Chapter 13: Alchemy

Chapter 13: Alchemy

Li Huowang watched the small pill furnace before him with meticulous care, three joss sticks standing upright beside it to mark the passage of time.

In a world devoid of clocks, he had no choice but to rely on such crude methods to measure the hours.

As the final stick of incense burned down to ash, he swiftly extinguished the furnace fire and opened the chamber, releasing a fragrant plume laced with the peculiar aroma of exotic herbs.

A surge of joy rose in Li Huowang's heart; the refinement was a success. The refined mixture was shaken vigorously in a sieve, and once the useless, ashen dregs were sifted away, only black pills of varying sizes remained in the box.

These were the Blood-Nourishing Pills spoken of by Master Danyang, a remarkably simple elixir used solely to staunch bleeding.

One must never consume more than an ounce at a time, lest the blood throughout their entire body risk coagulating completely.

It sounded rather useless, perhaps more suited for harming others than healing them, yet precisely because it was the simplest of concoctions, Master Danyang had assigned it to Li Huowang to practice his craft.

Counting them carefully, Li Huowang ultimately harvested thirteen large Blood-Nourishing Pills and twenty-six smaller ones.

His gains extended far beyond the pills themselves; through the process of refining them, he had also grasped the fundamental principles of alchemy.

The art was far more arduous than he had ever imagined, demanding not only precise timing but also the careful discernment of herbs based even on the direction in which they had grown.

A single misstep would result in a drastic divergence in efficacy and yield, as evidenced by the pile of charred, ruined dregs lying nearby.

Li Huowang produced a small bamboo tube to store the pills, then drew a deep breath, donned the Daoist robe resting beside him, and headed for the door. "The time is near; the hour of the Rat approaches."

As Li Huowang pushed open the door to the ingredient chamber, everyone laboring inside rose in unison, staring at him in sheer terror.

In the eyes of the others, he was now the very incarnation of the King of Hell.

Li Huowang gazed at them with a complex expression, walking past them under their collective stare until he finally stopped before Bai Lingmiao.

The young girl's white hair trembled in rhythm with her shivering frame; she tried desperately to hold back her tears, but ultimately failed, as they spilled from eyes marked by the pale pink pupils characteristic of albinism.

With a grave expression, Li Huowang reached out and took her hand, leading her out of the ingredient chamber and toward the alchemy hall.

In the damp, dripping tunnels of the karst cave, Bai Lingmiao choked out her final words to Li Huowang through her sobs.

Li Huowang listened in silence, uttering not a single word, until they reached the door of his own quarters, where he abruptly turned and pulled her inside. "Take off your trousers."

Bai Lingmiao's eyes widened in shock, her body freezing in place as if terrified by his sudden demand.

Three quarters of an hour before the Rat hour, Li Huowang brought Bai Lingmiao to the alchemy chamber, just as Master Danyang was arriving himself.

Seeing that Li Huowang had brought the human catalyst ahead of schedule without being prompted, a hint of satisfaction crossed Danyang's face, and he looked upon his youngest disciple with a touch more favor.

"Hehe, good disciple, come here." With a casual beckon from Danyang, Bai Lingmiao was yanked through the air, grabbed by the neck, and hurled into the stone vat meant for a single person.

Witnessing this scene, Li Huowang's heart pounded wildly against his ribs, his hands clenching into tight fists.

Just as the massive stone pestle, weighing hundreds of catties, was about to crash down upon her, Danyang suddenly halted.

"Alas, why must she begin her moon cycle at a time like this? The medicinal properties are entirely ruined now," Danyang said, his brow furrowing slightly as he glanced at the blood seeping through Bai Lingmiao's trousers.

Seeing this, Li Huowang instantly breathed a sigh of relief; his plan had succeeded.

Once Li Huowang had understood how alchemy worked in this world, he had found a way to break the deadlock.

If the medicinal properties of metals, stones, and flora were so highly variable, then a human catalyst would be subject to change as well.

Moreover, in his memory, a woman's menstrual blood was considered a foul impurity in Daoist practices; having Bai Lingmiao feign her period was his countermeasure.

To avoid arousing the master's suspicion, such a detail could not be pointed out by anyone else; Danyang had to discover it himself.

Now it seemed his objective was achieved, and Bai Lingmiao's life was spared.

With a sweep of his voluminous Daoist robe, Danyang sent Bai Lingmiao flying out of the stone vat, causing her to crash heavily onto the ground.

The fall was brutal, and it took her a long moment to clutch her knee and struggle to her feet, yet Li Huowang could not offer a helping hand; he could only watch coldly from the sidelines.

"Xuanyang, take this catalyst back." Hearing Danyang's words, Li Huowang was finally completely at ease, bowing respectfully to his master. "As you command, Master."

As Bai Lingmiao walked to his side, Li Huowang noticed that her head seemed to have been cut open, bright red blood trickling down her cheek.

Even so, she cast a look of profound gratitude toward Li Huowang; in the face of death, enduring such a minor hardship was nothing at all.

"No matter what, we've bluffed our way through this round; it will likely be a long time before it's Bai Lingmiao's turn again," Li Huowang thought, leading her toward the door.

Yet just as they were about to step out from the looming shadow of the massive pill furnace, Danyang's casual voice drifted from behind them.

"Xuanyang, since this catalyst is unusable, go and fetch another. I recall there is one more of these white catalysts; make haste and return quickly, do not delay the hour."

The words sent a slight tremor through Li Huowang's body, but he quickly turned and bowed respectfully to Danyang once more. "Yes, Master."

Li Huowang did not know how he made it back to the ingredient chamber; he could only walk numbly to another albino man, reaching out to drag him outside.

The man was wailing in despair, kneeling and kowtowing endlessly, begging for his life, but there was nothing Li Huowang could do now; he could only deliver this man to the alchemy chamber with his own hands.

Trembling, Li Huowang turned to leave, only to be stopped by Danyang's voice. "Do you not yearn for the path of alchemy? Come here, observe closely; the refinement of such a complex and rare elixir cannot be seen anywhere else."

Li Huowang stepped forward, watching and observing with meticulous care, listening as Danyang explained when to add which ingredients and how much to stoke the fire, taking in the entire process like an eager, studious child.

When the flames beneath the furnace were extinguished and the chamber opened, seven fully formed black pills floated out in a neat line, presenting themselves before Danyang.

"Excellent, excellent, you possess great talent; none of my other disciples are as studious as you. Here, a reward from your master," Danyang said, producing a single pill from his palm.

"Thank you, Master, for bestowing this elixir!" Li Huowang performed a deep, solemn bow to Danyang, his trembling hands cradling the pill with utmost reverence.

(End of Chapter)