Family Cultivation: Rise of the Wilderness

Chapter 385 Apprenticeship
Danggui Mountain, Yiyuan Peak.

The "Bing Liu" stone chamber was filled with a stuffy heat, and a fair-skinned, delicate-faced girl was sitting in front of the alchemy furnace with complete concentration.

Her eyes were closed, sweat dripped down her long eyelashes, and her jade-like arms moved gently. Streams of pale blue magic power seeped into the alchemy furnace like ribbons, and faint sounds could be heard from inside the furnace.

Suddenly, a look of panic flashed across the girl's face. She gritted her teeth, and more magical ribbons surged forth.

But it seems all efforts are in vain!
Shortly after, a muffled "bang" came from inside the alchemy furnace.

Puffs of black smoke billowed out from the gaps in the stove lid.

The girl's face was deathly pale, and large beads of sweat slid down her forehead. She got up and groped around in a groove next to the alchemy furnace. Soon, the raging flames burning under the furnace went out.

"Failed again!"

The girl turned around and looked at an old Taoist priest with a white beard behind her, her face showing a hint of guilt.

"It's alright. Miss Chi is still relatively new to this field, so asking you to refine this Qingling Pill is indeed a bit too much for her."

The old Taoist with the white beard was none other than the Green Sheep Taoist.

Seeing that Chi Youyan had finished refining the pills, he got up and walked over to check the remaining residue in the furnace and analyze the reasons for the failure.

Chi Youyan listened with a still dejected expression: "The Daoist Master has already taught me so many techniques, and with the help of the earth fire, I am still so useless."

Upon hearing this, Qingyang Daoist chuckled and said, "You little rascal, do you think alchemy is an easy thing? If you could make pills just by teaching a couple of classes, then this old Daoist would have students all over the world by now!"

Chi Youyan quickly replied, "This humble woman dares not presume to know more than I have; I have only failed to live up to your painstaking guidance, Daoist Master."

"You cultivate water-based alchemy, which inherently requires more consideration than fire-based alchemy. It's normal to fail a few times. I didn't choose water-based alchemy back then either."

As Qingyang Daoist spoke eloquently, he suddenly sensed something, took out a glowing talisman from his storage bag, and raised his eyebrows: "It's Layman Li who's here."

"Brother Li?"

Chi Youyan's eyes lit up, and she hurriedly stepped forward to open the door to the stone chamber.

Soon, with a deep rumble, the heavy stone door slowly rose, and a young man dressed in a green robe stepped into the stone chamber.

"Youyan?"

Li Xiangming was somewhat surprised to see Chi Youyan's joyful expression, but he didn't say anything. Instead, he first cupped his hands to Qingyang Daoist and said, "Greetings, Daoist Master."

"What brings you to Yiyuan Peak today, Layman Li?"

The Taoist Qingyang stroked his long beard and asked with a smile.

A glint flashed in Li Xiangming's eyes: "I heard that you have successfully refined the Herb God Pill, and your alchemy skills have reached a new level. I have come to congratulate you."

"Haha, it's just good luck."

Qingyang Daoist was in a good mood and invited Li Xiangming to sit down.

After some conversation, Li Xiangming learned that "C6" was originally assigned to Chi Youyan's alchemy room—the Li family had built a total of thirty-six independent alchemy rooms on Yiyuan Peak, classified into A, B, C, and D, with nine rooms in each category.

Of course, the Li family didn't have that many alchemists, so a large number of alchemy rooms were empty.

After Li Xiangming learned that Chi Youyan had become an alchemist, he made an exception for her, allowing her to stay at Yiyuan Peak to practice alchemy temporarily.

Some time ago at Jiming Mountain, Qingyang Daoist also wanted to try refining the Herb God Pill in the alchemy room.

Li Xiangming had no objection to this, and even gave Qingyang Daoist an identity token for the alchemy and weapon room, making it easier for him to enter and leave Yiyuan Peak.

Just yesterday, Qingyang Daoist successfully refined the Herb God Pill. In high spirits, he happened to see Chi Youyan walking out of the alchemy room looking dejected after failing to refine the pill.

He assumed the other person was a woman from the Li family and thought he could offer some guidance.

Unexpectedly, the other party was refining the very thing he was good at: the Cleansing Spirit Pill.

