Pill Pavilion

After seeing off the servant who had delivered the meal,

Lin Fan carried two food boxes toward the large stone table in the courtyard. His younger sister skipped along beside him, her crescent-moon eyes fixed tightly on the two food boxes. Naturally, after traveling mountain roads all day, they had only eaten a little dry rations along the way. By now, the little girl had long begun to feel hungry.

The round stone table in the courtyard carried a trace of coolness from the evening breeze. Lin Fan gently set the food boxes on its bluestone surface and flipped open their clasps with two clicks. Warm steam and the fragrance of food instantly spread through the air. Lin Fan took out the tenderly stewed poultry and two boxes of glistening rice.

Lin Ruoruo's little nose twitched twice as she stared unblinkingly at the food taken from the large boxes, pressing close to the table. "Don't rush. Eat slowly." Seeing his sister like this, Lin Fan could not help but smile faintly. As he brushed aside the strands of hair the wind had tousled around her temples, he handed her a set of bowl and chopsticks.

The lingering glow of the setting sun slanted into the courtyard, stretching their shadows long. Lin Ruoruo held her bowl and chopsticks, taking small mouthfuls of rice with smiling eyes. Every so often, she lifted her head and looked at her brother beside her with bright, sparkling eyes. The exhaustion from their journey gradually scattered by more than half at that moment.

After eating, Lin Fan gathered the remaining bowls and chopsticks, placed them back in the food boxes, fastened the clasps, and set them in the corner outside the small courtyard gate. Before long, servants would come and take away the food boxes left outside.

Lin Fan had now reached the Bone Tempering Realm. Moreover, he had joined the Su Family and moved into the Su Residence. There was no real hurry to raise his cultivation any further. After all, reaching the middle stage of the Bone Tempering Realm would take at least a month. He should first become proficient in Alchemy.

Returning to his room, Lin Fan took out the basic Alchemy books he had bought earlier and began to study and practice. Within the Zhao Kingdom, cultivation methods and techniques of the Three Body-Tempering Realms were not forbidden. On the contrary, they were strongly encouraged. After all, the imperial court needed to select talented people. If those at the bottom were not allowed access to cultivation methods and techniques, and the kingdom relied only on the children of wealthy and powerful clans, it would soon face a shortage of talent. In the end, it would be destroyed by other nations.

After all, those from the lower classes accounted for more than ninety percent of the population. The chance of any one of them possessing excellent martial roots was very low, but the sheer numbers were too great to ignore. And some techniques, such as Alchemy and Artifact Forging, did not place much importance on martial roots. They valued comprehension instead. Martial roots could be easily tested, but comprehension was far more difficult to measure. Some people even had talent in only one field. For instance, someone might have poor comprehension in Alchemy, yet make rapid progress when learning Artifact Forging and the like.

For the Zhao Kingdom to grow strong, it needed not only martial experts with profound cultivation. These logistical and support talents skilled in all kinds of techniques were equally indispensable.

After all, Lin Fan was currently an Alchemist in name. Since it would not take too long anyway, he felt it would be better to perfect his Alchemy first. At the very least, it would make him worthy of public trust.

The next morning, Lin Fan was awakened by the servant outside delivering breakfast. After tidying himself up simply, Lin Fan pushed open the door. Outside were still two large wooden food boxes. Since he and his sister were two people, two portions had been delivered.

Just like the night before, once the wooden food boxes were opened, layers of rice and dishes were arranged inside. After breakfasting with his sister, Lin Fan decided to visit the Alchemy Pavilion today—the Pill Pavilion. Its official name was Pill Pavilion, but because that was somewhat awkward to say, many people habitually called it the Alchemy Pavilion.

As for Mao Mao, the golden giant rat, Lin Fan felt embarrassed to ask the Su Family to help feed him. Besides, the Su Family did not keep many rodent-type beast pets. He might as well go outside and buy some rodent feed, dried meat, and the like to feed Mao Mao himself.

