Chapter 26: It Can’t Be That Easy, Can It?
“Uncle, why did you let Brother Shi attempt alchemy on his own so soon?” the girl asked, hands on her hips, her tone laced with disapproval. “He’s only been learning for a few days. What if something goes wrong…”
Daoist Lan Ke chuckled, “Relax, relax! The worst that can happen is the furnace explodes. He has an eighth-rank foundation; he won’t die.”
Outside, bright sunlight streamed down from above, a few white clouds drifting leisurely across the sky.
Du Yuejiao still looked displeased. Alchemy wasn’t easy. Almost every beginner’s first dozen attempts ended in failure, and exploding furnaces due to poorly controlled Threefold Fire weren’t uncommon.
Just a few days ago, Shi Hao had been a complete novice, having never even touched an alchemy furnace. He could barely be considered a martial artist.
Du Yuejiao still remembered his foolish attempt to buy the main ingredients for a ninth-rank Immortal Formula from a common apothecary.
She anxiously glanced at the alchemy room, worried about a sudden explosion.
Daoist Lan Ke, sitting on a rock, smiled, “You, girl, always refused to help me before, but these past few days, you’ve been running to my place constantly. And even when you’re here, you don’t help me with anything, just chatter away.”
“Relax. People learn from their mistakes. If he doesn’t fail a few times, he’ll think alchemy is easy.”
Du Yuejiao bit her lip, a look of annoyance on her face. She was easily angered, but she didn’t want her outburst to disturb the young man in the alchemy room or ruin her image in his eyes.
She snorted softly and turned away, looking at the closed stone door of the alchemy room, thinking that it didn’t matter if the herbs were ruined, as long as the furnace didn’t explode and injure him.
She had also practiced alchemy. On her first attempt, due to her impatience and poor control of the fire, the cauldron had cracked.
Fortunately, her master had been beside her, quickly pulling her away before she was injured.
Just then, the stone door of the alchemy room opened, and the young man emerged. His expression was calm, his long robe flowing loosely around him, his steps unhurried.
Daoist Lan Ke chuckled, “You’re out so soon? It seems you failed!”
Du Yuejiao whispered consolingly, “Don’t worry, Brother Shi. Everyone fails their first time. Usually, it takes a dozen or twenty attempts before you get the hang of it.”
Daoist Lan Ke chuckled, “Speak for yourself. I succeeded on my third try.”
Du Yuejiao snorted, “Who can compare to you in this regard, Uncle? But even you failed twice before succeeding on your third try. No one has ever succeeded on their first attempt at alchemy.”
Daoist Lan Ke nodded, “That’s true. How can this kid compare to me? It’s perfectly normal for him to fail ten or eight times, hee hee!”
Shi Hao’s calm expression wavered slightly, replaced by a look of uncertainty.
He hesitated and took out a piece of white silk from his sleeve, carefully unfolding it, “I… I’m not sure if this is a success or a failure. Please take a look, Senior.”
Daoist Lan Ke and Du Yuejiao stared at the elixir nestled within the silk. It was a translucent emerald green, still radiating warmth.
Du Yuejiao looked surprised, “This…”
Shi Hao said hesitantly, “I’m not sure if this Clarity Heart Pill is considered a success or not. I used the correct ingredients, and the color is similar to what you described, Senior… It’s just a little more transparent. I don’t know if I made a mistake.”
He had been quite confident when he left the alchemy room.
But they had said no one ever succeeded on their first try.
Even Daoist Lan Ke, one of the Twelve Perfected Ones, had failed twice before succeeding.
This had made him lose his confidence.
Du Yuejiao glanced at him… Usually, a beginner’s first attempt at alchemy didn’t result in a flawed elixir; it resulted in the complete destruction of all the ingredients, without exception.
And in Daoist alchemy, either the elixir was successfully formed, or the ingredients were ruined. A finished elixir might vary in quality, but it was still considered a success.
But this was Brother Shi’s first attempt!
“Let me see, let me see!” Daoist Lan Ke, skeptical, took the elixir. “The fire aura has just dissipated, and the spiritual energy is still circulating within. This is indeed freshly made. The… the quality… the quality is top-grade.”
