Complete one practice method every day

"Master Chen, this is Tingzhu Pavilion, which Miss Yuqing arranged for you."

The steward led Chen Yue into the courtyard, explaining, "The main room is the bedroom, the east wing is the alchemy room, where all the necessary equipment is prepared, and medicinal herbs will be delivered as needed. The west wing is the study and reception area."

He paused, then raised his hand and pointed to a separate building some distance behind the courtyard, and said in a low voice:

"Master Chen, please look. Deep in that bamboo grove is the Jingxin Zhai, where Master Xuanli usually cultivates in seclusion. A little further east is Master Zhige's important alchemy room. Living here, one is absolutely safe. Ordinary thieves would never dare to, and would never be able to, approach."

Chen Yue looked in the direction the steward pointed and saw Chen Xuanli's meditation room, Chen Zhige's alchemy room, and his own Tingzhu Pavilion, where this newly promoted alchemist, who was under special protection, resided...

This area has become the most central and heavily guarded part of the Chen family mansion.

"Thank you for your help, manager. This place is excellent." Chen Yue nodded, his expression unchanged, to express his gratitude for the manager's introduction.

The steward gave a few more instructions on daily expenses and guard handover, and seeing that Chen Yue had no further instructions, he wisely led his servants away.

Chen Yue stood alone in the courtyard of Tingzhuxuan, looking around.

The bamboo swayed gently, creating a tranquil environment. He slowly walked into the alchemy room, which was indeed fully equipped. The alchemy furnace was even of better quality than the one he had used before, and the medicine cabinet was also filled with some commonly used basic medicinal herbs.

Chen Yue did not immediately begin tidying up or cultivating. Instead, he turned and left Tingzhu Pavilion, heading towards Lanzhi Courtyard, another courtyard not far away, which was the new residence arranged for Lin Quan.

Lin Quan had obviously only recently moved in, and was directing two children to arrange the medicinal herbs in the courtyard. When he saw Chen Yue's visit, a smile appeared on his face, but the lingering worry between his brows was deeper than usual.

"You moved in too? That's good, that's good."

Lin Quan gestured for Chen Yue to sit down on the stone bench in the courtyard, then sighed, "This Youlin County is becoming more and more unpredictable. A family like the Wangs can be raided so easily, and alchemists can be kidnapped so readily..."

He shook his head, his face full of lingering fear and helplessness: "In this day and age, alchemy has become a dangerous profession."

Fortunately, we moved into the Chen residence early on, where there are high walls, deep courtyards, and skilled guards. If we had remained at Huichun Hall, we probably would have been kidnapped by the thieves long ago.

Chen Yue nodded in agreement and offered Lin Quan a few words of comfort. The two chatted for a while longer before Chen Yue got up to take his leave and returned to his Tingzhu Pavilion.

Back in the courtyard, after bolting the door, Chen Yue sat down in the study and opened the wooden box.

The box was lined with brocade, on which lay a stack of neatly bound, brand-new paper, the ink still fresh, clearly copied recently.

The homepage displays three elegant characters: "Prescription for Nourishing Blood Pills".

Chen Yue composed himself and began to carefully study the text, word by word.

As Chen Yuqing had said, the concept recorded in the prescription was indeed intended to subtly enhance a martial artist's ability to recover qi and blood through long-term use.

The required medicinal materials are mostly for replenishing blood, promoting tissue regeneration, and strengthening the body, but the combination is quite unique. There are even some contradictions in the combination of the principal, assistant, and adjuvant herbs, which explains why it is difficult to refine.

Sure enough, at the end of the prescription, there were a few lines of notes, pointing out several key points of conflict between the medicinal properties, the subtle timing of the temperature change, and noting that the prescription's intention was acceptable, but the medicinal properties were mixed and difficult to harmonize.

The signature is a simple character "戈", which is Chen Zhige's handwriting.

"The medicinal properties are mixed and difficult to harmonize... so the effects are not obvious..." Chen Yue pondered these words, but a smile flashed in his eyes.

……

Meanwhile, deep within the Chen residence, in a dungeon.