Now, how could Qingyang Daoist possibly hold back?

On a whim, he personally accompanied Chi Youyan to the "Bing Liu" alchemy room for a lecture.

It wasn't until Chi Youyan failed several times that she gradually learned the other party's true identity.

However, Qingyang Daoist did not keep his knowledge to himself, but continued to pass on his experience.

Unfortunately, in just one day, Chi Youyan still hadn't fully mastered the technique of refining the Qingling Pill.

"Perhaps this is fate!"

Li Xiangming chuckled and looked at Chi Youyan: "Daoist Master has imparted all his knowledge to you; this is a great favor from a teacher. How should you express your gratitude?"

Chi Youyan was stunned for a moment, but seeing Li Xiangming's look, she quickly reacted and immediately knelt down and said, "Master Qingyang's great kindness is something I have no way to repay. I can only show my true feelings by performing the duties of a disciple and being filial to my master!"

"This"

The Taoist priest looked troubled.

Li Xiangming feigned surprise: "Does the Daoist priest think that Youyan is unruly and disobedient?"

Qingyang Daoist quickly shook his head and denied it: "Not at all, Miss Chi is clever and quick-witted, and she is no less than my Siyan."

"That means Youyan lacks talent in alchemy and failed to catch the Daoist's eye. What a pity!"

Li Xiangming sighed softly, a hint of regret in his voice.

Upon hearing this, Chi Youyan's face instantly darkened. Recalling her repeated failures in the alchemy room, a wave of grievance welled up in her heart, making her almost want to bury her head in her chest.

Seeing this, Qingyang Daoist's head started to ache. He pointed at Li Xiangming and after a long while, he finally managed to choke out, "How come I never knew you were so good at teasing people?"

Li Xiangming looked innocent and feigned ignorance: "I was just telling the truth."

"You oh you"

The Taoist Qingyang stroked his beard and turned to Chi Youyan.

Water-based alchemy is much more difficult to learn than fire-based alchemy. Many people, even with the support of their families or sects, still cannot become fire-based alchemists.

Chi Youyan had grasped the essence of water-based alchemy on his own, so his talent was undeniable.

The reason why their skills are rudimentary is simply due to a lack of experience.

After all, no matter how detailed or ingenious the tips are, they are still written on paper.

The theory you see is completely different from the experience of actually doing it.

However, due to insufficient magical power, Chi Youyan's alchemy attempts mostly ended in failure, making it difficult to have a complete experience.

Although she now has Li Xiangming's support and has come to Yiyuan Peak to solve this major problem with the help of the earth fire, financial resources have become her biggest problem.

Refining pills at Yiyuan Peak is indeed much faster, but the amount of medicinal materials consumed is also far greater than before.

The Li family's willingness to lend out the alchemy room unconditionally is already a huge concession, so naturally they cannot provide free medicinal herbs.

Not to mention Chi Youyan, even Qingyang Daoist had to pay money to use the medicinal herbs from the Li family.

The Chi family's business was small, and Chi Laiyi was focused on expanding his spiritual fields, so the support he could give to Chi Youyan, an alchemist who was always "losing money," was pitifully little.

To put it bluntly, Chi Youyan was able to refine pills at Yiyuan Peak entirely thanks to the private sponsorship of Chi Laiyong and Li Xiangming.

But clearly, these sponsorships are very limited.

This caused Chi Youyan to feel guilty after each failed attempt at alchemy. On the one hand, she was afraid of letting down Chi Laiyong and Li Xiangming, and on the other hand, she was worried that she would have no medicinal materials to refine from now on.

An unstable mindset is a major taboo for alchemists.

Chi Youyan's repeated failures in alchemy can hardly be said to have been unaffected by this factor.

However, this is a stage that every independent alchemist must go through.

When Qingyang Daoist was young, he was the same.

Even his wealth back then was not as great as Chi Youyan's. He was only qualified to refine one batch of pills every one or two months. It wasn't until decades later that he accumulated enough knowledge and skills to become a well-known first-level alchemist.

