Chapter 12: Formula

Chapter 12: The Alchemy Recipe

"Ah, forget it, you wouldn't understand even if I told you. The mysteries within are exceedingly complex, so just follow the Master, watch closely, and learn well."

"Oh, I see." Feigning a look of deep thought, Li Huowang was actually pondering something else entirely.

The pill Danyangzi had given him was clearly effective, which also proved that the laws of this world were completely different from those of his own.

If he wanted to deal with Danyangzi, he needed to learn much more about the affairs of this unfamiliar world.

"Cultivators from novels? Doesn't seem like it. What kind of cultivator uses humans to refine pills? What kind of cultivator enslaves mortals to help them achieve immortality?"

"And according to convention, shouldn't an ordinary cultivation sect give me a foundational technique manual? Why haven't they?"

The more Li Huowang learned about this place, the stranger the Taoist temple seemed, bearing no resemblance to his past conception of Taoist practitioners.

"By the way, Junior Brother Xuanyang, let your senior brother teach you a trick. You'd best have everything properly prepared before the Master even opens his mouth."

"Take yesterday's pill, for instance. Because your hysteria acted up, you missed the appointed hour. If you deliver the medicinal primer ahead of time before the hour of Zi the day after tomorrow, wouldn't that be like offering an apology to the old Master?"

"Don't mind the Master's unpredictable temper. As long as you coax him into a good mood, you'll naturally reap the benefits."

"Yesterday's pill ingredients?" Li Huowang was taken aback.

"Yes, what's wrong, did you forget? What did the Master ask you to deliver yesterday?"

"Bai... Bai Lingmiao." Li Huowang's pupils instantly contracted to pinpoints. So much had happened before, yet this matter was far from over. If he couldn't figure out a solution before the day after tomorrow, that albino girl would be mashed into a bloody paste, just like all the previous medicinal primers!

Li Huowang didn't know how he made it back to his quarters. He lay on his stone bed, the golden anklet wrapped in red thread pressing against his chest like a scorching iron, urging him to devise a plan.

But now, not only was there a vast gap in strength between Danyangzi and himself, the entire temple was filled with the old man's loyal followers.

The grim lessons from those senior brothers who had died before also proved that blindly fleeing was useless.

Tossing and turning, the entire night slipped away.

Just before the morning lesson, Li Huowang dressed himself and walked out of the cave.

He wanted to check the alchemy chamber, to see if he could find any other solutions there.

Holding up his oil lamp, he had just stepped out when a sharp-featured, monkey-faced visage emerged from the darkness, startling him. It was Gouwa.

"Hehehe, Senior Brother Li, it's nothing. I just noticed you didn't come to the ingredient room all day yesterday and got a bit worried, so I came to check on you."

"Is Junior Sister Bai alright?" Li Huowang took a step back and asked.

"She's fine, she's fine. You personally spoke up to have Junior Sister Bai manage the ingredient room in your stead. Who would dare disobey? Hehehe, Senior Brother Li, you're truly impressive. Look, ever since you took charge of the storeroom, not a single person has been taken away."

Hearing Gouwa say this, Li Huowang felt a surge of intense irritation. He used the oil lamp to push the guy aside and strode out with heavy steps.

When Li Huowang arrived at the alchemy chamber, he found that some of the early-rising acolytes had already begun scrubbing the pill furnace and the floor with hemp cloths.

One acolyte was even standing inside a stone vat, vigorously scrubbing the residual flesh scraps off the stone walls with a bristle brush.

As Danyangzi's disciple, his entry into the alchemy chamber naturally drew no objections from anyone.

Li Huowang pretended to stroll casually, his gaze carefully scanning the surroundings.

The entire alchemy chamber was exceedingly austere. Aside from the massive black pill furnace that took up a third of the space, there was only the stone vat and stone club Danyangzi used to bludgeon people.

Let alone alchemy books, there wasn't even a single painting or calligraphy scroll on the walls. Moreover, the room was incredibly vast and empty, offering no cover whatsoever.

