The pill was called Qi Sang Shen Kui. The name sounded intimidating, but those who took it would only appear as if they were dying for a period of time—it didn’t actually cause serious harm to the body.
The antidote was quite ordinary, just a normal pill that restored vital energy and blood.
After explaining this to Nong Li and at her insistent request, Qingmu took both the Qi Sang Shen Kui and the antidote himself, which finally convinced Nong Li that he had no intention of harming her.
“Hmm…”
Nong Li was angry, turning her back to Qingmu and refusing to speak. Qingmu called her name several times in a row but she ignored him.
When it came to dealing with angry girls, Qingmu had a bit of experience—if Nong Li could even be considered a girl.
“Ahem, ahem, about the Youjian Xian, is there anything you can tell me?”
Qingmu began preparing his alchemy materials and asked Nong Li casually.
This was the matter Nong Li cared about most—the Youjian Xian who was hunting her.
Hearing the name Youjian Xian, Nong Li’s back straightened. She turned around and glanced at Qingmu secretly, clearly piqued with interest.
She was a fox, and that sly streak made Qingmu momentarily taken aback.
Recently, Nong Li had been acting somewhat dull, but seeing this cunning side and recalling her paranoid thoughts that he was a threat to her, Qingmu couldn’t help but think—
This fox might not be exactly what she appeared to be.
“Youjian Xian? Why do you want to know?”
“Youjian Xian is the sponsor of the Six Flavors Hall, or rather, the true owner behind it.
As an apprentice alchemist of the Six Flavors Hall, it’s not unreasonable for me to want to know about Youjian Xian. Besides… as I said, my contact with that Youjian Sect disciple is to better protect you.
Today, while chatting with that disciple named Qin Feng, I happened to learn that Youjian Xian will soon come to this area, meaning he will very likely arrive at the Six Flavors Hall.
And since you bit the previous hall master to death and are now hiding in the Six Flavors Hall, I believe he will definitely come here.
In other words, he might be coming for you?”
“Eek!!!”
Nong Li was frightened by this news. Her golden fox ears and white tail popped out. She stood up, folded her arms behind her back, and paced while muttering,
“That persistent ghost… I just ate something, is it really necessary for him to be like this? He’s obviously a Grand Cultivator but just won’t let this little fox go!”
Qingmu translated her original words in his head:
“Youjian Xian, dead ghost… I ate a little something, he wants to kill me, I’m a little fox.”
Slurred and stammering.
“Maybe you ate his Dao Companion?”
Qingmu stroked his chin and joked with Nong Li, then realized she didn’t understand what ‘Dao Companion’ meant, so he explained it a bit. That suddenly caused Nong Li to erupt in anger.
“Ate his Dao Companion!”
It was clear she hated Youjian Xian enough to actually want to do that.
But if Nong Li could still eat people like that…
Wouldn’t Youjian Xian’s Dao Companion resist?
“If what you told me is true, then it’s no wonder.”
After chatting a while longer, Qingmu learned that Youjian Xian’s behavior toward Nong Li was strange. Despite countless opportunities to kill Nong Li outright, he never did.
Saying that, Qingmu crouched beside the alchemy furnace and blew hard at the small flames beneath the firewood.
…
……
“Phew—”
The fire beneath the alchemy furnace burned strong. Cuihua, watching Qingmu do something she didn’t understand at all, looked utterly fascinated.
This was her family’s kitchen, and the alchemy furnace was placed inside the hearth. Only here could Qingmu refine pills—or rather, practice alchemy and brew herbs.
It was certainly a strange form of alchemy she had never seen before.
Earlier this afternoon, Qingmu had woken and shared some good news with her, then asked to leave tonight. She had secretly helped him slip out of the Sanctuary.
There had been a little incident on the way.
The guards at the Sanctuary gate were routinely slacking off and sleeping at night, so she and Qingmu slipped out easily. But on the way home, they ran into Uncle Geda from next door.
When discovered, she had already planned to knock out the drunken Geda, but upon seeing Qingmu, Geda just said, “Drank too much. The hero’s advisor has finally awakened?” and left.
Thinking this over, Qingmu made a very strange gesture in front of Cuihua, signaling something with his fingers pointed at the alchemy furnace.
“What are you doing?”
Cuihua asked.
“Injecting energy.”
Actually, he was using qi to simulate spiritual energy and infuse it into the furnace.
Qingmu was currently sitting in a wheelchair Cuihua had prepared for him, because aside from when he was in qi decision mode, he was paralyzed from the waist down.
He had never thought about the wheelchair before, but Cuihua gave it to him as a “surprise,” jokingly saying, “I can’t always carry you on my back, can I?”
After hearing Qingmu’s explanation, Cuihua nodded uncertainly, then went to have a late-night snack and lay down to sleep.
After some unknown length of time, Cuihua was woken by Qingmu calling her. Rubbing her sleepy eyes, she saw Qingmu sitting on the floor pointing at the alchemy furnace.
“All done, open the furnace.”
“Is it really done?”
Cuihua looked at the still-steaming furnace.
“Yeah!”
Qingmu’s qi decision state had disappeared, and he had returned to being paralyzed, but the excitement on his face was impossible to hide—he didn’t look like someone who had missed a night’s sleep.
Things had been incredibly difficult lately. Not only was he experimenting with alchemy in the simulation world, but here, he had to find materials with medicinal potency matching that of the Xianxia world in this fantasy world.
Luckily, this was the Deepwood District, home of the Wood Elves, where all sorts of medicinal herbs could be found. Without that, it would have been impossible to refine the fantasy world version of Qi Sang Shen Kui in such a short time.
Of course, this success owed much to Cuihua.
The slightly smaller alchemy furnace, the herbs, and the courage to smuggle him out of the Sanctuary.
She was a very reliable helper.
Cuihua used the furnace hook to open the alchemy furnace. There was no herbal fragrance when opening it, because Qingmu had forced all the herbal odors out of the hearth. He didn’t know how toxic fantasy world herbs might make the pill, and didn’t want Cuihua to suffer from the smell.
“This one, it’s…?”
Wearing gloves, Cuihua carefully picked up the pill, which looked like a ball of rolled mud.
“The ingredients were limited, enough for only this one pill, but it’s enough!”
Qingmu nodded.
Before refining the poison, the antidote had already been prepared. Now everything was ready, and Cuihua glanced at the sky—it was still some time before dawn.
In other words, if they didn’t act now, they would have to wait for the next opportunity.
And Qingmu’s choice was: “No time to waste. Now, take me to that doctor you picked out. We’re going to give him the medicine.”
Qingmu took the Qi Sang Shen Kui pill from Cuihua’s hand, his face resolute.
Once they had the doctor’s medical report, he could cause a big problem for the Holy Maiden Yue Lan!
Premium Chapter
Login to buy access to this Chapter.