Moyang watched as Su Fei'er flicked her sleeves and stormed out of the small courtyard, looking somewhat dazed. He knew Su Fei'er had a fierce temper, but he hadn't expected her to be this fierce. Recalling the look in her eyes as she left, a chill involuntarily crept down his spine.
"Tsk tsk, I'd better provoke this little girl less often in the future!"
Muttering a few words, he turned and walked straight back into his room. He intended to study that medicinal cauldron. As for Su Fei'er's business, he didn't give it another thought; after all, whatever marriage proposal nonsense there was had nothing to do with him whatsoever.
Two hours later, Su Fei'er returned. She tossed a Spatial Ring directly at Moyang and then gave a cold snort, saying, "The things you want are all in there!"
Moyang caught the Spatial Ring and, after probing it with his mind, his face instantly lit up with joy. The quantity inside was far greater than what he had listed; Su Fei'er probably hadn't even bothered to check carefully, simply stuffing medicinal herbs into it wholesale.
Chapter 9 Cauldron of Fortune
After silently probing the Spatial Ring, Moyang looked at Su Fei'er with a smile all over his face and said, "I keep my word. From now on, we'll mind our own business, provided you don't come looking for trouble with me!"
Su Fei'er let out a cold snort and said, "Humph, who wants to look for you? This young lady was just curious before!"
Moyang hurriedly waved his hand and said, "Eldest Miss, please don't harbor curiosity toward your grandpa, or you'll fall for him sooner or later!"
Su Fei'er let out another cold snort, turned around, and left the small courtyard.
Seeing Su Fei'er leave, Moyang couldn't wait to turn and walk back into the room, closing the door tightly behind him before stepping directly into the Stone Tower.
He headed straight to the second floor, where the pitch-black medicinal cauldron stood shoulder-high to him. Only now did he notice three dark characters inscribed on the cauldron: Cauldron of Fortune.
The area around the cauldron had already been cleaned up by him previously. Aside from the book *Divine Dan Dao*, there were two ancient hand-scrolled manuscripts, which recorded various insights into alchemy.
To Moyang, those two scrolls of alchemy insights were like having an alchemy master of extraordinary skill.
Over the past few days, he had completely memorized them by heart.
Inside the cauldron, a cluster of crimson flames burned steadily and unhurriedly, having done so for who knows how many years.
"Could it be some kind of heavenly exotic fire? Otherwise, it could never burn eternally... This cauldron is called the Cauldron of Fortune, and this fire... I'll name it the Fire of Fortune for you!" Moyang paced around the cauldron, sizing it up for a long time, muttering to himself before beginning to prepare the herbs.
The *Divine Dan Dao* texts provided a general categorization of pills, ranging from simple to complex, with the required herbs varying accordingly.
The more ordinary the pill, the fewer types and smaller amounts of herbs it required, and the herbs themselves were very common and easy to find. On the other hand, the herbs needed for refining spiritual pills were not only numerous in variety, but some were also rare spiritual herbs of the world.
The first type of pill Moyang intended to refine was the very first recipe recorded in the ancient scroll, named the Marrow Cleansing Pill!
The Marrow Cleansing Pill, as the name implied, was meant to cleanse the marrow and wash the tendons, removing turbid impurities from within the body, enhancing a cultivator's innate bone structure, and even reaching a state of flawlessness. Furthermore, it had an effect on true qi, helping to condense and refine it.
The reason Moyang chose to refine the Marrow Cleansing Pill was because it was best suited for cultivators with low cultivation levels. Improving one's bone structure from the very beginning offered immense benefits for future cultivation. Secondly, refining this pill required the fewest herbs—only two.
"Bailing Vine, Long Ginseng Root. Only two herbs! I have already memorized the alchemy techniques and essentials; it should be quite easy to refine!"
Moyang took out the two herbs, took a deep breath, and began refining them in the corresponding proportions.
He had originally thought everything would go smoothly, but the moment the Bailing Vine was tossed into the medicinal cauldron, it was instantly burned into a puff of powder by the crimson flame, before Moyang even had time to react.
"I already wrapped the herbs with true qi, why..."
Moyang frowned and pondered for a moment, then began his second attempt, but the result was identical to the first.
Then the third, the fourth, the fifth time...
He had no idea how much time had passed, but most of the Bailing Vine in the Spatial Ring had been consumed, and Moyang still hadn't succeeded. Although during the subsequent attempts the herbs had begun to be refined within the cauldron, they would fall short at the slightest lapse in concentration.
"Damn it, I refuse to believe that today a tiny little pill can stump me!"
