Harvest

There were no racks of medicinal ingredients in the refining room, nor did any apothecary workers come and go.

Yet several iron pipes of varying thicknesses were connected above the top of the furnace.

Those pipes came in through the outer wall, their ends inserted into holes in the furnace lid.

Deng Qing understood. The medicinal ingredients, liquid medicine, and medicinal powder were all injected into the furnace from outside through the iron pipes.

This design not only kept the formula secret, but also prevented the furnace tender from stealing the medicinal ingredients.

Steward Liu pointed at the furnace. "The work isn't difficult. Just keep an eye on the fire, don't let it go out, and control its intensity."

Deng Qing nodded in agreement. Steward Liu instructed Tu Wei to show Deng Qing the ropes, then left.

Tu Wei walked to the furnace, reached out to test the heat beside it, then squatted in front of it and opened the firewood inlet at the bottom before beginning his instruction.

It truly was a simple job. The key was using the Violet Palace Method to expel the medicinal toxins.

Before long, Deng Qing had mastered adding firewood and distinguishing the flames.

After teaching him for a while, Tu Wei left as soon as he saw Deng Qing get the hang of it.

Deng Qing guarded the furnace alone. Following Tu Wei's instructions, he watched the color inside the furnace while adding firewood and tamping down the flames.

Medicinal fumes occasionally seeped through the furnace cracks. Once they entered his nostrils, they were bitter, acrid, and pungent.

At first, Deng Qing felt his chest grow stuffy and his eyes sting.

But once the Violet Palace Method began circulating smoothly, the discomfort quickly lessened.

After experimenting for a while longer, Deng Qing felt more at ease.

Before he knew it, one batch of medicine had finished simmering, and the stone door was knocked on.

A worker came in to inspect the inside of the furnace, then made a note in the register.

By the second batch, he was much more composed.

Adding firewood, controlling the flames, and refining the medicinal fumes all went smoothly.

After the second batch was complete, Steward Liu came over and told Deng Qing to rest in the break room.

Deng Qing readily complied and followed a laborer into the break room on the western side.

The break room was not large. Several benches and rough wooden tables had been arranged inside, with coarse tea, sesame flatbreads, and a basin of pickled vegetables on the tables.

Deng Qing sat down, poured himself a bowl of tea, and ate and drank at his own pace.

Not long afterward, Tu Wei also came in. His complexion was far worse than before he had gone inside, with dark circles beneath his eyes and dry lips. After sitting down, he gulped several mouthfuls of tea before finally catching his breath.

When Tu Wei looked up and saw that Deng Qing's face was somewhat pale but nowhere near as miserable as his own, he could not help frowning. "You didn't even manage to last through one batch, did you?"

Deng Qing did not know how to answer for a moment.

If he said that he had already finished two batches and adapted quite well, it would be rather too discouraging for Tu Wei.

So he only answered vaguely, "I can barely hold on."

Tu Wei thought he had guessed correctly. He patted Deng Qing on the shoulder and consoled him, "Everyone's like that at the beginning. The Violet Palace Method is difficult to practice to begin with, and medicinal fumes aren't meat. They're not so easy to digest.

"The first time, lasting through one batch is already pretty good. There's no shame in not being able to endure it."

"Senior Brother is right."

Deng Qing ate several sesame flatbreads, then suddenly asked, "Senior Brother, to what degree must the Violet Palace Method be practiced before it counts as truly mastered?"

Tu Wei set down his tea bowl. "The Violet Palace Method doesn't reveal itself through fists and feet. Outsiders can't tell how deep one's cultivation is, so its level is usually verified by eating meat and digesting it.

"An ordinary person who eats too much meat in one sitting will feel bloated and suffer indigestion. In more serious cases, it can even damage the stomach and abdomen. But once someone masters an internal cultivation method, he can eat far more than an ordinary person and digest it all."

Deng Qing nodded, then asked, "Then, Senior Brother, how much large-cut meat can you digest at once?"

A trace of smugness appeared on Tu Wei's face. "These days, I can eat seven pounds of large-cut meat in one meal. After circulating my energy through one cycle, I can basically digest it all. In terms of the Violet Palace Method, I've already grasped some of its fundamentals."

As he spoke, he held up one finger. "When you can eat ten pounds of large-cut meat in one meal and, after one cycle of cultivation, feel neither bloated nor sluggish, that's when the Violet Palace Method can be considered truly mastered."

Deng Qing was speechless for a moment.

He had been able to digest ten pounds of large-cut meat long ago.

As for more meat, he had not tried it yet.

