Starting from the Tiger Demon Yaksha, the demon immortality

Chapter 258, Section 267: Affection, News

"September 5th?"

"I heard that Prince Li Yisheng of Jin led his troops westward some time ago. Fortunately, the Li family of Longxi was able to reach Huayin County before the Double Ninth Festival."

Even while Li Cunxiao was in seclusion cultivating, he did not slacken his efforts to gather intelligence from the outside world.

With the stalemate between the imperial court and the puppet Qi regime lasting for half a year, the regional military governors were all eager to make their move.

Sending troops into the capital to confront Gao Pian directly is a poor strategy; right now, everyone wants to reap the benefits without lifting a finger.

With the change of dynasties imminent, any powerful regional warlords were annexing and accumulating strength in various places.

Prince Li Yisheng of Jin, a powerful figure who stood in opposition to Prince Zhu Quanzhong of Liang in the north and south respectively, was naturally an ambitious man.

However, the fact that the Li family of Longxi can still send people here shows that the situation in Guannei Road is not too bad.

"This could be a good opportunity to learn more about the various regional military governors."

Li Cunxiao pondered for a moment, then dismissed the servants and went straight out to the entrance of the Azure Dragon Pavilion.

With white walls and green tiles, a wide road paved with bluestone runs through the middle, with a central axis dividing the equipment room on the left and the alchemy room on the right.

My gaze occasionally swept across the room, and through the windows and half-open doors, I could see the busy inner disciples.

The process of gathering herbs, slaughtering, refining, and storing is carried out in an orderly manner.

Some disciples noticed Li Cunxiao's arrival and immediately showed respect on their faces. Just as they were about to speak, the latter raised his hand, pressed it lightly, smiled, and left.

"Senior Brother Li has come to inspect our work again. He's really diligent."

"Yes, I heard that the alchemy room has been receiving a lot of guidance from Senior Brother Li recently, and the production of materials and the completion of pills have both improved compared to when Senior Brother Li Siqi was in charge."

"Hey, when will Senior Brother Li come to our equipment room to give us some guidance? I'd like to improve myself too."

"Don't rush, haven't you heard? Senior Brother Li has been collecting dragon tendons and dragon skins lately, apparently to refine a magical treasure. There will definitely be a chance for us to shine then."

Hearing the whispers, Li Cunxiao chuckled to himself, feeling a sense of wonder at the mysteries of the world.

Once upon a time, he was just like those disciples, longing for someone to appreciate him and soar to great heights. Now, however, he has become a "benefactor" in the eyes of others.

If it weren't for Zhang Lishi's recommendation, he might still be working as a waiter in a restaurant, picking up leftover food and drink to support his younger brother.

Of course, with the Vajra Pestle around, he will definitely have his day, but it's hard to say whether it will be sooner or later.

"I wonder how Master and the others are doing in Songzhou?"

As his thoughts wandered, Li Cunxiao proceeded with practiced ease. At the end of the central axis was a vast animal park, where spiritual herbs were planted—the very place of the Hundred Herbs Garden.

After spending about half a year together, the inner disciples here were quite familiar with him, and they weren't surprised to see him walk into the slaughterhouse.

Before even stepping inside, a stench of blood and filth assaulted my senses.

Li Cunxiao remained expressionless, greeting the disciples inside while simultaneously making an inspection gesture with his hands:

"What demons are there today?"

"Reporting to Senior Brother, there are thirty-six fifth-tier demons, one hundred and twenty-six fourth-tier demons, and third-tier..."

The inner disciple was quite familiar with this, and recited a series of numbers and categories of demons and monsters, as if listing dishes, explaining what kind of pills they were used to refine.

As he spoke, he couldn't help but steal glances at Li Cunxiao as he walked past the corpses of demons, and a sense of admiration arose in his heart.

When Li Siqi was in charge, he was very diligent, but he didn't have to do everything himself like this, especially in the dirty and tiring slaughterhouse.

As long as there are no problems with the materials sent, coming once a month is already considered good.

However, this Senior Brother Li came almost every day except when he was in seclusion, and he didn't just come for show.

He personally oversaw the slaughtering and processing of the ingredients.

This level of attention was something the slaughterhouse apprentices had never received before. Of course, with their superiors coming to inspect their work every day, the pressure must have been immense.

However, Li Cunxiao had one good point: he was clear about rewards and punishments, and he did so quickly.

As long as they do their job well, they are usually rewarded with elixirs, and they may even receive occasional guidance in martial arts.

The other party's explanations were profound yet simple and easy to understand. In fact, every month for the past few months, there have been disciples who have broken through their cultivation levels after receiving guidance from the other party, which makes people extremely envious.

"Good, you did well today. After the Double Ninth Festival assessment, in addition to the sect's rewards, I will refine an extra batch of pills for my junior brothers as a reward."

"Thank you so much, Senior Brother! We junior brothers don't know how to repay your kindness."

"Rewards? You have done your work diligently, so naturally you should be rewarded. As for rewards, those should be for our master. I am merely managing some mundane affairs on his behalf."