"I survived ten years of darkness; even if you torture me a thousand times over, I will still treat you like my ancestor..."
Moyang hardened his heart and continued with meticulous caution to begin a new round of attempts. Twice in a row, he had been on the verge of success, only to fail at the very final moment.
Moreover, Moyang discovered that while refining pills seemingly consumed little true qi, as the number of attempts increased, the true qi within his body had somehow been completely exhausted without him realizing it. When he stopped, a wave of exhaustion swept through his entire body.
Left with no other choice, he could only sit cross-legged on the spot to regulate his breathing until his true qi recovered somewhat before he continued refining the herbs.
Time slowly passed. After losing count of how many attempts he had made, seeing that the Bailing Vine and Long Ginseng Root in the Spatial Ring were practically depleted, he finally managed to reluctantly condense a single pill.
However, that pill looked completely different from the description in the ancient scroll; its color was dark and mottled, it looked exceptionally rough, and its shape was completely irregular.
Moyang carefully cupped it in his palm, too busy to wipe the sweat from his forehead, and nearly burst into a wide grin.
He silently inspected it for a moment, then tossed it directly into his mouth and swallowed it.
Immediately afterward, Moyang confirmed that he had succeeded, because the pill melted upon contact with his tongue, turning into a warm current that rushed into his abdomen and then spread outward toward his entire body.
Following that, his whole body began to heat up rapidly, as if a blazing fire was burning inside him. Waves of pain accompanied this sensation, and sweat poured endlessly from his skin. Within just a few breaths, his robes were completely soaked through.
This was his first time taking a Marrow Cleansing Pill; he had no idea the process would be so excruciating.
However, he gritted his teeth and persisted. Half an hour later, the scorching sensation inside his body began to subside, and the pain gradually faded away. Then, an indescribable wave of comfort and relief washed over his entire body.
Moyang didn't bother tending to the grime oozing from his skin. Instead, he immediately set about circulating his true qi and discovered that his true qi had indeed become somewhat more solid. When he channeled it, the circulation felt much smoother than before, and even his cultivation level seemed to have grown a bit.
"Tsk tsk, awesome..."
However, the ancient scroll also noted that the first consumption yielded the most prominent effects. As the frequency of consumption increased, the efficacy would gradually diminish.
"As long as I can successfully refine one every day, in half a month at most, I'll be equivalent to undergoing a complete rebirth. It's just that the herbs are a bit troublesome..." Moyang muttered while frowning. The herb consumption was simply too high; he couldn't keep tricking Su Fei'er, and the crucial point was that the little girl probably wouldn't fall for it a second time.
After sitting cross-legged and regulating his breathing for a long time, Moyang finally stood up and left the Stone Tower.
Over the next few days, Moyang spent almost all his time refining pills on the second floor of the Stone Tower. After managing to successfully refine two more Marrow Cleansing Pills, the ingredients for them were completely exhausted.
During these past few days, although he hadn't actively practiced cultivation, his true qi being repeatedly depleted to its absolute limit was akin to mining his latent potential. The rate of growth in his cultivation was much faster than before, and his spiritual strength had also improved significantly.
By the time he left the Stone Tower, his cultivation had already reached Earth Mystic Realm - Stage 3.
Wood Peak had remained peaceful all this time. Moyang was now actually hoping for Su Fei'er to show up—not for anything else, but simply to trick her out of some more herbs, seeing as he currently had no other way.
If he left the sect to buy them in an outside city, leaving aside anything else, the silver alone would not be a small amount, and he simply didn't have that much on him.
"Scamming a wolf with empty hands definitely won't work anymore. It looks like I'll have to refine some kind of beautifying pill to trick her... No, not trick her, exchange with her..." Moyang pondered for a long time, and a plan formed in his mind.
Chapter 10 Your and My Little Secret
Inside the Stone Tower, Moyang flipped through the *Divine Dan Dao* and finally settled on a pill called the Youth-Preserving Pill.
As it happened, he had all the ingredients needed to refine the Youth-Preserving Pill, and this pill was also relatively easy to make. Its effects held an immense attraction for women, and Su Fei'er certainly wouldn't be able to resist.
With the experience gained from previously refining the Marrow Cleansing Pill, making the Youth-Preserving Pill was much easier now. Although he still failed a few times, he succeeded on the very fourth attempt. Moreover, the condensed pill was not only regular in shape, but its color was also quite good.
"You really do need to accumulate experience no matter what you do. After failing so many times before, it's getting smoother and smoother now!" Moyang sighed with emotion, then left the Stone Tower carrying the pill.
