Fu Shaoping looked at the Blood Qi Powder wrapped in kraft paper, unsure what had caused the change. He tasted a little and found that its quality was clearly a full tier above Grade A.
Even when he took it himself,
he could faintly feel some effect, though it was not particularly strong.
"Quantity has brought about a change in quality!"
Delighted, Fu Shaoping packed the Blood Qi Powder into a separate box.
He continued refining.
The next three batches were all Grade A.
But on the fourth batch, the wheat-scented Blood Qi Powder appeared again.
Once he had finished refining all twenty-five remaining portions,
he had obtained five portions of this special Blood Qi Powder in total.
At last,
he had finished all one hundred portions of Qi Refining Powder in his third concentrated refining session. Adding the fifty portions from the previous session and the twenty-five from the one before that, he had only gone to the Black Market twice in between to exchange for ingredients. He had even passed his own doorstep twice without going inside, determined to press on in one sustained effort until he could afford an alchemy furnace.
"Finally finished!"
Fu Shaoping looked at the great heap of Blood Qi Powder, a gratified smile spreading across his pale face. These were all the fruits of his hard work.
He stretched.
His gaze fell upon the Treasure Mirror in his sea of consciousness.
A line of text flashed into view:
Blood Qi Powder: Perfection (20/100)
At this rate,
every five batches of Blood Qi Powder he refined would yield one wheat-scented portion.
He could hardly wait.
He left the Alchemy Room.
For the first time, Junior Banner Liu rose to greet him of his own accord. Fu Shaoping had spent an entire month in seclusion this time, his longest session yet. With anticipation on his face, Junior Banner Liu asked,
"Shaoping, have you finished my Blood Qi Powder?"
"I haven't let you down!"
Fu Shaoping handed Junior Banner Liu ten portions of Grade A Blood Qi Powder.
Junior Banner Liu took them and opened the wrappers. They were indeed Grade A, every single portion without exception, with no inferior powder slipped in to make up the numbers. His smile deepened. Thinking that Fu Shaoping had worked himself so hard over the past two months just to refine this much Grade A Blood Qi Powder for him, he felt a little guilty.
He promptly handed Fu Shaoping thirty Low-Grade Essence Stones.
"Shaoping, thank you for your hard work. Whenever you need an Alchemy Room from now on, just let me know ahead of time. Whatever it takes, I'll free up one of the five earth-class rooms for you!"
One portion of Grade A Blood Qi Powder cost only two Low-Grade Essence Stones and fifty spirit shells.
Junior Banner Liu had given him thirty Low-Grade Essence Stones outright, clearly five more than the price. The extra was obviously payment for his hard work, and a gesture of goodwill as well.
Fu Shaoping accepted them without standing on ceremony.
Besides,
unless something unexpected happened,
he would rarely come to the Earthfire Hall again.
After leaving the Earthfire Hall, he went straight to the rear office. Its side hall was empty, however, and Old Zhan was nowhere to be found. Only after asking around did he learn what had happened.
Seeing that Fu Shaoping had gone into seclusion to refine medicine, Old Zhan had taken on a month-long assignment guarding the Sunwood Forest in his stead.
Fu Shaoping was touched.
He had intended to ask Old Zhan to help identify the wheat-scented Blood Qi Powder, but with the old man absent, he could only go home first.
When he arrived,
Zhou Xinxiang was busy selling tofu. Seeing Fu Shaoping's bulging pockets, he immediately asked sweetly,
"Brother-in-law, did you buy beggar's chicken?"
"All you think about, day and night, is your beggar's chicken. Where's your sister?"
"She's in the backyard!"
"Here, take it. This is the beggar's chicken you wanted."
Fu Shaoping went through the shop into the backyard and found Zhou Pan'er tucked away in the Alchemy Room they had built, lifting a stone-and-iron weight of over four hundred jin.
Fu Shaoping blinked.
