Chapter 225 Seeking Elixir at Wanqing Canal
Wu Dongxiao's method of collecting pills was exactly the same as Zhong Cai's. He waited quietly for a while, and when the furnace stopped vibrating slightly, he lifted the lid and grabbed a handful of pills from inside.
All the alchemists could clearly see that there were a total of nine pills!
It's a perfect Dan!
Three of them are top-grade, four are high-grade, and two are medium-grade.
Wu Dongxiao also breathed a sigh of relief.
Normally, when he refines level three pills, he only produces one or two top-grade ones, and occasionally even some low-grade ones. But this time... probably because of the immense pressure, he has actually improved!
Uncle Zhong should be satisfied now...
If Uncle Zhong is satisfied... then Uncle Xiao should be satisfied too.
Subconsciously, Wu Dongxiao looked at Zhong Cai and Wu Shaogan.
Zhong Cai raised her eyebrows.
Wu Shaogan nodded.
Wu Dongxiao felt relieved.
·
What could the many alchemists say when they saw these results?
then……
All I can do is praise them.
"As expected of Zhong Danwang's nephew, his talent is indeed extremely high."
"It seems that in another ten or twenty years, Zhong Danwang's nephew will also become a Danwang!"
"Given that he has already entered the ranks of Grand Alchemists, that day must not be far off."
"Brother Zhong is still a bit too strict. My junior disciple has already achieved such results, surpassing many talented alchemists. Brother Zhong, while you are teaching, it would be better to give less scolding and more encouragement."
"Seeing how filial this junior apprentice is, King Zhong Dan will surely find comfort in his old age..."
Upon hearing this, Zhong Cai's smile froze.
What's with this "feeling comforted" nonsense? Was it intentional or deliberate? Is he being sarcastic or sarcastic?!
Zhong Cai's smile grew even brighter: "Alas! You all don't know this, but Dongxiao's martial arts talent is too much like Shaogan's. Even though he's now learning alchemy, he puts more effort into martial arts and neglects alchemy. If I don't urge Dongxiao to hone his alchemy skills, I'll lose to Shaogan in teaching my nephew."
Wu Dongxiao: "..."
He's been wronged! To make big money sooner, he's been spending a lot of time on alchemy lately! Otherwise, how could his alchemy skills have improved? Even his senior brother thinks he's working too hard!
But since Uncle Zhong has already said that...
Wu Dongxiao lowered his head, showing his shame.
Yes, Uncle Zhong is right, he hasn't worked hard enough.
·
Other alchemists: "..."
Zhong Danwang, isn't that enough?!
They couldn't help but look at the alchemist who had deliberately uttered the yin-yang phrase earlier.
The alchemist: "..."
After a moment of silence, he shook his head helplessly.
Oh well, what can you do when someone's nephew is so successful? No one else can compare.
·
Zhong Cai, having had his fill of smugness, told Wu Dongxiao to put the pills away and then instructed him, "From now on, you will follow me."
Wu Dongxiao obediently replied, "Yes."
Wu Shaogan then said to Xuan Bing, "Senior Brother Xuan, let's follow behind."
Xuan Bing readily agreed, and his gaze toward Wu Dongxiao was filled with pride—his junior brother was exceptionally talented, excelling in both alchemy and martial arts, and he was always proud of his junior brother's achievements.
As if sensing Xuan Bing's gaze, Wu Dongxiao quickly transmitted his voice.
[Senior, I will definitely learn well from Uncle Zhong!]
Xuan Bing laughed.
Just go, I'll be right behind you.
·
Next, Zhong Cai took Wu Dongxiao to see the alchemists' alchemy and discussions one by one, explaining some techniques to him from time to time.
Wu Dongxiao benefited greatly.
Zhong Cai already knew how to proceed with the plan for the Rejuvenation Pill, which was mostly finalized. However, since the alchemists were all making their own deductions with great interest and hadn't gone astray, he simply decided not to say anything more to avoid disrupting their research process.
After watching for a while, Zhong Cai led Wu Dongxiao in another direction.
However, a master alchemist noticed Zhong Cai's movements and, after a moment's thought, understood the reason.
He accepted the goodwill, exchanged glances with the other alchemists who were also still conducting research, and they all knew what to do—wait until they made their final decision, and then they would compare their findings with those of King Zhong Dan.
