Chapter 722: In the Viscera

Zhang Cheng studied alchemy at the "Xuelu Garden" under the "Danfang" in the town. All apprentices followed the master alchemist to study medicinal materials, pharmacology, alchemy formulas and elixirs. After becoming proficient, they would become the alchemist's alchemist and start to do odd jobs and run errands.

After being promoted to alchemist, Zhang Cheng moved to Lingmiao Garden, where alchemists make pills on a daily basis. He now has two alchemy boys under him, who can apply for a batch of medicinal materials every month. In addition to completing the designated pills that must be submitted every month, the rest of the time can be used to develop and try new pill recipes.

Zhang Cheng loves alchemy.

He liked the way various inconspicuous things, even poisons and waste materials, were turned into pills in the pill furnace through methods such as steaming, drying, filtering, pounding and grinding. Any seemingly ordinary thing could be an indispensable part of a certain kind of pill.

Just like the saying circulated among alchemists.

"The world is the furnace of alchemy, everything can be refined."

This is the experience summarized by alchemists of all generations through continuous exploration and research.

Heaven and earth are the best masters of alchemy. People must follow heaven and earth in order to learn the laws of nature.

For this reason, alchemists would go walking in the wild every month to appreciate nature, the mountains and the sea, and to visit relics and medicinal materials, all in order to obtain new recipes for elixirs.

It is easy for Zhang Cheng to go out.

What he was worried about was his younger brother Zhang Ye.

The "metalworking institute" where the alchemist works is notoriously strict. This is also because the alchemy that the alchemist is engaged in always involves some relatively dangerous operations and reactions, which must be strictly controlled.

Alchemy has a core concept - understanding, decomposition and reconstruction.

This is somewhat similar to the alchemist's heaven and earth cauldron. Both are easy-to-understand summaries, but they also point directly to the essence through complex phenomena.

Every time you prepare to build an alchemical device, you need to prepare and use a large amount of materials, and strictly follow the corresponding alchemical formulas and symbols.

The alchemy furnace used by Zhang Cheng is an alchemical creation.

The vessel looks like an iron cauldron, but it needs to be made of high-temperature resistant volcanic clay, porcelain clay, crystal and special fine sand to create the body of the crucible. Then, after shaping, it is fired with molten iron, and sulfur, salt, cinnabar, etc. are added to it, and it is repeatedly quenched and tested, which is called cleaning the furnace.

After the transformation of the furnace embryo is completed, it needs to be immersed in the reaction tank and sealed with a layer of yellow iron sand on the outside. This is used to seal and keep it still to prevent rust.

Then it will be handed over to those who need it.

Most of these materials used in alchemy are highly dangerous. For example, the reaction pool is actually a highly corrosive liquid that is purified after the poisonous rain is concentrated. Cinnabar and sulfur are also deadly, not to mention the processes of burning molten iron. The slightest mistake can lead to a disaster.

Among them, the most mysterious and core step is [transformation].

Transformation is the core of alchemy, which is to transform ordinary copper, iron and stone into some materials or substances that do not exist originally through specific alchemical symbols and formula records with specific auxiliary catalysts.

For example, the most important part of the furnace is the outer layer of [fire silver]. As a mysterious material transformed by alchemy, fire silver has two characteristics: first, it is very active at high temperatures, which can further concentrate the high temperature and is not easy to dissipate; second, its temperature distribution is very uniform, and it is not easy to explode the furnace.

Apart from the difficulty in taking leave from the Metalworking Institute, Zhang Cheng also had his own considerations.

My younger brother Zhang Ye has always been obsessed with alchemy. He tinkers with various materials, draws blueprints, uses ink lines to cut materials and makes various tools.

Zhang Cheng couldn't bear to interrupt his brother's practice.

At least wait until he becomes an alchemist before leaving. Once he leaves, Zhang Ye will never have such a good opportunity to study alchemy again.

Zhang Cheng kept his troops in place.

