Alchemy Materials

Chen Jue withdrew from Red Forest District, changed his outfit, then went to Pei Clan Bank in the inner city and ruthlessly took out another 500,000 loan.

After this loan, his monthly payment instantly rose to 6,084 notes, but he now had twenty low-grade spirit stones and 300,000 in liquid funds.

This time, however, he did not choose to buy True Qi Realm pills from Pei Clan Pharmacy. Instead, he returned to Kaiyang District and sought out Divine Physician Jiao.

Jiao Fengchun was changing Lin Shoucheng's wound dressing when he saw Chen Jue arrive all furtive and concealed. He could not help finding it amusing.

"You brat, what bad deed did you commit that you don't dare show your face in broad daylight?"

"Well, Director Wu approved a month of injury leave for me. If I were bouncing around full of life in Kaiyang District during this time, wouldn't that be slapping my superior in the face?"

Chen Jue reasonably explained himself, then looked at Lin Shoucheng, who was sitting in a nursing chair. "Uncle Lin, it's been a week. How's your recovery?"

Lin Shoucheng's complexion was no longer as deathly pale as it had been a few days ago. Hearing this, he smiled. "Thanks to those pills you gave me, this injury should be nothing to worry about now. But I heard from Divine Physician Jiao that those pills had originally been subsidized and sold to you at a discount. I never expected you to give them to me instead..."

"Oh, then I feel rather embarrassed." Chen Jue clasped his hands toward Jiao Fengchun. "Thank you for your favor, Divine Physician Jiao."

"It's nothing. Once I gave them to you, you naturally had the right to use them as you pleased."

Compared with Chen Jue giving away his kindness to someone else, Jiao Fengchun was more interested in Chen Jue's current condition. He reached out and placed two fingers on Chen Jue's wrist, sensing him carefully for a while.

"Your accumulated hidden injuries have all been swept away. As expected, you awakened a special physique—and one of considerable strength."

He gestured for Chen Jue to follow him into a more private consultation room.

"Kid, you came specifically to find me, didn't you? Tell me, what do you need?"

Jiao Fengchun gestured for Chen Jue to sit in the metal chair opposite him and asked.

"The spiritual materials sold by the inner city clans are too expensive. I wanted to ask whether Divine Physician Jiao has any special channels here—could you get them a little cheaper?"

Chen Jue rubbed his hands together like a fly, asking tentatively.

Jiao Fengchun raised his eyes and glanced at Chen Jue. "You're quite clever... But the government and the clans keep a tight grip on spiritual materials. I can't guarantee I'll be able to gather everything you want."

The old divine physician beckoned Chen Jue over, signaling for him to bring out the list of spiritual materials he needed.

"Divine Physician, do what you can. If they truly can't be gathered, I'll just waste some money and seek them in the inner city."

Chen Jue took a pill formula he had copied out in advance from his clothes and handed it to Jiao Fengchun.

Jiao Fengchun accepted the sheet and gave it a casual glance.

He had assumed it would only list ordinary spiritual materials for nourishing qi and blood. Yet after reading just three lines, he shot up from his chair in shock.

"The formula for the Spirit Sprout Pill? Who wants to refine a first-rank auxiliary cultivation pill?"

Seeing such a huge reaction from Divine Physician Jiao, Chen Jue hurriedly reassured him. "I want to refine it. A few days ago, I happened to pick up an introductory book on alchemy. The contents seemed detailed and simple, so I wanted to try doing it myself."

"Simple?!"

Jiao Fengchun was nearly amused by Chen Jue's arrogant tone. If alchemy were so easy, it would not, like inscription masters, have become one of the top auxiliary professions for martial artists.

Still, he could not be bothered to painstakingly correct Chen Jue's mindset.

People could teach people and still fail; experience taught people, and one lesson was enough.

Once the young man before him suffered losses and got burned, he would naturally hold the profession of "alchemist" in the reverence it deserved.

Following Chen Jue's formula, he measured out a dou of spirit grain, along with several corresponding auxiliary materials for pill refinement.

