Ren Cai stared blankly at Zhang Yan. He had met countless famous masters before, but none of them could be as certain as Zhang Yan, able to distinguish which was a real pill and which was a poison pill, let alone clearly see the medicinal properties.
In fact, the toxicity of the two pills was divided into Yin and Yang, and when swallowed, it needed to be crushed, and the last pill neutralized the medicinal properties before it could be consumed.
The incomplete part of the prescription described how to combine the three properties in the pill furnace.
After Ren Cai had obtained this prescription, he had gone through his own modifications and modifications to come up with this nondescript thing. The medicinal effects were also less than a third of the original. To say that the medicinal pill that neutralized the medicinal effects could increase one's lifespan was just trying to put gold on his face. Now that Zhang Yan had seen through the mystery behind it, he couldn't help but blush, embarrassed and speechless.
Zhang Yan saw his awkwardness, but smiled and said, "I won't tell anyone about what happened today, but I have a presumptuous request."
Ren Cai secretly sighed in relief, and hurriedly said, "Fellow Daoist, please speak."
Zhang Yan pointed at the three "longevity pills" and said, "I'm willing to exchange one of the best pills with Fellow Daoist Ren for this prescription, what do you think?"
"Oh?" Ren Cai was stunned. This pill was called "Longevity Gift", but it could only increase one's lifespan by fifteen to twenty years. Although the medicinal herbs used were not expensive, they were not few either. For cultivators, its value was somewhat useless. He couldn't help but hesitate, and carefully asked, "May I ask … what does Fellow Daoist want?"
Once a pill involved toxicity, it had to be guarded against, and one had to be extremely cautious. This not only concerned the reputation of the alchemist, but if Zhang Yan refined the pill and used it to harm others, and others found out that this pill was his unique secret method, wouldn't they come to his door to settle the score?
Unexpectedly, Zhang Yan said straightforwardly, "There's no need to hide this from others. In recent years, my master has often felt that the pills recorded in the old Pill Catalog are too few, and many famous pills are not recorded. Thus, he is planning to compile a new Pill Catalog, and intends to collect rare pill recipes from all over the world. Thus, he was eager to do so."
"I see." Ren Cai suddenly understood, but he still didn't relent, and asked again, "May I ask who your master is …"
Zhang Yan stood up, and cupped his hands in the direction of the Ying Cang Sect, "My master is Zhou Yan."
"Oh?" Ren Cai was startled, and hurriedly stood up as well, and said with a face of seriousness, "So you're Grandmaster Zhou's disciple.
Zhang Yan hurriedly took a step back, and said in surprise, "Fellow Daoist, why do you have to do this?"
Ren Cai said seriously, "This greeting is not meant for Fellow Daoist, but because I respect Grandmaster Zhou. Grandmaster was originally a direct descendant of the Zhou Clan of Dingyang, but he resolutely gave up the smooth path of cultivation, and set his heart on the path of alchemy. He only said that he would refine a medicine of longevity for the people of the world, and is truly a role model for our generation, worthy of being called a saint of alchemy. Now that he is compiling the Pill Catalog, I dare not refuse!"
Hearing this, Zhang Yan was startled. He didn't think that when Zhou Chongju was murdered, he would have left the Zhou Clan because he had no other choice. In the end, he didn't think that there would be such rumors circulating in the outside world. It was truly unexpected. However, it was very likely that this was a cover-up by the Zhou Clan for the sake of their reputation. Not only did they cover up the truth, they also perfectly explained Zhou Chongju's motive for breaking out of the sect.
Ren Cai walked to the desk, took out a brush, ink, and paper, and wrote down a pill recipe. After thinking for a moment, he took out another piece of paper and wrote something on it. Then, he handed the two pieces of paper and the brocade box containing the pills to Zhang Yan, and said, "These two pill recipes, one is an incomplete ancient recipe, and the other was later added and modified by me. Now, along with the three pills, I am giving them to Fellow Daoist. I hope you don't mind."
Zhang Yan received it with a serious expression. He was about to take out a pill from his sleeve, but Ren Cai reached out and stopped him, saying, "Since Grandmaster Zhou intends to compile another Pill Catalog, I will do my best. This recipe and this pill are all mine to give to Grandmaster." He paused, then continued, "At the Elixir Gathering, there are many families and sects, and there are also many rare pill recipes in their hands. I will try to persuade my fellow Daoists to join in this grand event. What does Fellow Daoist think?"
After saying this, he looked eagerly at Zhang Yan.
How could Zhang Yan not see through his intentions? He smiled and said, "Since this pill is a gift from Fellow Daoist, in the future Pill Catalog, Fellow Daoist's name will be recorded."
Hearing this, Ren Cai was overjoyed. Alchemists had no hope on the path of cultivation, and their lifespans were not long. All they wanted was a false reputation. With Zhou Chongju's status among alchemists, once his name was compiled into a Pill Catalog, his name would be immortalized for generations to come.
In the past few decades, Zhou Chongju had indeed been collecting pill recipes and compiling a new catalog. Before he left, he had even told Zhang Yan to collect a few more pill recipes if he had the chance. However, when Zhang Yan brought out the Pill Cultivation Catalog, he had only wanted to use those pills as an excuse. He hadn't expected to reap such a pleasant surprise. With Ren Cai's help, his name would definitely spread throughout the Water Nation of the Dang Region in a short period of time. It could be said that he had already achieved half of his original goal.
Ren Cai suddenly thought of something and slapped his forehead, saying, "I've only cared about chatting with Fellow Daoist here, and I've delayed Fellow Daoist's journey. Why don't you travel with us?"