Facing the fervent gazes of his disciples, Li Cunxiao smiled and withdrew his hand from the demon's corpse.

What they couldn't see was that invisible malevolent energy gathered from all directions of flesh and blood around him and surged into the vajra in his dantian.

Wow.
As if a phantom sound of water was ringing in their ears, the golden light within the vajra visibly rippled and surged, flowing from the center outwards to both sides.

"It's great to have a powerful sect behind you. You can earn evil energy every day without doing anything."

As his disciples saw him off, Li Cunxiao walked out of the Azure Dragon Pavilion with light steps and a smile on his lips.

Back when we lived at Tiangu Temple, we had to slaughter the animals ourselves.

Now that he is the de facto master of the Azure Dragon Pavilion, he only needs to cultivate every day and then take a turn around, which will ensure that he can fill the Vajra Pestle at least once a month.

This speed is certainly not very fast, but the advantage is that you don't have to go down the mountain, and in this chaotic world, your safety is fully guaranteed.

"Louguan Dao is indeed a great sect. They even have specially made bait that can weaken demons, allowing Huangting martial artists to slaughter fifth and sixth-order demons."

"Assuming other holy sites have similar methods, the existence of demons would be a disaster for ordinary people, but for powerful forces, they would simply be mobile resources."

"In this way, as long as the demons are controlled, the people of the area will be grateful and the lives of tens of thousands of people will be in our hands."

Li Cunxiao couldn't help but sigh, recalling the scene of encountering the dragon when he first came to Louguandao.

With all the powerful figures focused on the world, who cares about the common people struggling in the mud?
"Big Brother," Mu Cha greeted him as they approached the courtyard gate, his body still steaming with white mist, clearly having just finished his cultivation.

"Senior Sister Ye is here to see you again. She's waiting in the front hall."

The handsome young man had a strange look in his eyes, which swept over his older brother's face, as if he wanted to say something but hesitated.

"I understand," Li Cunxiao nodded dismissively, pretending not to see, and walked straight through the corridor.
Upon arriving at the front hall, they indeed saw Ye Shuyi, dressed in a light purple Taoist robe, sitting gracefully in a chair.

Perhaps because she had just sat down and hadn't had time to straighten her robes, the hem of her Taoist robe was pressed down by her rounded waist, slightly taut, outlining her beautiful figure beneath the loose robe.

"Junior brother, you've arrived? Perfect timing. We discussed the method of refining the Twenty-Four Qi Pill last time. After returning, I consulted the ancient books again and have some new ideas."

Ye Shuyi was completely at ease. As soon as the young man sat down, she took out her books and a stack of Xuan paper and began to gesture enthusiastically.

Her right hand rested on a whisk, and with each movement, the smooth cuffs of her sleeves drooped down with gravity, inevitably revealing a section of her delicate arm.

Her slender fingers gripped the white jade handle; the two colors complemented each other, appearing as one. Upon seeing this, Li Cunxiao couldn't help but glance at it a few more times, a complex mix of emotions welling up within him.

To be honest, the other party has come to see him more than once or twice in the past six months.

Although the discussions always revolved around alchemy, we gradually became more familiar with each other over time.

He wasn't a real monk after all, and he was in the prime of his life with plenty of energy. To say that he had no feelings for such an outstanding woman in every way would be nonsense.

However, the current situation is changing rapidly, and it doesn't seem like a good time to discuss marriage.

His habit has always been to be prepared and not to take risks, so he could only suppress that thought for the time being.

As for why they didn't simply shut the other party out, the truth is that every time the other party came, they wouldn't discuss anything else except alchemy.

One or two months would have been fine, but now, almost half a year has passed, and it's still the same. One can get a sense of his temperament to some extent, not to mention his alchemy skills.

Learning from others' experiences can improve one's own skills. Through mutual learning and refinement, Li Cunxiao's alchemy skills were completely different from those in the last competition.

If back then he was a mediocre person who knew nothing but calming pills, after half a year of study, he has made up for all his shortcomings.

Now, he can easily refine any pill below the sixth rank; otherwise, he wouldn't be able to reward his fellow disciples in the Azure Dragon Pavilion so often.

"Senior Sister's idea is generally good. Following this method, we should be able to increase the success rate of the [Spring Begins] Pill by a few points."

After reviewing what the other person said in his mind, Li Cunxiao nodded in approval.

He was able to improve the formula for the Tranquilizing Pill by using the power of the Vajra Pestle, while Ye Shuyi relied entirely on her own extraordinary talent to try to modify the method of the Twenty-Four Qi Pill.

No wonder Taiyi always has to be more patient with the other party.

"Since Junior Brother also thinks there's no problem, why not seize the day and try it out today?"

Ye Shuyi reached out and touched the table, and several more pieces of material appeared on the table.

Magnolias with petals resembling mutton fat and amber stamens, cicada shells in black and gold with a transparent appearance, irregular copper blocks exuding a mellow fragrance, and pale yellow wintersweet blossoms radiating a slight chill.

