"Ow, ow, ow..."
"Watch it, damn you!"
"My... ribs... cough, cough..."
Amid Hao Yun's incessant cries, He Pingsheng carried him over and laid him on his bed.
"I'll need some time to recover!" Hao Yun said. "Well... little He, the most urgent thing right now is to clean the Alchemy Hall. Then come back, and I'll teach you a few ways to control the heat when refining pills!"
"I won't be able to move for a while, so the hall is entirely in your hands!"
"Yes!" He Pingsheng hurried outside and began cleaning the hall.
First, air it out!
Then scrub the pot.
When He Pingsheng opened the Alchemy Furnace's lid, he saw the state of this batch of Waste Pills.
Unlike the furnace explosion when Martial Uncle Yuxuan had refined pills before, this batch had come within a hair's breadth of succeeding.
They hadn't turned to ash, but instead become twelve dingy Waste Pills.
Every one was black.
A scorched smell rose from the pills.
With a sweep of his hand, He Pingsheng swept the twelve Waste Pills out with a broom, then flung them hard into the rubbish basket!
He scrubbed the Alchemy Furnace clean!
Then he began clearing out the ashes underneath.
Once he finished clearing the ashes, he swept the floor as well. Only then did He Pingsheng sling the rubbish basket onto his back and head toward the rubbish pit behind the mountain.
But as he was dumping the rubbish, a spark of inspiration flashed through his mind. He reached out just in time and caught the twelve Waste Pills.
These things may be ruined, but what would happen if I left them in my Treasure-Gathering Basin overnight?
Could they be enhanced?
Let's try!
What if it works?
There's nothing good to put in it right now anyway. Leaving the basin empty every day is such a waste.
With that thought, He Pingsheng tucked the twelve blackened pills into his robes and returned to the Alchemy Hall.
He glanced at Hao Yun. The fellow was already asleep.
He Pingsheng returned to his bedroom, locked the door, and slid the bolt into place.
Then he closed all the windows as well.
Only then did he pull the dark Treasure-Gathering Basin out from beneath his bed.
He tossed the twelve blackened pills into the basin.
Whether it would work was now up to heaven.
Clatter...
After covering the earthenware basin with a wooden board, He Pingsheng pushed it under his bed.
Then he fumbled around at the other end of the bed and took out a pill: a Golden Bone Pill.
This pill had been given to him by that senior sister in blue.
There had been two in all!
Boss Zhang had taken one. He Pingsheng had accidentally placed the remaining one in the earthenware basin, enhancing it into two supreme-grade Golden Bone Pills.
He Pingsheng had eaten one, leaving this last pill.
Having taken one himself, He Pingsheng knew its miraculous effects well. It could practically heal every injury on his body the moment he swallowed it.
Now he had this one left!
Should I give it to Senior Brother Hao Yun?
He Pingsheng immediately found himself torn.
It wasn't that he begrudged the pill. Rather, if he gave it to Senior Brother Hao and he asked where it came from, how would he answer?
I can't lay all my cards on the table, can I?
But if he didn't give it to him, his conscience would truly trouble him. After all, the man had saved his life.
Hmm...
I'd better come up with a flawless explanation first, then give it to him!
Night fell!
After eating with Hao Yun, He Pingsheng returned to his room and opened the window, letting the moonlight stream inside.
Specks of moonlight essence gathered toward the Treasure-Gathering Basin.
He Pingsheng discovered that whether the Treasure-Gathering Basin was covered made no difference to its ability to gather moonlight essence.
Even a thick wooden board laid over it couldn't stop the moonlight essence from entering the Treasure-Gathering Basin.
After watching for a while, He Pingsheng propped his head on his hand and began thinking about how to weave a flawless excuse to give that [Golden Bone Pill] to Senior Brother Hao.
As he pondered, he drifted off to sleep.
When He Pingsheng woke the next morning, he suddenly caught a rich medicinal fragrance.
"Oh no..."
Thump...
He Pingsheng sprang upright on the bed with a carp's flip, then swiftly pulled the earthenware basin out from underneath and lifted off the wooden board.
"Hiss..."
The pills inside came into view.
"One, two, three, four..."
He Pingsheng slowly counted them.
Twenty-four pills in all.
Each was the size of a broad bean, white as jade.
And each bore four markings.
Supreme-grade?
Heavens!
But He Pingsheng had no time to admire them now, because the medicinal fragrance was far too strong.
And it was growing stronger by the moment.
What should I do?
Hide them?
But... where?
I really don't understand. The Golden Bone Pill only had a faint medicinal fragrance, so why is the Qi-Gathering Pill's scent so intense?
He Pingsheng first shut the window, then rummaged through his chests and cupboards. He tried several places, only to discover that none could contain the medicinal fragrance.
Clothes couldn't cover it, nor could blankets!
Neither the wooden board nor the Treasure-Gathering Basin could contain it.
What should I do?
Huge beads of sweat rolled down He Pingsheng's forehead in his anxiety.
If someone came to refine pills right now and smelled this rich medicinal fragrance, wouldn't that spell disaster?
To hell with it!
I'd rather lose these pills than expose the Treasure-Gathering Basin's secret.
He Pingsheng gritted his teeth and lifted several floor tiles. Then he grabbed the axe in his room and, with a few heavy thuds, dug a pit beneath his bed. He tossed all twenty-four supreme-grade Qi-Gathering Pills into the pit, covered them with earth, and finally replaced the tiles.
Sure enough!
With that, the pills' fragrance vanished.
He hurriedly opened the window again, letting the breeze blow in and sweep every trace of the rich medicinal fragrance away.
Once everything was done, He Pingsheng took two iron bowls to the Servant Class to fetch food, then brought it to Hao Yun's room, where they ate together.
"What was that smell just now? Why was it so fragrant?" After taking a bite, Hao Yun couldn't help asking, "It smelled like [Qi-Gathering Pills]... but even Qi-Gathering Pills aren't that fragrant... unless they're high-grade!"
He stared at He Pingsheng.
He Pingsheng's heart pounded, but he forced himself to look calm. "I smelled it too... I was just about to ask you about it, Senior Brother!"
"How strange!" Hao Yun shook his head. "Still, I can't smell it anymore!"
"Forget it. Let's eat, eat, eat!"
He Pingsheng breathed a sigh of relief.
"Oh, right!" Hao Yun, who had just insisted on eating, suddenly paused and asked, "Have you cleaned the entire hall?"
"Are all the different kinds of firewood ready?"
"Has anyone said they're coming to refine pills?"
Here we go...
He Pingsheng carefully answered every question once more. Only then did the two begin eating.
As soon as they finished, He Pingsheng drew a deep breath, preparing to take out his [Golden Bone Pill] and give it to Hao Yun to heal his injuries. But before he could produce it, they heard an imposing voice outside. "Where's Hao Yun...?"
"I'm here to refine pills. Where have you run off to?"
"That brat!"
"Quick, quick!" Frightened, Hao Yun hurriedly patted He Pingsheng. "Get out there and see what's happening... or I'll get beaten again!"
He Pingsheng rushed out of Hao Yun's room and immediately saw a tall, elderly Daoist with white hair and beard standing before the hall.
An ethereal air lingered about the man's features, making him seem like an immortal.
He Pingsheng was so frightened that he was about to kneel.
But the man said, "Don't kneel... what I hate most is you disciples forever kneeling and bowing!"
"Too much kneeling and bowing will shave years off my life!"
Before you continue