"Heh heh heh..."
"I was wondering what marvelous manual you had. Turns out it's the body tempering manual even those small fry in the Azure Cloud Lineage refuse to practice."
"Figures. A useless wretch with a false spiritual root like you couldn't make anything of even a heaven-tier cultivation manual."
Chen Yang's words were sharp and vicious.
All traces of his earlier big-brother demeanor had vanished.
With disgust written across his face, he flipped through it carelessly, then angrily tossed the scroll, otherwise untouched, at Lin Shisan's feet.
He had even scuffed a corner of the Tai Chi symbol on the cover.
"A worthless manual for a worthless little fish. A match made in heaven for the Azure Cloud Lineage."
"Heh heh heh... Hahaha..."
Creak, creak...
Lin Shisan ground his teeth hard enough to shatter them.
This time, he was truly beside himself with rage.
You wanted the manual, so I gave it to you.
If you don't want it, fine. Why do you have to be so vicious about it?
You even threw it right at my feet.
What is that supposed to mean?
Even a clay figurine had a temper, and even a common man could rage enough to shake the heavens.
"What are you staring at? Get over there and clean the Pill Room!"
"Don't tell me you think one word from Immortal Lord Zhao means you don't have to do any work?"
Seeing his reaction, Chen Yang widened his eyes and roared.
Whenever he saw Lin Shisan now, he thought of his front teeth and his ribs.
"No, no. I'll always be one of your men, Boss Chen. I'll get right to it."
Swallowing his anger, Lin Shisan forced himself to calm down.
He glanced at Chen Yang, then hurriedly lowered his head and obediently went to clean.
An arm could not wrestle down a big head. For now, he could not afford to offend Chen Yang.
At the very least, he could not fall out with him yet.
Like Chen Yang, he knew that Zhao Xun had probably only called him a mascot on a whim.
Perhaps by his next visit, Zhao Xun would have forgotten all about it.
The Tai Chi Hall, the Nine Immortal Peaks, and the Azure Cloud Lineage might lack other things, but they would never lack small fry like Lin Shisan.
"You'd better not."
"Remember your place. You're the lowliest little fish in the Azure Cloud Lineage. Want to turn your fortunes around like a salted fish flipping over? Wait until your next life."
"Once you've cleaned the Alchemy Pill Furnace, scrub the floor too."
"You can go back and rest when you're finished."
"If there's so much as an inch of dirt or a speck of dust, you'll lick it clean for me."
Chen Yang hefted the loose spirit coins Zhao Xun had rewarded him with, then finally left, thoroughly satisfied.
Only then could Lin Shisan breathe a sigh of relief.
His eyes were bloodshot, and his fingers dug deep into his flesh.
Even his breath carried the tang of blood, the taste left from grinding and crushing his teeth.
That was close. I almost fell out with Zhao Xun.
"The spirit pill. The spirit pill that flew out in the explosion."
Once Lin Shisan calmed down, he remembered what mattered.
When the first batch of Body Tempering Pills exploded, in the instant Chen Yang slapped him away, he thought he had seen a Body Tempering Pill fly out over his head.
Hastily stuffing the Tai Chi Body Tempering Manual inside his robe, Lin Shisan raced like the wind toward the exploded Pill Furnace, taking the steps two at a time.
He looked back, found no one around, and eagerly lifted the furnace lid.
Billows of thick, acrid black smoke hit him in the face, carrying the scorched smell of medicinal ingredients.
They choked Lin Shisan into several consecutive sneezes.
Once the black smoke cleared, he immediately scrambled over and rummaged inside the Pill Furnace.
In a corner at the bottom lay five things the size of croton seeds.
They were pitch-black and thoroughly unappealing.
"Are these the Body Tempering Pills ruined in the explosion?"
Lin Shisan's heart raced.
His eyes shone with excitement.
Although he had hovered on the brink of death several times just now, at least he had obtained some Body Tempering Pills.
They might be ruined, but to him, they were no different from finished pills, because he had the Little Black Cauldron.
Ever since he discovered that the Little Black Cauldron could raise the grade of ordinary thin porridge, steamed buns, and even drinking water...
He had conceived a bold idea.
