Day and night tour

Chapter 450 Alchemy Experiments
After carefully examining the miniature house, the White Deer Taoist priest's face lit up with delight, and he said...

"That's enough, that's enough... Although the internal structure of the alchemy furnace is somewhat complex, it's still far inferior to this house."

"This skill of carving flowers out of the ground is truly amazing."

The White Deer Alchemist had been practicing alchemy for many years and had a unique fondness for earth, stone, and relief sculptures. Once he got his hands on that little house, he couldn't put it down and wanted to squeeze his eyes into it to examine it closely.

"Don't look, we're talking about serious business."

Seeing that the White Deer Taoist priest was slow to emerge from his meditative state, Zhou Xuan simply reached out and snatched the small house from him, placing it neatly on the counter. He then stood back to examine it, nodding with satisfaction.

"Yes! This item looks much better in the shop."

He looked exactly like someone admiring a figurine.

The White Deer Taoist priest, standing to the side, said sullenly, "Master, we agreed to talk about serious matters."

"The aesthetic arrangement of the store is the real issue," Zhou Xuan said.

"..." White Deer Alchemist.

Zhou Xuan's love for this miniature house was excessive. Sister Cui noticed this and laughed heartily, "Brother Xuan, you like this thing that much?"

Who wouldn't like something that's like a work of art?

“That would be great. I’ll make more for you in the future. I’ll make a model of the entire East Market Street and give it to you… No, not just East Market Street, I’ll make a model of the entire Mingjiang Prefecture.”

"Sister Cui said."

Zhou Xuan said with a smile, "Then my shop will be truly shining. By the way, Sister Cui, you have this skill, how come I've never seen you use it before?"

"I dare not turn it on."

Sister Cui said, "There's a large feng shui formation in East Market Street. Once I activate it, it will generate an aura that will hide me in this street, so no one will notice me."
However, if I use the laws of the earth, I will be exposed, and then a group of villains who want to absorb the laws within my body will come to hunt me down like cats smelling fish.

As soon as she finished speaking, Zhou Xuan looked at Li Changxun.

Among the villains Sister Cui mentioned were disciples of the Xunlong Hall.

This time, Zhou Xuan didn't even need to say anything; Li Changxun started cursing: "The Xunlong Hall is guilty of heinous crimes! Sister, don't be angry. When I get back to the hall, I'll start a rectification campaign!"
A bunch of filthy Taoist priests, instead of thinking about traveling and enjoying nature, they're plotting evil? Do they have any respect for their sect? Do they have any regard for their master's laws and regulations?

He had already verbally begged for forgiveness, so it would be impolite for Zhou Xuan to continue lecturing him.

He could only steer the conversation back on track, saying to Sister Cui, "Sister Cui, building such a large alchemy furnace in a single day, even with your knowledge of the laws of the four realms of the earth, must not be an easy task, right?"

"It's not easy. It requires our fox clan to perform a great blood sacrifice, and many foxes may lose their lives. But for Master's sake, our fox clan is willing to go all out."

"A lot more foxes will die?"

Zhou Xuan was quite concerned about this.

"Of course, but we foxes are used to it."

Sister Cui said, "In the past, our fox clan was naturally intelligent. From birth, we knew how to absorb the essence of the sun and moon. Therefore, many people from various factions wanted to kill us."

Our fox clan has always faced the dilemma of life and death. Later, our fox clan also learned to rely on powerful figures.
Every year, we select hundreds of disciples as offerings to the "shamanic" shrine. They are believed to have a true god behind them, who can protect us for a time.
Those disciples offered as tribute were all selected by the fox clan through a 'life-or-death lottery'..."

Sister Cui's words revealed the bitterness of the fox clan.

In order to ensure the survival of their race, people would willingly cut off their own arms. Who would choose this path unless they were truly desperate?

"So, the Himalayas?"

"Third Brother, it was precisely because he didn't want this situation to keep happening that he betrayed the Hu Clan and came to find a way out."

Sister Cui said, "Brother Xuan is now the great master of the fox clan. Because of you, the fox clan no longer has to live that kind of life of wandering. This is already a great thing. We fox people are willing to do more for you, even if it costs us our lives."

Her words were extremely righteous, and Zhou Xuan was somewhat moved.
However, one thing at a time, the fact that the furnace, which is taller than a mountain, has been secured at this point means that the "Seven-Colored Golden Elixir" can be refined no matter what.