But precisely because they judged that Zhong Cai had already reached a conclusion, they put even more effort into the discussion.
It can't be too slow...
·
They passed through several places. During this time, Wu Shaogan's gaze remained fixed on Zhong Cai, while Xuan Bing also looked after his junior brother. The two occasionally exchanged a few words about knowledge of pills and medicinal herbs, and would also occasionally verify their respective secret techniques and talk about combat skills.
At this moment, Zhong Cai was standing near several alchemists who were refining level-three antidote pills, and whispered to Wu Dongxiao, "Look, how many kinds of medicinal herbs are they using? Which ones are poisonous, which ones are not, and what are their respective effects?"
Wu Dongxiao looked at them one by one and quickly gave his answer: "There are fifteen kinds of medicinal materials in total, twelve of which are poisonous and three are non-toxic."
Seeing that Zhong Cai nodded slightly, he continued:
"Among poisonous medicinal herbs, some are highly poisonous... some are slightly poisonous..."
"Among them, 'One Step Down' is the most toxic and needs to be neutralized with the three mildly toxic herbs. There is also a moderately toxic herb to counteract the poison with poison, further balancing the medicinal properties..."
"Those three non-toxic medicinal materials are mainly used for blending. Only after they are blended can the liquid and powder of many medicinal materials be integrated and begin to condense and take shape."
Zhong Cai listened and nodded in satisfaction: "Not bad, you recognize them all, and your understanding of the medicinal properties is also quite good."
Wu Dongxiao was clever and knew there was more to come.
Sure enough, Zhong Cai pointed to two or three of the medicinal herbs and said, "But there are still some shortcomings in what you described about these..."
He pointed them out one by one, and Wu Dongxiao suddenly understood.
Zhong Cai gave Wu Dongxiao several more examples, all of which were formulas for Level 3 Detoxification Pills. Some of the medicinal materials that Wu Dongxiao was unfamiliar with before were now introduced to him by Zhong Cai.
As for how to introduce it?
The alchemists who were refining antidotes used all sorts of poisonous herbs. To avoid being affected by the toxic herbs and contaminating other herbs, the alchemists refining pills nearby also used poisonous herbs.
So all sorts of things were laid out on the ground, and Zhong Cai could pick out many at a glance, and naturally she could tell Wu Dongxiao about them all.
Wu Dongxiao would not miss this opportunity and always put in a lot of effort.
Just then, Zhong Cai heard a call.
"Master Zhong, Brother Wu."
If he is simply called "Master Zhong Dan," Zhong Cai is one of those who is called that frequently, because after other alchemists discover him, they will ask him questions and discuss things with him.
However, this time the man also called his old man, Wu.
Zhong Cai subconsciously turned her head away.
There were two young people standing there. The man was handsome and the woman was beautiful. They even looked somewhat alike, so they must be from the same clan.
Moreover, the man looked somewhat familiar.
Zhong Cai looked at the other person carefully and noticed that the other person's expression was a little nervous.
Wu Shaogan then walked over to Zhong Cai's side and looked over as well.
Then, Zhong Cai and Wu Shaogan exchanged a glance and recognized each other.
Zhong Cai immediately smiled and said, "It's Brother Wan? It's been a long time! How have you been?"
Wu Shaogan nodded to the young man and greeted him, "Brother Wan."
Upon hearing this, the young man breathed a sigh of relief.
The woman beside him was the same.
·
The two people who look somewhat alike are naturally the siblings Wan Qingqu and Wan Qingyao.
Because their ancestor desperately needed the Hundred Treasures Pill to prolong his life, but unfortunately failed to acquire it, Wan Qingqu secretly wondered if he could place an order with King Sangdan through Zhong Cai and Wu Shaogan, with whom he had previously formed a good relationship, or perhaps buy a spare pill...
At that time, Wan Qingqu was not confident, so he did not mention it to the Grand Elder at all, but only discussed it with his sister in secret.
But before he could think of a way to express himself, he suddenly realized that King Sang Dan was not just a King of Pills, but a King of Pills!
This made Wan Qingqu even more hesitant.
He had only offered a casual reminder; how could he possibly have the connections to ask someone to communicate with the Pill Emperor?
·
After the auction ended, the Grand Elder stayed behind, hoping to find a seventh-level alchemist to obtain a life-extending elixir.
