Chapter 60: A Fight to the Death

Chapter 60: Chapter 60: A Fight to the Death

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

The steward led Chen Yue into the courtyard, explaining as they walked, "The main building is your living quarters. The east wing is the Alchemy Room, and all the necessary equipment has been prepared inside. Herbs will be delivered as needed. The west wing serves as a study and a place to receive guests."

He paused, then pointed to a separate building some distance away, diagonally behind the courtyard, and lowered his voice.

"Pill Master Chen, please look. Deep within that bamboo forest is Jingxin Hall, where Duke Xuanli usually cultivates in seclusion. A bit further east is Duke Zhige’s personal Alchemy Room, a restricted area. Living here, your safety is absolutely guaranteed. No ordinary thief would dare, nor would they have the ability, to get close."

Chen Yue followed the steward’s gesture. Chen Xuanli’s Quiet Chamber, Chen Zhige’s Alchemy Room, and his own Tingzhu Pavilion, the residence of a newly promoted Pill Master under heavy protection...

’This area has clearly become the most central and heavily guarded part of the Chen Mansion.’

"Thank you, Steward. This place is excellent." Chen Yue’s expression remained unchanged as he nodded, thanking the steward for the introduction.

The steward relayed a few more details about daily necessities and the changing of the guards. Seeing that Chen Yue had no further instructions, he tactfully withdrew with the servants.

Chen Yue stood alone in the courtyard of Tingzhu Pavilion, surveying his surroundings.

Verdant bamboo swayed in the tranquil environment. He slowly walked into the Alchemy Room. As expected, it was fully equipped. The quality of the Pill Furnace was even better than the one he had used before, and the Herb Cabinet was stocked with some common, basic herbs.

Chen Yue didn’t immediately start organizing or cultivating. Instead, he turned, left Tingzhu Pavilion, and walked toward another nearby courtyard, Lanzhi Courtyard, which had been assigned as Lin Quan’s new residence.

Lin Quan had also clearly just moved in. He was in the courtyard directing two young assistants as they arranged herbs. When he saw Chen Yue arrive, a smile appeared on his face, but the lingering worry in his brow was even deeper than before.

"You’ve moved in too? Good, good."

Lin Quan gestured for Chen Yue to sit on a stone bench in the courtyard and sighed. "Youlin County is becoming more and more inscrutable these days. A family like the Wang Family... their home was broken into just like that, and their Alchemy Master abducted just like that..."

He shook his head, his face filled with lingering fear and helplessness. "In this day and age, being an Alchemy Master has become a dangerous profession.

Thankfully, we moved into the Chen Mansion early. We have high walls, deep courtyards, and expert guards. If we had stayed at Huichun Hall, I’m afraid we would have been kidnapped by those scoundrels long ago."

Chen Yue nodded in agreement and offered a few words of comfort to Lin Quan. After chatting for a little longer, Chen Yue stood up to take his leave and returned to his Tingzhu Pavilion.

Back in his courtyard, he bolted the gate, then finally sat down in his study and opened the wooden box.

The box was lined with brocade. Inside lay a neatly bound stack of new paper, the ink still fresh, clearly a recent transcription.

Written on the first page in elegant, small script were three words: Blood Nourishing Pill.

Chen Yue focused his Heart Spirit and began to study it intently, word by word, line by line.

The philosophy recorded in the Pill Formula was just as Chen Yuqing had described. It aimed to subtly enhance a Martial Artist’s Qi Blood recovery ability through long-term consumption.

The required herbs were mostly for nourishing blood, regenerating flesh, and consolidating the foundation. However, the composition was quite peculiar. Some of the primary and secondary ingredient pairings were even contradictory, so it was no wonder the refinement process was so difficult.

At the end of the Pill Formula, there were indeed a few lines of notes. They pointed out several key points where the Medicinal Powers conflicted, the subtle timing for heat transitions, and noted that while the formula’s concept was acceptable, its medicinal properties were convoluted and difficult to harmonize.

The signature was a simple character, "Ge"—the handwriting of Chen Zhige.

’Convoluted medicinal properties, difficult to harmonize... and its effects are unremarkable...’ Chen Yue mulled over these words, a faint smile flashing in his eyes.

...

