Hong Ling Refines Pills

The red-clad female cultivator did not waste words. She directly led Li Ping'an into an alchemy room.

"Come on, get in here and refine pills with me."

Hong Ling swayed her slender figure as she entered the alchemy room alongside Li Ping'an.

Faced with such a formidable senior sister, Li Ping'an remained proper and cautious throughout.

After entering the alchemy room, he silently moved to one side and began preparing firewood for Hong Ling's pill refining.

"Senior Sister, what pill are you planning to refine?"

Li Ping'an asked.

Hong Ling glanced at Li Ping'an and said flatly,

"I'm refining Qi-Nourishing Pills. What, do you know what kind of wood to use?"

Li Ping'an nodded.

"Qi-Nourishing Pills should be refined with ironwood and rockwood. Both kinds of wood contain the spiritual energy of heaven and earth, making it easier to refine Qi-Nourishing Pills."

Hong Ling raised an eyebrow.

"You know quite a lot. It seems you do have some real ability."

Li Ping'an smiled modestly.

"This old man has been in the sect for so many years. I still know these basics."

"Heh."

At his words, Hong Ling suddenly frowned and sneered.

"Let me tell you, I've been refining Qi-Nourishing Pills for a full half month. I don't even know how many batches I've failed, yet I haven't succeeded once."

"Today, I'll see whether you're really as uncanny as my junior sister says. If you succeed, you'll be richly rewarded. But if you fail... heh, you know the consequences."

Hearing Hong Ling's sudden threat, Li Ping'an frowned. Is this woman sick?

She made it sound as if pill refining had everything to do with him. He was only tending the fire, yet she had thrown all the responsibility onto him for no reason.

For a moment, Li Ping'an lost his good impression of this alluring woman.

He answered in a muffled voice,

"Senior Sister, pill refining depends on fate. When the time comes, everything will fall into place like water flowing into a channel. It cannot be forced."

Hong Ling sneered.

"That is not for you to decide. Enough nonsense. Get over here and tend the fire."

Li Ping'an nodded and began lighting the fire, tossing the prepared wood into the pill furnace.

Then he saw Hong Ling take several bundles of herbs from her storage pouch and count them.

There were seven bundles in total, one bundle for each batch.

It seemed Hong Ling had come well prepared today. She intended to refine seven whole batches of pills.

At this sight, Li Ping'an's eyes lit up.

Seven batches of pills—if they all failed, wouldn't he be able to absorb the waste gas from seven furnaces?

That much waste gas should be enough for him to break through to the second level of Qi Refining, right?

Now that he had entered the Qi Refining realm, Li Ping'an's thirst for waste gas had grown even stronger.

That was because there was now a sea of qi within his dantian—a genuine sea of qi. Every bit of waste gas he absorbed expanded that sea of qi another ring, allowing him to cast more spells!

The fire beneath the pill furnace burned hotter and hotter, and a wisp of green smoke rose from within.

Seeing this, Hong Ling quickly tossed the prepared herbs into the pill furnace one after another.

When Li Ping'an saw Hong Ling's technique, he could not help nodding in praise.

When it came to pill refining, this senior sister's methods were far more professional.

Qingyue was no match for her.

If pill refining were compared to cooking, Qingyue would be a pot of chaotic stew. She did not care whether the ingredients could withstand simmering; she simply tossed everything into the pot in one go.

As for what flavor came out in the end, that was left to the heavens.

Hong Ling, on the other hand, refined pills with complete focus, her beautiful eyes not blinking even once.

Every herb had a precise time when it was to be added. Everything followed an order, neat and methodical, without the slightest panic. This was the composed bearing a qualified alchemist ought to possess.

Watching Hong Ling's professional methods, Li Ping'an was moved. Pill refining was a fine skill indeed!

Everyone knew that in the cultivation world, alchemists held a status others admired. When facing an alchemist, ordinary people generally had to offer a few flattering words.

He began carefully observing Hong Ling's every movement, thinking how wonderful it would be if he could learn pill refining himself.

Li Ping'an silently studied Hong Ling's pill-refining technique, but as he watched, his gaze unconsciously drifted to Hong Ling's exquisite figure!

Her full breasts, waist slender enough to encircle with one hand, and plump, rounded long legs!

This woman's figure was perfect, bewitching the soul. If any man captured her heart and spent every night in song and revelry, he would probably die with his essence drained in less than half a year, wouldn't he?

Li Ping'an's mind wandered wildly, lost in the haze of Hong Ling's fiery body.

Just as he was dazed, a harsh voice rang out:

"Look again, and I'll gouge out your eyeballs!"

Li Ping'an came back to his senses and only then noticed his lapse in composure. His old face reddened, and he hurriedly turned his face away.

He even coughed several times before awkwardly explaining,

"Senior Sister, you misunderstand. This old man was merely watching your pill-refining technique."

Hong Ling snorted coldly.

"Hmph. Do you think I don't know what men like you are thinking?"

After scolding him, Hong Ling did not pursue the matter further. After all, Li Ping'an was already an old man at the end of his candlelight years. What could he possibly do to her?

Time slowly passed. The temperature inside the pill furnace continued rising, yet the herbs refined steadily. There was no green smoke signaling a furnace explosion, nor was there any burnt smell.

Li Ping'an's expression darkened. The pill was about to succeed—then how was he supposed to absorb any waste gas?

Even Hong Ling was overjoyed. She said in surprise,

"I didn't expect the first batch today to go so smoothly. Li Ping'an, you really do have some skill, don't you?"

But before they could rejoice too soon, the pill furnace let out a thunderous bang, shattering one of the bluestone slabs beneath their feet.

Both of them were startled, but their expressions could not have been more different.

Hong Ling's face turned livid, dark and gloomy, with heartache in her eyes.

Li Ping'an, meanwhile, was thrilled. He only forced down the joy in his heart, keeping it from showing on his face.

"Damn it!"

Hong Ling clenched her delicate fist, then loosened it. She snapped at Li Ping'an,

"What are you waiting for? Hurry up and clean out the pill furnace. I'm continuing with the next batch!"

"Of course, of course."

Li Ping'an smiled ingratiatingly as he extinguished the firewood, then began cleaning the pill furnace.

The herbs for these Qi-Nourishing Pills were far more potent than the ones Qingyue had used for her Body-Tempering Pills. After the refining failed, an overwhelmingly foul stench wafted out from the pill furnace. Even Hong Ling could not help pinching her nose as she moved to the side.

Yet Li Ping'an excitedly took huge breaths, as though the smell drifting from the pill furnace were some rare delicacy. He was just short of climbing up to lick it.

Seeing this, Hong Ling could not help frowning tightly. Is this old man sick?

He actually liked something that smelled this foul. No wonder Qingyue had said there was something unusual about him. So this was it.

Li Ping'an plunged his head into the pill furnace and immediately began greedily absorbing the waste gas within.

The Heaven-Tempering Hammer, which had been dormant for days, was also wildly excited now. It bounced madly inside Li Ping'an's body, rapidly driving its power to devour the surrounding waste gas.