It's a treasure-gathering basin?

He Pingsheng returned to his little hut.

The wounds that had barely hurt before now began to throb fiercely.

Fortunately, Han the Third had come to tell him that, because of his injuries, Boss Zhang had assigned him no other work for the next two days.

He could rest for two days.

Otherwise, life would have been even harder for He Pingsheng.

After Han the Third left, several others came by one after another to ply him with questions. They all had one goal: to find out where He Pingsheng's pills had gone.

He Pingsheng gave evasive answers, letting everyone believe Boss Zhang had snatched all his pills away, extinguishing their covetous thoughts.

The tactic was undoubtedly effective.

For the better part of the day that followed, no one else came to He Pingsheng's door to ask questions.

His whole world fell quiet.

He Pingsheng locked his door from the inside, then braced the door bolt firmly in place. Only then did he return to his bedside and take the blood-red [Golden Bone Pill] out of his clothes.

Now came the question: should he take it?

If he did, his injuries would definitely heal completely within three days.

From what that formidable lady had said, it worked on more than superficial wounds like these. Even if he suffered serious injuries in the future, taking it would quickly restore his blood and vital energy, letting him move as freely as before within a few days.

This really was good stuff.

A treasure only immortals could use-surely calling it an immortal pill wasn't going too far?

After much deliberation, He Pingsheng put the immortal pill away.

He couldn't bear to take it.

He should be able to tough out these minor injuries. An immortal pill this precious had to be saved. If he suffered serious injuries someday, it would give him an extra layer of protection.

At a critical moment, it might even save his life.

He Pingsheng scanned the room and discovered that, apart from the dark earthenware basin, he really had no container in which to store the immortal pill.

Boss Zhang had snatched away the snow-white porcelain bottle it had come in.

"I'll put it in the basin for now, then!"

He Pingsheng dropped the blood-red pill into the earthenware basin, covered it with a wooden board, then pushed the basin and board deep beneath his bed.

Once everything was done, He Pingsheng secretly took a handful of Spirit Rice from his pillow and stuffed it into his mouth.

Spirit Rice could increase his strength. Hopefully, it would help his injuries too.

He Pingsheng had actually guessed right.

More than half a day later, when he lay down after dinner, He Pingsheng felt that his injuries had improved considerably.

At least lying on the hard wooden bed no longer hurt so much.

Early the next morning, he got up to eat!

While he was eating, Boss Zhang came over to He Pingsheng again and said with a grin, "Little brother, I've found you an easier job!"

"Starting this morning, you'll go to our Bamboo Peak's Alchemy Hall and take charge of sweeping and cleaning it."

"It's not strenuous work. Sometimes, if the masters aren't refining pills, you won't have to clean at all!"

"What do you think?"

He Pingsheng had no strong feelings about it. In any case, working in the Alchemy Hall had to be easier than carrying water, didn't it?

"All right!" He Pingsheng nodded, gratitude spreading across his face. "Thank you, Brother Zhang!"

"Don't thank me!" Boss Zhang drew a deep breath and said, "Let me make this clear first. This is Bamboo Peak's communal Alchemy Hall. There's an Alchemy Attendant there specifically to assist with pill refinement, and he's an Outer Disciple. You're different. You're a menial servant. Once you get there, you'll only be emptying furnace ashes, splitting firewood, and cleaning!"

"But some of the masters have bad tempers, and when a refinement fails, their mood gets even worse. When that happens, they're bound to take it out on servants like us!"

"If you fail to read the room and end up earning yourself a savage beating, don't blame me for not warning you!"

Uh...

Only then did He Pingsheng realize that something was wrong.

He looked around again. Sure enough, many people were giving him looks that said, "You're dead."

Boss Zhang continued, "Everything has its upsides and downsides. If the masters refine pills they're pleased with, they might reward you with something in their good mood. Even the tiniest scraps that slip through an immortal's fingers are enough to benefit you endlessly for the rest of your life!"

"He Pingsheng, learn to read the room. Move over there today!"

"There are rooms set aside by the Alchemy Hall. You'll be living there from now on!"

"But you'll still have to come back here for your three meals a day!"

Carrying water and cleaning the pill-refining room-one exhausted him, the other could kill him!

He Pingsheng couldn't say whether he felt unhappy or pleased, but he always felt that the closer he was to immortals, the wider his road toward cultivation would become.

More opportunities had to be a good thing.

As long as he kept his wits about him, he should be fine.

Back in his hut, it was time to start packing.

He Pingsheng locked the door from the inside and braced the bolt.

There really wasn't much to move.

Just a few clothes.

Aside from those, there was the golden Spirit Rice he had secretly hidden away, along with one pill.

To He Pingsheng, the immortal pill came first.

He bent down and crawled under the bed, painstakingly pulled out the earthenware basin he had pushed there yesterday, and lifted the wooden board covering it. One look left him dumbfounded again.

Two?

There was no mistaking it. Two pills lay quietly inside the dark basin.

Didn't I put just one in?

How did it turn into two?

He Pingsheng's heart began pounding wildly, thump after thump.

At that moment, the strange things that had happened over the past few days flashed through his mind one by one.

The water he had put in the basin had increased and turned green!

The white Spirit Rice he had put in the basin had turned into golden Spirit Rice, and its quantity had doubled.

Now the single pill he had put in this basin had become two.

He sucked in one sharp breath after another...

This...

Could this basin be a treasure?

He Pingsheng felt as though none of this was real.

He pinched his thigh hard.

The pain brought him a little clarity.

After sitting on the floor staring blankly at the basin for about half an incense stick's time, the fourteen-year-old boy finally scratched his head, reached out, and picked up one of the pills to examine it closely.

"One... two... three... four..."

As he examined it, he muttered to himself, counting the markings on the pill.

Yesterday, Boss Zhang had told him that pills came in different grades.

Even pills of the same type were divided into low, Middle Grade, and high grade.

The key to distinguishing them was the markings on their surface.

One pill mark meant a low-grade pill.

Two pill marks meant a Middle Grade pill!

Three pill marks meant a high-grade pill, something found only in legends.

He Pingsheng clearly remembered that yesterday's pill had borne a single mark.

But now this pill had four markings on it. What in the world was this thing?

"Could there be... pills of an even higher quality than high grade?" He Pingsheng was so excited that his heart nearly leaped into his throat.

"A treasure-gathering basin!"

He Pingsheng gazed excitedly at the black basin before him, his heart leaping into his throat. "This thing is a treasure-gathering basin?"