In the darkness, Chen Yue quietly practiced the motion of adding ingredients, his fingertips seemingly still able to feel the faint, searing heat of the furnace fire.
In the days that followed, Chen Yue was like a tightly wound machine, appearing punctually at the Alchemy Room’s small courtyard every day.
He meticulously completed every one of Lin Quan’s requests, whether it was washing heavy, medicine-stained stone mortars or staring at the furnace fire for an entire hour to maintain a specific temperature. He did so without a word and without a single mistake.
Soon, everyone in the apothecary knew about it.
"Did you hear? That Chen Yue gave up being a perfectly good guard, even forgoing his monthly salary, to run off and become Master Lin’s apprentice!"
"Hmph, so greedy. He got shit-lucky becoming a guard and already thinks he’s a big shot. Now he’s delusional enough to dream of becoming an Alchemy Master?"
"Exactly! Does he really think he can learn just by watching a fire and moving some ingredients? What a pipe dream!"
"I bet he thinks the guard work is too hard and just wants to slack off in the Alchemy Room. After all, tending a furnace keeps you out of the wind and rain."
"Just you wait. It won’t be long before Master Lin chews him out and kicks him out! He’ll come crawling back to his guard post with his tail between his legs. We’ll see how smug he is then!"
The apprentices in the back courtyard, and even some of the guards from the front, chattered about it in their spare time, their words dripping with mockery and the gleeful anticipation of watching him fail.
In their eyes, Chen Yue’s promotion from a lowly apprentice to a guard was already a once-in-a-lifetime stroke of luck. He should have been content and stayed in his lane.
To overreach like this now was simply foolish and laughable.
Chen Yue paid no mind to the gossip behind his back or the occasional odd glance thrown his way.
His entire focus was on the fire in the Alchemy Room’s furnace and on the circulation of the steadily growing Qi Blood within him.
Time burned away silently like the charcoal beneath the Pill Furnace, and ten days passed in a flash.
Just a few days ago, the experience bar for his Iron Mountain Fist on the panel had finally filled. He had cultivated this Fist Technique, the very foundation of his Martial Dao, to its absolute limit, with no further room for advancement.
Furthermore, the feedback to his Qi Blood from the Perfection Level Iron Mountain Fist was far more substantial, increasing the Cultivation he gained each day from 5 points to 7.
Chen Yue’s Martial Dao realm had steadily risen to [Skin Refining Realm (67/300)].
His progress in Alchemy Skill was also gratifying.
Since the Elixirs Lin Quan refined each day varied, besides grinding the most common Blood Circulation Pill to [Minor Success 80/200], Chen Yue had also gained a basic understanding of two other, higher-grade Elixirs.
[Body Tempering Pill (Entry Level 60/300)]
[Solid Essence Pill (Entry Level 60/300)].
The Blood Circulation Pill was a foundational Elixir for Martial Artists in the Skin Refining Realm, used to hone their Physique and assist with Qi Blood circulation. The other two were for higher levels. The Body Tempering Pill was used to forge muscles and fascia and strengthen the internal organs, intended for Martial Artists at the Refining Flesh Realm and above; the same was true for the Solid Essence Pill.
However, the orders Lin Quan received were still primarily for the Blood Circulation Pill, which was in the highest demand.
One day, the fire in the Alchemy Room’s furnace was blazing. As usual, Lin Quan was refining a batch of Blood Circulation Pills.
As always, Chen Yue stood quietly to the side, his eyes tracking Lin Quan’s every move while his mind involuntarily ran a parallel simulation of each step.
Adding the ingredients, controlling the fire, observing the changes in the medicinal fluid... everything proceeded in an orderly fashion.
Just as Lin Quan finished sprinkling the last supplementary ingredient, Red Peony Powder, into the medicinal fluid and was about to begin the final fusion, he suddenly paused. Instead of immediately adjusting the air vent, he turned his head to look at the quietly standing Chen Yue.
"Chen Yue,"
Lin Quan’s voice cut through the monotonous roar of the furnace. "There are many subtleties to refining the Blood Circulation Pill. Take this fire, for example. What can you tell me about its requirements at this very moment?"
Chen Yue, lost in observation and contemplation, was startled by the question. He looked up to meet Lin Quan’s gaze.
"Master Lin, Red Peony Powder has a cool, yin nature. It primarily affects the blood and is meant to balance the ’heat’ of the other ingredients. You should use a medium flame to stabilize it, keeping the medicinal fluid at a simmer without letting it roil."
Lin Quan was in a slightly better mood today, and seeing how intently Chen Yue had been watching for so many days, he’d decided to test him on a whim. He hadn’t actually expected this apprentice, who’d come to the trade late, to have any real insight.
But hearing Chen Yue’s reply, while unrefined, was spot-on in every respect.
"Oh?" Lin Quan turned to face Chen Yue directly. "Then in your opinion, what about the fire when adding the safflower?"
"Safflower invigorates the blood and clears the meridians. It’s warming in nature, so it needs a fierce flame to activate it quickly. But only for a short time. The moment the aroma becomes potent, you switch to a gentle flame." Chen Yue, having already reached Minor Success in the art of refining Blood Circulation Pills, answered without the slightest hesitation.
"If you detect the faint scent of something burning midway through the Alchemy, what’s the remedy?" Lin Quan’s questions grew more rapid.
