The Employer

Xiang'an Auction House. Qin Sang met Alchemist Yi. Alchemist Yi looked utterly exhausted. Upon asking, Qin Sang learned that ever since Dahuang Island had been besieged, the Three Great Merchant Alliances had ramped up their war preparations. Alchemist Yi had been assigned tasks and forced to concoct pills day and night, leaving him worn out. "I have no choice in the matter. Fellow Daoist Qin truly had the foresight—free from constraints and still at leisure," Alchemist Yi said, taking a hearty gulp of tea and leaning back against his chair. Qin Sang could tell Alchemist Yi did not entirely mean it. "I may be carefree, but without the shelter of a major faction, if I am wronged or bullied, I have nowhere to seek redress and can only swallow the bitter fruit myself. Your toil, Fellow Daoist Yi, is only temporary. Once the turmoil in the Demon Sea is quelled, you will regain your freedom." "Easier said than done." Alchemist Yi shook his head, sounding pessimistic. "The scale of this demon uprising is unprecedented. Both sides have massed their forces in a standoff; who knows when the beast tide will finally be repelled?" After lamenting the state of affairs for a while, Qin Sang brought up his main purpose, but unfortunately, Alchemist Yi had no good news either. "I have asked several old friends who have been immersed in alchemy for many years, but none have any news of the three spirit medicines, including the Ba Blood Fruit. Searching for them, Fellow Daoist Qin, may come down to sheer luck..." Alchemist Yi felt sympathetic for Qin Sang. Qin Sang sighed inwardly. Alchemist Yi was right—obtaining the Ba Blood Fruit and the Maoshan vine had indeed been strokes of pure luck. As for the final ingredient, the Scorpion Poison Grass, the only thing he could do was cast a wide net. He took out a jade box. Inside lay over a dozen spirit flowers known as rain lilies—a favorite of the Heavenly Eye Butterfly that was of great benefit to its growth. "I would not dare trouble you with these rain lilies, Fellow Daoist Yi, but I would appreciate it if you could arrange for another alchemist to help refine them into spirit pills." Qin Sang handed the pill recipe and the spirit flowers to Alchemist Yi. Taking the recipe, Alchemist Yi examined it, his interest immediately piqued. "Eh? I have never seen such a recipe and technique before. If I am not mistaken, once refined, this medicine isn't meant for cultivators to consume, is it? Wait a moment, Fellow Daoist Qin. I will fire up the furnace and refine them myself. I will be back shortly." Alchemist Yi's ability to deduce the recipe's purpose at a single glance secretly astonished Qin Sang. Since Alchemist Yi was willing to do it in person, Qin Sang could hardly ask for more. While waiting, he scouted the auction house for useful cultivation resources. *** Mount Baogu, cave dwelling. Qin Sang took out a pill from a jade bottle. A floral fragrance filled the room. These were the pills Alchemist Yi had refined from the rain lilies. Catching the scent of the pill, the Heavenly Eye Butterfly perched on Qin Sang's right shoulder fluttered its wings at once, flying over to cling to his fingers with eager anticipation. Waves of pleading and coaxing flowed through the bond from its consciousness. "Here you go." Qin Sang chuckled and fed the spirit pill to the Heavenly Eye Butterfly. The Heavenly Eye Butterfly swallowed it in one gulp and fluttered joyfully, its large wings flapping as it danced circles around Qin Sang. Its size was several times larger than before, each wing now the size of an adult's palm, but its growth had slowed, even though Qin Sang had done his best to feed it the finest pills and spirit flowers. Natural metamorphosis was extraordinarily difficult for spirit insects. For an exotic insect like the Heavenly Eye Butterfly, its natural growth rate could only be described as glacial. Without blood nourishment and the classic scriptures of the Yuling Sect, Qin Sang would most likely reach the end of his lifespan before ever seeing it reach the peak of its third metamorphosis. "Choosing the Heavenly Eye Butterfly as my natal spirit insect was indeed the right move back then. Hopefully, it will prove helpful when forming my Nascent Soul." Compared to the Heavenly Eye Butterfly, the fat silkworm's condition left Qin Sang completely baffled. Previously, after taking a bite of the purple crystal, the fat