Obtaining the Pills

Xiao Yuansi slapped the pill furnace before him. The final cauldron of Sheyuan Pills flew out, tracing a circle in the air as they gave off a brilliant gleam, and dropped one by one into the jade bottle in his hand. "All done. From these seven Shejiao Fruits, a total of forty-five pills were refined. According to the customary rule, I'll take nine, and the remaining thirty-six are yours..." Hearing this, Li Tongya shook his head repeatedly. He was no longer the fresh youth who had just set foot on the immortal path. Having cultivated beside the lake for thirty to forty years, he was well aware of the standard commission for alchemists. He protested at once: "Senior! Doing so shames my family. In the art of alchemy, when one provides their own ingredients, any yield exceeding fifty percent belongs to the alchemist. How could you only take what exceeds seventy percent? Senior has already helped our family so much—how could we have the cheek to take advantage of you..." Xiao Yuansi was momentarily taken aback, then chuckled softly. "I have already broken through to Foundation Establishment, so these Sheyuan Pills are completely useless to me. I only took these nine because I didn't want to break custom. Your Li family has many juniors now, and plenty of places where pills are needed. There is no need to be polite with me!" "By no means!" Li Tongya cupped his hands. Knowing Xiao Yuansi felt guilty in his heart regarding Chijing and was using this to make amends to the Li family, he replied: "Our family is indeed in urgent need of these pills, so how about this." With that, he drew fifty spirit stones from his storage bag, placed them onto the table before them, and said respectfully: "Since these pills are of no use to Senior, please allow me to convert what should have been yours into spirit stones. Senior, you must accept them." Xiao Yuansi did a quick mental calculation and knew Li Tongya had converted the amount according to the fifty percent cut; fifty spirit stones was in fact quite a bit more than what it was worth. Flicking his sleeve, he swept them up and answered: "I won't put you in an awkward spot, then. I shall accept them." Rising to take his leave, Xiao Yuansi suddenly recalled something and said in a gentle voice: "Lixia Commandery suffered a massacre and has few people left. My Xiao family still needs to relocate some population from the various clans along Guli Road. A junior will come to discuss the details with you when the time comes." "Junior understands. Farewell, Senior!" Li Tongya promptly agreed. He watched Xiao Yuansi steer his flying shuttle away until it disappeared beyond the horizon before Li Xuanxuan dared step in from outside the door. Looking at the jade bottles covering the table, Li Xuanxuan's face shone with delight as he whispered: "With this batch of pills, our family members can advance their cultivation yet another step." Li Tongya nodded and swept his sleeve to put away the pills on the table. "Sheyuan Pills are known for their gentle nature. They can be taken during both Embryonic Breathing and Qi Refinement, making them ideal for our family." Li Xuanxuan estimated the timing and smiled. "I have lingered at the peak of Embryonic Breathing for two years. Now with the Sheyuan Pill, combined with the talisman pill granted at each major realm, breaking through to Qi Refinement is practically assured." Li Tongya took out some pills, handed them over, and asked softly, "Have you decided which cultivation method to practice?" "Although the Purple Lightning Secret Origin Method is formidable, the Xuanyin lightning liquid it requires can only be gathered during thunderstorms at specific hours, and I cannot afford to wait that long. So, I will choose between the River Unity Qi Formula and the Dongquan Limpid Spirit Formula." "Both have their merits, but your nephew favors the Dongquan Limpid Spirit Formula." Li Xuanxuan said this in a single breath, having evidently planned it out long ago. Li Tongya waved his hand and inquired: "What are your reasons?" "The Dongquan Limpid Spirit Formula refines qi using Dongquan limpid qi, brimming with vitality, agile and wondrous. It provides great assistance in the craft of talisman making. Your nephew has studied the talisman Dao for over a decade now, so this will allow me to contribute more to the family in the future. Moreover, Xuanling is a swordsman, and the River Unity Qi Formula suits him very well. If everyone in our family refines river clear qi, our traits would be too uniform and obvious, leaving us easily countered when facing enemies..." Li Xuanxuan listed several points. Listening, Li Tongya nodded, retrieved a portion of Dongquan limpid qi collected years earlier from his storage bag, placed it in his hand, and said warmly: "We will do as you say. Settle your family duties, hand over whatever Yuanxiu cannot handle to Xuanling, and then go enter seclusion." Li Xuanxuan nodded heavily. Li Tongya took out the Clear Eye Pure Pupil and instructed him to deliver it to Xuanfeng, who was currently in seclusion. Then he brought out