"Immediately reduce the flame. Pass a cold iron plate wrapped in a damp cloth quickly across the area three inches above the Pill Furnace’s base to draw away some of the excess heat, all while observing the state of the medicinal fluid," Chen Yue replied fluently.
The situations Lin Quan described were all ones he himself had recently encountered during Alchemy.
Lin Quan fell silent for a moment, his gaze sharp as a needle, fixed firmly on Chen Yue’s face. He suspected Chen Yue had refined Blood Circulation Pills before, that he might have even studied under another master.
But he immediately dismissed the idea.
Chen Yue’s background was perfectly clear. And besides, Alchemy was an incredibly expensive craft that cost a fortune in silver coins. A common apprentice would have absolutely no way of ever being exposed to it.
That left only one explanation: the boy had grasped the many crucial steps of refining the Blood Circulation Pill simply by watching in the Alchemy Room for the past ten-odd days.
If that were truly the case...
Lin Quan’s heart quickened, almost imperceptibly.
Inside the Alchemy Room, the only sounds were the soft crackle of the furnace fire and the BUBBLING of the medicinal fluid churning and fusing within the Pill Furnace.
After asking his questions, Lin Quan fell silent. He turned back, his gaze returning to the Pill Furnace as his fingers precisely adjusted the air vent to control the flame, as if the interrogation had never occurred.
Chen Yue remained standing at attention, hands at his sides, saying nothing as he watched Lin Quan perform the Alchemy.
Time slipped by in focused silence. Finally, with a flick of his wrist, Lin Quan swept a damp, cold iron plate across the bottom of the Pill Furnace while his other hand, quick as a flash, lifted the lid.
With a quick scoop and flick of his spatula, three Blood Circulation Pills landed on the waiting Jade Plate, where they spun, releasing a rich, medicinal aroma.
Pill Formation complete.
Lin Quan gently replaced the furnace lid. He didn’t immediately tend to the three Elixirs, but instead carefully wiped his hands with a soft cloth. Only then did he slowly turn to face Chen Yue.
"Have you ever refined a Blood Circulation Pill?" Lin Quan asked, getting straight to the point. His voice betrayed no emotion.
Chen Yue shook his head and answered honestly, "Never. I’ve only ever watched you, Master Lin."
"I see."
Lin Quan nodded, his expression unreadable. He simply pointed to the still-warm Pill Furnace. "Now, you refine a batch."
A jolt went through Chen Yue, but he didn’t hesitate for a second. He immediately bowed and said, "Yes, sir."
He hurried forward, but instead of taking the cushioned stool Lin Quan always used, he grabbed a shorter wooden one from the side and placed it before the Pill Furnace.
First, he carefully observed the embers still glowing in the furnace, then checked the dryness of the various types of spare firewood. Next, he walked over to the ingredient shelf and began selecting herbs one by one according to the formula for the Blood Circulation Pill.
Chen Yue’s movements were unpracticed, like those of a complete novice.
But Lin Quan’s eyes only narrowed further.
His movements were clumsy, truly clumsy, but beneath that clumsiness lay precision.
The types of ingredients and their ratios were perfect, not off by a single hair. The order of preparation and the basic techniques, though rigid, were free of any fundamental errors.
Chen Yue sorted the prepared ingredients, lit the fire, preheated the Pill Furnace, and tested the temperature of its walls.
Then, he picked up the first main ingredient, notoginseng powder. With a slight tremble of his wrist, he sprinkled it evenly into the furnace. He followed with safflower, red sage, red peony...
One by one, the ingredients were added to the Pill Furnace, each according to its specific requirements for timing and heat.
Lin Quan stood three paces behind and to the side of Chen Yue, arms crossed over his chest. He didn’t say a word, just watched in silence.
As he watched Chen Yue’s clumsy but structurally sound process, taking in the minor, acceptable mistakes, Lin Quan’s expression was not one of disappointment. On the contrary, the faintest hint of a smile touched his lips.
Finally, Chen Yue completed the final step.
Mimicking Lin Quan, he used the damp, cold iron plate to draw off the residual heat, then clumsily lifted the furnace lid.
A smell wafted out—a mixture of medicinal fragrance and the faint scent of something scorched.
At the bottom of the Pill Furnace lay two Elixirs.
Their coloring was uneven and their surfaces were speckled with tiny blemishes. They were passably round, but a full size smaller than the ones Lin Quan refined.
He had succeeded in forming the pills.
But their quality was the lowest of the Lower Grade, riddled with impurities. The apothecary would never sell them, but if one of their own Martial Artists were truly destitute, forcing one down could still manage to advance their Cultivation.
Chen Yue looked at the two unappealing Elixirs, then turned to Lin Quan. His lips moved as if he wanted to say something, but he didn’t know how to begin.
Lin Quan, however, burst out laughing.
It was a hearty laugh, filled with sincere joy, making him seem like a completely different person from his usual cold, taciturn self.
He walked forward, reached out, and picked up one of the Inferior Pills. He examined it closely, even holding it up to his nose to take a sniff.
"Good! Good! Good!"
Lin Quan said the word "good" three times in a row, the wrinkles on his face smoothing out in a broad smile.
"To succeed in forming two pills on your very first attempt, based on observation alone! Chen Yue, do you have any idea what this means?"
Chen Yue shook his head, looking lost.
"It means you were born for Alchemy! You’re a natural!" Lin Quan placed the Elixir back on the Jade Plate and clapped Chen Yue firmly on the shoulder.
"Hahaha, that boy Chen Lin... this time, he’s really sent me a treasure!"