There were some things Zhou Xuan no longer needed to hide. He said, "Sister Cui, this trip to refine pills is for me, but it's also for your fox clan."

"Ah? Pills made for our fox clan?"

Sister Cui was somewhat puzzled.

Zhou Xuan said, "I want to use that alchemy furnace, which is more magnificent than a mountain, to refine a pill. This pill will allow me to become the Alchemy Official of the Heavenly Realm. At the same time, this pill will save... Hua Zi."

"This..." Sister Cui was immediately dizzy, feeling that happiness had come too suddenly.

Although the story of saving Hua Zi had haunted her dreams countless times, she dared not think about it once she woke up, because she knew that Hua Zi would never come back.

And now,
Zhou Xuan actually said that the elixir could save Hua Zi?
Sister Cui believed Zhou Xuan's words one hundred percent. Even if Zhou Xuan said that he would become the "Supreme Will" of the Jing Kingdom tomorrow, Sister Cui would not doubt a word of it.

"Hua Zi is coming back... Hua Zi is coming back."

Sister Cui kept repeating these words, but her body went limp and she couldn't stand up. Fortunately, Zhou Xuan was nearby and hurriedly helped her up.

"Hua Zi will definitely come back, as long as that alchemy furnace can be built well."

Zhou Xuan reiterated this point.

"Hmm, hmm, if Hua Zi comes back, I will definitely treat you to a good meal at Dongjiang Grand Restaurant."

Sister Cui used to live a rather frugal life. Even now, she no longer needs to hide her identity, has many ways to make money, and the salary paid to her by the Zhou family troupe is quite considerable. However, her imagination of "feast meals" is still limited to "Dongjiang Grand Restaurant".

Dongjiang Restaurant is the most prestigious restaurant in Dongshi Street, but compared to the rest of the prefecture... it's just a pebble in a vast ocean, very inconspicuous.

"Forget about Dongjiang Grand Restaurant. If Hua Zi could be resurrected, with the old painter and musician as hosts, we could go to any restaurant in Mingjiang Prefecture we wanted."

The wine connoisseur smiled and offered his advice.

Lord Jian said, "If Mu Hua had saved our Ping Shui Prefecture, all the photos at the entrance of the prefectural government office would have to be replaced with his."

Their conversation suddenly made Sister Cui burst into laughter.
The White Deer Alchemist, who had been silent until now, interjected, saying, "Master, you have the Heavenly Fire, the materials, and the alchemy furnace. Everything is ready. This is wonderful news."

However, there's one more thing you forgot.

"What is it?"

Zhou Xuan asked.

The White Deer Taoist pointed to the starry sky scroll above his head and said, "This scroll is indeed a design blueprint, but you can also think of it as a small furnace."

"A small stove?"

"Yes, it can be used to refine a small amount of pills."

The White Deer Alchemist said, "Although it's a small amount of elixir, could you please let me see what kind of elixir it is and what its medicinal properties are?"
"Now that I understand all this thoroughly, when I use that majestic alchemy furnace to refine pills, I'll have a clear plan for whether the pills will be successfully refined, what their quality will be, and how to remedy any unforeseen circumstances."

"Shall we give it a try?"

"Try it."

The White Deer Taoist said.

Zhou Xuan thought for a moment and said, "As for materials, my Heavenly Book still contains some human willpower, but not much."

"Not many are fine, since it's just a small amount of pills, so we don't need too many materials."

"What about that fire?"

“Summoning a divine lightning bolt would be more than enough. Of course, it would be best if the blue and red fish could come out and have some fun... so that I could also see the world.”

Bai Lu, the alchemist, had refined many pills and witnessed many scenes, but he had never seen two alchemy progenitors, Qinghongyu and Lanyu, swimming and refining pills at the same time.

Not to mention that he had never seen him before, Master Jiu was quite pleased with himself, saying, "Old Arrow, look, I was the one who invited you to see the Master. You made the right decision, didn't you? If you hadn't come, you would have regretted it to the core."

"That's right, that's right." It was extremely rare for Lord Arrow to argue with Lord Wine, and he honestly admitted that the other was right.

"Alright, the fire and materials are both excellent, but what about the furnace..."

