At first light, Chen Chong arrived at Elder Yang's courtyard.
The gate stood open. The medicinal fragrance in the courtyard was much fainter than it had been three days ago, but an indescribable bitterness lingered inside the house, as though something had burned and then been smothered.
Elder Yang had fallen asleep over the desk.
More than a dozen sheets lay spread across it, covered in circles and lines. The Pill Furnace was still warm, with something like white frost crusted around its mouth.
Chen Chong stood in the doorway for a while, reluctant to wake him.
"Take them."
Elder Yang suddenly spoke. Without getting up, he pushed a hand toward the corner of the desk.
A small green jade bottle sat there.
Chen Chong went over, picked it up, and pulled out the stopper. A cool, clean bitterness spilled from its mouth, clearing his nose in an instant.
He tipped the contents into his palm.
Three pills.
They were a size smaller than ordinary pills, jade-white and translucent, like three beads of frozen moonlight. Their surfaces bore neither markings nor luster, yet as he held them, they seemed to draw the warmth from his palm little by little.
"What kind of pills are these?"
"Marrow Cleansing Pills." Elder Yang finally sat up and rubbed his face. "A plain name. I put the formula together on the spot. That fruit of yours had such a sound medicinal nature that it could keep any other ingredient in check."
He yawned.
"Three from one batch. I'll keep one."
"Of course." Chen Chong set one back on the desk and tucked the remaining two into his robes. "Elder Yang, about the materials..."
"Don't bring up the materials." Elder Yang waved a hand and slumped over the desk again. "Let me sleep a while."