The core of the entire Jindan Kingdom's thirty-six towns is alchemy and alchemy, and the country's name is derived from these two techniques.

The Jindan Kingdom believed in the mountain god and had a national totem. Its capital was built at the foot of Tianming Mountain, which was where the mountain god lived and cultivated himself.

Every year, Tianming Mountain would grow a little taller, which meant that the mountain god was recovering. When Tianming Mountain towered above the clouds and reached the sky, it would mean that the mountain god had completely recovered and the curse of the whole world would be washed away.

On the secular level, the ruler of the Jindan Kingdom is named "Feng Danzi". He is also a prophet of the gods and the person closest to the mountain god. He has the ability to move mountains and seas and is mysterious and unpredictable.

It is widely known that the first Old Man Mountain was created by Feng Danzi using magic to move mountains and change their course.

In the past, whether it was the mountain god, Feng Danzi or Lao Ren Mountain, they were all enough to make people proud.

Now all of this is shrouded in a layer of darkness and gloom.

The shiny outer shell of the entire world was torn apart by the Powang Dan, and the bloody conspiracy and cruelty underneath were all laid naked before his eyes, making Zhang Cheng feel a tremendous pressure, fearing that it would attract the attention of Feng Danzi or even the mountain god.

He tried hard to appear normal and not reveal any flaws.

But he still couldn't help but use the Pill to see this world again.

The alchemist always pursues various changes in nature, and he also wants to see the true appearance of this place.

Zhang Cheng discovered that for most people in Jindan Country, the monsters lived in their chests, close to their hearts. That was also where everyone got the divine seal.

There is no doubt that it was the mountain god who implanted monsters into people's bodies.

As people age, these monsters mature until they eventually break out of the body.

But what Zhang Cheng couldn't understand was that he didn't feel the existence of a monster in his body at all, nor did he hear anyone say that there was something drilling around in his stomach or chest.

Why is that? After observing patiently, he found that the monster was different from what he thought. It had an irregular oval head and some strange-shaped blocky bodies, which did not seem to be gathered together.

However, Zhang Cheng reacted quickly.

That monster... is the human internal organs!

The human's internal organs were awakened by the divine seal, and connected to form a monster inside the body!

Zhang Cheng just felt a chill on his back.

What the mountain god wants are everyone’s internal organs…so he uses humans to nourish these organs.

The entire Jindan Kingdom is the mountain god’s human sacrifice pasture.

This terrible secret made him unable to sleep or eat, but he could not tell anyone.

Just as he was becoming increasingly thinner and more uneasy, he suddenly heard a rumor.

The alchemist who had just returned from an outside trip said that he had seen Monk Qing roaming around in the nearby mountains from afar, beating a wooden fish.

The monk Qing was said to be a rural hermit who had lived for hundreds of years. He was also wanted by the Jindan Kingdom's Divine Guards. However, there was another saying among the people that the old monk was very smart and had seen through the secrets of life and death, so if you were lucky enough to meet him, you would have the opportunity to learn the method of immortality from him.

Zhang Cheng immediately applied to the Danfang for permission to go out to look for medicine, and did not let Dantong go with him.

He went into the mountain according to the direction given by the alchemist.

It was sunny just now, but as soon as we entered the mountain, it started to rain heavily. It is a common sight in the mountains to have sunshine and rain at the same time.

The poisonous rain was dripping and falling like oil on the ground. Zhang Cheng held up an umbrella and hurriedly ran under a rock to take shelter from the rain.

Although he was wearing the herb-picking clothes provided by the alchemy workshop, which was made of thick linen on the outside and pigskin armor on the inside, and was wrapped tightly, there would still be risks if he got wet.

Zhang Cheng covered his face with a medical cloth to avoid inhaling too much poisonous gas.

The poisonous rain attracted bursts of loud frog croaking.

Zhang Cheng lit a stick of insect repellent incense.

A wisp of smoke drifted away, bringing with it the aroma of herbs and weakening the tiny buzzing sound around.