Even if Chi Youyan has talent, without sufficient financial support, she will still end up on this winding path.
Of course, the greater possibility is that she will give up halfway and become utterly mediocre. Seeing Chi Youyan sobbing softly, Qingyang Daoist sighed, unable to bear remaining silent any longer. He organized his thoughts and slowly said, "Qingyang Temple is small, and Siyan and the others are already enough of a headache for me. The matter of taking on disciples is indeed difficult for me. If Miss Chi doesn't mind, you can not enter the temple, but register as a disciple with me. When I have time to come to Yiyuan Peak, I will give you some pointers."

"really?"

Chi Youyan looked up, her face full of surprise.

Qingyang Daoist nodded. Although he was not clear about the relationship between Chi Youyan and Li Xiangming, seeing how excited Chi Youyan was about Li Xiangming's arrival, he could infer that the two had a close relationship.

We should still give Mr. Li face.

But the skill level of an alchemist is something that can be acquired by spending money.

Even Li Xiangming, who showed such care for Chi Youyan, dared not promise to cover her alchemy expenses.

His small Qingyang Temple was naturally not one to act important.

Taking Chi Youyan as a disciple and offering guidance from time to time to help her avoid detours was his greatest sincerity.

"Youyan, why aren't you going to become my apprentice?"

Seeing that Qingyang Daoist nodded, Li Xiangming immediately took out a pot of spiritual wine from his storage bag and handed it to Chi Youyan.

"My master, please accept my bow!"

Chi You knelt down before Qingyang Daoist, his words incoherent.

She had always been exploring the art of alchemy on her own, and had suffered a lot in the process.

Now that I have a master, how could I not be excited?
Qingyang Daoist took the wine pot, helped Chi Youyan up, and said seriously, "I'm not always on Yiyuan Peak. You have to work much harder than Siyan and the others, you know that?"

"Disciple knows!"

Chi Youyan's face was serious as she knelt down again.

Seeing this, Qingyang Daoist took out a jade bamboo scroll from his robes and handed it to Chi Youyan: "This is a collection of alchemy insights I obtained by chance when I was young, which has been of great help to me. Later, I also recorded my own insights in it. Now that you have become my disciple and an alchemist, take it and study it carefully."

"Thank you, Master, for bestowing this treasure!"

Chi Youyan carefully took the jade slip, her eyes bright, as if she were holding a rare treasure.

Li Xiangming smiled and said, "Daoist Master, we won't disturb Youyan any longer. How about we go for a walk?"

Qingyang Daoist nodded and left the "Bing Liu" alchemy room with Li Xiangming.

"Young Master Li, you have truly gone to great lengths for Miss Chi."

The Taoist Qingyang said something that seemed to be a sigh.

Li Xiangming stopped and smiled calmly: "I treat her like a younger sister! Her two older brothers are not simple characters. The Chi family seems to dote on her, but they can't truly accept her. Only in the Li family can she do what she wants."

After a pause, Li Xiangming continued, "It just so happens that the water-based alchemy technique she cultivates is one of your treasured possessions, Daoist Master. Now, she has received your guidance. Isn't this an incredible stroke of luck?"

"Whatever you say, I've already made a good wine."

The Taoist priest, Qingyang, swung the wine jug in his hand, exuding an air of nonchalance.

Seeing this, Li Xiangming's eyes revealed a hint of envy.

Once upon a time, his yearning for cultivating immortality was also a yearning for a carefree life in the world.

Now it seems as if it is trapped in a narrow box, wriggling and struggling to hold on, just to gain more space.

However, he quickly suppressed the thought in his mind, knowing that his path was completely different from that of the Green Sheep Taoist.

After a moment of silence, Li Xiangming asked in a low voice, "How many Herbal God Pills did the Daoist Master refine?"

"Six."

Qingyang Daoist frowned slightly: "I'm still not skilled enough. Although I managed to make pills, it was 40% less than expected. There seems to be a better way to process the White Immortal Mushroom."

Li Xiangming listened quietly as the Taoist Qingyang pointed out some shortcomings.

After a moment, Qingyang Daoist realized what was happening and apologized, "I've been at Yiyuan Peak for half a month and I've completely forgotten that you're not an alchemist."

Li Xiangming waved his hand: "It's alright. So, it seems that Daoist Master won't be able to refine the Herbal Elixir for a while?"

"Well, we've used up all the medicinal herbs we brought this time. I'll do some more research and start another one."