Zhou Xuan asked,

The White Deer Alchemist quickly said, "I'll draw you a diagram. I'll show you all the structures in this diagram. Just build a furnace according to my diagram."

"Then hurry up and draw it."

Zhou Xuan took out paper and pen from the counter.

The paper was Xuan paper, and the brush was a wolf-hair brush. The white-deer sorcerer shook his head vigorously, saying, "This won't do, this won't do. This paper bleeds easily, and the brush tip is too thick, too thick..."

What kind of pen do you need?

"Just one needle will do, the ink should be thick, and the paper should ideally be waxed paper." "Wait, I'll go buy it."

Zhou Xuan said.

Dongshi Street is a funeral street. People who work in the funeral industry often need to write and draw, so the variety of paper and pens sold there is even better than the stationery shop near the entrance of Huifeng Medical College.
Zhou Xuan went out and happened to run into Shui Fu and Xiao Fuzi.

"Young Master, where are you going?"

"Oh, I'll go buy paper and pens."

“You just came back from Huangyuan Prefecture, you must be exhausted. Go take a bath and rest, I’ll go buy some paper and pens.”

Xiao Fuzi is an all-rounder at home, but Zhou Xuan felt a little bad and said, "Let's not wash for now. You can rest too. I'll go buy it. We're still refining pills at home."

"Then you need to take a shower even more."

Xiao Fuzi said considerately, "Young master, I heard that when people refine pills, they need to burn incense and take a bath. If they are clean, they can refine better pills."

"You've gotten quite the smooth talker lately."

“I learned it from the young master. Young master, please go ahead. I’ll go buy paper and pens.”

After Xiao Fuzi found out the specifications for the paper and pens, she went to the "Cinnabar Shop".

The cinnabar shop mainly sells talismans, funeral paintings, and other similar items; it also sells a full range of paper and pens.

After Xiao Fuzi returned, the White Deer Taoist began to paint, using the tip of a needle to pick up ink and carefully drawing on the waxed paper.

It's rare to see someone with his chuunibyou tendencies being so serious.

By the time the White Deer Taoist finished painting, Zhou Xuan had almost finished his bath, his long hair still slightly damp, and he was wearing a brand-new Taoist robe.

Zhou Xuan really does resemble a Taoist alchemist.
When he came out, he was startled to find that there were many more people in the ritual store.

The painter, the King of Xishan, the musician, the Red Coffin Lady, and others all came over.

"Why are you all here?"

Zhou Xuan asked.

"We've heard the news that the Master is going to refine an unparalleled elixir," the painter said with a smile.

The coffin-maker then said to Zhou Xuan, "Master, what kind of bewitching drug did you give our chief? The secret message he sent me today couldn't stop talking about you."
If you weren't a man, I'm afraid he might fall in love with you.

"It's not necessarily wrong for men to be together."

The musician said quietly from the side.

"Gan!"

Zhou Xuan glanced at the musician and said, "Old Yue, you've gone bad, your mouth is full of lewd words."

After smiling, he said to the woman in the red coffin, "Mr. Lu is quite a remarkable person."

"What's so clever about the boss?"

"His brilliance lies in the fact that despite having a huge fish head on his head, he is incredibly elegant and refined."

As soon as Zhou Xuan spoke, the Red Coffin Lady thought of Lu Xingzhou's fish head and immediately burst into laughter: "Now that you describe it like that, I really think the Boss is much cuter."

The group cracked jokes and the atmosphere was wonderful.

Just then, the White Deer Taoist handed over the drawing paper.

"Master, the drawing is finished."

Zhou Xuan took the drawing paper and examined it closely. It was a huge alchemy furnace, complete with cross-sections, vertical sections, and top views. Even the exact length of each section was written in ink, emphasizing "accuracy".

"Well, old Bailu, I thought you were some kind of 'unreliable' old man, but I didn't expect you to be such a diligent scholar?"

Zhou Xuan praised him, saying he had some doubts about whether the old man had studied CAD and was a skilled drafter.

"Sir, you flatter me. Do you see any problems?"

"What are these winding gullies?" Zhou Xuan asked, pointing to the grooves on the map.

"You actually understand it?" The White Deer Alchemist squinted.

Zhou Xuan: "..."

You always thought I couldn't read drawings? I actually studied industrial drafting.

"You think I can't understand? Then what questions am I supposed to ask?" Zhou Xuan said irritably.