"Have Senior Sisters Spring Magnolia, Summer Cicada, Autumn Goose Bronze, and Winter Snow Plum all prepared the materials?"

Li Cunxiao was somewhat amused and exasperated. Ye Shuyi was usually a refined lady from a prominent family, but when it came to alchemy, she was always decisive and efficient, without any hesitation.

Although the Twenty-Four Qi Pill contains twenty-four different pills, the main ingredients it contains are only four: spring magnolia, summer cicada, autumn wild goose, and winter snow plum.

The different seasons of spring, summer, autumn and winter correspond to different proportions of the four ingredients, different auxiliary materials are added, and the finished products are different.

It can be said that the Twenty-Four Qi Pill is the sixth-tier pill with the fewest raw materials, the most demanding refining techniques, and the most difficult to refine.

Among the Twenty-Four Solar Terms Pills, those for summer and winter are the most potent and pure, making them relatively easier to refine.

Spring and autumn, however, are at the turning point of Yin and Yang, one from death to life, and the other from life to death. The balance between them is delicate and the most difficult to control.

Even though Li Cunxiao has improved the "Nine Revolutions Flowing Pearl Nine Elixir Scripture" to its peak level with the help of the evil energy provided by the Azure Dragon Pavilion over the past six months, he still dares not say that he can be sure of success every time he refines elixirs.

"Junior brother, I'll begin."

Inside the alchemy room, Ye Shuyi, having made preparations, lit the furnace and began refining the materials one by one.

Ignition and temperature control, extraction and mixing, conversion between heat and heat, and sealing after ignition.
Ye Shuyi performed the first three steps flawlessly, but some problems arose in the fourth step.

For other types of pills, once the fire is stopped, the medicinal properties of the pills are already determined. Whether they are properly sealed and nurtured will have some impact on the final quality, but ultimately it will not ruin a batch of pills.

However, the beginning of spring is different.

As the first solar term from winter to spring, it captures the subtle process of all things reviving from their slumber. Too little and it becomes lifeless; too much and it becomes excessive.

For the Beginning of Spring, that little bit of vitality cannot be ignited by alchemical fire, but rather should be naturally generated in the alchemical furnace after all the work is done.

The fire elemental essence of the Vermilion Bird lineage is excessively violent and lacks gentleness, making it extremely difficult to control.

Li Cunxiao watched as Ye Shuyi bit her lip, trying her best to control herself, but the fire in the furnace was still a tiny bit too strong for the standard of life to begin to sprout.

"Such a batch of pills is a pity to be wasted. Senior sister, I'm coming."

As he spoke, the azure true essence, under his exquisite control, flowed like a gentle spring rain, seeping into the alchemy furnace.

Under Li Cunxiao's actions, the firepower in the alchemy furnace changed precisely.

The moment their true essences collided, Ye Shuyi felt a tremor in her heart for some reason, but with the pill nearing completion, she had no time to be distracted.

The two people's true essence intertwined and balanced, and a deep green pill gradually took shape in the alchemy furnace.

"Tsk, tsk, tsk."

Taiyi Zhenren appeared outside the alchemy room at some unknown time, his eyes pressed against the crack in the window, a smile playing on his lips.

These days, young people can even come up with such creative ways to practice alchemy?
You can't deny getting old.

"open!"

A quarter of an hour later, as if by telepathy, Li Cunxiao and Ye Shuyi changed their hand gestures, and the blue and red true essence lifted the [Beginning of Spring] out of the alchemy furnace, and an extremely elegant fragrance immediately filled the room.

"Junior brother, we succeeded!"

Ye Shuyi looked at the pills in her hand, a smile as gentle as a spring breeze lifting the corners of her lips.

But when she turned around and saw the young man's face, and thought of what had just happened, a blush crept up her ears again.

True essence is the condensation of a martial artist's vital energy; therefore, in life-or-death battles, one can say that it is a matter of risking one's "life" and "vitality".

But what happened just now wasn't a life-or-death struggle between the two; to be honest, it was more like a life-or-death exchange.
"cough cough"

A dry cough startled the two who were in a daze. When they saw Taiyi push the door open and enter, Ye Shuyi and Li Cunxiao quickly bowed.

The former wanted to say something more, but couldn't resist the old Taoist's subtle gaze. He simply agreed to discuss the gains and losses together after the Double Ninth Festival, and then left as if fleeing.

"Master," Li Cunxiao noticed the mockery on the old Taoist's face and felt somewhat helpless.

"We're just refining pills."

"I see."

Taiyi smiled slyly, "Master has been through this before, he understands everything, so don't overthink it."

I was afraid you'd overthink it.

Li Cunxiao didn't want to get entangled in this matter, so he quickly changed the subject.

"You've come to see your disciple in person; is there something important you need to discuss?"

Upon hearing this, Taiyi's smile vanished instantly. With a casual wave of his hand, the Bone-Illuminating Mirror flew out, its golden light enveloping the entire room.

"It's that bald thief Qici; he's run into some trouble."

(End of this chapter)