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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 13
Chapter Title: Pill Refining
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Li Huowang carefully watched the small pill furnace in front of him, with three incense sticks standing beside it for timing.
In this environment without an alarm clock, Li Huowang could only rely on this crude method to measure time.
When the last incense stick burned out completely, he immediately extinguished the furnace fire and opened the pill door. A scent mixed with the aroma of strange herbs wafted out from inside.
Li Huowang's heart leaped with joy. Success. He shook the refined pill material in a sieve. After sifting out all the useless ash residue, only some large and small black pills remained in the box.
These pills were the Blood Nourishing Pills that Danyangzi had mentioned. They were a very simple type of pill, used for stopping bleeding.
One could not consume more than one or two at a time, or there was a risk of the blood in the entire body coagulating.
It sounded pretty underwhelming—perhaps even more useful for harming people than healing them.
But because these were the simplest pills, Danyangzi had let Li Huowang practice with them.
He carefully counted them out, and in the end, Li Huowang obtained thirteen large Blood Nourishing Pills and twenty-six small ones.
Li Huowang's gains weren't just these pills. Through the process of refining the Blood Nourishing Pills, he had also learned some basic knowledge about pill refining.
Pill refining was far more difficult than he had imagined. Beyond differences in timing, even herbs grown facing different directions had to be carefully distinguished.
A single mistake in any step would lead to a world of difference in the pill's efficacy and success rate. The pile of charred waste materials nearby was proof.
Li Huowang took out a small bamboo tube and collected all the pills inside. He then took a deep breath, put on the nearby Daoist robe, and walked toward the door.
"Time's about up. The Zi hour is almost here."
When Li Huowang pushed open the door of the Material Room, everyone who had been laboring stood up straight, staring at him in terror.
In their eyes right now, he was the living image of the King of Hell.
Li Huowang looked at them with a complicated expression. Under everyone's gaze, he walked past them and finally stopped in front of Bai Lingmiao.
The girl's white hair trembled along with her body. She tried hard to hold back her tears, but in the end, she couldn't. Tears flowed from the pale pink pupils unique to her albinism.
With a grave expression, Li Huowang reached out and took her hand, leading her out of the Material Room toward the Pill Refinery Room.
In the damp cave tunnel, Bai Lingmiao choked out her last words to Li Huowang.
Li Huowang listened in silence, saying nothing. When he deliberately reached the door of his own quarters, he turned and pulled her inside.
"Take off your pants."
Bai Lingmiao's eyes widened as she froze in place, seemingly frightened by his actions.
Three quarters before the Zi hour, Li Huowang brought Bai Lingmiao to the pill room. Danyangzi had only just arrived.
Seeing that Li Huowang had brought the medicine primer ahead of time without needing to be told, a hint of satisfaction appeared on Danyangzi's face. He found this youngest disciple a bit more agreeable.
"Heh, good disciple, come here."
With a casual wave from Danyangzi, Bai Lingmiao flew straight over. He grabbed her by the neck and tossed her into the man-sized stone vat.
Seeing this, Li Huowang's heart pounded wildly, his hands clenched tight.
Just as the several-hundred-jin stone pestle was about to smash down, Danyangzi suddenly stopped.
"Hey, why did it have to be the time for her to bleed like this? The pill's properties are all ruined now."
Danyangzi frowned slightly as he glanced at the blood seeping through Bai Lingmiao's pants.
Seeing this, Li Huowang let out a huge sigh of relief. His plan had worked.
After Li Huowang learned how pill refining worked in this world, he had found a way to break the situation.
Since the properties of other metallic, stony, or herbal ingredients were so variable, the human medicine primer would be too.
And in his memory, in Daoist traditions, a woman's menstrual blood was considered a kind of impurity. Having Bai Lingmiao fake her period was his countermeasure.
To avoid arousing suspicion, no one else could mention it—it had to be discovered by Danyangzi himself.
It seemed his goal had been achieved. Bai Lingmiao's life was saved.
With a wave of Danyangzi's wide Daoist robe, Bai Lingmiao flew out of the stone vat and crashed heavily to the ground.
The fall was hard; it took her half a day to clutch her knee and climb back up. But Li Huowang couldn't help her. He could only watch coldly from the side.
"Xuanyang, take this medicine primer back."
Hearing Danyangzi say this, Li Huowang finally relaxed completely. He bowed respectfully to Danyangzi.
"As you command, Master."
When Bai Lingmiao reached his side, Li Huowang noticed that her head seemed to have been knocked open, fresh red blood trickling down her cheek.
Even so, she still cast a grateful look at Li Huowang. In the face of death, this minor injury was nothing.
"No matter what, we've muddled through this one. It should be a long time before it's Bai Lingmiao's turn again."
Li Huowang led Bai Lingmiao toward the door.
But just as they were about to pass from under the shadow of the massive pill furnace, Danyangzi's light voice drifted from behind.
"Xuanyang, since this medicine primer won't do, go bring another one. I remember there's still one more white medicine primer like this. Hurry back quick—don't miss the hour."
Li Huowang's body trembled slightly at these words. He turned and bowed respectfully to Danyangzi once more.
"Yes, Master."
Li Huowang didn't know how he made it to the Material Room. He could only numbly walk up to the other albino man, grab his hand, and lead him out.
The man wailed in despair, kowtowing repeatedly on the ground and begging for mercy. But Li Huowang could do nothing at this moment. He could only personally deliver the man to the Pill Refinery Room.
As the trembling Li Huowang turned to leave, Danyangzi called out to him.
"Didn't you aspire to the way of pill refining? Come here and watch closely. You won't see such a complex and rare pill being refined anywhere else."
Li Huowang walked over and watched intently, listening carefully as Danyangzi explained when to add which ingredients and when to increase the fire to what degree. He observed the entire pill refining process like a studious child.
When the flames under the pill furnace died out and the furnace was opened, seven fully formed black pills lined up neatly before Danyangzi.
"Not bad, not bad. You have real talent. None of the other disciples are as eager to learn as you. Here, a reward from your master."
Danyangzi took one from his palm.
"Thank you, Master, for the pill!"
Li Huowang bowed deeply to Danyangzi with utmost solemnity, hands trembling as he received the pill.