"Little Brother is an emissary of a sect, and I have an important mission on my shoulders. I won't delay Fellow Daoist any longer." Zhang Yan politely declined the other's good intentions. He was well aware of his own situation. He could rely on the remnant jade to deceive her, but when it came to knowledge of the Dao of alchemy, he was definitely not as good as Ren Cai. If he said too much, he would definitely be exposed, so it would be best for him to avoid contact with Ren Cai in the future.
Ren Cai's expression was one of regret. After saying a few more words, Zhang Yan stood up and said his goodbyes.
When the ship's owner, Huang Bao, saw Ren Cai politely send Zhang Yan off, he couldn't help but be filled with admiration. Only now did he realize that this young cultivator's identity was not simple. However, he was experienced in the ways of the world, so if Zhang Yan didn't mention his own background, he wouldn't mention it either.
He steered the ship to the bottom of the cliff. Two whale demons threw down six large hooks, which Huang Bao ordered his men to take over and fasten them to the edge of the ship. Then, he shouted upwards, and the two whale demons exerted their strength together. Amidst a series of creaking sounds, the entire ship was pulled up bit by bit.
When they reached the entrance above, another two whale demons stood up in the cave. Each of them stretched out a pair of hands and gently lifted the bottom of the ship over their heads. Then, they placed the ship firmly on the river behind them. Huang Bao quickly took out a small bag of spirit shells and handed it over. The whale demon pinched it between his thumb and index finger and weighed it in his hand. Seeing that the quantity was about right, he didn't count it carefully and just pushed the ship down along the rapid current that flowed through the cave.
The river in the cave was full of twists and turns, and the current was rapid. If they were not careful when making a turn, the ship would crash into the cliff and shatter into pieces. But thanks to Huang Bao's superb boating skills, they were able to make it through the daunting experience without any mishap. About four hours later, Zhang Yan and Luo Xiao finally arrived at a relatively flat lake.
It was already night time, and every thousand steps on the surface of the lake, there was a bright dot of light that was as bright as a cage lamp. As the boat approached, it was discovered that it was actually a smiling mermaid holding a tray in her hand with a resplendent pearl on it. It was dazzling like flowing colors, and the halo of light was exquisite.
From time to time, these mermaids would cast flirtatious glances at Zhang Yan and giggle.
Zhang Yan found it a little strange, but Huang Bao seemed to be used to it and turned a blind eye to it. After traveling for a while, he gradually docked the ship at a pier and said, "Fellow Daoist, you can disembark here. Follow the waterway all the way south, and you'll reach the South Cassia Palace at the southern end of the Water Kingdom. You only need to pay a small fortune, and there will be a courier waiting for you wherever you want to go. It's also very convenient to inquire about things."
Zhang Yan cupped his fist and said, "Thank you, Ship Owner Huang."
Huang Bao returned the gesture and said, "I'll be staying here for another ten or twenty days. If fellow Daoist doesn't mind, you can come here and tell me what to do."
"You're too polite, Ship Owner Huang. If there's anything I can help you with, I'll definitely trouble you."
Huang Bao burst into laughter. Looking at the lake full of mermaids, he patted Zhang Yan's shoulder and said in a low voice, "Demon cultivators are mostly fickle and heartless. I've suffered a lot from them, so you must be careful, fellow Daoist."
Luo Xiao snorted discontentedly.
Zhang Yan smiled and didn't say anything. He cupped his fist and bid farewell to Huang Bao.
When he and Luo Xiao got off the ship, they saw a glistening waterway under their feet. Under the clear lake bed were white shells that glinted with a soft light, stretching all the way to the south and pointing out the way forward.
Zhang Yan looked ahead and saw a sea of stars at the end of the distance. That must be where South Cassia Palace was located. However, the spiritual energy here was disturbed by the magnetic field, so they couldn't fly. It seemed that they could only walk on the waves to cross this vast lake.
Luo Xiao chuckled behind him and said, "You don't have to do this, Langjun. Just move forward without worry."
Zhang Yan was surprised. "Oh? Fellow Daoist Luo has been here before?"
Luo Xiao smiled and said nothing.
Zhang Yan shook his head. Since Luo Xiao said so, there must be a reason behind it. He took a step forward. As soon as he stepped on the water surface, he heard a whistle coming out of nowhere. A carp leaped up and caught his foot. When he took a second step, another carp jumped up and let him step on its back.
Along the way, with every step he took, these carps would jump up just in time to support his falling footsteps. After walking for about a kilometer or two, he saw hundreds of enormous water palaces connected together. Strings of pearls hung from the eaves of the palaces, and on the surface of the water floated rows of colorful water lanterns. In front of the main palace was actually a bustling and bustling market with people coming and going. At a glance, there were probably no less than ten thousand people. If it wasn't for some strange looking demon cultivators mixed among them, he would almost think that this was a country in the mortal world with abundant goods and abundant people.
Arriving at the Water Palace, Zhang Yan quickly found the location of South Cassia Palace. He went in and revealed his identity to the courier officer, showing him his envoy letter.
Seeing that it was an alchemist from Feng Cang, the courier officer didn't dare to be negligent. After flipping through the envoy letter, he respectfully returned it to Zhang Yan and said, "The superior has already said that the envoy from Feng Cang has arrived. You can stay at Green Wave Pavilion first. If you don't like it, I will report to the superior tomorrow and then make arrangements."
At this time, a valiant young cultivator happened to walk in. When he heard the second half of the sentence, he couldn't help but become angry. He took a step forward and asked loudly, "Wait, we clearly arrived first. Why don't we have a place to stay, but there's a place for them to stay?"
…
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