silkworm had fallen into a deep slumber. When it finally woke, it immediately begged Qin Sang for purple crystal, took another bite, and went right back to sleep. Qin Sang had been reduced to a caretaker. While it slept, nothing could rouse it. Fortunately, he had not encountered any venomous beasts or toxic environments during this time. Yet after consuming these purple crystals, the fat silkworm showed little visible change, and its growth was sluggish, not even keeping pace with the Heavenly Eye Butterfly. "Is it accumulating strength before a breakthrough, or something else entirely?" Qin Sang could not tell. The fat silkworm had always been an enigma. Its origins were unknown; it had recognized him as its master of its own accord; and despite its fragile body, it devoured deadly venoms like delicacies. After feeding the Heavenly Eye Butterfly, Qin Sang followed his routine: first nourishing his external incarnation with blood, then cultivating the Origin Soul Sword Nurturing Chapter, and finally going out after nightfall to temper his body with astral essence. Dull and orderly, all in preparation for his next trip to the Hall of Seven Kills. He had originally planned to visit the Landou Sect soon, but for the sake of the top-grade spirit stone, he had no choice but to set that matter aside and wait in his cave dwelling for word. After more than a month of quiet seclusion, there was still no news from the shopkeeper. Just as Qin Sang was about to take the initiative to inquire, the restriction outside the cave dwelling was tripped. Qin Sang flashed outside and found a voice transmission talisman. Upon catching and reading it, joy appeared on his face. He immediately sealed his cave dwelling, leaving the external incarnation behind to cultivate quietly, and hurried off. "You came quickly this time, Fellow Daoist Qin," the shopkeeper joked as Qin Sang pushed open the door and stepped inside. Qin Sang replied at once, "Driven by external desires, what else can I do?" "Follow me, then." The shopkeeper closed the shop and led the way. Qin Sang followed behind the shopkeeper. Seeing him twist and turn through alleyways toward the gates of Tianxing City, he could not help asking, "What is the identity of this employer? Are they not in Tianxing City?" The shopkeeper replied, "I am merely a middleman and know little of the employer's background and identity. Just like with you, Fellow Daoist Qin, it is strictly business. They arranged to meet outside Tianxing Island, so I am guiding you there to discuss matters yourselves. Of course, if you are unwilling, Fellow Daoist Qin, I can send a message right now to turn them down." "In that case, you don't know what they are gathering people for either?" "That's right," the shopkeeper nodded. Qin Sang frowned slightly. Considering that his external incarnation could cultivate on its own in the cave dwelling and that he had everything else on him, he said, "Please lead the way, then." The shopkeeper's tone softened. "There is no need to worry, Fellow Daoist Qin. From what I have observed, they might have been held up by something and seem in desperate need of hands. As soon as I contacted them, they immediately asked me to bring you over..." Chatting along the way, the two walked out of Tianxing City's gates, raised their escape lights, and flew out toward the sea. Leading him northward for nearly half a day, the shopkeeper arrived at an island inhabited by mortals. Pointing ahead, he said, "The agreed meeting place is on this island." Seeing that it was not a desolate, uninhabited place, Qin Sang's expression relaxed. He landed on the island alongside the shopkeeper and flew toward a verdant mountain. Just as they reached the front of the mountain, Qin Sang sensed several auras at the peak. The other party had spotted them as well. At the mountaintop, amid stone tables and benches, a clear spring trickled softly. A young man sat there, sipping tea by himself. At the foot of the mountain. Qin Sang suddenly grew alert and lowered his escape light. A rushing whoosh echoed from the peak, followed by a white-robed youth soaring down toward them. The shopkeeper also came to a halt. Once the youth drew near, he introduced both sides: "Fellow Daoist Fang, this is the Fellow Daoist Qin I mentioned to you. Fellow Daoist Qin, Fellow Daoist Fang is the employer this time. Now that I have delivered my guest, I shall take my leave."