Immortality and Cultivation: I can extract entries from all things.

One month after Wu Danshi entrusted it to him.

When Fang He arrived at the pharmacy early in the morning, Su Yun'er had already tidied up the shop.

She squatted behind the counter, arranging the medicinal herbs, her fingers deftly turning over the herbs.

When he entered, she glanced up, nodded as a greeting, and continued working with her head down.

Fang He looked around.

The floor was swept clean, the herbs on the shelves were neatly arranged, and the countertops were polished to a shine.

When he took over a month ago, the pharmacy was old and desolate, but now it has a bit of life.

"This girl is quite diligent," Fang He thought to herself.

He recalled Master Wu's dying words and looked at the quiet, reserved girl before him.

Over the past month, Su Yun'er has been a woman of few words, but she is extremely diligent in her work and never requires his attention.

The daily operation of the pharmacy almost entirely depends on her.

"Yesterday we sold three batches of Qi-Nourishing Pills and two batches of Qi-Returning Pills."

Su Yun'er spoke softly, "The spirit stones are here."

She pushed a small cloth bag over.

Fang He opened it and saw that there were more than ten spirit stones inside, of varying quality, but all of them were genuine low-grade spirit stones.

"Not bad." He put the cloth bag away. "Let's continue refining pills today."

Su Yun'er nodded and got up to go to the backyard to move medicinal herbs.

She wasn't very strong; she could only carry one bundle of hay at a time. But after three or four trips back and forth, the medicine shelf was filled to the brim.

Fang He watched her busy figure and suddenly said, "You don't need to move so quickly, you'll hurt your hands."

Su Yun'er paused, looked up at him, and her eyes showed some surprise.

"fine."

She lowered her head, her voice muffled, "I can do it."

Fang He didn't say anything more and turned to go into the inner room.

-----------------

The alchemy furnace was lit, and the fire blazed up.

Fang He closed his eyes and concentrated, the term panel appearing in his mind.

The four green entries, namely 【Condensing Elixir Mind Method】【Medicinal Properties Affinity】【Micro-Control of Elixir Fire】【Sharp Spiritual Sense】, were slightly glowing.

He grabbed a handful of Peiyuan Pill herbs, scanned them with his divine sense, and the [Medicinal Affinity] was automatically activated.

The quality of medicinal materials, the distribution of medicinal properties, the concentration of spiritual energy...

Everything is clear and understandable.

These medicinal herbs were purchased by Master Wu Dan before his death. They are of excellent quality, and their medicinal properties have not only not dissipated after being stored for so long, but have become even more mellow and potent.

This old man has quite a few good things in his stash.

Fang He felt a surge of emotion.

Prepare the medicine, put it into the furnace, and control the fire.

Fang He made hand seals, and the flames below the alchemy furnace went from large to small, and then from small to large again. He had complete control over the exact degree of heat.

The alchemy process has entered a crucial stage.

Fang He focused intently, probing his spiritual sense into the furnace to perceive the entire process of the medicinal herbs melting, the medicinal liquid merging, and the medicinal vapor condensing.

His keen spiritual awareness allowed him to detect subtle changes that were difficult for ordinary people to perceive.

At one point, a trace of impurity floated to the surface of the medicinal liquid. He immediately adjusted the heat and refined it.

The alchemy furnace trembled, and the fragrance of medicine filled the air.

Start the furnace.

The twelve Qi-Nourishing Pills lay quietly at the bottom of the furnace, each one round and lustrous.

At least of medium grade, there are three more treasures that faintly gleam with the light of high grade.

"Three more top-grade ones."

Fang He muttered to herself, a slight smile playing on her lips.

The effects of the [Condensing Elixir Technique] are becoming increasingly stable.

The frequency of appearance of high-grade pills has increased from 20% initially to 30% now.

This entry is truly a gem.

As he was thinking, he heard light footsteps behind him.

Su Yun'er brought in a glass of water, placed it beside him, and then quietly stepped aside.

She held a pen and paper in her hand, seemingly writing something down.

Fang He glanced at it but didn't say anything.

Su Yun'er has been like this for the past month.

During the day, she would manage the pharmacy, and at night she would secretly look through the notes on alchemy formulas left by Master Wu. Sometimes she would even squat by the alchemy furnace and watch him refine elixirs, sometimes for half a day at a time.

She lacks spiritual energy, so the path of alchemy is blocked for her.

Fang He knew perfectly well what was going on.

Given her spiritual root conditions, she probably wouldn't even be able to refine the most basic Qi-restoring pill.

But she diligently learned skills that didn't require any special talent, such as recognizing medicinal herbs, remembering cooking times, and distinguishing colors.

This girl does have some ideas.

Fang He nodded secretly.

He didn't point it out, but occasionally slowed down his movements so she could see more clearly.

"Remember this cooking time."

He once said something casually.

Su Yun'er nodded emphatically, her eyes brightening for a moment.

From then on, she kept even more detailed records.

-----------------

"Master Fang, someone's here."

Su Yun'er suddenly spoke.

Fang He finished his practice and, sure enough, heard footsteps outside.

