Chapter 167 - 163: Piercing the Heavens

Chapter 167: Chapter 163: Piercing the Heavens

Chen Yue closed his eyes and sent a wisp of his Heart Spirit into the fragment, carefully sensing the power it contained.

It was an aura of extreme, deathly cold. It felt like an invisible hand reaching out from the depths of the fragment, burrowing into his body along the path of his Heart Spirit, trying to freeze his very soul.

Chen Yue’s brows furrowed slightly. His Qi Blood circulated once through his body on its own, and the deathly chill was completely dispelled.

He could feel that the fragment contained some kind of power, but that was all.

’What is the nature of this power? How was it condensed into this solid fragment? And what is its connection to that Mountain Monarch?’

Chen Yue couldn’t figure any of it out.

Chen Yue knew far too little about existences on the level of Yin Chongs, Spirit Soldiers, and the Mountain Monarch.

Although his strength was advancing by leaps and bounds, things like knowledge and experience couldn’t be made up for overnight with Talent alone.

Thinking back on it now, he couldn’t even say for sure what the Mountain Monarch’s origins were.

Chen Yue opened his eyes. His gaze fell upon the black fragment in his hand, and after a moment of contemplation, he placed it inside the Little Pill Furnace at his waist.

’If this black fragment can really expand a Storage Space, what about putting it in a Pill Furnace?’

’If it really does expand, it’s definitely more worthwhile to expand the space inside the Little Pill Furnace.’

The next day, just as dawn was breaking, Chen Yue was awakened by a commotion outside the courtyard.

Lin Quan and Shi Zhen Shu’s wedding was proceeding as planned.

Chen Yue had thought that after what happened last night, Lin Quan might want to postpone the wedding.

But Lin Quan’s resolve was far firmer than he had imagined. Before the sky had even lightened, he had thrown on his clothes and gone out, spending twice as much money as the day before to hire a new group of people to help.

Some set up tables and chairs, some decorated the courtyard, some went to buy ingredients, and others went to hire a new chef.

Lin Quan stood in the center of the courtyard, directing everything with calm authority. The smile on his face had lasted from last night all the way through to this morning, as if yesterday’s nightmare had never happened.

The banquet was set for noon. Red lanterns were hung once more in the courtyard, new "double happiness" characters were pasted up, and colorful silk ribbons hung down from the eaves, fluttering gently in the afternoon breeze.

The number of guests was smaller than yesterday. Those who had witnessed the bizarre events of the previous night refused to come, no matter how Lin Quan pleaded. Some had even packed their bags, preparing to move away.

But Lin Quan didn’t mind. With fewer guests, he simply set up fewer tables. The dishes were just as lavish, and there was still more than enough wine to go around.

At the banquet, Lin Quan’s face was flushed with joy.

He wore a bright red wedding robe, the wrinkles on his face smoothed out by his smile. He looked more than ten years younger than he had back in Youlin County.

He went from table to table, toasting guests. His voice was loud and clear, and he had a few words for every guest he approached.

Chen Yue sat at a table near the back, a cup of wine in his hand, his gaze lingering on Lin Quan for a moment.

He hadn’t just known Lin Quan for a day or two. During their days in Youlin County, he had seen Lin Quan staring blankly at his medicine cabinets, and he had seen him drinking alone late at night.

But he had never seen Lin Quan look so happy—even happier than he had been in Youlin County.

In Youlin County, Lin Quan hadn’t had much to live for. If he had any aspiration at all, it was simply to advance further in the Alchemy Dao, and that was it.

His days were like a placid river, flowing slowly and silently toward an unseen horizon.

But now, things were different.

Now, there was a light in Lin Quan’s eyes.

It was a light that welled up from the depths of his heart. He had found a reason to strive in life, a person he wanted to protect, a person he wanted to walk alongside for the rest of his days.

Chen Yue withdrew his gaze and took a sip from his cup.

It was good wine that Lin Quan had specially purchased. It was smooth on the palate with a long, lingering aftertaste, carrying the distinct, mellow aroma of fermented grain.

Several rounds of drinks and courses of food went by.

Some of the guests at the table were already red-faced from drinking, their spirits high.

Chen Yue put down his cup and turned to look at Shen Dujiang, who was seated to his right.

Shen Dujiang was just lifting a piece of braised pork to his lips when Chen Yue’s gaze stopped him.

He tilted his head slightly, met Chen Yue’s eyes for a moment, and then nonchalantly popped the piece of meat into his mouth, chewing slowly.

"Shen,"

Chen Yue’s voice wasn’t loud, just enough for Shen Dujiang and Hu Shaoyu, who was sitting on the other side, to hear.

"Can you tell me what happened to you now? How did you suddenly get injured?"

Hu Shaoyu, sitting nearby, also pricked up his ears. His chopsticks paused in mid-air, and his gaze darted back and forth between Chen Yue and Shen Dujiang.

He had asked Shen Dujiang the same question earlier, but Shen had just given a vague response, not revealing the specific reason.

Shen Dujiang put down his chopsticks, picked up the wine pot from the table, and poured a cup for himself and another for Chen Yue. He then lifted his cup and took a slow sip.

"It’s nothing major. I just ran into an old enemy. It’s almost resolved, so don’t worry."

Hu Shaoyu’s brows furrowed slightly. His mouth moved as if he wanted to press for more, but in the end, he swallowed the words that were on the tip of his tongue.

Chen Yue watched Shen Dujiang with suspicion.

"Do you need help?"

Shen Dujiang had helped him many times in Youlin County, and Chen Yue had always kept that friendship in his heart. If Shen Dujiang was in trouble, he couldn’t just stand by and do nothing.