Since Su Fei'er wouldn't come to him, Moyang had no choice but to go find her. He left Wood Peak with the pill and headed straight toward the main peak.
Along the way, he encountered quite a few sect disciples. Many of them kept a respectful distance from Moyang, retreating hastily when they saw him. No one dared to make sarcastic remarks behind his back anymore.
There were also some disciples who had never mocked Moyang in the past who plucked up the courage to greet him, and Moyang responded to each of them with a smile.
Seeing that the direction Moyang was walking led toward the main peak, many people couldn't help whispering among themselves in low voices.
"It looks like he's going to the main peak. Could he be going to find trouble with Senior Brother Qi?"
"I'd bet eight out of ten times he's going to find Junior Sister Su. This guy really has a lot of nerve. Could it be that doing it in private wasn't enough, and now he wants to do it openly..."
"Tsk tsk, if he really is going after Junior Sister Su, then we're probably in for a good show... Daring to go straight to the main peak to pick up girls, I admire him. A role model for our generation..."
...
Listening to the chatter coming from behind him, Moyang felt somewhat speechless, but he could only pretend not to hear and silently walked toward the main peak.
"Moyang, what are you doing on the main peak?"
Along the way, he happened to bump into the Second Elder, who immediately frowned upon seeing Moyang, having never held any favorable impression of him.
"I'm not allowed to come to the main peak?" Moyang asked calmly in return.
The Second Elder's expression was very ugly. Hearing Moyang's retort, he froze, desperately wanting to utter a few reprimands, but remembering the Supreme Elder's special instructions not to make things difficult for Moyang, he could only let out a cold snort, flick his sleeves, and turn away.
However, some disciples had already spread the news, claiming that Moyang had come to the main peak, though nobody knew what he wanted to do.
The moment Moyang stepped onto the main peak, quite a few main peak disciples were already waiting there. Hearing the news, Qi Heng had also rushed over. He stared coldly at Moyang and demanded in a harsh voice, "I wonder what Junior Brother Moyang has come to the main peak for?"
Moyang looked at Qi Heng's gloomy face and felt a slight urge to laugh, but he managed to hold back his smile and said calmly, "I'm here to find Su Fei'er!"
Upon hearing this, Qi Heng's expression darkened even further. He said coldly, "You've got a lot of nerve. What more do you want to do?"
Moyang was left speechless for a moment. Frowning, he said, "When did what I do ever become something for Senior Brother Qi to manage? Do I need your permission now, too?"
"You..."
Qi Heng's face turned icy cold, yet Moyang's words left him with no idea what to say.
Moyang waved his hand with an impatient expression and said, "What about me? Step aside, don't waste my time!"
Qi Heng was furious, his face alternating between green and white. However, he was unwilling to trade blows with Moyang either; his previous injuries had not yet fully healed. If he fought Moyang now, he was bound to suffer a heavy loss. Not only would the gain not make up for the loss, but more importantly, he would lose face.
The surrounding disciples didn't dare to speak a word either. Even when facing Qi Heng, Moyang dared to adopt such an attitude; if they dared to stick their necks out, they'd likely receive a thorough beating.
"Who dares to cause trouble on the main peak? Do they take this young lady for a ghost?" Before Moyang could say anything more, Su Fei'er's voice rang out first.
Hearing that it was Su Fei'er's voice, the surrounding disciples hastily retreated.
Su Fei'er swaggered forward with her hands on her hips, but the moment she saw it was Moyang, she immediately furrowed her brows.
"Haha, little sister Fei'er, it's been many days. I was just looking for you, and here you are. We really do share a telepathic connection!" Moyang said directly with a chuckle.
Especially those words "little sister Fei'er"—he rolled them off his tongue with unnatural ease, showing no sense of distance at all.
Qi Heng's face was full of rage as he stared fixedly at Moyang, wishing he could walk over and slap him a few times.
There were quite a few of Su Fei'er's admirers standing nearby. Hearing Moyang address her like that made them grind their teeth in hatred, but they could only swallow their anger and remain silent.
Su Fei'er's expression instantly chilled, and she said coldly, "Your word doesn't count?"
Moyang said with a straight face, "What kind of talk is that? I'm looking for you for something else. How about we change locations and discuss it slowly?"
As he spoke, he glanced at the surrounding disciples.
"Humph, if you have something to say, say it right here!" Su Fei'er was currently unwilling to provoke Moyang either; she couldn't beat him in a fight, and the crucial point was that both the Supreme Elder and her father showed him endless partiality.