However, there are very few alchemists who can refine longevity pills, and they cannot just ask a seventh-level alchemist for advice without knowing how to refine them. Wouldn't that just make the alchemist unhappy?
Therefore, the Grand Elder and the rest of the Wan family members sat obediently on the outer layer of the martial arts cultivators, listening to the inner layer alchemists discussing alchemy, trying to discern which seventh-level alchemists could refine longevity pills.
While the alchemists were free to move around, the high-level alchemists left, and the Wan family members split up again under the instructions of the Grand Elder—they roughly knew which level 5 or 6 alchemists knew level 7 alchemists, and they planned to split up and inquire further.
Wan Qingqu and his sister Wan Qingyao naturally teamed up, and their goal was very clear—in addition to keeping an eye on Zhong Cai's whereabouts, they also followed the Grand Elder's instructions to keep an eye on other talented alchemists.
Unfortunately, the many alchemists were engrossed in their discussion and couldn't spare much attention for the martial arts cultivators from outside. Wan Qingqu and his sister didn't want to disturb them, so they could only quietly look for an opportunity.
After much hesitation, Wan Qingqu ultimately decided to try his luck with Zhong Cai first.
He suddenly realized that even if he couldn't ask Sang Danhuang to help, Canglong Academy was a very powerful level eight force with quite a few level seven alchemists. Perhaps he could ask Alchemist Zhong to help him make a connection and place an order with one of those level seven alchemists.
Even if they only get a little information from Master Zhong, such as which seventh-level alchemists can indeed refine longevity pills, the Wan family would still be happy to visit those alchemists with generous gifts...
Therefore, Wanqingqu took the initiative to call Zhong Cai and Wu Shaogan.
After being called out, he naturally felt nervous when Zhong Cai and Wu Shaogan looked over.
If they really forget him, he'll have to change his story for the next sentence...
·
Wan Qingqu was surprised that Master Zhong Dan not only remembered him, but also seemed very happy.
He was naturally relieved, and his feelings were a mix of emotions.
Wan Qingyao didn't say anything, and obediently walked beside him like a pendant.
Wan Qingqu and his sister stepped forward, their smiles even more genuine: "It has indeed been a long time since we last met. You two still look as radiant as ever."
Zhong Cai and Wu Shaogan will never forget Wan Qingqu. They still remember the gratitude they felt when he told them about the Soul Essence and Spiritual Heart.
Despite the presence of the altar, which is Zhong Cai's personal treasure, as long as Zhong Cai is wholeheartedly concerned about Wu Shaogan's injuries, she can always extract a treasure from it that can restore Wu Shaogan's aptitude...
However, without a focused and clear intention, it's hard to say what kind of treasure the altar will send out to restore one's aptitude; it might be better, but it might also be more restrictive.
With Wanqingqu's reminder, Zhong Cai focused his mind even more when extracting, and the altar really did extract the soul essence and spirit heart - and he could extract them from time to time, and even some mutated ones!
Therefore, the two of them had a very good impression of Wanqing Canal.
Especially Zhong Cai, because Wan Qingqu reminded him because he felt sorry for his old man Wu's fate, which shows that Wan Qingqu thought highly of his old man Wu and had no contempt for him at all... In that kind of environment back then, such people were very rare!
Naturally, although Zhong Cai and Wu Shaogan have both joined the Canglong, an eighth-level power, their attitude towards Wan Qingqu remains the same as before—in fact, since they only met once before and are now reunited, they are even more amicable than before.
·
Zhong Cai said with a smile, "I haven't seen Brother Wan for many years. We should keep in touch more often in the future."
He wasn't stupid; of course he could tell that Wan Qingqu was somewhat embarrassed when he approached him. Usually, such a reaction meant someone needed a favor... and what else could someone need from Zhong Cai for? Pills, of course!
Back then, Wanqingqu gave him and Lao Wu a lot of face, and he will give Wanqingqu face now as well.
Zhong Caixian expressed his gratitude and said directly, "Back then, thanks to Brother Wan's guidance, Shao Gan and I learned that our aptitude could still be restored. We tried every means to inquire about many treasures of this kind. Later, although we failed to find the Soul Essence and Spirit Heart, we unexpectedly discovered the Azure Sea and Sky while buying a toy similar to a secret box in a shop."
