Taking his leave of Zhou Lulu, Lu Yang arrived at Pill Cauldron Peak. The moment he reached the foot of the mountain, a rich medicinal fragrance greeted his nose.
*As expected of Pill Cauldron Peak—even the air is fragrant. The legendary blessed lands and celestial islands of myth could hardly be any better.*
Lu Yang could not help taking two deep breaths. His body felt light and airy, as though he were about to ascend to immortality.
"Junior Brother, don't breathe it in!"
A frantic shout came from nearby. Seeing Lu Yang take two extra breaths, the owner of the voice grew even more anxious.
"Junior Brother, quickly use the Turtle Breathing Technique! Wait, you seem to be a mortal! Cover your nose, quick! I messed up my alchemy—that scent is from a poison..."
Those were the last words Lu Yang heard before he passed out.
*What kind of cursed place is this? Even the scent is poisonous...* Lu Yang mumbled. His footing gave way, the world spun around him, his vision went black, and with a heavy thud, he collapsed to the ground.
As it turned out, whether something smelled sweet had no bearing on whether it was toxic.
When Lu Yang woke up, he was greeted by a large face hovering right in front of him. Jolted with fright, he snapped fully awake.
The man chuckled sheepishly. "Junior Brother Lu, you're awake! Doesn't hurt anymore, does it?"
The jade pendant at Lu Yang's waist had clearly stated his identity.
Lu Yang blinked, feeling sore all over, as though he had been kneaded into a ball and rolled flat with a rolling pin.
This was an alchemy chamber, thick with medicinal aroma and noticeably hotter than outside. In the center stood a colossal pill furnace, surrounded by shelves stacked with bundles of herbs and white porcelain bottles, which presumably held finished pills.
Piles of sketches detailing pill refinement methods and cages holding white mice were strewn across the floor, making it hard for anyone unfamiliar with the room to find a place to step.
There was only a single bed in the alchemy chamber—the one Lu Yang was lying on.
"I'm Wu Ming. Sorry about that, Junior Brother. I was pondering a question while refining pills, zoned out for a moment, and lost control of the heat, which turned the medicine into poison."
"Don't worry, though! Even though I often slip up and brew poison, I haven't poisoned anyone to death yet!" Wu Ming proclaimed proudly.
*...Saying that only makes me worry more.*
Lu Yang struggled to sit up and shifted back until he was leaning against the corner where the bed met the wall, which felt slightly more comfortable.
His head itched. He touched the back of his head, remained silent for a moment, and asked, "If I only inhaled toxic gas, why is the back of my head wrapped in gauze?"
Wu Ming gave an embarrassed explanation. "I spaced out again while carrying you, and your head hit the ground. But don't worry too much! As long as you're breathing, we can cure you here on Pill Cauldron Peak!"
"The pills I have on hand are too potent for you to take, but while you were unconscious, I specially refined a batch that mortals can safely ingest." Wu Ming presented them like precious treasures, urging Lu Yang to take a couple.
The pills gleamed with a golden luster, encircled by three faint rings. Lu Yang knew these were pill patterns, which signified that the pill had reached near-perfection.
Still, Lu Yang didn't dare eat them.
All he wanted was to come to Pill Cauldron Peak to ask for a few Fasting Pills. Before he had even accomplished anything, he was already lying in bed with his head wrapped in gauze.
If he ate anything else now, King Yan himself would probably commend him for having a death wish.
"It's not poisonous, truly," Wu Ming promised repeatedly.
Seeing that Lu Yang remained unconvinced, Wu Ming fetched a white mouse to demonstrate.
The mouse seemed to sense that its end was near; as Wu Ming lifted it out, it squeaked frantically, saying farewell to its wife and children.
The mouse ingested the pill, collapsed to the ground, and breathed its last. Seeing this, its wife and children cried mournfully, as if witnessing their own impending fate.
Lu Yang: "..."
Wu Ming: "..."
"An accident! Purely an accident! Mice are small, so the tiniest bit of poison kills them, but it's bound to be different for a human. I know what went wrong—hang on, let me refine another batch for you."
Lu Yang hastily redirected his attention. "Senior Brother, you said you were pondering a question that made you lose focus. What question was that?"
Wu Ming was indeed diverted. Choosing his words carefully, he said, "In *dan* medicine, the emphasis is on the word 'medicine.' Pills are naturally meant to treat illnesses and save lives. But Fasting Pills aren't meant for the sick, so why are they classified as medicinal pills?"
"If Fasting Pills are pills, then pills aren't just for curing illnesses and saving lives—they can also serve as meals."
"If Fasting Pills aren't pills, then what should they be classified as?"
Lu Yang felt that unless someone took their brain out and roasted it in an alchemy furnace for three days and three nights, they could never come up with such a question.
"Speaking of Fasting Pills, the only ones I have here that mortals can eat are Fasting Pills. I've got strawberry, apple, and watermelon flavors. Want some? They're definitely not poisonous." Wu Ming produced a handful of brightly colored candy-like beans.
Recalling King Yan's eager anticipation for his arrival, Lu Yang chose not to accept Wu Ming's generous offer. Plenty of disciples on Pill Cauldron Peak practiced refining Fasting Pills; whoever made them, they would certainly be safer than Senior Brother Wu Ming.
"Junior Brother, if you ever need pills refined, remember to come find me! Free of charge!" Wu Ming saw him off warmly as Lu Yang departed.
Lu Yang quickened his limping pace.
The next day, upon learning of Lu Yang's tragic ordeal, the Seventh Elder of Pill Cauldron Peak sent over pills that could genuinely heal a mortal, along with a gourd of Fasting Pills.
Lu Yang fully recovered.
...
Over the following month, Lu Yang lived a fulfilling life, rotating between the Scripture Pavilion, Preaching Peak, and his cave abode. He greedily absorbed the cultivation knowledge he had never encountered before, like a traveler in the desert finding a clear spring, famished and thirsting for wisdom.
A month later, everyone had their wishes granted and was accepted under the elders' tutelage. Meng Jingzhou became the disciple of the Third Elder, Man Gu under the Fourth Elder, Li Haoran of the Fire Spiritual Root under the Fifth Elder, and Tao Yaoye of the Feathering Immortal Physique under the Sixth Elder...
This struck Lu Yang as rather odd. He had assumed Man Gu would join the Third Elder alongside Meng Jingzhou. The Third Elder was a renowned body cultivator in the cultivation world, a man no one dared face in hand-to-hand combat, and Man Gu, possessing the bloodline of the Ancient Barbarian race, was best suited to learn under him.
The Fourth Elder, on the other hand, was a Confucian cultivator—profoundly erudite, but not known for physical might. It was a mystery why Man Gu had chosen him as his master.
The Fifth Elder specialized in artifact refinement, which suited Li Haoran and his Fire Spiritual Root well.
Lu Yang had never seen the Sixth Elder, but he heard she was a breathtaking beauty who possessed an immortal physique similar to Tao Yaoye's.
Yet Man Gu taking the Fourth Elder as his master was not the most conspicuous development. The most eye-catching of all was Lu Yang himself, who had been taken under the wing of the mysterious Sect Master.
Word had it that the Sect Master had not taken a disciple in over a century, living a life of carefree leisure. The disciples buzzed with speculation, unable to fathom why the Sect Master, who was still in secluded cultivation, had accepted Lu Yang as his disciple.
Under the envious gazes of everyone, Eldest Senior Sister Yun Zhi led Lu Yang to Tianmen Peak, the abode of the Sect Master.
Chapter 10