After placing the tidied food boxes outside the door, Lin Fan headed toward the Pill Pavilion. Once he left the courtyard, he found quite a few people already coming and going along the streets. They were other residents of the Su Residence. Lin Fan knew none of them, which conveniently spared him from exchanging greetings. He walked at an unhurried pace, the bluestone road beneath his feet slightly dampened by morning dew and gleaming with a faint sheen of water.

The Pill Pavilion stood in the western section of the Su Residence. It was a sizable three-story building with vermilion upturned eaves. Strings of medicinal herbs hung beneath the corridors, and their rich fragrance could be smelled from far away. Two black-clothed guards stood at the entrance, their gazes calm as they examined everyone entering and leaving. Lin Fan climbed the steps. Before he had even entered, the scent of medicine rushed into his nostrils—there was the bitter freshness of herbs, as well as the faint scorched fragrance unique to medicinal pills.

Lin Fan took out his golden guest elder token. Golden light flickered faintly from it. Seeing this, the guards immediately drew in their expressions and respectfully cupped their hands before allowing him through.

Lin Fan stepped over the threshold of the Pill Pavilion and entered the main hall. The vast hall was spacious, with rows of wooden cabinets neatly arranged along both sides. Countless wooden boxes and jade cases were stacked layer upon layer, holding all kinds of spirit herbs and medicinal ingredients. The air was mixed with the scents of dozens of herbs—bitter, pungent, and warm fragrances interwoven together—as a heavy medicinal aroma washed over him.

An old man stood in the center of the hall, dressed in a long gray cloth robe. Seeing a youth approach while holding a guest elder token, he hurried forward and cupped his hands in greeting. "So it is the newly arrived guest elder. Miss Su Qingwei has already given instructions. I am Wang Delu, the steward of this Pill Pavilion."

"My name is Lin Fan. I know a little Alchemy as well. This is my first visit, so I hope Steward Wang will offer me much guidance." Lin Fan sensed him out. This Steward Wang actually possessed no martial cultivation, yet he could serve as the steward of the Su Family's Pill Pavilion. His Alchemy must surely be quite extraordinary.

Wang Delu nodded slightly at those words, then said, "Then I shall first show Young Master Lin around this Pill Pavilion."

Guest elder was a status, while Alchemist was a profession. The two did not have much to do with one another. There were many professions in the Su Residence, such as Artifact Forgers, cooks, and guards. Being able to work in such professions within the Su Residence did not mean one could become a guest elder of the Su Residence. But Lin Fan possessed the Su Family's golden guest elder token. Strictly speaking, even the steward of the Pill Pavilion held a lower position in the Su Family than Lin Fan. That was why Wang Delu treated him so courteously.

Wang Delu extended a hand in invitation. "This way, Young Master Lin. The Pill Pavilion has three floors. The first floor is primarily a trading hall. It distributes finished medicinal pills to the outside and also accepts stored spirit herbs and medicinal ingredients. Those young masters from wealthy families may use the relevant permits to receive certain medicinal pills."

Leading Lin Fan up the stairs to the second floor, Wang Delu said, "This second floor is the pill storeroom. After the Alchemists refine medicinal pills and seal them in porcelain bottles, they are stored here. Ordinary people are not permitted to enter at will."

After entering the third floor, they found that unlike the halls on the first and second floors, the third floor was divided into two halves. On the left stood rows of bookshelves filled with many volumes, while the right side was partitioned into numerous separate small rooms. "The left side of the third floor contains medicinal pill texts. The black sandalwood shelf at the very back holds some of the Su Family's isolated medicinal formulas. After reading them, Young Master must remember not to spread them outside. The right side is where Alchemists refine pills. Every room contains a pill furnace."

As the two spoke, a fragrant medicinal scent suddenly spread from one of the pill-refining rooms on the right. An Alchemist had successfully produced a batch of medicinal pills.