Old Fan

"Goodbye." After hearing him out, Yue Wen turned to leave.

He had almost forgotten where he was. Why had he spent so long talking to someone who could kill without even breaking the law? What a waste of time.

It wasn't as if there were no normal people in the world who could refine medicine.

"Stop!" Old Bai suddenly barked behind him. "Coming and going as you please-what do you think this place is?"

Taken aback by his sudden forcefulness, Yue Wen froze for a moment before saying, "Isn't this a psychiatric hospital? I'm not a patient. Why can't I leave?"

He quickened his steps, afraid that staying even another second might make it contagious.

"You aren't? Hah, neither am I!" Old Bai shook his head wistfully. "Back in the day, I was the most brilliant disciple of my generation at the Medicine King Institute. My master, Li Danyang, personally praised me, saying that the spirit medicines Little Bai refined absolutely must not be eaten!"

"You call that praise?" Yue Wen looked utterly speechless. "And why are you telling me this?"

Of course he knew about the Medicine King Institute. It was one of the world's foremost immortal sects, with the strongest medicine-refining tradition in the human realm. Any apothecary who came out of the Medicine King Institute could hold their own-even an outer disciple who had only sat in on classes for two or three years.

Li Danyang was an even more renowned master apothecary, whose fame had endured for a hundred years.

Was he really Old Bai's master?

"I refused to accept it. I had studied medical texts diligently since childhood and risked my life venturing into the Wasteland Zone in search of spirit plants. I was certain there wasn't a single flaw in my Daoist methods or medical knowledge! The spirit medicines I refined were far superior to anything those mediocrities could produce. Why shouldn't anyone eat them? To spite him, that very night I personally... mixed my spirit medicine into my roommate's takeout."

"If you were normal, you would've eaten it yourself!" Yue Wen was exasperated.

"After my roommate ate it, his body grew strong and light, his vital energy circulated freely, and his aptitude improved by several levels. From then on, his cultivation yielded twice the results for half the effort!" Old Bai continued, "I showed my results to the institute's teachers and elders, but they grew jealous of me. They sent me back to my hometown and locked me up in this psychiatric hospital!"

"They were jealous of you?" Yue Wen looked skeptical, unsure whether any of this was true. "The Medicine King Institute has always had a good reputation. Master Li Danyang has spent years supporting newcomers, and I've never heard of any shady dealings in the industry. Do you have proof?"

"Of course!" Old Bai pointed diagonally ahead of him, in the direction his misaligned eye was looking. "My roommate is right here. Ask him yourself."

Yue Wen looked in that direction. There was nothing there.

Really, even looking had been unnecessary. The room was only so big. If there had been a third person, he would have noticed long ago.

Old Bai's earnest expression had simply been too convincing.

"Right?" After a moment of silence, Old Bai nodded as though he had heard something. "Those mediocre apothecaries can collude with them, but a genius like me only makes them feel threatened. All these years, I've had my roommate try every new medicine I've refined. Look how well he's doing now."

Yue Wen looked again. Still nothing.

After a long moment, he turned back. "Man, you're one hundred percent mentally ill. Not a trace of anything else."

"Although I was framed and committed here, I never gave up," Old Bai continued.

Yue Wen shook his head. "You weren't framed."

"The director and doctors here discovered my miraculous medicine-refining abilities, so they granted me plenty of privileges and allowed me to refine and sell medicine in the hospital. I shared a substantial portion of the profits with them, and they made things convenient for me in return." Old Bai gave a wickedly charming smile. "I've used this opportunity to keep researching my own unique spirit medicines. This Supreme Blazing Flame Powder is one of the secret formulas I developed."

"As long as someone successfully uses my Supreme Blazing Flame Powder to condense their aura, it will prove my results. Those mediocre apothecaries at the Medicine King Institute will finally realize how incompetent they are!"

As he spoke, he grew increasingly impassioned, reaching diagonally forward to clasp an invisible hand.

"Our names will shake the entire world of medicine refining!"

"..." Watching him gaze affectionately into the empty air, Yue Wen gave an awkward smile. "Then I'll leave you two to it."

