Entrusting His Care
Combining purple lingzhi, polygonatum, and two hundred demon cores, the final product is fifty Qi and Blood Creation Pills.
In terms of success rate, Zhang Xuezhou's success rate was less than 30%.
This level of skill is similar to that of the Alchemist of the Northern Kuru Continent.
But Zhang Xuezhou didn't refine just one pill at a time, nor three or five, but a full fifty.
Even the new emperor was taken aback by the sheer number of pills produced.
The new emperor found Zhang Xuezhou's alchemy skills unbelievable, especially since he hadn't witnessed Zhang Xuezhou's first three failures.
Especially considering that this alchemy was performed despite Zhang Xuezhou's alchemy state being disrupted, the other party still managed to refine fifty mid-grade Qi and Blood Creation Pills, and even used a standard Pill Furnace from the Qin Dynasty.
Looking at the Creation Pills he had budgeted to compensate for, the new emperor compared them with the Creation Pills in the furnace.
From color to smell, from size to the perfect roundness of the pill, he felt there was no difference between the two.
The pills refined by Zhang Xuezhou were the most standard Creation Pills, and also high-grade ones, not inferior ones.
"No wonder Master Li wanted you to refine pills. You are truly skilled at it. This Pill Formula formation is extremely rare," the new emperor exclaimed in amazement.
"It's all thanks to the Marquis's arrival on a favorable east wind that this batch of pills was able to be successfully formed. Look over there!"
Zhang Xuezhou pointed to a corner of the Alchemy Chamber, where the dregs from his three failed attempts at refining medicine were located. Although there were some formed pills, they were dull in color and had an impure taste, making them difficult for normal cultivators to consume.
"This..."
Looking at the dregs that Zhang Xuezhou pointed out, and comparing the amount of dregs with the amount of pills, the new emperor felt that the slight distracting thought in his mind had vanished without a trace.
While Zhang Xuezhou successfully produced a large number of pills in one go, his failure rate was also astonishing.
Compared to Zhang Xuezhou's practice of mass-producing pills, the new emperor preferred other Alchemist to slowly refine three to five pills at a time.
"Did you fail three times in a row before?" the new emperor asked after calculating.
"Yes!"
"Is Master Li's Eight-Step Ascension Elixir a pill that requires taking multiple doses to achieve the same effect?"
There's nothing to complain about with Zhang Xuezhou's pills; they're the right size and quality.
If the emperor didn't insist on using almost identical pills, he couldn't think of any reason why Li Shaojun would ask Zhang Xuezhou to refine pills for him.
"Perhaps," Zhang Xuezhou said.
Zhang Xuezhou was willing to refine pills, but he didn't want to keep refining pills forever.
Anyone who had any talent that caught the eye of the new emperor was destined for a life of hardship, like a beast of burden.
For example, Zhang Xuezhou didn't even need to think; he would become the driver of the Imperial Shuttle, receiving the same treatment as Wei Qing used to drive the carriage.
He did not want to become a full-time Alchemist and thus produce a large number of pills for the imperial court.
Even if he could adjust the production of Qin Furnace No. 8 to mass production and have a high pill-making rate, it would still be the same.
He never expected that his batch of pills would be successfully completed, and that he would even show it to the new emperor.
When Zhang Xuezhou mentioned his three failed attempts at alchemy that resulted in losses, Zhang Xuezhou felt that the new emperor's petty thoughts had faded away.
The Great Han Dynasty had more than one Alchemist, and it had not been unable to function without him. Many noble Aristocratic Clan had never lacked elixirs. Zhang Xuezhou, who was paid a salary of one thousand shi of grain, had no reason to take on such a laborious task and replace the work of dozens of Alchemist.
"What are you doing here, Xiao Qubing?"
After resolving the matter of collecting the pills, Zhang Xuezhou turned to Huo Qubing, who had followed him.
"This child keeps pestering me to broaden his horizons, and I'm thinking that only if you make things convenient for him can he truly learn something!"
Piloting the Imperial Shuttle brought the new emperor many new insights, and he felt that Huo Qubing could also gain some of those insights.