"Pan'er, have you broken through to the third level of the Body Tempering Realm?!"
He remembered that she had only recently reached the Body Tempering Realm Second Level two months ago.
A little embarrassed, Zhou Pan'er put down the weight and straightened her appearance, shooting Fu Shaoping a reproachful look. "You could at least knock before coming in."
She did not want to leave her future husband with the impression that she was some musclebound strongwoman.
She had not denied it.
Then it must be true.
Fu Shaoping was both happy and envious.
He had relied on the Treasure Mirror, taken Blood Qi Powder, and trained hard day and night to reach the fourth level of the Body Tempering Realm in three months. Yet Zhou Pan'er had progressed so effortlessly. She truly was a martial prodigy!
Only then
did he notice that a patch of Zhou Pan'er's clothes was soaked with sweat, revealing the exquisite curves of her figure.
For a moment,
Fu Shaoping could not help staring, entranced.
His burning gaze made Zhou Pan'er realize what was happening. Her face flushed, and she glared at Fu Shaoping.
"Turn around! No looking!"
Her phoenix eyes, half angry and half reproachful, lent her even more of the charm of a woman just coming into her own.
Fu Shaoping hurriedly looked away.
If he kept looking,
no matter how strong his self-control was,
he feared he would not be able to restrain himself!
He merely blurted out,
"Pan'er, y-you should change your clothes and come out with me!"
Then he fled in disarray.
Once he reached the little courtyard outside,
he poured more than a dozen buckets of icy well water over his head.
Faintly,
he thought he heard Pan'er's sweet laughter from next door.
After changing his clothes,
Fu Shaoping went to rent a carriage first.
"Renting one every time costs quite a bit, wastes time, and lets people know I'm going out. Looks like I'll have to save up and buy a carriage!"
He could not bear to spend his origin stones.
So he planned to save up silver to buy one instead.
Once Zhou Pan'er had boarded, the carriage left town. Only when they reached a deserted stretch did Fu Shaoping speak.
"Pan'er, when we reach the Ghost Valley Woods, wait outside. I'll go in first. Drive the carriage in when you hear me whistle!"
He had exchanged Blood Qi Powder for medicinal ingredients with Granny Tang at the ghost market several times.
This time,
with such a large quantity,
Fu Shaoping had decided against going to the Black Market, afraid someone might follow him, kill him, and seize his valuables.
Instead, he had arranged to trade in the Ghost Valley Woods.
The Ghost Valley Woods were less than twenty li from town.
If she truly harbored any ill intentions, reinforcements from the Hundred Households Office could arrive quickly.
Fu Shaoping had not even changed out of his Flying Fish Uniform. When he entered the Ghost Valley Woods, the masked Granny Tang visibly froze at the sight of it.
"You're actually one of the Martial Suppression Guards!"
Granny Tang had thought he was some noble clan's son born to a concubine, exiled to this place.
The Hundred Households Office was just ahead.
Granny Tang was clearly more wary now that she knew Fu Shaoping was a Martial Suppression Guard.
The two understood each other without a word.
Payment and goods changed hands together.
Granny Tang counted the Blood Qi Powder and frowned.
"Fellow cultivator, this is five portions short of the hundred we agreed on."
Although she was wary of Fu Shaoping's identity as a Martial Suppression Guard, Granny Tang remained quite confident. Clearly unwilling to take a loss, she stared steadily at him.
"Granny Tang, don't be hasty!"
Fu Shaoping set the origin stones he had counted aside, then took a packet of Blood Qi Powder from his sleeve and handed it to her.
"Granny Tang, take a look at its quality."
Granny Tang furrowed her brows.
She had no idea what Fu Shaoping was being so mysterious about.
She took the Blood Qi Powder and opened the kraft paper. A wheat fragrance wafted into her nose, and she visibly jolted, utterly astonished.
"You actually refined Special Grade Blood Qi Powder!"
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