Mortal Saint

East Gunpowder Street, the Medicine House.

"..."

Zheng Jun’s mouth was agape, staring dumbfounded at the six round, glossy, dark brown Leopard Embryo Pills revealed as the lid of the Pill Furnace was lifted.

A wave of dizziness washed over him, and he nearly collapsed.

Involuntarily, Zheng Jun began to count on his fingers:

"One day, two days, three days..."

"No, wait. How many days has he been here?"

His face twitched uncontrollably, his heart filled with utter shock.

Zheng Jun was twenty-six this year.

Ever since he was eighteen, from the time Pharmacist Huang arrived in this five-hundred-li Anning County, he had been working as his assistant. He was one of the very first Medicine Boys.

For a full eight years, he had outlasted batch after batch of his peers, who were either scolded or dismissed by Pharmacist Huang. It was only by relying on his wits that he had managed to stay until today.

After so many years, by studying Pharmacist Huang’s scattered notes on Alchemy Skill—which were written like chicken scratch—he had barely managed to grasp the refining technique for Ninth-Grade Pills.

Just when he was thinking about scraping together several months’ salary in the next few days to buy a full set of ingredients and try his hand at the furnace...

He never expected to watch, with his own two eyes, as that Sword-carrying Guest sent from Lu Manor to guard the Medicine House sat in Pharmacist Huang’s seat and refined the ’Ninth-grade Pills’ he had been dreaming of!?

"Your technique is skilled, steady, and precise. Though it lacks a bit of inspiration, but..."

"If we’re just talking about refining Ninth Grade Pills, your success rate should be around thirty percent. You can be considered to have entered the gate."

"Moreover, for your first attempt, you increased the heat and the dosage. This undoubtedly increases the difficulty of the Alchemy."

Pharmacist Huang leaned over, selected one of the six Leopard Embryo Pills, held it to the tip of his nose, and took a light sniff before nodding.

"The medicinal properties are adequately preserved. While not exceptional, it’s acceptable. Good enough to be sold on the market and fulfill those low-level orders that bore me to death..."

"Hmm."

"Kid, catch."

With a flick of his sleeve, he plucked up three Pills and tossed them toward Ji Xiu.

Ji Xiu instinctively raised his hands and caught them.

He opened his palm.

Staring at the three Pills he had personally refined—worth ninety taels of silver, equivalent to his three-month salary, and what would have cost 90,000 yuan in his previous life—

Ji Xiu couldn’t help but feel a surge of joy.

’Alchemy is truly a path to outrageous profits!’

’Unfortunately... this kind of free-lunch deal is a one-time thing. If I want to hone my Alchemy Skill later and quickly pay back this advance, I’ll probably have to buy the materials myself and use the furnace to practice...’

As Ji Xiu pondered this, he took out a paper packet from his robes and carefully wrapped the pills.

But at that moment, Pharmacist Huang, instead of stopping, spoke rapidly, a strange light glinting in his eyes as he looked at Ji Xiu. This made Ji Xiu wonder uneasily:

’This old man isn’t going to go back on his word, is he?’

’No way. Three Leopard Embryo Pills... with my Superior Pile Skill, I can refine one pill a day. In less than three days, my Qi and Blood will be roiling, I’ll gain another dozen or so pounds, and I’ll be one step closer to Muscle Forging!’

’If I just practiced my stances, it would take ten days to half a month to make this much progress...’

He thought to himself.

But he found that Pharmacist Huang, contrary to his usual demeanor, was wearing a cheerful expression and pointing at the Pill Furnace.

"Kid, your name is Ji Xiu, right?"

"As a Sword-carrying Guest for Lu Manor, how much do they pay you a month?"

"I imagine it’s no more than thirty or forty taels of silver."

"Look, these three Pills I just gave you are worth two or three months of your wages. Comparatively, who can offer you more: me or Lu Chengfeng?"

Pharmacist Huang placed the remaining three Pills into a brocade box, smiling.

"From now on, just forget about working for him."

"Come here to the Medicine House instead."

"This old man is Huang Xuan. I don’t have much else, but I have plenty of experience with Alchemy."

"For a Martial Artist, Bone Marrow, Bone Tempering, Skin Refining... each stage is harder than the last."

"If you don’t come from a good background, don’t have a side profession, and have no way to make silver..."

"The path ahead will be like an insurmountable chasm!"

"But if you are a qualified Ninth Grade Pill Master, it’s a different story."