"If you're willing to use my Blazing Flame Powder for your breakthrough, I can give you a discount!" Old Bai hurriedly added, "Three taels of Blazing Flame Powder, yours for just five hundred and twenty thousand."

"It was five hundred thousand without the discount!" Yue Wen covered his forehead and shook his head. "I really don't have time for this."

He felt he had to leave. Listening to this man for too long seemed to be exhausting his brain.

"Five hundred and twenty thousand includes these!" Old Bai suddenly produced a plastic container holding five sandwich cookies, each with two white outer layers and a black filling.

"What are those supposed to be?" Yue Wen asked in bewilderment. "Reverse Oreos?"

"Traditional Qi-Replenishing Pills and Blood-Replenishing Pills are separate. One restores true qi, and the other heals injuries. Taking both at once can even cause their effects to clash," Old Bai explained. "But my exclusive Qi-Blood Unity Pills combine restoration and healing in one, with blood within qi and qi within blood. Eat one in the middle of a fierce battle, and you'll instantly be back in peak condition with full health and mana! You'll regain your vigor in a second, your yang energy will soar to the heavens, and your enemies will call you daddy on the spot!"

"Those aren't pills." Yue Wen examined them. "We generally call those cookies."

"You don't have to like them, but please don't insult them!" Old Bai declared emphatically. "This box of Qi-Blood Pills sells for twenty thousand, but right now, I'm prepared to give it to you for free."

"Free?" Yue Wen caught the key word.

"That's right." Old Bai smiled confidently. "Take them home and try them. Experience their effects. Once you realize just how powerful my pills are, you'll naturally change your mind. When you come back to buy the Blazing Flame Powder, you can pay me the five hundred and twenty thousand then."

"Okay, but..." Yue Wen accepted the box of "Qi-Blood Unity Pills" and looked up again. "That still isn't a discount. You haven't knocked so much as a cent off!"

"Ah, old friend." Old Bai looked at the empty air diagonally ahead of him. "I have a feeling that our hope of leaving this place may rest with this talented young man."

"You should stay here a while longer." Yue Wen waved. "And make sure you take your medicine on time."

"Whew-"

Only after getting into the car for the return trip did Yue Wen let out a long breath.

Talking to Old Bai was truly exhausting. He felt as though someone had planted a foot on his cerebral cortex and given it a thorough stretching.

Still, on reflection, although he hadn't found satisfactory Blazing Flame Powder, he had gotten a box of qi-blood cookies without spending a cent. That counted as something.

He would just have to carefully check whether they were actually edible.

He hadn't needed the Blazing Flame Powder urgently anyway. This trip had only been to inspect the goods. Even if they had passed muster, it would have taken him some time to save enough money to pay for them.

So there was no need to be too disappointed.

Strictly speaking, this trip hadn't been a failure, either. Old Bai's Blazing Flame Powder really was extraordinarily powerful. It was just so unnaturally powerful that it gave him reservations. Still, if Old Bai was so confident that his medicine-refining skills would win him over, he probably had his reasons.

I'll try these qi-blood cookies first, then decide whether to use his Blazing Flame Powder.

Qi-Replenishing Pills and Blood-Replenishing Pills were both very common medicines, but Yue Wen had never bought any before. Generally, only people venturing into the Wasteland Zone needed such expensive restorative pills. If you got injured in the city, you could simply go to the hospital.

The car hadn't gone far before a message from "Old Bai" arrived on Cultivation Chat.

["Old Bai": For the best flavor, have your Qi-Blood Unity Pills with milk. Twist, lick, and dunk.]

And you still claim these aren't cookies?!

Yue Wen couldn't help wondering whether that bastard had really duped him with a box of sandwich cookies. A normal person certainly wouldn't do that, but by no conceivable standard could Old Bai be defined as normal.

Despite those thoughts, Yue Wen kept his reply polite.

["Helpful Netizen 00772": Thank you, Apothecary Bai.]

Helpful Netizen was Yue Wen's ID on Cultivation Chat. It revealed none of his real information, and he had needed to add a string of digits to avoid a duplicate username.

["Old Bai": I'm not Apothecary Bai. He's refining medicine. I'm his roommate. I didn't introduce myself earlier. You can call me Old Fan.]