Retirement begins with summoning Yuan Tiangang

"Did it work?" Lin Feng asked.

"It's done." Master Yu Yuan's tone was full of approval.

"Although the quality is average, with some pits on the surface and uneven luster, it has indeed been successfully refined into a pill. For a first attempt at pill refining, this is quite good."

Lin Feng grinned.

He reached for the pill, but was stopped by Master Yu Yuan:

"It's hot! Let it cool down before you take it!"

After the pills cooled completely, Lin Feng carefully picked them up and placed them in his palm.

The three small pills were warm and emitted a faint medicinal fragrance. The more he looked at them, the more he liked them!

"Try eating one," said Master Yu Yuan.

Lin Feng popped one into his mouth.

The pill melted upon entering the mouth, transforming into a warm current that flowed down the throat and then spread throughout the body.

He immediately felt that his fatigue had subsided considerably.

"How's the result?" he asked.

"So-so," commented Master Yu Yuan.

"It's alright for nourishing qi and blood, and as for aiding cultivation... it's better than nothing. But it's good that it was successful on the first try. With more practice, the quality will improve."

Lin Feng carefully put the remaining two pills into his storage ring, specifically into a small jade bottle.

This bottle was also from the medicine packet given by Qinglong; it's been empty and unused.

After packing up, he continued on his way.

The afternoon sun wasn't so strong anymore, and a breeze blew by, carrying the chill of late autumn.

As Lin Feng walked, he savored the feeling of refining pills just now.

"Master," he suddenly asked.

Is alchemy difficult?

"It's difficult in some ways, and easy in others."

Master Yu Yuan said,

"The difficulty lies in controlling the details: the heat, the timing, the ratio of medicinal herbs, and the internal energy—even a slight difference can lead to failure. The simple thing is... practice more, and you'll develop a feel for it. It's just like cooking; how much salt to add, how high the heat to turn, how long to cook—you'll naturally get the hang of it the more you do it."

This analogy made Raymond Lam laugh: "So, when you were learning alchemy, did your furnace ever explode?"

"It's been fried!"

Master Yu Yuan got really excited when he started talking about this.

"I've done far more than just blast things! When I first started learning, I'd blast something small every three days and something big every five. Once, I blasted something so bad that the entire alchemy room collapsed, which made my master so angry that his beard stood on end. He punished me by making me sweep the yard for three months..."

The old man recounted his embarrassing past, which Lin Feng listened to with great interest.

Those events from hundreds of years ago, when told by my master, seemed to have happened just yesterday.

As we walked, the outline of a small town came into view.

The town is small, with only a few dozen households, built against the mountainside.

Green tiles and white walls, with wisps of smoke rising from chimneys.

It was already evening, and the setting sun had dyed half the sky orange-red. The lights in the town gradually came on, one by one, like a handful of scattered gold.

Lin Feng quickened his pace.

He planned to stay in town for the night, buy some supplies, as his dry rations were almost gone and his water bladder needed to be filled.

By the way... find a place with a roof and get a good night's sleep.

I slept outdoors for several days in a row. Although it wasn't cold, it was still not as comfortable as sleeping in a bed.

Upon reaching the town entrance, he saw a stone tablet about half a person's height with three characters engraved on it: Qing Shi Town.

The writing is blurred, and the surface of the stone tablet is covered with moss, indicating that it is quite old.

He walked into the town.

The streets are narrow, and the bluestone slabs have been worn smooth by the years.

There were shops on both sides: general stores, blacksmith shops, cloth shops, and taverns.

It was getting dark, and most of the shops had already closed, except for the tavern, which was still lit up and filled with the sounds of people playing drinking games.

Lin Feng found an inn.

The inn's facade was small, with a sign that read "Yuelai Inn," the same name as the one in Yunhai City, but much smaller in scale.

Pushing open the door, you see four or five square tables in the lobby, and a shopkeeper is dozing off on the counter.

"Shopkeeper," Lin Feng knocked on the counter.

"Checking in at a hotel."

The shopkeeper looked up and saw a thin, frail old man in his fifties with squinted eyes, as if he hadn't woken up yet.

He glanced at Lin Feng and asked, "Are you alone, young customer?"

"Um."

"One room, twenty coins, breakfast included."

As the shopkeeper spoke, he took out a thick booklet from under the counter.

"Please register your name."

Lin Feng gave his name.

The shopkeeper noted it down and then handed him a key: "The innermost room on the second floor. You have to go downstairs to get hot water yourself, and the outhouse is in the backyard."

Lin Feng paid the money and went upstairs.

The room was small, but clean.

A bed, a table, and a chair.

The window faces south, and when you open it, you can see the rooftops of the town and the dark silhouettes of the mountains in the distance.