Wan Qingqu looked serious upon hearing this.
Zhong Cai laughed and said, "Luckily, we had already checked it, which is why we were able to recognize it at a glance and let Shao Gan go into seclusion to refine it in time. Otherwise, by the time we realized it, other powerful people would probably have come to our door and tried to forcibly buy it."
“Therefore, we have always been very grateful to Brother Wan. It’s just that we met by chance and we didn’t know where to see Brother Wan again.” Zhong Cai’s smile carried a hint of teasing. “However, it doesn’t seem too late for us to meet again now.”
Wan Qingqu was a smart man. After hearing Zhong Cai's words, how could he not understand what he meant?
In that instant, he felt grateful.
According to Master Zhong, his kindness back then did help, but it really wasn't a great favor.
Even if he hadn't reminded them back then, Master Zhong and Brother Wu might not have recognized the Azure Sea and Sky after obtaining it. But given their intelligence, wouldn't they have simply asked the shopkeeper?
Even if a powerful figure comes knocking on their door, as long as they refuse to give in, it will only cause them more trouble. Surely a powerful figure wouldn't kill someone in the street? Besides, even if they are under immense threat, both of them have the luck to open suitable treasures in blind box shops, so they are not so easy to deal with.
Many of a cultivator's experiences are actually imbued with mysterious meaning.
Just like him, when he was traveling around that area, he had actually heard about the shop that Master Zhong Dan had mentioned, but he thought it was similar to opening a regular secret box, so he didn't make a special trip there... So, later, after he had traveled a long way, he heard that it could yield very high-level treasures, which made him a little regretful... But he never went back.
Wan Qingqu knew very well that Master Zhong was a kind man, and that he had only spoken to him in this way to save face for him, because he remembered his kindness. Master Zhong's meaning was also clear: if he wanted to ask for Master Zhong's help, Master Zhong was willing to lend him a hand.
Wan Qingyao also understood, and was very happy.
She secretly thought that it was because her brother was broad-minded and willing to help whenever he could that he was able to receive the good fortune of being helped by Master Zhong Dan today.
Her brother is a good person.
Master Zhong Dan is a good person!
·
Many thoughts raced through Wan Qingqu's mind, and he said somewhat embarrassedly, "Master Zhong, please excuse my rudeness."
Zhong Cai said casually, "Alright, Brother Wan, don't be so polite. Tell me, what kind of pill do you want?"
Wan Qingqu was still a little embarrassed, but he didn't hide it. He just lowered his voice and said, "I mainly want to buy a Hundred Treasures Pill. If there isn't one available, it would be good to find a pill master to order one."
Zhong Cai nodded, encouraging Wan Qingqu to continue.
Wan Qingqu continued, "There is a difficulty, though. We need to obtain this elixir within ten years. If the quality of the elixir could be better... that would be even better." He paused and said sincerely, "No matter how much the reward is, my Wan family can raise it."
Zhong Cai was immediately delighted: "I thought it was something serious, but it turns out you need the Hundred Treasures Pill." Without hesitation, he took out a medicine bottle and handed it to Wan Qingqu, "Here, I have some right now."
Wan Qingqu's eyes lit up immediately, and he quickly opened the medicine bottle and looked inside—
Isn't this the Hundred Treasures Pill?
It's still the supreme-grade Hundred Treasures Pill that can extend one's life by a full four hundred years!
Wan Qingqu took a deep breath and handed the medicine bottle back to Zhong Cai.
Zhong Cai asked, puzzled, "What's going on?"
Wan Qingqu immediately said, "I don't have enough Xuan Stones on hand yet. Please keep this pill for me, Master Zhong. I will come back to exchange it after I find the Grand Elder and gather enough Xuan Stones."
Zhong Cai suddenly realized that he hadn't thought of that at all.
The idea behind Wanqingqu is that he'll come back after he's reached the auction price.
The price offered for this at auction is too high; it's unnecessary!
Zhong Cai had no intention of paying such a high price for Wanqingqu.
However, if Wanqingqu had been able to secure the auction price, how could he have failed at the auction?
Wan Qingqu seemed to sense Zhong Cai's confusion and quickly explained, "Although the Grand Elder brought quite a few Xuan Stones, it wasn't enough to buy this pill. But if we can give him some time, we can go back and gather the rest."