Tu Wei did not notice anything unusual about him. He glanced toward the refining room, a trace of longing in his eyes. "If the Violet Palace Method is truly cultivated to that level, the poisonous fumes here won't be able to harm us much.

"When that time comes, everyone else will avoid tending the furnace like the plague, while we'll be able to use it to make a fortune."

Deng Qing lowered his head and bit into a sesame flatbread, his emotions beginning to surge.

Clearly, the Violet Palace Method was just like the Tiger-Subduing Fist.

In the outside world, and in his dealings with Tang Juan, there was once again a mismatch in understanding.

What Tu Wei called mastery was, in Tang Juan's eyes, merely the threshold of Minor Mastery.

For the next three days, Deng Qing spent nearly all his time in the underground refining room of Tianshun Apothecary.

Aside from briefly eating, drinking water, and changing furnaces, he remained in front of the furnace the entire time, adding firewood, controlling the flames, circulating the Violet Palace Method, and completing cycle after cycle.

One day, while he was circulating his energy in the refining room, movement came from outside the door.

Deng Qing went over and peered through the air vent. He discovered that the person standing outside was Tu Wei.

Deng Qing hurriedly grabbed a handful of furnace ash and smeared it over his face and forehead. He then tousled his sideburns before standing up to open the door.

When the stone door opened and Deng Qing saw Tu Wei clearly, he was startled.

Tu Wei looked extremely unwell. His eyes were ringed with dark circles, his face was ashen, and his lips had barely any color. His entire body looked yellowed, as though he had been smoked by medicinal fumes.

Tu Wei coughed twice before saying, "Junior Brother Deng, I can't hold on anymore. I'm leaving."

Seeing Deng Qing's face covered in furnace ash and looking utterly wretched, he asked, "Do you want to leave together?"

Deng Qing coughed once and said, "I can hold on a little longer."

Tu Wei frowned.

Deng Qing continued, "The New Year is almost here, and I still don't have much money for the holiday. I want to endure a few more batches."

Tu Wei said solemnly, "Money can always be earned again once it's gone, but once your health is ruined, it can't be restored."

Deng Qing lowered his head. "I understand."

Seeing that he stood by the doorway without any intention of leaving, Tu Wei knew he could not persuade him. With a sigh, he said, "As long as you know your limits. If your chest truly feels stuffy, you cough blood, or your vision goes black, get out immediately. Don't force yourself to endure it."

Deng Qing nodded. "Thank you, Senior Brother."

Tu Wei coughed twice more, then turned and left.

Deng Qing watched Tu Wei's back disappear at the end of the corridor before closing the stone door again.

He wiped the furnace ash from his face, squatted back down in front of the furnace, and picked up the fire tongs to tamp down the charcoal at the bottom. Then, with a thought, he summoned Clear Radiance.

[Violet Palace Method: 23% (Minor Mastery)]

Deng Qing's heart trembled slightly.

It had only been this long, yet the Violet Palace Method had actually risen by three points.

Excited, he wondered if the medicinal toxins had repeatedly entered his body over the past few days, inadvertently tempering the Violet Palace Method.

Deng Qing suppressed his joy and continued adding firewood and tending the furnace.

As soon as the medicinal fumes entered his body, he circulated the Violet Palace Method, grinding that bitter, acrid medicinal energy apart bit by bit before expelling it along with his breath.

By the time Deng Qing continued through the later batches, he had almost forgotten the passage of time.

The underground refining room saw neither sunlight nor darkness. There was only the flickering furnace fire and rolling medicinal fumes.

Every day, aside from eating, drinking water, and changing furnaces, he guarded the furnace while silently circulating the Violet Palace Method, like a stone repeatedly smoked and roasted by medicinal fumes and furnace fire.

One evening, the refining-room door was knocked on again.

This time, Steward Liu's voice came from outside. "Brother Deng Qing, come out. We've finished this batch of medicine before the New Year, so it's time to seal the furnaces and let the fires rest. Tomorrow is the first day of the new year."

Deng Qing froze. He hurriedly tamped down the furnace fire, gathered up the fire tongs, and pushed open the door.

Steward Liu stood outside. When he saw Deng Qing come out, he looked him over from head to toe.

Deng Qing's face was somewhat pale, and his clothes were saturated with medicinal fumes and furnace ash, but his eyes remained bright and clear.

Steward Liu nodded, took a money pouch from his sleeve, and handed it to him. "This is your pay."

Deng Qing took it and counted the money. There were twelve taels in total. His heart jolted, and he looked up. "There's an extra tael."