He got up, lifted the curtain, and went outside. He saw a middle-aged rogue cultivator standing in front of the counter, looking around.

"Where is Master Wu Dan?"

The rogue cultivator asked, "I heard he took on a disciple?"

Fang He sized up the newcomer.

He looked to be in his early forties, with a Qi Refining Level 3 cultivation. He was wearing a worn-out gray robe and looked like a rogue cultivator who had traveled to the outer seas a few times.

"Master is gone."

Fang He said calmly, "Tell me what's wrong."

"Gone?"

The rogue cultivator frowned. "Everything was fine last month..."

Fang He didn't explain, she just looked at him quietly.

The rogue cultivator seemed to realize he had asked too many questions, and waved his hand, saying, "Alright, alright, let's not talk about that. I bought your Qi-Nourishing Pills at the market last time, and their quality was better than others. I'd like to buy a few more this time."

"How many?"

"Five, I guess."

The rogue cultivator thought for a moment, "If the quality is the same as last time, eight spirit stones."

Fang He nodded and took out a small porcelain bottle from under the counter, which contained the finished product made yesterday.

He didn't say much, but simply pushed the porcelain bottle in front of the rogue cultivator.

The rogue cultivator poured out a pill, examined it carefully for a moment, and then brought it closer to smell it. A hint of surprise flashed in his eyes.

"This quality... is even better than last time?"

"The medicinal herbs are good," Fang He said calmly.

"Master Wu's stock?"

"Um."

The rogue cultivator didn't haggle; he simply took out eight spirit stones and placed them on the counter. Fang He took out five Qi-Nourishing Pills, packed them up, and handed them to him.

The rogue cultivator took it and glanced at Fang He again: "Are you new here? I haven't seen you in the market."

"I just took over the pharmacy not long ago."

No wonder.

The rogue cultivator nodded. "The pills are indeed quite good, better than those from the Zhou family's pharmacy. I'll come again next time."

Fang He cupped his hands in thanks: "Thank you."

The rogue cultivator waved his hand and turned to leave.

As he reached the door, he turned back for one last look: "By the way, what's your name?"

Fang He.

"Master Fang Dan." The rogue cultivator repeated, memorizing it. "My name is Old Zhao, I fish in the open sea. Next time you have any water-repelling pills, save a few for me too."

"OK."

The curtain fell, and the store returned to silence.

-----------------

Su Yun'er silently counted the spirit stones on the counter, arranging them one by one. Fang He watched this and suddenly spoke up: "He'll come again next time."

Su Yun'er paused for a moment, without looking up.

"Your pills are better than others, and the price isn't high," she said softly. "Word of mouth will spread, and more and more customers will come."

Fang He glanced at her.

This girl is usually quiet, but when it comes to business, she's very knowledgeable.

Master Wu took her in for six years, so it seems he did more than just make her do odd jobs and sweep the floor; he also taught her some things.

"Please take good care of things at the pharmacy."

He said, "I'll mainly focus on alchemy; you can handle the rest."

Su Yun'er nodded, still not looking up. But the corners of her mouth seemed to curve slightly, before quickly returning to normal.

As evening approached, the pharmacy closed.

Su Yun'er tallied her earnings for the day. Including the eight spirit stones from the rogue cultivator earlier, she had earned a total of thirteen spirit stones today.

This month, the pharmacy and the pill shop together netted a profit of about eighteen spirit stones.

"Seventy-two plus eighteen..." Fang He silently calculated, "almost ninety."

The more spirit stones he accumulated, the more at ease he felt.

But at the same time, a subtle sense of urgency is also growing.

He thought of Master Wu Dan.

The old man lived to be ninety years old, reaching the late stage of Qi Refining, but ultimately failed to establish his foundation.

It's not that we lack qualifications, it's that we lack resources.

In his early years, he lacked a few spirit stones and missed the opportunity to establish his foundation.

He had accumulated wealth in his later years, but his health was failing.

Fang He didn't want to repeat the same mistake.

Can one accumulate enough resources for Foundation Establishment solely through alchemy?

He calculated in his mind. The spirit stones needed to establish a foundation would be at least two or three hundred.

Even if the pill business goes smoothly, you can only save up two hundred coins at most in a year. Taking into account daily expenses and unexpected costs, it will take at least two years to save up enough.

Two years is too long.

There are too many variables.

The Zhou family has been making frequent moves lately, seemingly plotting something.

There are also external threats from sea monsters and rumors of second-tier demonic beasts appearing...

"What is Master Fang thinking?"

Su Yun'er's voice interrupted his thoughts. Fang He snapped out of his reverie and glanced at her.

"I'm thinking about the future."

Su Yun'er didn't press the matter, but silently tidied the counter. Fang He, watching her busy herself, suddenly asked, "What about you? What do you want to do in the future?"

Su Yun'er paused, seemingly surprised that he would ask that question.

"...Follow Master Fang."

She whispered, "Keep the pharmacy going."

"that's all?"

"This is good."

Su Yun'er lowered her head, her voice even softer, "At least... I have a place to stay."

Su Yun'er looked up at him, a glimmer of light in her eyes, but it quickly faded away.

She continued tidying up the counter, moving a little faster than before.