When you go out, poisonous insects pose the greatest threat. Many people die from them every year. Some victims don’t even react until they feel extremely uncomfortable and then find swollen wounds from bites.

There is no mistake in the poem, post, content, and read the book on 6, 9, and bar!

Alchemists are also extremely cautious about this.

The rain seemed to be endless and even got heavier.

Zhang Cheng silently took out a handful of fried rice and stuffed it into his mouth, drinking the clear water in the leather bag to fill his hungry stomach.

In the rain, he suddenly saw a figure.

The figure was tall, wearing a very wide hat and green clothes. He walked slowly in the rain, beating a wooden fish all the way.

I can still hear him muttering.

"His life is like floating, his death is like resting."

"There are traces of ancient people on the thousand-year-old stone, and there is nothing in front of the ten-thousand-foot cliff."

Zhang Cheng was delighted.

These characteristics are exactly what Monk Qing is.

However, for safety reasons, Zhang Cheng gritted his teeth and swallowed three pills of Poludan.

Then, after a spasm in his stomach, he saw the blue-robed monk's figure dim, as if he could disappear at any time. The other party had only one eye, and the shadow under his feet disappeared without a trace. Apart from that, there was no other abnormality.

What surprised Zhang Cheng was that the monk had no divine seal and no strange internal organs.

Zhang Cheng was puzzled.

Is it possible that people who achieve immortality have no shadows?

However, he resisted the dizziness and ran all the way with an umbrella.

"Excuse me, is this Master Qing?"

"I don't deserve to be the master. You can just call me Monk Qing." Monk Qing had a kind voice, and even though he had only one eye, he didn't look scary.

Zhang Cheng wiped the blood from his nose with a handkerchief and said, "I am Zhang Cheng, and I would like to ask the master to help me solve my doubts."

"Master, do you know that the mountain god is the greatest evil in the world?"

"I know a thing or two."

Zhang Cheng was overjoyed, and immediately began to talk about his experiences during this period, including his mother's passing, the old man's skeleton in the mountains, and the marks and monsters on every person... He finally found someone to confide in with all his distress.

After listening to this, Monk Qing said, "What the layman saw is a secret that is difficult for ordinary people to see. Perhaps it is fortunate that ordinary people do not know it."

"I don't understand, why is it like this?"

Zhang Cheng looked in pain.

"Why is this so?"

Monk Qing also said softly: "If you want to understand all this, you need to comprehend it yourself. I am also on my way. However, life is like a dream, so you don't have to be too afraid. There is already great fear between life and death."

Zhang Cheng keenly felt that the other party must know something.

"If you don't mind, Zhang Cheng would like to become Master's disciple and follow you to walk and comprehend! Please accept me, Master!"

Monk Qing blinked his one eye and said, "Are you sure you want to take me as your master? I am wanted and hunted everywhere. You have a karmic relationship with me. You will have to hide from place to place and face danger all your life. But you will still face the worry of life and death here. Have you really thought it through?"

"Disciple has thought it through!"

Zhang Cheng thought that if he could become the apprentice of the capable monk Qing, he and his brother would have a place to go.

"All right."

Monk Qing smiled and said, "I know you want to escape from the mountain god. I'll give you a token. Take this and when you decide to come, come find me. I can remove the mark left by the mountain god."

He tore off a piece of green cloth and handed it to Zhang Cheng, then continued to stagger forward, blending into the rain to the sound of wooden fish.

Two months later, Zhang Ye successfully obtained the qualification of alchemist.

That day, Zhang Cheng and Zhang Ye left the village overnight and went to seek refuge with Monk Qing.

However, after meeting, Qing Heshang's first words made the two brothers feel a little at a loss.

"I need you to go back and continue to lie dormant over there."

Monk Qing stared at the two brothers with his one eye.

Zhang Cheng cursed in his heart.

Gan Lin Niang!!

(End of this chapter)