The Legend of Fangren

It's great to have something to eat.

Fang Shi felt that he should stand with the crowd and watch the show of "the sweeping monk of the alchemy shop slapping the face of the ignorant and wicked merchant".

Unexpectedly, the wealthy merchant was also quick-witted. Realizing the old man was no ordinary mortal, he immediately exclaimed, "What? What? You old man, do you think you can use brute force and be unreasonable just because you have some cultivation? Fine, fine, if all immortals act like this, then I'll just have to suffer this loss today, hmph..."

Although it seemed cunning, the wealthy businessman was somewhat afraid. However, based on his years of business experience, he knew that one must consider one's reputation when doing business, so he used this tactic of advancing as a retreat. After saying this, he was about to walk out the door.

The old man didn't stop them, and just when everyone thought the matter was over, a mature woman's voice came from upstairs: "Who said my Xuan Dan Sect is selling inferior pills?"

The voice seemed to possess magical power, causing the wealthy businessman, who was about to leave, to stop in his tracks and turn around stiffly.

Someone nearby whispered, "Hooray, the lady who runs the pill shop is here. This is going to be good."

A pair of crystal-heeled shoes gracefully descended the solid wood steps, revealing a captivating and alluring figure beneath a flowing red silk skirt. However, looking further up, the mature and beautiful woman's face displayed only the cold indifference of someone in a high position, a pity for those charming and alluring eyes.

Upon seeing this ethereal beauty, the wealthy merchant was so astonished that he seemed to be in a trance, holding the elixir box in his hands, motionless.

The proprietress walked up to him, ignoring his drooling expression. With a flick of her finger, the pill box opened automatically, and she took out a pill. After a quick glance, she concluded: "The loose powder wasn't added later. It's because you mishandled it and carelessly discarded the medicinal herbs inside, causing the pill to dissolve and become a box of rotten pills. Our shop will not compensate for this."

"But...but I don't know...no one told me." The wealthy businessman stammered, wanting to say something more, but his tone just wouldn't come across.

The proprietress turned away with a cold look in her eyes and said, "Since you want to do business in pills, why don't you learn about them yourself and expect others to tell you everything? That's really naive. Even if you just humbly asked the pill-packing boy for advice, you wouldn't be so ignorant. Fine, if you really feel you've lost out, you can return this box of dregs to my shop and save yourself about a hundred yuan. You don't need to make things difficult for that young man over there."

With that, the proprietress flicked the remaining pill from her fingertip and prepared to turn and leave, ending this farce.

"Um?"

As a result, Fang Shi looked up and saw that the ejected pill was flying towards him. Just as it was about to pass over his head, he jumped up and swallowed it in one gulp.

The entire room fell silent. The proprietress, who was about to leave, was so embarrassed by the sudden action that she hesitated to move. She could only say kindly, "Young man, you shouldn't eat incomplete pills. You have no cultivation, and eating them will easily upset your stomach..."

Even the proprietress thought Fang Shi was just a kid who had come from somewhere and had no cultivation.

However, judging from the landlady's kind words, it is clear that she actually treats non-troublemakers quite well.

"Okay, boss lady."

Fang Shi nodded and, in a very familiar manner, made an OK gesture that no one in this world could understand.

"..." The proprietress could only smile and go back upstairs.

The play was over, and everyone dispersed to do what they were doing. The wealthy merchant was still captivated by the proprietress's beauty. After coming to his senses, he hesitated for a long time. A hundred dollars was still money. He picked up the remaining pills on the ground, had the old man at the counter exchange them for a hundred dollars, and then muttered to himself as he fled the store.

As expected, the wealthy businessman will likely come again. As long as he can see the proprietress again, losing face is worth it.

Coincidentally, the person arguing with the wealthy merchant was none other than Senior Tu Xiaoqing. Fang Shi hurriedly stepped forward to call out to her, thinking she would recognize him immediately. However, Senior Tu tilted her head and thought for a long time before finally saying "Oh," indicating that she remembered him. She then asked, "Are you an attendant in Senior's group?"

"I'm not a senior, I'm a disciple too," Fang Shi said, hands on his hips. "Have you heard of the Heaven and Earth Pavilion? I've become an apprentice of Elder Qu."

"No way." Tu Xiaoqing was surprised, then laughed and said, "Little brother, don't tease me. When did Elder Qu of the Heaven and Earth Pavilion ever take on a disciple? But seeing that you are wearing the Heavenly Ring, you should be Elder Qu's junior. Come, come, come upstairs with me. I'll take you to buy some freshly made pills so you can report back."

Therefore, Tu Xiaoqing assumed that Fang Shi had taken on some purchasing task.

What could Fang Shi say? He could only obediently follow along and witness the process of alchemy firsthand.

He was somewhat curious whether the pill was solidified in a container or directly formed into a round shape. If it was the latter, it would be quite novel.

Secondly, we square-shaped people also know how to make medicine, just not pills, but liquids. Who knows, he might have some talent for it. When you're in the world, it's always good to have more skills. It's never a bad thing to know more.

Upon reaching the second floor, the scene was completely different from the lower floor. A winding corridor stretched out along both sides, with numerous rooms on either side, all of which were alchemy rooms.

Tu Xiaoqing said, "The second floor is usually used to refine first and second grade pills, the third floor is used to refine third grade pills, and the fourth floor is used to refine fourth grade pills."

"So, the fifth floor is for refining fifth-level techniques?"

"The fifth floor is where the owner of the alchemy shop lives," Tu Xiaoqing said. "But you're not wrong. She's the only fifth-level alchemist in our Emerald City. She's a very important figure in the whole city. After all, an alchemist's rank isn't just determined by their cultivation level. A fifth-level alchemist isn't much worse than an ordinary sixth or seventh-level cultivator."

"Oh..." Fang Shi echoed, looking very admiring, which made Tu Xiaoqing a little smug. In a good mood, she led him into the pill-making room and invited him to observe the pill refining process.

"Nanhe, this is a junior member of the senior team from earlier today. I asked him to come and take a look."

Nanhe inside the room did not answer. At this moment, he was refining pills, and he needed to concentrate on the final step of condensing the pill.

Even if it's just a minor first-grade pill, one might be meticulous in refining it; otherwise, if the pill patterns are stiff, it can only be considered an inferior product.

Tu Xiaoqing then closed the door and sat down beside Fang Shi. Fang Shi felt a fragrant aroma of medicinal pills fill the room, and his eyes were immediately drawn to the pill furnace in the center of the room.

Surprisingly, the flames in the alchemy furnace did not ignite at the bottom. Instead, wisps of flame flowed through the openwork of the furnace, moving up and down the furnace body, demonstrating exquisite control in every aspect.

Cultivators are already particular about controlling their profound energy, and alchemists have even higher requirements for controlling it. No wonder Tu Xiaoqing said that the boss lady's status as a fifth-level alchemist alone is comparable to that of a sixth or seventh-level cultivator.

Suddenly, the Nanhe Xuanqi receded, and the flames in the alchemy furnace died down, leaving only a wisp of heat circulating within. Only after the heat subsided did the lid of the alchemy furnace open.

With his brows relaxed, Nanhe took a wooden box from the table, used his Xuan Qi to support the elixir, and placed it inside.

The pill was dark red all over, with patterns on its surface resembling delicate willow leaves, like exquisite carvings, pleasing to the eye.

"This is a complete healing pill, incomparable to that incomplete one," Tu Xiaoqing said somewhat resentfully, still remembering the wealthy merchant's incident earlier.