"I was just being polite; I didn't expect you to actually understand my drawing," said the White Deer Taoist priest quite bluntly.

The woman in the red coffin, seemingly oblivious to the complexity of the diagram, glanced at it and was immediately overwhelmed by the dense array of numbers.

She felt that the numbers were like mosquitoes fluttering around, stirring things up wildly in her mind.

"I saw things I shouldn't have seen, they've ruined my brain." The woman in the red coffin rubbed her eyes hurriedly, as if trying to rub those numbers out of her head.

The painter also glanced at it and immediately thought, "The master is indeed a man of both literary and martial talents. How could anyone understand this painting?"
The White Deer Alchemist explained to Zhou Xuan, "Master, these grooves are fire channels, guiding heavenly fire into the fire eye. There are twenty-seven of them, each of varying lengths."
"When building the furnace, you must be extremely careful not to make even the slightest mistake, otherwise not only will the furnace fail to refine any pills, but it might even explode."

Zhou Xuan nodded, then pointed to the diagram and said, "What about these raised patterns? They're not for decoration, are they?"

"The alchemy furnace is a practical object. Any design that is not for practical use is useless inside the furnace. I cannot possibly draw any decorative items."

Mr. Bailu added, "These are called 'fire dividers.' In the furnace, they are mainly used to separate the fire in the fire channel into layers."
The fire needs to be layered and dense enough to satisfy the various sizes of sparkling flames within your alchemy furnace.

"Oh……"

After listening to this analysis, Zhou Xuan learned a lot; such a small alchemy furnace actually had so many features.

"What are the patterns on the bottom of this stove?"

"When heavenly fire enters the furnace, it is inherently unstable, with the fire fluctuating in intensity. It needs to burn along these patterns for a while before the fire can be refined into pills."

"It's like cooking. If the heat is too high or too low, you can't stir-fry the food properly. It will end up being raw with some cooked parts, and you'll lose your composure."

Zhou Xuan nodded and then discussed the other components on the blueprints with the White Deer Taoist.

What these two were saying was all serious, but to the rest of the people, it sounded like they were listening to gibberish.

"Old Hua, you're a scholar too. What are they saying? They're just babbling on and on."

Li Changxun asked the painter.

"I used to think of myself as a scholar, but now... I'm just a lousy painter. If you ask me, I don't know either."

The painter said with a wry smile.

Finally, after a long discussion between Zhou Xuan and the White Deer alchemist, he finally understood the settings inside the alchemy furnace, and also checked the dimensions of many of the components.
The White Deer Alchemist immediately sighed and said, "If all my former disciples were as intelligent as you, Master, they would understand these diagrams at a glance, and I wouldn't have had to work so hard to refine pills."

"Stop flattering me, let's build the furnace and prepare to refine the pills."

Zhou Xuan handed the blueprint to Sister Cui and said, "Sister Cui, just make a pill furnace according to this blueprint. The dimensions are all written on it."

Sister Cui glanced at the blueprints and immediately looked troubled, saying, "Brother Xuan, to be frank, I've only read some Confucian classics like the Four Books and Five Classics since I was a child, and I know absolutely nothing about these mechanisms and manufacturing techniques."
I can't understand these drawings at all.

"It's okay, I'll teach you."

Zhou Xuan said to Sister Cui, "Look, here is the cross-section. What is a cross-section?"

He grabbed a teapot, chopped it in half with his bone fang, then held up the two halves and pointed to the cut surface, saying, "This piece is called the cross-section."

"..." Sister Cui's expression became even more troubled.

Zhou Xuan refused to believe it and gave another "teaching demonstration". He cut the kettle into more than ten pieces, but Sister Cui was only half-understanding!
"The situation is a bit bad; the furnace maker can't understand the blueprints."

Zhou Xuan then realized the real difficulty in making the alchemy furnace—Sister Cui didn't even have the most basic concept of cross-sections or top views, let alone the various complex settings inside the furnace.

The patterns, such as "fire buckle," "coil pattern," and "fire channel," meander and undulate like tangled electrical wires in a poor neighborhood, making it difficult for outsiders to make sense of them.

"How can we make sure Sister Cui can understand it?"

Zhou Xuan was immediately at a loss. He couldn't possibly teach Sister Cui the "Industrial Drawing" course lesson by lesson, could he?

(End of this chapter)