Chapter 718 - 385: Every Pill Is the Work of a Civilization, of an Era

Chapter 718: Chapter 385: Every Pill Is the Work of a Civilization, of an Era

The night grows deep.

The wind whistles wildly.

In the dormitory hall, the foxes have set up an alchemy furnace, ignited a great fire, and are currently "bubbling" the Autumn Pear Paste!

A circle of foxes, inside and outside, surrounds the alchemy furnace, sticking their noses out to eagerly inhale the lingering sweet scent in the air!

"Eeee!"

"Awoo!"

This batch of Autumn Pear Paste uses two acres of Source Water Crispy Pears from Fox Mountain, along with some Chuanbei Mother, loquats, dried dates, old ginger... Though it’s not finished yet, the aroma is already quite pleasing to the foxes!

Master said that once it’s done, it can be spread on bread to eat or mixed into milk tea to drink.

But they’ve decided that once it’s ready, each will scoop one pawful to taste the flavor first!

On the bed in the center of the dormitory hall, Bai Mo, accompanied by his apprentices, Honey Peach Cake and Grape Cake, is reading ancient texts.

"Oh, so the so-called Lotus Fragrance Pill is used for purifying sewage?"

[... A single Lotus Fragrance Pill thrown into the river, the water flows past, and all impurities vanish, leaving a gentle fragrance...]

Is alchemy really needed for this?

For merely cleaning sewage, when Bai Mo was Sequence Eight, they could craft an appropriate potion.

Bai Mo’s expression mirrors the puzzlement of his two fox apprentices.

They continue reading and see many Ancient Immortal’s beautiful hopes regarding the Lotus Fragrance Pill.

[... Ordinary potions purify a stream, keeping it clean for a quarter hour, one hour]

[If someone possesses extraordinary talent and crafts a potion, perhaps the river water can remain untainted for ten years]

[But the Lotus Fragrance Pill offers the characteristics of a pill, its medicinal effects unceasing, everlasting, eternal, able to keep a stream clean forever...]

Seeing this, Bai Mo furrows his brow and rereads the previous sentence to make sure he hasn’t misunderstood.

"This means... a single pill works infinitely, effective forever?

"Its medicinal properties never run out?

"Could it be too far-fetched?"

Earlier when discussing the Ancient Immortal Dynasty’s research on a pill, employing nationwide efforts over hundreds of years, Bai Mo found it odd.

But suggesting that this pill’s medicinal properties are endless and inexhaustible... then suddenly, its logic feels justified!

Bai Mo looks again at his tablet, seeing the strange knowledge about alchemy copied earlier in the day, suddenly realizing that such knowledge is so precious, so valuable!

Two foxes glance at their master’s expression, then gaze at that tablet with tender affection!

...

"Eeee!"

The fire beneath the alchemy furnace is already out.

Black Tail clambers carefully up a ladder to the alchemy furnace and opens the lid.

"Awoo!"

It’s done!

Inside the furnace, the Autumn Pear Paste has been boiled down to a dark red syrup-like state!

"Eeee?"

However, the syrup’s temperature is still too high, steam billows from the furnace mouth, making it temporarily inedible.

The foxes are just feeling gloomy when a "clatter" sound is heard, revealing Peach Blossom Eyes and White Earrings, and Black Earrings, pushing a small cart up to the alchemy furnace.

"Eeee!"

Peach Blossom Eyes lifts a transparent popsicle from the cart!

"Awoo!"

White Earrings explains that this is a popsicle with crushed Ice Blue Leaves, icy cool, resistant to high temperature, not easy to melt!

"Eeee!"

Black Earrings takes out one too, intending to dip it into the Autumn Pear Paste syrup to eat!

The foxes look from popsicle to cart to Peach Blossom Eyes’ group, erupting in cheers!

"Eeee!"

"Awoo!"

"Eeee!"

...Fox Mountain has every herb, every item imaginable!

They can concoct Autumn Pear Paste syrup and even make Ice Blue Leaf Popsicles, Fox Mountain is amazing!

...

Autumn Pear Paste syrup coats the popsicle, forming a layer of crispy candy shell.

Bai Mo, holding a popsicle handed by his apprentices, takes a "crack" bite, its icy cool taste mingling with the aroma of medicine and fruit, sweet but not cloying. He smiles broadly, "Very good."

He never taught the apprentices to dip popsicles in syrup, a technique they learned themselves through long-term practice.

While enjoying his popsicle, he continues to read the texts.

"Crafting this odd pill, the kinds of herbs required might be extensive. Fortunately, over the years, Fox Mountain has accumulated some resources; we should be able to manage?"

With this thought, he slides the screen of his tablet, viewing the documents copied earlier in the day.

These documents were the notes from the development of the Lotus Fragrance Pill, somewhat unsystematic, quite unassembled.

Having been unearthed from the soil, they are fraught with imperfections, damage, scattered and fragmented.

Yet Bai Mo doesn’t mind much, methodically examining them, gradually learning, if inspired, recording his insights.

"Tear-obliterating Vine? The Lotus Fragrance Pill surely requires this?"

The texts mention Celestial Palace defining Tear-obliterating Vine as necessary for the Lotus Fragrance Pill.

Bai Mo furrows his brow, pondering briefly, confirming Fox Mountain has never had such a thing.

The two fox apprentices beside him also furrow their brows, having no recollection.

Continuing to read the texts, not long after he encounters another herb not present in Fox Mountain.

"Silver-Adorned Su Fruit... this is a special herb found only in frigid lands, right?"

Bai Mo experiences a sudden sense of unease.

He steels himself, poring over the texts further.

Regarding many herb names, approximately sixty percent are found in Fox Mountain’s warehouse. The remaining forty percent have never appeared in Fox Mountain.

Crunch... Bai Mo bites through the last bite of his popsicle, turning to a phase summary left by an Ancient Immortal.

[... Celestial Palace confirms six thousand one hundred and eighty herbs necessary for the Lotus Fragrance Pill...]

[... Uncertain if required, or can be substituted, eight thousand four hundred and thirty-two herbs in total...]

Silence envelops Bai Mo.

In the vast Ancient Immortal Dynasty, confirmed medicinal herbs, suitable for use, total roughly tens of thousands, nearing a million kinds.