And it had only grown stronger.
Could the Little Black Cauldron likewise raise discarded pills by one grade?
If it could, then over time, his path to immortality truly would be boundless.
The pavilion nearest the water caught the moonlight first. Since he did odd jobs in the Pill Room all day, picking up a few discarded pills should not be difficult.
Even swallowing pills could pave him a glittering road to glory.
"It crumbled?"
With a soft crack, a corner of Lin Shisan's heart shattered.
It truly deserved the name discarded pill. It crumbled as soon as he picked it up.
"...Whew."
He took a deep breath.
Filled with trepidation, Lin Shisan picked up the second Body Tempering Pill and gently cradled it in his palm.
"Creak... Hiss..."
Like Lin Shisan's heart, the second Body Tempering Pill shattered too.
Before he could examine it closely, it turned to ash, scattering at a breath of wind.
I refuse to believe my luck is so rotten that I can't find even one decent Body Tempering Pill.
No miracle occurred. The third and fourth were no different from the first two Body Tempering Pills.
At his touch, they turned to ash and scattered on the wind.
"Father, Grandfather, Great-grandfather, Great-great-grandfather..."
In his heart, he invoked eighteen generations of ancestors.
Lin Shisan was so nervous that his hands curled into chicken claws, trembling as he reached out inch by inch.
He examined it as though gazing upon a perfect, unclothed maiden, scrutinizing every inch of her skin.
He feared missing something through the slightest carelessness.
"Heh heh heh..."
Perhaps heaven had truly taken pity on him.
Not only did the fifth Body Tempering Pill remain intact, but on closer inspection, it actually bore a pill mark.
To the touch, it even had the cool, gentle smoothness of a spirit pill.
Its restrained fragrance faintly wafted out, refreshing his mind with a sniff.
It was definitely fifty or sixty percent of the way to being a finished Body Tempering Pill.
"Father, Grandfather, Great-grandfather, Great-great-grandfather, sorry for disturbing your rest."
Grinning broadly...
Lin Shisan respectfully sent all eighteen generations of ancestors back again.
His attention was entirely on the Body Tempering Pill in his hand, his delight plain on his face.
"Lin Shisan..."
"Thump..."
Caught off guard, Lin Shisan nearly toppled headfirst.
Chen Yang, who had left laden with rewards, reappeared like a ghost, that despicable face of his grinning again.
His eyes gleamed green.
He stared fixedly at Lin Shisan's hand,
at the Body Tempering Pill in it, like a starving tiger spotting fresh meat.
He could hardly wait.
"Shisan, that's a Body Tempering Pill in your hand, isn't it?"
Chen Yang asked despite knowing the answer.
He tried his best to sound gentle.
He even dropped Lin Shisan's surname.
As he spoke, he had already walked up to Lin Shisan.
Seeing Lin Shisan guarding against him as though against a thief, he appealed to emotion and reason.
Once again, he became the big brother patiently offering guidance.
"Shisan, your Brother Yang has always treated you well."
"For your very first assignment, I gave you a wonderful opportunity to watch a master refine pills up close, right there in person."
Lin Shisan remained as calm and deferential as ever.
His feet, however, began backing away of their own accord.
And he quickly tucked the Body Tempering Pill away.
"Shisan, your Brother Yang hasn't had much luck lately. I still haven't met this month's quota."
"If... if I offered this pill to the sect, that would meet it."
Seeing Lin Shisan remain cold and unmoved, Chen Yang abandoned all pretense of dignity.
He stopped pretending and asked for it outright.
"Your Brother Yang always repays kindness. From now on, we'll be brothers in the Servant Hall. You'll be able to strut around however you please."
"Heh heh heh..."
Lin Shisan chuckled, as though talking to himself.
"As long as I give you the Body Tempering Pill, I can strut around the Servant Hall?"
"Of course. I, Chen Yang, honor my promises and never go back on my word. Loyalty and trust mean everything to me."
Without waiting for Lin Shisan to agree, Chen Yang reached out to snatch it by force.
"Chen Yang, give up on that idea."
"I'd sooner smash the Body Tempering Pill than give it to you."
"...Crack... Smash... Ah!"
Before you continue