It was cold and damp here, with a faint musty smell and a barely perceptible stench of blood in the air. In the center of the dungeon was a cage surrounded by thick iron bars.

At this moment, a disheveled figure was huddled inside the cage, covered in blood and grime, his eyes unfocused and filled with fear and despair. It was the alchemist from the Wang family who had been kidnapped last night.

His hands and feet were chained with heavy iron chains, limiting his movement to the center of the cage.

Outside the cage, three people stood silently.

The man in the center was none other than Chen Xuanli, whose aura was heavy and deep. He stood with his hands behind his back, looking at the person in the cage with an expressionless face and indifferent eyes.

On the left is Chen Jing, whose brows are slightly furrowed.

On the right is Chen Zhige, dressed in a loose-fitting alchemist's robe, toying with two warm jade galls in his hands.

"I've brought the person."

Chen Xuanli spoke slowly, his voice echoing in the dungeon, "The Divine Flame Sect's mark was left at the scene, so the Wang family can't trace it back to us now."

Chen Jing sighed: "With Xuanli personally taking action, there's naturally no chance of failure. However, if even the slightest leak occurs, the Chen family and the Wang family will be locked in a life-or-death struggle. Moreover, the Human Elixir method is ultimately not a long-term solution."

Upon hearing this, Chen Zhige's lips curled slightly: "What is a long-term plan? Once this human pill is refined and consumed, and high-grade pills are produced steadily, that will be a long-term plan!"

Chen Jing remained silent and said nothing more.

Chen Xuanli waved his hand, stopping the two from arguing, and his gaze fell on Chen Zhige: "Is this person usable? How long will it take to refine him into a human pill?"

Chen Zhige did not reply, but slowly walked forward to the iron cage.

The alchemist huddled in the corner, his eyes unfocused, uttering unconscious sobs; he was clearly terrified.

Chen Zhige reached out and pulled one of the alchemist's fingers out of the gap in the fence.

A jade knife as thin as a cicada's wing sliced ​​through the air, and a bead of crimson blood immediately oozed from the alchemist's fingertip.

Chen Zhige had already prepared a small white porcelain dish to catch the blood droplets. He then took out a jade bottle from his pocket, poured out half of a pill that emitted a strange sweet and fishy smell, and soaked it into the blood.

The blood droplets were quickly absorbed by the pill, and the surface of the pill developed a dark red sheen.

Chen Zhige picked up the pill, brought it to his nose, closed his eyes, and took a deep sniff, as if he were savoring the most exquisite wine in the world.

A moment later, he opened his eyes, carefully scraped a little blood-colored powder off the pill with his fingernail, put it in his mouth, tasted it carefully, and then his brows slowly furrowed.

Seeing this, Chen Jing's heart tightened, and he whispered:

"How about it? This person isn't suitable? He's already one of the top alchemists in the city in terms of both reputation and talent among the younger generation. If it were someone older, you'd think their blood and energy were too weak to be used in medicine."

Chen Zhige slowly shook his head, casually discarded the remaining pill residue, and wiped his fingers with a snow-white handkerchief:

"It's not that it's completely unusable, but with this quality, the effect of refining a human pill will probably be somewhat compromised. Let's give it a try first."

Chen Xuanli stood a short distance away, his expression obscured, but his calm voice rang out as he asked, "How long will it take to refine?"

"To refine the Human Elixir, one must be in harmony with the timing of heaven, utilize the yin energy of the earth's fire, and guide the remaining spiritual essence of the alchemist to perfectly blend with the various auxiliary ingredients in order to have a chance of forming the elixir."

Chen Zhige calculated with his fingers, "The time is not right now. At the earliest, it will be twelve days later, at midnight when the moon is at its strongest, before we can start the furnace."

"On the 12th..."

Chen Xuanli nodded slightly. "Prepare diligently. If you need anything, just ask Chen Jing."

Chen Zhige then turned his gaze to Chen Jing: "If we use this person to refine it, the final quality of the elixir will be poor... Do we have any other alternatives?"