The Spirit Nurturing Hall had now changed in appearance. Pale yin flames burned along its four walls, and the books that had once been neatly arranged had been set back in place.
A massive three-legged bronze pill furnace stood in the center, its outer walls engraved with cloud-and-thunder patterns and Kui-dragon motifs with long bodies and curling tails.
Countless banners hung down from the head of the hall, painted with designs of Yin-Yang, the Five Elements, the Eight Trigrams, and the stars of the celestial cycle.
Su Che wore white, his hair hanging loose as he stared at the pill furnace ahead. In his hand, he held an ancient silk volume, much of the seal script upon it already blurred.
Creak.
The bronze doors slowly opened, and Sun Cheng squeezed through the towering entrance. Carefully avoiding the hanging banners, he cautiously made his way inside.
"Sir, I have returned."
Sun Cheng lowered his head, not daring to look at the figure above.
The last time he had secretly watched Su Che refine pills, one brief glance had made it feel as though his eyes had been gouged by sharp blades. He had needed more than half an hour to recover.
This man's pill-refining methods were miraculous beyond measure, far beyond anything he could pry into.
"Did they make a move?"
Su Che set the silk volume aside and glanced at the flames rising beneath the pill furnace.
"Someone said he can gather the materials you require within five days, sir."
"So quickly?"
Even Su Che was somewhat curious upon hearing that.
The materials on that list had partly been meant as a stone thrown to ask the way. Of the dozens upon dozens of items listed, only a few were truly needed.
He had not expected someone within the Longevity