After thoroughly enjoying his first day, Xu Ping’an began preparing to refine pills early the next morning.
Since he possessed no magical power, he could only use the most basic method—essentially simmering the ingredients as if making a soup.
Unlike the Purefire Pill, this simmering method couldn’t bring out much medicinal efficacy.
But, as things stood, it should be enough.
After all, Xiao Yunyuan wasn’t some Ancient Mighty One.
One must know, among those Ancient Divine Immortals of primordial times, which of them hadn’t already stepped into the immortal realm?
Back then, Heavenly Immortals roamed everywhere, and Golden Immortals were as numerous as dogs.
Even if the medicine’s effects were weak, Xu Ping’an was confident that pills he refined would at least be effective for a Heavenly Immortal.
Thinking of this, Xu Ping’an pulled out his Qian Kun Bag and took out a copper cauldron.
This thing could also be considered a Treasure, but it was postnatal of the postnatal type—in other words, an extremely ordinary Treasure, and almost completely unknown.
It was called the Golden Light Cauldron.
Although the name sounded grand, in truth, it was made of pure copper.
Yes, you read that right—it was pure copper.
Who knows which Ancient Mighty One had used Copper Essence to forge it.
It didn’t have any other effects, but it could help a little with pill refining.
Staring at the four-legged cauldron, which stood taller than a person, Xu Ping’an scratched his head.
“Could this thing be something Taishang Laojun casually made for his disciples to refine pills?”
Forget it, thinking about that was useless. Better to get all the needed herbs ready first.
However, before refining pills, he needed to set up an Array Formation. Otherwise, when the medicinal aura began circulating, there might be trouble.
Thinking of this, Xu Ping’an walked out the door.
As soon as he stepped outside, he saw Li Zhi’er, busy at her tasks.
The pretty young girl hurried over, carrying a bowl of soup, quickly placing it on the table, and then began waving her hands, her ears red from the heat.
Seeing this, Xu Ping’an couldn’t help but let out a snort of laughter.
Li Zhi’er heard the sound and looked back.
When she saw Xu Ping’an’s smile, her lovely face instantly turned crimson, and she lowered her head bashfully.
“Sir～please don’t laugh at Zhi’er….”
Xu Ping’an shook his head, took a few steps forward, and casually lifted Li Zhi’er’s hand, placing it in his palm and blowing on it. Visibly, Li Zhi’er’s face turned even redder in an instant.
“Sir…..ah, uh～mm.…”
Hmm?
Wait, he just blew on her hand, was she really that sensitive?
Xu Ping’an’s mouth twitched. Looking again, the little girl’s face was now fully flushed.
Seeing this, he didn’t dare delay. He quickly let go of her hand.
“Next time you carry a bowl like that, remember to use a towel for padding. Even if there’s no towel, you can use your sleeve. Otherwise, you might burn yourself.”
“But… the clothes might get scorched….”
“Silly girl, clothes can be replaced if burnt. But if you burn your fingers, that would be a real shame.”
Li Zhi’er was a somewhat frail girl.
Her slender fingers bore clear fingerprints, her fair nails unblemished and smooth.
They were round and flawless, like carved jade.
If such fingers were to get burned, it would truly be a pity.
Yet, as soon as he said this, Li Zhi’er suddenly froze.
Xu Ping’an sensed something was wrong.
On reflex, he reached out and caught the fainting Li Zhi’er, gathering her in his arms.
Looking down, the little girl’s lips had gone pale, her eyes shut tight…clearly a hypoglycemic faint.
Awkwardly, he picked her up and placed her on a nearby chair.
“Strange… I don’t think I said anything wrong, did I? Why such a big reaction?”
Taking out two Silver Needles, he pricked the top of her head, and only then did Li Zhi’er slowly come to, looking around in confusion.
“Where am I…?”
“You silly girl, your health isn’t good. Why didn’t you eat something first thing in the morning? Remember this from now on: as soon as you wake up, drink a cup of brown sugar water, understand?”
“Yes…Sir.”
Li Zhi’er nodded, then seemed to recall something. Instantly, another blush spread across her cheeks, and she hurriedly said, “S-Sir, I’ll go to the kitchen to help now.”
The little thing seemed to have wings on her feet, about to dash off.
Luckily, Xu Ping’an was quick and grabbed her.
“Hold on!!”
Li Zhi’er’s eyes shimmered with tears, her face still crimson as she looked up at Xu Ping’an.
“Si-Sir!?”
“You silly girl, you still have needles stuck in your head. Where are you running off to?”
Seeing the two needles trembling atop her head, Xu Ping’an knew he couldn’t tease her any further, or she’d faint again for sure.
He swiftly pulled the needles out.
“Go on, then.”
Li Zhi’er didn’t even have time to nod before turning and darting out of the Hall.
Watching her retreating back, Xu Ping’an weighed the two Silver Needles in his hand.
“This girl, almost tricked me out of two needles.”
He put the needles back in the disinfected Small Bamboo Tube, and only then did Xu Ping’an pick up five small flags of different colors and walk out of the Hall.
The sunlight slanted across the courtyard.
Not far away, several Yellow Orioles sang brightly atop the Rong Tree.
Laughter from the girls in the kitchen drifted over, while the gentle mountain breeze carried the freshness of the forest to him.
Xu Ping’an involuntarily took a deep breath, his spirits lifted. Holding the flags, he walked to each corner of the courtyard.
He placed a small flag in each of the four corners of the room, then planted the Apricot Yellow Flag beneath the central Rong Tree in the courtyard.
Instantly, all five flags vanished.
The entire courtyard became faintly infused with celestial music, and even threads of golden light began to appear in the sky.
As Xu Ping’an stepped out with Heavenly Gang Step to regulate the Array Formation, the celestial music dispersed in a blink.
The Array Formation was complete.
Lacking magical power, he couldn’t control the Array with sword seals or other hand signs, so he had to use the most basic Heavenly Gang Step to adjust it.
That was his greatest shortcoming right now.
If someone managed to immobilize his feet, he’d be utterly powerless.
“Huh? I could’ve sworn I just heard someone singing—why can’t I hear it now?”
The voice came from the direction of the kitchen.
Xu Ping’an looked over and saw Xiao Jing’er, hands dusted with flour, glancing around in puzzlement.
Spotting Xu Ping’an in the courtyard, she quickly greeted him.
“Sir, good morning.”
“Mm, good morning. What’s for breakfast today?”
“For the staple, we have dough drops and buns. There aren’t many vegetables, so I just scrambled some eggs with scallions. There aren’t many ingredients left. I heard the disciples have to go down the mountain to buy more, but Sir, we don’t know any immortal arts, so we can’t get down the mountain quickly~”
“Don’t worry, someone will deliver vegetables soon.”
“Alright! Then, Sir, I’ll go help Miss now~”
“Go on, then.”
Xu Ping’an waved her away, and Xiao Jing’er turned and ran back into the kitchen.
He then stood in the courtyard, looking at the now-stabilized Array Formation, nodding in satisfaction before turning to go back inside, lighting a fire beneath the cauldron.
The only good thing about this cauldron was that, no matter what material was used for fuel, it wouldn’t emit any smoke, making it convenient for Xu Ping’an—at least he wouldn’t end up covered in soot.
“Alright, let’s begin. The first step: prepare the medicinal guide!”