He looked up at Shi Hao, stunned.
“Are you sure, Senior?” Shi Hao’s confidence, which had been shaken, returned slightly.
Daoist Lan Ke stood up and clasped his hands behind his back, “It’s nothing special. Sometimes, people get lucky. Alchemy isn’t easy to learn. A small achievement like this is nothing to be proud of.”
He walked towards another room.
Du Yuejiao said excitedly, “Brother Shi, you’re probably the first person in the Chongxian Sect to succeed on their first try at alchemy, even surpassing my uncle. Let’s see how he boasts about his ‘three-furnace success’ story now, hee hee.”
An annoyed voice came from the other room, “You ungrateful girl! Success is success. What’s there to brag about? It’s just one pill. When he can refine ten or more pills in a single furnace from a pile of ingredients, that’s when he can consider himself somewhat accomplished.”
Du Yuejiao pouted, “Hmph, it took you three months, Uncle. Brother Shi is so talented, he might succeed in just one month.”
The old Daoist laughed, “Anyone can boast. We’ll see if he can achieve that in a month.”
Shi Hao looked up at the sky… Refining ten or more Clarity Heart Pills in a single furnace? That sounded quite difficult.
That night, Shi Hao poured a large quantity of herbs into the furnace and tried again, using the Daoist Threefold Fire method to guide the demonic fire of the Mysterious Charm Technique, controlling it with the true energy of the Immortal Ice Technique.
Half an hour later, he looked at the ten freshly refined, translucent Clarity Heart Pills, hesitant.
It can’t be that easy, can it?
Everyone in Ming Kun Monastery could tell that Daoist Lan Ke was in a foul mood these past few days.
As one of the Twelve Perfected Ones of the Chongxian Sect, although not the abbot, he was the most respected figure in Ming Kun Monastery, the only one truly deserving of the title “Perfected One.” He usually spent his time in the Golden Crucible Hall or his own White Peony Courtyard, either refining elixirs or crafting magical weapons.
He was rarely seen outside, and even when he was, he was usually affable and smiling.
But these days, he would storm out of his courtyard, his face grim. If anyone dared to ask, he would glare at them, “I’m just taking a walk. Do I need your permission?”
His outburst would silence anyone who dared to question him.
Some whispered among themselves that the old master’s mood had worsened since taking on a disciple.
One day, they even heard Du Yuejiao, Recluse Zhuo’s disciple, say to the old master with a giggle, “Don’t be angry, Uncle. No matter how talented Brother Shi is, no matter how many of your records he breaks, he’s still your disciple.”
“Doesn’t that mean you’re an excellent teacher, your disciple surpassing even you? He can achieve things you couldn’t, break records you couldn’t. You learned quickly, but he learns even faster. You…”
Daoist Lan Ke snapped, “You… you… you little brat! Are you trying to provoke me? You’ve always had a sharp tongue, but now you’re even more infuriating!”
In just a few days, Shi Hao had completely mastered alchemy.
It was a pity that the Golden Crucible Hall was sealed off, preventing him from practicing crafting and refining techniques. He would have liked to learn those as well.
The moon was now half-full. The next full moon was just seven days away.
While learning alchemy, Shi Hao hadn’t neglected his cultivation.
That afternoon, Shi Hao found an excuse to leave Ming Kun Monastery and enter the city. Along the way, he changed his appearance using the Evil Shadow Disguise Technique and went to meet with Old Qiu.
After welcoming him into the hall, Old Qiu lowered his voice and said, “Righteous Hao, you’ve come at the right time. Based on the clues you provided, we’ve identified the gang involved in the child abductions.”
Shi Hao asked, “Who are they?”
Old Qiu said, “The Shu Tiger Gang!”
Shi Hao said, “Shu Tiger Gang? I’ve heard of them. They’re involved in salt smuggling and other illegal trades. Since when did they start abducting children?”