Li Xiangming immediately pressed on, "Does the Daoist priest have any plans to sell the Herbal Divine Pill?"

The Taoist Qingyang stroked his beard but did not answer immediately.

He had already guessed the Li family's intentions when Li Xiangming approached him.

For him, the Grass God Pill, like the Pure Spirit Pill, was not a cultivation pill and had no essential value; he would sell it for whatever price he could get.

but
Seeing Qingyang Daoist hesitate, Li Xiangming quickly guessed his thoughts and smiled, saying, "Chief Liu is asking for one hundred spirit stones per stone, which is an astronomical price. If you want to sell to him, I can help you make the contact, but he probably won't need many for himself. The rest..."

"The rest can be sold to your Li family at market price."

The Green Sheep Taoist smiled subtly. The reason he was so eager to come and refine pills was because he had heard the news revealed by Li Xiangming that one hundred spirit stones for one Herb God Pill was far above the market price, so he was naturally itching to try it.

Now that the Li family has approached him to buy pills ahead of time, he has no choice but to hesitate.

"Of course, of course. Taoist priest, wait for my good news."

Li Xiangming didn't mind. The Li family wanted the Grass God Pill not to resell it, but to stockpile it for future use. As a second-tier pill that could repair injuries to the soul, the Grass God Pill was rare and hard to come by.

The Taoist priest's thoughts are also human nature; making money is nothing to be ashamed of!
Given his relationship with Qingyang Daoren, he was willing to go to great lengths for him.

Anyway, it won't matter if we buy a few less Herbal Elixir pills for the family.

The Green Sheep Taoist won't run away; there will be plenty of opportunities to purchase the Herb God Pill in the future.

After chatting for a while, Li Xiangming suddenly thought of something and asked in a low voice, "Daoist Master, you are very knowledgeable, do you know about the Heart-Eating Gu?"

"Heart-eating Gu?"

Qingyang Daoist silently searched his memory, and finally shook his head: "I have seen many Gu worms, but I don't seem to have heard of the Heart-Eating Gu that Little Li Jushi mentioned. I wonder what is so magical about this Heart-Eating Gu?"

Li Xiangming then explained the effects of the Heart-Eating Gu one by one.

Of course, he concealed the fact that it was a Tongbi Sect, only saying that a cult was using the Heart-Eating Gu to control young children, train them to be assassins, rob passing cultivators, and commit numerous killings.

Upon hearing this, Daoist Qingyang's face was filled with anger: "These wicked and despicable people are truly the scum of the cultivation world. It is they who have encouraged the Mang Sect's practice of abducting and trafficking children with spiritual roots!"

Li Xiangming also joined in cursing the mysterious forces, then sighed, "Our Li family is now in a dilemma. They are all children aged seven or eight to twelve or thirteen. If we release them, we fear they will be found and forced back into executions. If we don't release them, they will remain in the Li family, constantly clashing with us. In fact, if we relax our vigilance even slightly, some of the children will attempt to assassinate the Li family members guarding them, causing quite a stir."

"this."

The Taoist priest, Qingyang, paced back and forth with a worried expression.

After a long while, he finally stopped and exclaimed with delight, "I've got an idea!"

"any solution?"

Li Xiangming asked hurriedly.

"Illusion!"

Qingyang Daoist analyzed, "Didn't you say they were brainwashed? If someone is skilled in illusion magic, perhaps they can change their thinking in another way!"

"Illusion?"

Li Xiangming stood there, stunned.

He himself cultivates illusion techniques. Although he spends most of his time on Hunyuan Ruyi Jin and water magic, his skill in illusion techniques has improved significantly over the years.

When Ma He ambushed him in the mountain stronghold run by the Tongbi Sect, he was completely tricked.

However, perhaps because he was too caught up in the situation to realize the truth, he never thought of using illusion magic to help the children who had been infected with the Heart-Eating Gu.

　I'm recommending a book called "Cultivation: From Sect Leader to Heavenly Lord," a Xianxia (fantasy martial arts) novel about becoming a sect leader. It features many management elements, a unique protagonist, and no system or cheat codes. It's a great read, already at 197 million words. Everyone should check it out!
　　
　
(End of this chapter)