「Meanwhile, in a dungeon deep within the Chen Mansion.」

The air here was cold and damp, filled with the faint smell of mildew and an almost imperceptible scent of blood. In the center of the dungeon was a cage made of refined iron bars as thick as a child’s arm.

At that moment, a disheveled figure was curled up inside the cage. Their body was covered in blood and grime, their eyes vacant and filled with terror and despair. It was the Alchemy Master from the Wang Family who had been abducted the previous night.

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

Outside the cage stood three men in silence.

The one in the center, his aura heavy and condensed, was Chen Xuanli. He stood with his hands behind his back, gazing expressionlessly at the person in the cage with an indifferent look in his eyes.

To his left was Chen Jing, his brows slightly furrowed.

To his right was Chen Zhige, dressed in the loose robes of a Pill Master, casually playing with two smooth Jade Gallbladders in his hand.

"I’ve brought the person."

Chen Xuanli spoke slowly, his voice echoing in the dungeon. "I left the mark of the Divine Flame Cult at the scene. The Wang Family won’t be able to trace this back to us."

Chen Jing sighed. "With Xuanli acting personally, of course there would be no mistakes. But if even a whisper of this gets out, it will be a fight to the death between our Chen Family and the Wang Family. Besides, the Human Pill Technique is ultimately not a long-term solution."

Hearing this, Chen Zhige’s lips curled into a slight smile. "What is a long-term solution? Once this Human Pill is refined and consumed, allowing for the stable production of High-tier Elixirs—that is the long-term solution!"

Chen Jing fell silent and said no more.

Chen Xuanli waved his hand, stopping their argument. His gaze fell upon Chen Zhige. "Is this person usable? How long will it take to prepare him to be refined into a Human Pill?"

Chen Zhige didn’t answer. He walked slowly forward until he stood before the refined iron cage.

The Pill Master cowered in the corner, his eyes vacant, letting out unconscious whimpers. He was clearly scared out of his wits.

Chen Zhige reached out and pulled one of the Pill Master’s fingers through the gap in the bars.

A Jade Blade as thin as a cicada’s wing swiped across it, and a bead of dark red blood immediately welled up on the Pill Master’s fingertip.

Chen Zhige had already prepared a small white porcelain dish to catch the drop of blood. He then took out a Jade Bottle, poured out half of an elixir that emitted a strange, sweet, and coppery smell, and submerged it in the blood.

The blood was quickly absorbed by the elixir, and a dark red sheen appeared on its surface.

Chen Zhige picked up the elixir, brought it to his nose, closed his eyes, and inhaled deeply, as if savoring the world’s most fragrant wine.

A moment later, he opened his eyes. He carefully scraped off a bit of the blood-mixed powder from the elixir with his fingernail, placed it in his mouth, and tasted it carefully. Then, his brow slowly furrowed.

Seeing this, Chen Jing, who was standing to the side, felt his heart tighten. He asked in a low voice:

"How is he? Is he unsuitable? He’s already one of the most famous and talented Alchemy Masters of the younger generation in the city. As for the older ones, you always complain that their Qi Blood has decayed and they can’t be used as ingredients."

Chen Zhige slowly shook his head, casually tossing away the remains of the elixir and wiping his fingers with a snow-white handkerchief.

"It’s not that he’s completely unusable, but refining a Human Pill from this quality of material... the final Pill Formation will likely be somewhat compromised. Let’s just give it a try for now."

Chen Xuanli stood a short distance away, his expression unreadable. His voice was steady as he asked, "How long will the refinement take?"

"Refining a Human Pill requires alignment with the celestial timing, the aid of telluric fire and Yin Qi, and more importantly, guiding the subject’s residual Pill Master’s Spirituality to perfectly merge with numerous supplementary herbs. Only then is Pill Formation possible."

Chen Zhige calculated on his fingers. "The time is not yet right. The earliest we can begin the process is twelve days from now, at midnight, when the lunar yin is at its most potent. Only then can we light the furnace."

"Twelve days..."

Chen Xuanli nodded slightly. "Prepare diligently. Whatever you need, just ask Chen Jing for it."

But Chen Zhige turned his gaze to Chen Jing. "If we refine this person and the final quality of the Human Pill is poor... do we have any other candidates?"