Lu Tong said, “The Shu Tiger Gang has always been vile. Besides smuggling, they also act as thugs for wealthy landowners and have engaged in forcing women into prostitution and human trafficking. But this is the first time they’ve abducted children on such a large scale.”
Old Qiu said, “There’s one more thing. The leader of the Shu Tiger Gang is Cheng Kun. The abbot of Ming Kun Monastery, Daoist Song Cui, is also surnamed Cheng. Cheng Kun is actually Daoist Song Cui’s disciple. We’re not sure if Ming Kun Monastery is involved in this matter.”
Shi Hao frowned, his hooked nose appearing even more prominent, “Although the Chongxian Sect isn’t exactly righteous, they at least present themselves as such. They shouldn’t be involved in something like this, should they?”
Lu Tong snorted, “Those people in the Chongxian Sect act all noble and virtuous on the surface, but they’ve committed plenty of vile deeds in secret. I wouldn’t be surprised if they’re involved in this.”
Old Qiu said, “Based on the clues we have so far, the Shu Tiger Gang is only the seller. There must be another hidden figure or organization ‘buying’ these children from them.
“It’s because of this demand that the Shu Tiger Gang is engaging in this trade, and even the Six Gates are acting as their bodyguards. This hidden buyer must be quite powerful.”
Shi Hao said calmly, “There’s supply because there’s demand. It seems we need to find out who’s buying these children and take them down as well.”
Lu Tong said softly, “Brother Hao, we’ve noticed that the Shu Tiger Gang has become even more brazen in their actions, abducting children everywhere. They’ve become frenzied. They’ve taken at least a hundred children, many of them even from within Jin Prefecture.”
Shi Hao realized that his actions had inadvertently alerted the Shu Tiger Gang, making them rush to complete this “big deal.”
He said, “We can’t let them take those children out of Jin Prefecture. Otherwise, we might never find them again.”
Old Qiu sighed, “Although we can track the Shu Tiger Gang’s movements, we don’t have the strength to rescue those children. Cheng Kun himself is an eighth-rank martial artist and a supernatural ability user. He also has two other eighth-rank martial artists, numerous ninth-rank experts, and hundreds of gang members under his command.”
“Although we have many informants at the lower levels, our skilled members aren’t here.”
Shi Hao nodded. He could see that Dark Thunder had ambitious goals, likely with members in every province, waiting for the right opportunity to overthrow the barbarian court.
However, even with many experts, their forces were spread thin across the provinces and prefectures.
Dark Thunder’s true strength was concentrated in the central plains and the southern regions where the barbarian court’s influence was weaker. The West Shu Province wasn’t their main focus, so their forces here were limited.
He said solemnly, “It’s alright. I need your intelligence. Just keep an eye on where the children are being held and where they’re being taken. Especially when they transport them northwest, they must have stopping points along the way. I knew of one location, but they’ve likely abandoned it.”
Old Qiu said, “Rest assured, Righteous Hao. We’ll take care of that.”
Shi Hao looked up at the ceiling beams, then lowered his head, “If I want to avoid Cheng Kun and capture someone from the Shu Tiger Gang who knows more, who do you think would be the best target?”
Old Qiu said, “In that case, the most suitable target would be Gu Shufeng, the Shu Tiger Gang’s accountant. He doesn’t know martial arts, but he’s the brains behind their operations. He’s involved in all their accounts and major deals. However, he has many bodyguards, so capturing him won’t be easy.”
Shi Hao nodded, “Please gather information about him as soon as possible: his usual whereabouts, his hiding places, the best time to strike. I only need your intelligence. I’ll find someone else to carry out the capture.”
Old Qiu and Lu Tong exchanged glances. After a moment of thought, Old Qiu said, “Rest assured, kind sir. We’ll handle the intelligence gathering.”
Shi Hao said, “I might not be able to meet with you directly next time. We need another location to exchange information.”
Old Qiu said, “Don’t worry about that, Righteous Hao. We have many people in Jin City, although most are ordinary people with no martial arts skills, they’re hidden in various professions. We can choose a location and exchange information through secret messages.”
Shi Hao nodded, discussed the details with them, and then hurriedly left…
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