Zhong Cai understood; so that's how it is.
But he still wouldn't do that; after all, it's the Wanqing Canal, nothing else.
Actually, if Wan Qingqu wanted to use it himself, he would have just given it to him; it wouldn't have been a big deal. After all, his master had given him many pills of various grades, quite a few of which could prolong life.
But the Wanqing Canal was intended for the Wan family, and he had no connection with them, so he wouldn't give it away as a gift.
After thinking for a moment, Zhong Cai said, "You must have brought around a million, right? One million will do."
Wan Qingqu was taken aback.
Zhong Cai winked at him, her smile bright: "For Brother Wan's sake, I'll give you a discount."
Wanqingqu dared not let him offer such a large discount... it was simply too much for him to bear.
Zhong Cai didn't bother to explain further to Wan Qingqu. After all, he and Lao Wu owed him a favor, and charging an auction price would be too much of a rip-off. After all, a level seven pill was capped at 500,000 mid-grade Xuan Stones, and charging 1 million for the Hundred Treasures Pill was already double the price, which was quite reasonable.
For example, his master, whether he sold the pills to the academy or to other acquaintances, would never directly use the highest price at the auction.
Without further ado, Zhong Cai shoved the medicine bottle back into Wan Qingqu's hands and said decisively, "One million it is. Go and gather the Xuan Stones and bring them over. If you give me more, we're done."
Wanqingqu: "..."
I never expected Master Zhong to say that.
Breaking off relations or something...
Wan Qingyao watched this scene from the side. When she first heard "one million", she also felt it was inappropriate and thought that her brother was probably flattered and couldn't accept the discount.
But when I heard Master Zhong say that we were "breaking off our friendship," it was a very complicated situation.
That's a bit childish.
And very cute...
Wan Qingyao never expected that Master Zhong would have such a personality.
...Well, although she could indeed tell that Master Zhong was very lively.
Finally, with no other choice, Wan Qingqu carefully put the pill bottle into his storage ring and said to Zhong Cai in a serious tone, "Alchemist Zhong, just go about your business. I'll go find the Grand Elder and bring the Xuan Stone over soon."
At this point, Wan Qingqu said very earnestly, "Master Zhong, thank you very much." Then, remembering something, he added to Wu Shaogan, "Thank you very much as well, Brother Wu. Master Zhong's kindness towards Brother Wu is as clear as day."
Wu Shaogan smiled slightly: "A-Cai is naturally the best."
Wan Qingqu couldn't help but laugh: "May you two live a long and happy life together."
Zhong Cai was even happier: "Thank you for your kind words, Brother Wan!"
·
Wan Qingqu and Wan Qingyao bid farewell and left in haste.
Zhong Cai let out a breath and said to Wu Shao with a grin, "Alright! We've finally repaid this favor."
Wu Shaogan's eyes softened: "Ah Cai, you've worked hard."
Zhong Cai's smile became even brighter.
The two of them had actually thought back then that if Wan Qingqu heard about the blind box shop, he might be interested in going to take a look... They had even considered having the puppet give him a good thing like a black box, and they had even informed the puppet of Wan Qingqu's appearance.
They selected the highest quality resources for Wan Qingqu, and no matter which level of blind box Wan Qingqu bought, they would give him the highest-grade one in that range.
But Wanqingqu never went there, so he never repaid the favor.
Now everything is fine; this matter has been completed smoothly.
·
Meanwhile, Wan Qingqu and Wan Qingyao found the Grand Elder.
The Grand Elder had just finished talking with a Level 6 alchemist, but before they could exchange more than a few words, the alchemist was stopped by another alchemist who was drawn to the idea proposed by that alchemist...
The sixth-level alchemist quickly began a heated discussion with the other alchemists, and the Grand Elder, naturally not wanting to disturb them, could only step aside.
Now that Wan Qingqu and his sister have returned, they mysteriously pulled the Grand Elder into a corner.
The elder was somewhat puzzled, but he went along with the force and asked in a low voice, "What's wrong?"
In his view, the brother and sister were very clear-headed and probably had some news to tell him.
As expected, Wan Qingqu didn't say much, but carefully took out a bottle and handed it over.
The Grand Elder paused for a moment, then took the book, opened it, and read—
In an instant, his eyes widened!
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