He threw the bundle, which was actually empty, onto the bed and then went downstairs to get hot water.

There was a well in the backyard, and a wooden bucket was placed beside it. He drew half a bucket of water, carried it into the room, and did a quick wash.

After taking a shower, he went downstairs to have dinner.

There are more people in the lobby now.

Besides him, there were three other merchants on their way, drinking and chatting around a table. A one-eyed man who looked like a wandering swordsman was sitting in a corner eating noodles in silence. There was also an old lady with her granddaughter, sitting near the door, sipping her porridge.

Raymond Lam ordered a bowl of noodles and a plate of pickled vegetables. The noodles were handmade, thick but chewy.

The soup was made from bones and sprinkled with chopped green onions. After eating a hot bowl, I felt warm all over.

He ate while listening to the businessmen at the next table chatting.

"...Have you heard? Something big has happened in Lanyue Prefecture."

"What is it?"

"It seems like two major sects have gotten into a fight. The Heavenly Dao Sect and the Azure Mist Sect are fighting tooth and nail over some treasure. Tsk tsk, quite a few people have died."

Lin Feng paused, chopsticks in his hand.

Tiandao Sect?

Qinglan Sect?

He thought of Yan Ruyu, and the men in green robes who had been chasing her. They called themselves "righteous people," but Yan Ruyu said they were from the "Qinglan Sect."

So... those people really are from the Qinglan Sect?

And Yan Ruyu is from the Heavenly Dao Sect?

Two sects are fighting over a treasure. Yan Ruyu stole something and is being chased.

He pricked up his ears and continued listening.

"What kind of treasure is it that's worth two major sects tearing each other apart?"

"Who knows? Anyway, I heard it's something extraordinary, even alarming old monsters in the Celestial Realm. The situation in Lanyue Prefecture is very chaotic right now, and many small sects are hiding far away, afraid of getting involved."

"Sigh, these cultivators, all they do is fight and kill all day long..."

The merchants shook their heads and sighed, then changed the subject.

After finishing his noodles and paying, Raymond Lam quietly went upstairs.

Back in his room, he lay on the bed, staring at the beams on the roof, his mind a jumble of thoughts.

Yan Ruyu stole the Qinglan Sect's treasure? What treasure? She was so badly injured, all for that?

And... she kept a jade pendant for herself, saying that she could come to her if she ever had any difficulties in the future.

But if the Qinglan Sect finds out that I saved her, will they come looking for trouble?

"What are you thinking about?" Master Yu Yuan's voice rang out.

Lin Feng recounted what he had heard.

Master Yu Yuan remained silent for a while.

"Qinglan Sect..." he muttered.

"I seem to vaguely recognize this name. Wasn't there a little fellow named Qinglan Zhenren a few hundred years ago? Hmm, I can't remember."

"Master," Lin Feng asked.

"Will I get into trouble if I save her?"

"Troublesome?" Jade Yuan Zhenren scoffed.

"What trouble could there be? Besides, even if they catch up, with me here, what's there to be afraid of?"

These words sounded powerful, but Lin Feng was still a little apprehensive.

"However," Master Yu Yuan changed the subject,

"You're quite lucky, kid. You save someone and they're from the Heavenly Dao Sect, you offend a group and they're from the Azure Mist Sect. Tsk tsk, your ability to cause trouble has a bit of my style back in the day."

Lin Feng was both amused and exasperated: "Master, please stop making fun of me."

"Alright, alright, I won't make fun of you," said Master Yu Yuan.

"But now that we're involved, we should be more careful in the future. If the Qinglan Sect really comes knocking, fight if you can, and run if you can't. When you run, remember to mention my name; it'll scare them to death."

Lin Feng smiled.

He knew his master was trying to comfort him.

"Alright, time for bed," said Master Yu Yuan.

"I still have to travel tomorrow. Oh, right, take that Qi-Nourishing Pill before bed to aid my cultivation."

Lin Feng did as instructed. He swallowed the pill, sat cross-legged on the bed, and began to circulate his inner energy.

The warmth of the elixir spread, nourishing the muscles, bones, and flesh.

He could feel the golden light in his limbs getting a little brighter, though it was still very faint, it was definitely getting stronger.

After cultivating for an hour, he lay down and closed his eyes.

The town outside the window gradually quieted down.

The dogs stopped barking, and the noise in the tavern subsided.

There was only the sound of the wind and the occasional chirping of insects in the distance.

Lin Feng is asleep.

In his dream, he saw Yan Ruyu standing on a very high mountain, dressed in white, her clothes fluttering in the wind.

She glanced back at him, her eyes still cold, but the corners of her mouth seemed to... curve slightly?

Then he woke up.

Its daybreak.