Conventional knowledge could no longer satisfy Huo Qubing's demands. Huo Qubing was not being unreasonable; rather, ordinary knowledge was of little use to him.
For example, the new emperor allowed Huo Qubing to observe martial arts more than once, and Huo Qubing was able to point out the shortcomings of many people in swordsmanship, spearmanship, knife skills, etc., and even the sword formations in military operations.
Huo Qubing had an exceptional talent for observation, and he was also quite strong from a young age. If he were to be nurtured as an adult, he would undoubtedly become a great talent.
After the new emperor finished speaking, he whispered in Huo Qubing's ear that no one could control Huo Qubing, and that ordinary people couldn't control him either.
"I can't control him either. Soaring into the sky is no joke. What if he falls and gets hurt?" Zhang Xuezhou said softly, politely declining.
"Fly slower, and it's better for you to stay here and keep an eye on him than for him to sneak into your mansion and cause trouble," the new emperor said in a low voice.
"I haven't been home for two months. Has my residence been ruined?" Zhang Xuezhou asked in a low voice.
"The harm he caused wasn't significant, but it's never good to disturb your wife, especially since she's pregnant!"
"Then you can leave him here, but you can't keep him here for long. I'll be bedridden with illness after a while!"
"I'll come back and take over then!"
Zhang Xuezhou could only stay at Shanglin Garden for twelve days, while the new emperor would bring skilled array cultivators to fill the vacancy after twelve days, seeking every possible opportunity to enter the secret area for control.
If it can't be done in one day, or in ten days, it's always possible in a hundred days.
If the situation remains the same after one hundred days, he will extend it to one, two, or even three years.
He will not stop pursuing this goal until everything is achieved.
Huo Qubing was merely an incidental figure in this matter, as the new emperor was indeed too busy to attend to everything.
After entrusting Zhang Xuezhou with his affairs and instructing Huo Qubing to learn from Zhang Xuezhou, the new emperor hurriedly left the Alchemy Chamber.
"Master Dongfang, should we...?"
"During the day, the Law Treasure weapon is easily spotted and could cause trouble. The test flight with passengers needs to be at night. Just wait patiently by the side, and I'll take you for a flight after nightfall!"
Zhang Xuezhou glanced at the Alchemy Chamber.
Considering the destructive potential of children, Zhang Xuezhou had no choice but to use magic to stuff some important medicinal herbs into his Lesser Heaven and Earth Bag.
"The Imperial Guards will deliver two meals a day. If you're still hungry, you can find some dried tofu, fried tofu, or bean curd sheets to fill your stomach. I think they taste pretty good!"
"You used to lie to us and tell us it was white meat, making us eat so much of it. Now everyone in Chang'an City is saying that eating this kind of tofu will cause stomach aches!"
"You believe the gossip of a bunch of people who've never even eaten tofu? The Marquis of Pingyang said you were exceptionally intelligent and perceptive, but it seems that's an exaggeration!"
"I... I'm just afraid of getting a stomach ache from eating too much!"
Zhang Xuezhou gave several instructions, and after using some provocation, Huo Qubing's gaze had already shifted to the tofu.
Public opinion can be devastating, and even adults struggle to escape rumors. Children, of course, will keep such gossip to themselves, and Huo Qubing was no exception.
After being mocked by Zhang Xuezhou several times, he reluctantly started looking for bean products to eat.
"If I get a stomach ulcer, you have to give me medicine to treat it. Don't let me die so young!"
According to the imperial court's report, Liu An, the king of Huainan, accidentally created tofu while refining elixirs, a crucial food item for people's daily lives.
However, Huo Qubing had seen Zhang Xuezhou making tofu a month earlier.
Even if Zhang Xuezhou didn't invent tofu, he felt that Zhang Xuezhou's understanding of tofu was far deeper than that of others.
The fact that Zhang Xuezhou still recommends it suggests that this food with its alarming name might not be as terrible as the rumors suggest.
After figuring things out, Huo Qubing was no longer afraid and ate some bean products as snacks in the Alchemy Chamber.