo's movements looked inexperienced, not a single necessary step was missed.
Two quarters of an hour later, Wei Luo picked up another piece of aconite and deduced the proper moment to add it.
"Hah... I didn't expect this kind of rapid deduction to be so exhausting."
Wei Luo felt dizzy and nauseated, and even the scene before his eyes had grown somewhat blurry.
Fortunately, the pill refining was already nearing its end. If he held on a little longer, he would witness success or failure.
After more than a dozen deductions, Wei Luo quickly slid the pill furnace lid open by a crack, threw in the aconite, then rapidly sealed it again.
Each time he added medicinal herbs, he had to be fast, keeping the temperature inside the pill furnace from changing as much as possible.
As the rapid deductions continued, Wei Luo also quickly came to understand quite a bit about pill refining.
Though he had merely memorized it rigidly, this brief period alone was enough to match half a year of an alchemist's refining experience.
Another two quarters of an hour passed. Wei Luo felt all five of his senses becoming dull as he mechanically continued using the Great Thousand Revelation to deduce.
Clang!
The pill furnace lid fell to the ground with a loud sound.
Only then did Wei Luo stop deducing. In an instant, he felt as though his head were splitting apart.
Suppressing his discomfort, he looked inside the pill furnace. Two oval brown pills lay quietly within.
He had refined them!
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