"The spirit grain comes to 160,000 notes, and the other pill-refining materials are 40,000. That'll be 200,000 notes total. Cash or mobile payment?"

Jiao Fengchun handed Chen Jue a porcelain jar for storing the spirit grain, then brought out a sheet of spirit-locking paper specially used to preserve spiritual materials and tied up the prepared pill-refining materials into a bundle.

"Remember to return the jar once you've used up the spirit grain."

"And... if you truly can't refine anything, you might as well cook the remaining spirit grain and eat it midway through. The effect won't compare to the Spirit Sprout Pill, of course, but at least it won't be too much of a loss."

Divine Physician Jiao's words were half advice, half teasing.

"Damn it! Divine Physician Jiao, don't underestimate me! I'm truly an alchemy genius!"

"I only read that Basic Alchemy Art twice before getting started!" Chen Jue deliberately reddened his face, doing his best to establish his persona.

"Hahaha, when people first come into contact with alchemy, who doesn't fantasize about being a genius?"

Jiao Fengchun found Chen Jue genuinely interesting, so he promised, "Kid, don't say Jiao is looking down on you. If you can truly refine a Spirit Sprout Pill, this old man will buy it back from you at ten percent above the black market price!"

Chen Jue's eyes lit up at those words.

He had not expected such an unexpected gain!

"Divine Physician Jiao, you said it!"

Chen Jue turned to Lin Shoucheng. "Uncle Lin, you have to be my witness. Don't let this old man deny it when I actually refine the pills!"

How did this become my business?

Lin Shoucheng scratched his head. Naturally, he did not believe Chen Jue had any talent for alchemy.

After all, Chen Jue's martial talent was already absurdly strong compared to ordinary people.

If he could refine pills too...

Tsk, tsk. That would not be a promising child emerging from a poor family—it would be a golden phoenix flying out of a mountain hollow.

"Fine! Uncle Lin will be your witness." His answer was so perfunctory that it made one want to laugh.

After taking the spiritual materials, Chen Jue suddenly thought of something and turned back to ask Lin Shoucheng, "Uncle Lin, do you know of an inspector surnamed Meng in Red Forest District in the south city?"

"You mean Meng Liang?" Lin Shoucheng immediately thought of that name. "Wasn't he paralyzed? Where did you hear about... No, it's normal that you've heard of him.

"After all, when he graduated from Riverside Martial University last year and joined the Guard Office with True Qi Realm Ninth Layer strength, he caused quite a stir in the inspection system. He was a genuine commoner prodigy."

"But later, the Zong family invited him to the inner city as a guest. He refused, and then an accident occurred. His qi-blood furnace was violently shattered by criminals, and all four of his limbs were paralyzed..."

"..." Chen Jue looked as though he had seen a ghost.

But he quickly came to his senses. There were plenty of people surnamed Meng in Linjiang; the person he had met today might not necessarily have been Meng Liang.

Yet just as he had decided that this Meng was not that Meng, Jiao Fengchun beside him cut in.

"What you said is all old news."

"Meng Liang miraculously recovered from his injuries half a month ago. He has now returned to the Red Forest Guard Office and is at True Qi Realm Fifth Layer."

"..." Chen Jue sucked in a cold breath. It seemed that the fellow he had met today was indeed the commoner prodigy Meng Liang.

Seeing the odd look in Chen Jue's eyes, Jiao Fengchun smiled. "That kid is the true genius. He has a four-wood attribute root bone; aside from the Divine Tree Court in the Southern Seas, there is hardly any cultivation method in the world that completely suits him..."

"You may have a little special physique, but compared to him, you're still far behind."

"Tch! Before heaven and earth are decided, who can say who is the dark horse?"

Chen Jue hugged the porcelain jar to his chest, carried the spiritual materials, and left.

Watching Chen Jue's departing back, Jiao Fengchun clicked his tongue twice, then said to Lin Shoucheng beside him, "He Yuanshan's nephew is no ordinary fellow. His future achievements will likely be far from small..."

Lin Shoucheng grinned, feeling honored by the praise. "Of course! That child was clever from a young age. Now, he seems even more extraordinary..."