Shen Dujiang shook his head. "I can handle it myself."

He said, then took another sip of wine, his eyes meeting Chen Yue’s directly. "If I really need it, I’ll come to you."

His tone was firm, so firm that it left no room for further questions.

In the end, Chen Yue nodded.

The entire wedding ceremony was over by the afternoon.

Lin Quan wasn’t one for rigid formalities. He felt that getting married was just about two people starting a life together. As long as they were happy, tedious customs and rites could be skipped.

After the guests had left, he stood in the courtyard for a while, looking at the red lanterns and colorful silk ribbons that had yet to be taken down, a satisfied and peaceful smile on his face.

Chen Yue didn’t return to the Panshi Sect right away. He first went to the largest pharmacy in Celestial State Prefecture City.

The pharmacy was located on the city’s main street. It was a three-story building with upturned eaves and a wide facade. The golden "Jishi Hall" sign above the entrance alone was over ten feet long.

Two stone lions stood on either side of the entrance, baring their fangs and brandishing their claws, looking remarkably lifelike.

People constantly came and went up the steps in front of the door. The crowd included wealthy merchants dressed in silk, commoners in coarse brown clothes, and people like Chen Yue who clearly carried the air of a Martial Artist.

Chen Yue crossed the threshold and entered the shop.

The interior was spacious and bright, and the air was filled with the complex aroma of various mixed medicinal herbs.

Three walls were lined with floor-to-ceiling medicine cabinets. Countless small drawers were labeled with the names of herbs, and their brass pulls were polished to a shine from frequent use.

Several clerks stood behind the counter. Some were grabbing herbs, some were settling accounts, and some were attending to customers, all so busy they were practically running off their feet.

As soon as Chen Yue walked in, a sharp-witted clerk came over to greet him.

The clerk, dressed in a short blue tunic, bowed with an enthusiastic smile on his face.

"Welcome, sir. What can I get for you? Our shop is fully stocked with medicinal herbs and a wide variety of Elixirs. Our prices are fair, and we serve all customers honestly."

Chen Yue pulled his gaze away from the medicine cabinets and looked at the clerk. "Do you sell Blood Nourishing Pills?"

The Blood Nourishing Pill was a very basic Elixir that could speed up recovery.

For a Martial Artist, the effects of this Elixir were minuscule, the benefits hardly worth mentioning.

That was why within the Panshi Sect, almost no one ever asked for Blood Nourishing Pills.

Chen Yue had checked the exchange list on Dan Peak, and Blood Nourishing Pills weren’t on it at all.

Chen Yue now felt that refining Blood Nourishing Pills himself was a bit of a waste of time.

The time it took to refine a furnace of Nourishing Spirit Pill Yang Pills was enough for him to do many other things. Besides, a basic Elixir like the Blood Nourishing Pill wouldn’t sell for much money anyway, so it was better to just buy them directly.

Taking advantage of his trip to the Prefecture City, Chen Yue planned to buy enough Blood Nourishing Pills to take back with him.

If even this place didn’t have them, then Chen Yue would have no choice but to refine them himself.

The pharmacy clerk thought for a moment, then nodded, his smile growing even more enthusiastic.

"Yes, we do, sir. A Blood Nourishing Pill is one tael of silver. How many do you need?"

Chen Yue didn’t answer right away. His consciousness sank into his status panel, his gaze falling on the line for Strengthening and Healing.

[Strengthening and Healing (95/201)]

’Thirty pills,’ he thought, ’plus the effect of lowering the cap from taking the Bone Marrow Cleansing and Body Refining Pill daily, should be just enough to max out this Talent.’

"Thirty. Do you have that many?"

Hearing that he wanted thirty, the clerk’s smile deepened even more.

"We do, sir. Please wait a moment while I go get them."

With that, the clerk gave Chen Yue a slight bow, then turned and walked briskly behind the counter, opening a cabinet and searching inside.

While he waited, Chen Yue’s gaze casually swept over the dazzling array of medicine cabinets before him.

The cabinets of Jishi Hall stood in stark contrast to the exchange window at the Panshi Sect’s Dan Peak. The cabinets here were labeled with the names of all sorts of Elixirs, a dizzying variety that seemed to have everything one could imagine.

Chen Yue had never even heard of some of the Elixirs; their names were so obscure they seemed to have been dug out of some ancient formula.

At the Panshi Sect’s Dan Peak, on the other hand, the variety of Elixirs available for exchange was actually very limited.

There were basically only a few categories: those for advancing one’s Cultivation, like the Nourishing Spirit Pill Yang Pill and the Solid Essence Pill; those for enhancing one’s Heart Spirit, like the Nourishing Spirit Pill; and Elixirs for Body Forging and healing.

Beyond those, there were almost no other specialized Elixirs.

It wasn’t that Dan Peak was unwilling to stock these Elixirs. The key issue was that even if they did, not many disciples would exchange their Contribution Points for them, so the pills would just end up gathering dust on a high shelf, unwanted.

Dan Peak disciples also had to spend time and energy on Alchemy. If no one bought the Elixirs they refined, they couldn’t recoup their Contribution Points, and the cost of the medicinal herbs would be lost. In that case, it was better not to refine them at all.

The effects of many special Elixirs were, frankly, less than satisfactory.

Rather than waste money on them, it was better to save it and buy a few cultivation Elixirs that produced tangible results.

Otherwise, if there truly were an Elixir with a distinct and reliable special effect, its price would have been driven sky-high long ago.

Take the Bone Marrow Cleansing Pill, for example. If it could truly perform Marrow Cleansing and Bone Forging, what person who practices martial arts wouldn’t know the importance of one’s fundamental constitution?