"What are you looking at?" A familiar yet spine-chilling voice suddenly sounded from behind him.

Li Huowang turned to see who it was and quickly clasped his hands in a respectful bow. "Master."

"I asked what you are looking at."

Li Huowang's mind raced for a second before he quickly came up with an excuse. "Seeing how profound the Master's alchemy is, this disciple felt deep admiration and was wondering when I might reach such a level."

Danyangzi was quite pleased with the shift in Li Huowang's attitude; it seemed the little brat had finally seen reason.

With his hands clasped behind his back, he circled the black pill furnace. "Having ambition is a good thing, but it's not that this Daoist Lord won't teach you. It's just that the path of external alchemy is far from simple."

"Ordinary pills are one thing, but if you wish to achieve immortality through the Dao of alchemy, you must refine both external and internal pills simultaneously. This Daoist Lord has cultivated to the brink of the Great Vehicle stage, and it took a tremendous amount of effort."

A trace of smugness and excitement appeared on Danyangzi's face, as if he were already reveling in the divine life he would lead after achieving immortality.

"Master... are you about to become an immortal soon?"

As soon as Li Huowang spoke these words, the expression on Danyangzi's face vanished. "The matter of becoming an immortal is not so simple; the road is long. But this Daoist Lord will certainly achieve immortality. Do you know why?"

"This disciple does not know."

Danyangzi's expression grew somewhat agitated. "Because the method to become an immortal is written in the Heavenly Book of Lord Laojun, and it was delivered to me by Lord Laojun himself! Tell me, who else in the entire world can become an immortal? He said I could become an immortal, so I will definitely become an immortal!"

"Lord Laojun? Who is that? One of the three statues?" Li Huowang found this myth-like description somewhat incomprehensible.

Though he didn't understand a single word, Li Huowang still flattered him, saying, "The Master speaks absolute truth. You will surely become an immortal and live as long as heaven and earth!"

Danyangzi was obviously delighted to hear this, his ugly face breaking into a broad, blossoming smile.

"Hahaha, good, good, good. Since you want to learn alchemy, I'll first teach you a simple recipe for the Blood-Moistening Pill. Memorize it. Twelve taels of cinnabar, half a catty of nutgrass, two taels and four qian of yangqishi..."

Although this was an unexpected windfall, Li Huowang certainly wasn't going to refuse it.

He hurriedly looked for a brush and ink to record it, but glancing around, there was no writing equipment anywhere in the alchemy chamber.

In his desperation, he found a piece of charred debris under the pill furnace and simply recorded it on the lower hem of his Taoist robe.

"...Ignite the furnace at the third quarter of the hour of Chou, precisely during the bathing phase; illuminate with silent gaze, blow with breath, steam with spirit, and slowly nourish with a gentle fire. Open the furnace at the fourth quarter of the hour of Mao."

"Take this recipe and practice it slowly. This Daoist Lord will first see what kind of talent you possess."

Li Huowang tossed aside the charred debris in his hand and presented the hem with both hands before Danyangzi. "Master, please check if this disciple has missed anything in my notes."

But upon seeing the hem covered in charcoal writing presented before him, Danyangzi's beaming face instantly clouded over.

Lifting his right foot, he kicked Li Huowang flying. He slammed into the pill furnace with a resounding boom before crashing heavily onto the ground.

Face livid and cursing under his breath, Danyangzi clasped his hands behind his back and left directly, leaving Li Huowang stranded right there.

As the emotional anger in his heart gradually dissipated, Li Huowang felt that this incident was highly bizarre. He hadn't done anything wrong, so why had the old man's attitude suddenly changed?

Li Huowang lowered his head and pondered the recipe in his hands. Although his handwriting was ugly, it was still clearly legible.

Suddenly, Li Huowang thought of something. He looked around the alchemy chamber, devoid of any paintings or decorations, and then recalled that during the morning lesson, no one had any scripture books.

A sudden thought popped into Li Huowang's mind: "Could it be that this scabby-headed bastard is illiterate and can't read?"

(End of Chapter)