The Alchemy Hall

The Treasure-Gathering Basin!

A treasure!

Wait...

He Pingsheng drew a deep breath, his eyes narrowing slightly.

He had thought of something else: the spring water!

That was right!

Yesterday, those two women had come to complain that the water from Mountain Spring had changed, no longer as crisp and sweet as before.

Previously, He Pingsheng had not known why, but now he had a rough idea of what had happened.

Water turned green after being placed in this basin.

Presumably, that green water had not spoiled or grown moldy. It must have contained something that made spring water crisp and sweet. The basin had previously lain at the bottom of that shallow pool, producing green water every day, which was then diluted by the vast pool.

Thus, nothing looked different on the surface, but it could actually affect the water quality.

Later, He Pingsheng had taken the basin away, and its water-purifying effect had vanished along with it.

It was hardly surprising that the formerly crisp, sweet Mountain Spring had become an ordinary water source.

After connecting these events from beginning to end, He Pingsheng finally confirmed that the basin in his hands was an unparalleled treasure.

"What a treasure!" He stroked the basin, then decisively popped the Golden Bone Pill bearing four Pill Marks into his mouth.

Since this treasure can turn one thing into two, what does it matter if I eat this Golden Bone Pill?

Put the remaining one inside, and tomorrow I'll have two again!

Boom...

The pill dissolved the moment it entered his mouth, and a tremendous surge of energy instantly began racing wildly through He Pingsheng's body.

He felt warm all over inside.

The injuries and bruises on his hands and arms also faded before his eyes.

His chest no longer hurt, nor did his head.

The bloody sensation that occasionally lingered in his nose disappeared as well.

In the time it took to eat a meal, He Pingsheng's body returned to its former condition, without so much as a trace of injury.

This...

It's too powerful!

Once again, He Pingsheng felt as though none of this was real.

He kept pinching his thigh hard.

Only after about an hour did he fully calm down from his excitement and joy.

I can't just get excited. I need to think about what to do next!

It's time to move!

But He Pingsheng still faced a considerable risk.

The Treasure-Gathering Basin was no concern, since from the outside it looked like nothing more than an ordinary, battered basin.

The pills were no concern either.

They were so small that he could casually tuck them into a corner of his clothing without giving anything away.

The real problem was that he still had a pile of golden rice.

What should I do?

Take it along when I move, or throw it away?

After thinking for a few breaths, He Pingsheng made his decision!

He put his clothes and the rice into the basin, covering everything securely. Only after everyone in the courtyard had gone out did he tiptoe out of his room and head to the latrine.

There was a drain in the latrine!

Without hesitation, He Pingsheng poured all the golden Spirit Rice into the sewage opening with a rush.

The Golden Rice sank, disappearing into the sewage.

The sewage, in turn, would be flushed into the mountain ravine by the flowing water.

Thus, not a trace remained!

Once that was done, He Pingsheng took his basin, his clothes, and the large iron bowl he used for meals, and headed toward the Alchemy Hall on Bamboo Peak.

Bamboo Peak was enormous!

The mountain towered to dizzying heights, but areas had been cleared upon it for halls, pavilions, and other buildings.

These buildings all stood on relatively level ground. However, flat land was scarce on the mountain and scattered here and there, so the various locations on Bamboo Peak were quite spread out.

After following the mountain path upward from the Servant Class for roughly three or four li, he arrived before a building that looked like a temple from the outside.

He Pingsheng could read, and this was indeed the Alchemy Hall.

Beyond the courtyard gate stood clump after clump of dense moso bamboo.

Amid the bamboo stood a great hall painted yellow. It was solemn and ancient in appearance, but its high walls were covered in cobwebs.

A young man of around twenty saw He Pingsheng approaching and pointed at him from atop the high steps. "Hold on... are you the new Servant Disciple assigned to the Alchemy Hall?"

"Yes!" He Pingsheng set the earthenware basin on the ground and bowed respectfully to the man. "This humble servant is He Pingsheng!"

"Come here!"

The man beckoned with a finger.

He Pingsheng picked up the earthenware basin and climbed the steps.

The man reached into the basin and rummaged through it. Aside from He Pingsheng's clothes, there was only a large iron bowl, a pair of chopsticks, and the battered earthenware basin itself.

A hint of mockery crept onto the young man's lips. "You really are poor!"

He Pingsheng, however, felt a lingering shudder of fear. Fortunately, he had thrown the golden Spirit Rice into the latrine's cesspit earlier. Otherwise, he would never have made it past this inspection today.

"All right!" the young man said. "Let me introduce myself. My surname is Hao, and I'm the immortal in charge of this Alchemy Hall!"

"From now on, you'll handle the odd jobs here!"

"See that... there's a house over there. That's where you'll be living from now on. Go put your things away, then come back to me!"

"I'll explain your duties!"

"Yes!" He Pingsheng bowed respectfully once more. "Senior Brother!"

With that, he carried the earthenware basin into the house a short distance away.

The house was much like the servants' quarters he had lived in before, but it was somewhat larger and had a separate inner room.

The inner room was a bedroom, furnished with a bed and bedding.

Outside stood a table, along with a few miscellaneous items.

How should he put it?

It was just a little better than the quarters at the Servant Class!

He Pingsheng placed the earthenware basin in the bedroom, locked the door, then returned to the entrance of the main hall where Senior Brother Hao was waiting.

"Come in!"

Senior Brother Hao's voice came from inside.

He Pingsheng stepped in cautiously.

The inside of the Alchemy Hall was certainly clean!

Not a speck of dust could be found.

The hall was large and airy. At its very center stood a huge Alchemy Furnace, spherical in shape, with three legs beneath it.

Between the three legs were three openings for feeding in firewood!

Naturally, the firewood was meant to burn. Fire was an indispensable part of pill refining.

He Pingsheng was rather taken aback at the sight.

He had imagined that when immortals refined pills, they simply sent out a wisp of immortal fire to heat the furnace.

But here...

They really burn firewood.

"Come here!" Senior Brother Hao waved him over. "I'll explain your work!"

"First is cleaning this hall!"

"Pay attention... when pills are being refined, furnace ash flies everywhere, leaving dust all over the room!"

"After the refining is done, you must clean all the furnace ash off the tables, the floor, and the roof beams, and you must also empty the ash from the bottom of this Alchemy Furnace!"

"That's the most basic task!"

"Besides that, you'll also have to chop firewood!"

"Firewood is extremely important. Many people run into trouble with it!"

"You must remember: be careful, be very careful!"