"Do you have any idea? In this entire five-hundred-li Anning County, the number of Pharmacists who can refine Ninth-grade Pills—including those employed by the Government Office, the Three Great Gangs, and the Four Great Halls—is less than a dozen."

"As the saying goes, the rarer something is, the more precious it becomes."

"As long as your skills mature, it has far better prospects than being some Sword-carrying Guest!"

"And another thing, do you know... in this entire Anning County, how many Pill Masters can refine a Mortal Seventh-Grade Pill to supply Skin Refining Martial Artists in their Cultivation?"

Huang Xuan flicked his sleeve, his posture filled with pride.

"Only this old man!"

"If it weren’t for the abundant Earth Fire from the Fire Kiln here, which aids Alchemy, I wouldn’t have built my house in this place. Do you know how many factions in Anning County would be flocking to me?"

"When you come to work for me, you won’t have to do the chores of a Medicine Boy."

"Here, I have to make several batches a day of Ninth-Grade Pills like the Leopard Embryo Pill, Tiger Blood Powder, and Deer Tendon Pill... all to help Martial Artists in the Bone Marrow Refining Realm with their Cultivation. It’s a complete waste of my time."

"Kid, from now on, you come here and make three batches a day."

"If a batch fails, the cost of the ingredients is on me. As long as you don’t fail every single time..."

"I will bear the profit and loss myself and open the great door of Alchemy Skill for you!"

"Are you willing?"

Huang Xuan, wealthy and imposing, waved his hand grandly.

It might not have seemed like he was promising Ji Xiu any direct benefits.

But to the side, Zheng Jun’s eyes were wide, and he was practically drooling.

Alchemy Skill, Pill Master!

It’s difficult to get started.

But to truly master the tricks of the trade and ensure you don’t waste ingredients... experience is even more important!

Without refining several hundred batches, how could you ever achieve a success rate of seventy or eighty percent?

Once you have enough theory, it all comes down to practice making perfect.

Take the Leopard Embryo Pill for example. A single pill is worth thirty taels, but the ingredients alone cost fifteen taels.

In other words, you have to guarantee a fifty percent success rate just to break even. That requires at least Minor Success in Alchemy Skill.

If you don’t spend hundreds of taels of silver, how can you ever hope to forge a Pill Master?

It’s a fool’s dream!

Bearing all the costs, letting you use the Pill Furnace and materials as you please!

This was the kind of opportunity he, Zheng Jun, had dreamed of but could never obtain.

At this, Ji Xiu’s eyes gradually lit up.

What did they call it when a pillow is delivered to you just as you’re getting sleepy?

This was exactly that.

"I figured that for Elder Huang, who spends his days agonizing over and studying Qi Pills, these insignificant Ninth-grade Pills are just a waste of time."

"It was one thing when there was no one to share his burden."

"But now that I’m here, I must help Elder Huang by taking over these tasks, freeing him up to study the Medicine Scripture and become a ’Qi Dao Pill Master’ as soon as possible!"

Qi Dao Pill Master!

Huang Xuan’s breath caught, and he thought to himself:

’A Qi Dao Pill Master? If that day ever comes, I’ll be able to return to Jiangyin Prefecture and hold my head high, no longer having to bow and scrape before others.’

’It’s just a pity that the Pill Recipe for the Spirit Pill is incomplete and damaged. If I could complete it, perhaps there might be a turnaround for my unlucky situation...’

’Sigh!’

At this thought, his expression dimmed for a moment, but as he looked at Ji Xiu, his gaze once again filled with appreciation.

"The kid knows how to talk."

"From now on, as long as you perform your daily Alchemy well and can fulfill the orders."

"No matter what, I will leave one pill for you, so you’ll always have pills to eat for your Blood Nourishing and Muscle Forging!"

"If your Pile Skill allows you to absorb them quickly, you could replenish the medicinal effects in just a day or two. A pill a day... tsk tsk, with that kind of backing, even some sons of rich families in the prefecture are no better off than you."

A pill a day?

HISS!

What an extravagant gesture!

’Others are lucky to get one a month, but I get to eat one every day?’

’If that’s the case, then the so-called Hundred Days Foundation Establishment that Master Duan mentioned—the kind only Nobles can achieve—I...’

’...I can achieve it too!’

Huang Xuan’s promise.

In that moment, it made Ji Xiu clench his fists, his heart surging with excitement.