the pale purple Secret Essentials of Pill Refinement and said in a low voice: "I have read through this. Refining pills is not something just anyone can manage; it requires natural talent. Transcribe the portion of this manual on summoning pill fire and distribute it among the family's disciples for them to study. If anyone can summon pill fire over the next few years, have them come to Meichi Peak to find me." Li Xuanxuan assented and withdrew. Only then did Li Tongya pick up the Green Ruler Sword resting in its sheath. Lowering his gaze, he stared at it for a while, grasped the hilt with his left hand, and exerted a gentle force. Clang!! A soft white light spilled out. The blue-and-white sword ray illuminated the courtyard like ripples across water, glistening light weaving back and forth between the walls, while the sword at Li Tongya's waist began to hum and tremble sharply. "Jing'er..." From the moment Li Tongya touched this sword, he had understood that so long as he used the Lunar Crescent Sword Arc as his opening stance, he could draw this spiritual blade. Because Xiao Yuansi had been present earlier, he had not applied force. Now, unsheathing the blade and looking upon the two seal characters "Green Ruler" carved into it, he murmured softly: "You've suffered." The spiritual blade Green Ruler hummed in his hand, radiating chilly light. Li Tongya noticed two seal characters emerge upon the sword tassel: Zhupo. "Zhupo... Green Ruler..." Li Tongya pursed his lips, sheathed the sword, and rode the wind toward Meichi Peak. —— After arranging the family's affairs, Li Xuanxuan took the spiritual qi and headed to Meichi Peak to begin his secluded cultivation. The family matters were left in the hands of Li Xuanling and Li Yuanxiu, while Li Qinghong and Li Yuanjiao remained on the mountain to learn the Reception Method, using moon essence to condense their Xuan Scenery. Upon Lijing Peak. Tap, tap. Li Yuanxiu entered the courtyard with a smile. Li Yuanjiao had just finished his cultivation and was wielding a sword in the courtyard. Seeing him, he quickly came forward with a smile and greeted respectfully: "Elder Brother!" "Come here, Yuanjiao." Li Yuanxiu ruffled his hair, pressed a jade bottle into Li Yuanjiao's small hand, and said warmly: "These are pills sent back by your Fourth Granduncle. Keep them safe, and take them when you are close to a breakthrough." To keep the secret, Li Tongya, Li Xuanxuan, and the others had claimed that the items brought back by Xiao Yuansi were sent by Li Chijing. Ignorant of the truth, Li Yuanxiu and the other youths naturally accepted them with delight. Li Yuanjiao had already been bestowed with a talisman seed and used moon essence to rapidly break through to Xuan Scenery. Having learned of the clan secret, he had sworn the Xuanjing Spiritual Oath and had been cultivating on the mountain ever since. Watching Li Yuanjiao obediently nod and accept the pills, Li Yuanxiu clapped his hands together. He had now delivered all the portions of pills Li Xuanxuan had instructed him to distribute before entering seclusion, and felt much relieved. Sheyuan Pills are precious after all. It is best to deliver them in person; having them pass through other hands would inevitably invite unsavory incidents and cause unnecessary trouble. Li Yuanxiu curled his lips slightly. Although the foreign-surname and collateral branch cultivators in the family were fairly obedient and nothing disgraceful had ever happened, Li Yuanxiu remained cautious and still preferred to handle such crucial matters himself. "Clan Rector." Just as Li Yuanxiu was pondering this, Li Pingyi and others entered the courtyard and hurried over to him. Behind them followed several stewards from the town, all keeping their eyes cast down and not daring to speak. As Li Yuanxiu was currently in charge of the Clan Rector's Court, Li Pingyi naturally addressed him as Clan Rector. "Who is causing trouble?" Noticing that he had not called him Young Clan Head but rather Clan Rector, and seeing the town stewards following behind, Li Yuanxiu knew that disciples of the clan had caused trouble. He asked in a deep voice, thinking to himself: I had only just praised the disciples when trouble breaks out. How laughable. Li Pingyi dared not dally. His expression was rather grim as he hurried to answer: "Clan Uncle Qiuyang returned from the mine. Having long since broken through to Yujing and developed spiritual sense, he strolled through the streets upon returning to town. Little did he expect that a sweep of his spiritual sense would catch several clan disciples in a courtyard... in a courtyard..." "Doing what?" Li Yuanxiu demanded in a heavy voice. Li Pingyi gritted his teeth and said, "Staging dog fights and gambling for stakes! All of them were bare-chested, dissolute and shameless, with arms around women in the courtyard—and there may even have been extortion and abuse..." "What audacity!" Below him, Li Yuanjiao's expression darkened, while Li Yuanxiu's face changed colors repeatedly, burning with mortification. He hissed coldly: "What sheer audacity..."