Chapter 147: Borrowing a Pill Furnace
Old Ji opened the box, her wrinkled eyes widening like bronze bells. She cried out, "A—a flowering Mingxi Grass!"
Old Ji's heart pounded in her chest. She was someone who, despite exhausting her innate talent, had been unable to break past her current realm to achieve the next. Moreover, her remaining lifespan was short. Now, with a flowering Mingxi Grass before her, she could surely achieve that next realm and easily extend her life by several decades.
Her hands trembled as she examined it for a long while. Then, she sank back into her chair in disappointment, though she said, "What a pity. It's been out of the soil for too long to be transplanted. Otherwise, this plant would be priceless!"
A flowering Mingxi Grass could be cultivated and propagated. The fact that this was what excited Old Ji made Chen Dong respect the old woman all the more.
"You just toss this treasure to me like this. Aren't you afraid I'll just pocket it for myself?"
Chen Dong said flatly, "I'm not."
If he hadn't promised Yang Mingshan a Mingxi Condensation Pill, he would have let Old Ji keep the Mingxi Grass. It was only fair, after all, for that time years ago when Chen Dong had ruined all the longing stored inside her Mourning Bottle.
Old Ji smiled and nodded. "Your Alchemy skills are good enough to refine a Mingxi Condensation Pill? Don't end up wasting this treasure. A flowering Mingxi Grass can already guarantee someone at the peak of their current realm will break through to the next. There's no need to gamble on a pill!"
Chen Dong stated with conviction, "I can refine it. And I'll make more than one."
Old Ji disliked Chen Dong's arrogance. She challenged him, "Have you ever refined one before?"
Chen Dong shook his head, then nodded. "The Mingxi Grass has been extinct, so of course I've never refined this pill. I might not be sure about other pills, but for this one, I have absolute confidence."
Old Ji thought for a moment, her eyes narrowing. "Since you're so confident, let's make a deal. If you refine three or more pills, you have to leave two with the Zhang Family."
"Of course!" The Mingxi Condensation Pill was useless to Chen Dong. He had originally planned to refine a few to sell, but he'd discovered this thing was a magnet for trouble. Everyone who saw it wanted to kill him and take it for themselves, without even bothering to discuss a price. It was completely absurd.
Old Ji stood up. "Very well. Follow me."
The group followed Old Ji out of the main hall and walked to a heavily guarded Pill Hall.
Members of the Zhang Family stood guard on all sides. More than ten Pill Furnaces, each taller than a man, were arranged in an orderly fashion, and a thick, mist-like medicinal aroma drifted from them.
Old Ji led them to the very back, stopping before a Pill Furnace that was different from the others. It was only half a person's height, with five spire-like corners connected to five supporting pillars, each a different color: yellow, green, cyan, red, and orange.
Old Ji said proudly, "This is the Zhang Family's ancestral Five Elements Stabilizing Element Furnace. It just so happens to be empty. You can begin, kid."
Chen Dong nodded slightly and had the Yang Family brothers bring the medicinal herbs forward.
He planned to refine the Purifying Void Pill first to heal his own injuries before attempting the Mingxi Condensation Pill.
One by one, the medicinal herbs were processed and refined by Chen Dong before being steadily placed into the furnace.
Old Ji watched, puzzled. Some of the herbs were incompatible with the properties of the Mingxi Grass. "What are you doing?" she asked, confused.
Chen Dong chuckled. "Just refining a different batch first to warm up."
Old Ji nodded and watched quietly. Chen Dong's method of processing the herbs was as smooth as flowing water, a beautiful sight to behold. He was in no way inferior to an expert like her, who had been immersed in the Alchemy Dao for over a hundred years.
Zhang Baikou took this all in, her face filled with surprise. 'He's about my age, but is he really this exceptional?' she thought. 'His cultivation seems to be at the next realm, and his Alchemy is so incredible.' But despite all that, she still couldn't bring herself to admire or like Chen Dong, simply because he was *that man's* disciple.
Before long, the herbs were processed, and he entered the Yun Pill stage. This phase required intense concentration to observe the fusion of the medicinal liquids and maintain constant control over the heat.
There were no close calls; his proficiency was almost frightening. Two hours later, Chen Dong had already reached the Solidifying Pill step. With the aid of the Pill Furnace, the alchemy process was a bit faster than using a rice cooker.
The Pill Condensation Seal in his hands shifted. This was a critical part of Alchemy; the Pill Condensation Technique was crucial for determining how many pills a batch would yield. The only exceptions were simple pills like the Star Luo Pill, for which Chen Dong could produce a similar number of pills without needing the technique. It was like simple, single-digit addition and subtraction—no formula or calculator needed, just a quick and accurate mental calculation.
Finally, the Dharma Seal in Chen Dong's hands took form. With a jolt of True Qi, he vibrated the Pill Furnace, which instantly opened and sent seven Purifying Void Pills flying out.
The reason this batch only yielded seven pills was mainly due to Chen Dong's injuries, which prevented him from using his full strength.
After taking the pills, he gave one to Old Ji as promised. "This is a Purifying Void Pill," he said. "It's exceptionally effective for treating internal injuries and the backlash from using a Secret Technique!"
Old Ji didn't even look at it, simply taking the pill and tossing it to Zhang Baikou. Zhang Baikou, in turn, accepted it with a look of disdain and put it away carelessly.
Chen Dong felt like he was back on Celestial Essence Mountain. No matter how incredible the pills he refined, the old man would always have that same look of disdain. Chen Dong then asked Old Ji for a quiet room, explaining that he needed to recover and get back into perfect condition to refine the Mingxi Condensation Pill.
Old Ji wasn't the least bit suspicious of his explanation. As a master of the Alchemy Dao herself, she would do the same when refining an important pill.
She arranged a quiet room for Chen Dong and then left, seemingly to deal with Kang Ming and his two companions.
Chen Dong called Yang Mingshan over to stand guard for him, then entered the quiet room to begin his recovery. Chen Dong had always been wary of the Zhang Family. First, because of the Military Suppression Department, and second, because of some severe childhood trauma—countless nightmares in which Old Ji tortured him using various methods…
He adjusted his mindset, took out one of the freshly refined Purifying Void Pills, and swallowed it.