"Uh... alright!" Moyang paused for a moment, then looked at the surrounding disciples and frowned, saying, "What are you looking at? Get back to cultivating!"
The crowd froze, feeling utterly speechless. In the past, if Moyang had dared to speak such words, he would have undoubtedly met with endless sneers and ridicule, but things were different now.
The disciples turned and left one after another, not daring to linger in place. Qi Heng let out a heavy, cold snort, glared fiercely at Moyang, and also turned and walked away.
Moyang closed in on Su Fei'er by a few steps with a swish, lowered his voice, and said, "Little sister Fei'er, could you help me fetch some more herbs?"
"What do you want so many herbs for?" Su Fei'er retreated a few steps with a hint of wariness, furrowing her brow as she stared at Moyang.
Last time she had wanted to ask, and she hadn't expected that just a few days later, Moyang would come looking for her to get herbs again.
"This is a Youth-Preserving Pill. It has beautifying and skin-care effects. When taken by a woman, it's comparable to undergoing a complete rebirth; not only can it preserve one's youth forever, but it has other wonderful uses as well!" Moyang casually took out the Youth-Preserving Pill he had prepared earlier and spoke in a low voice.
Upon hearing this, the look in Su Fei'er's eyes changed instantly. She fixed her gaze on the pill in Moyang's palm, sizing it up, and then stared suspiciously at Moyang, asking in utter astonishment, "You know how to refine pills?"
She could hardly believe it. As a cultivator, she had naturally heard of such things as pills, but alchemy was an independent path unto itself. Throughout the entire Lingxu Sect, not a single person knew how to refine them; the only option was to spend a huge sum of silver notes to buy them.
Moreover, she harbored no doubts in her heart at this moment, because Moyang's cultivation had advanced by leaps and bounds during this period, something no one could explain. This pill was the only reasonable explanation.
Furthermore, the destination of those medicinal herbs now had a rational explanation.
"Cough, cough. I learned a little bit by a twist of fate. If little sister Fei'er is willing to cooperate, you must keep this strictly confidential!"
Su Fei'er looked at Moyang with skepticism, then reached out as if to snatch the pill, but Moyang was quick-eyed and agile, retracting his hand with a swift motion.
"Moyang, you..."
Moyang chuckled and said, "If possible, we can engage in long-term cooperation. You provide the herbs, and once I refine the pills, naturally I can share some with you. However, this matter must be a little secret between you and me; third parties must not know about it!"
Chapter 11 A Young Girl's Heart
Su Fei'er's cheeks gradually flushed. Such an astonishing matter, yet Moyang had only told her quietly. One had to know that alchemists were exceptionally prestigious throughout the entire Xuantian Continent; wherever they went, they were treated as honored guests.
Although Moyang was completely impervious to her usual approaches, hearing him speak like this stirred an inexplicable emotion deep within her heart.
Besides, her heart was filled with curiosity toward him. In the past, everyone said Moyang was a piece of trash, but looking at him now, how was he any sort of trash? He was simply a genius, seemingly hiding countless secrets, shrouded head-to-toe in mist.
She simply couldn't figure it out. Living in the same Lingxu Sect where even the Fourth Elder didn't know alchemy, how on earth had Moyang learned it?
"You... you first let me see that pill. If it's real, I... can help you!" Amidst her fluctuating emotions, she spoke with a stutter, and even her voice lacked its usual sharpness.
Although Moyang felt something was a bit off, he didn't dwell on it right then. Hearing Su Fei'er say this, he handed the Youth-Preserving Pill over and said in a low voice, "You'll know its efficacy naturally after taking it. I guarantee you'll get more and more fresh and pretty!"
Su Fei'er's cheeks grew even redder. Previously, Moyang had claimed he had no interest in her, and she had remained extremely resentful about it because no one had ever treated her that way. Now, hearing Moyang praise her as fresh and pretty, it felt as though something in her heart had been satisfied, throwing her emotions into even greater disarray.
Moyang frowned, vaguely feeling that Su Fei'er was acting a bit strange. However, with his mind entirely set on the herbs, he reminded her once more, "Then I'll wait for your good news at Wood Peak!"
Su Fei'er accepted the Youth-Preserving Pill and tucked it away without even looking at it, not even daring to meet Moyang's gaze. Blushing, she nodded instinctively.
Seeing Su Fei'er nod, Moyang finally felt at ease. Without saying anything further, he turned around and walked down the main peak.
Though the main peak disciples who had retreated into the distance didn't dare to approach, from afar it looked as though Moyang and Su Fei'er were whispering sweet nothings to each other. The crucial point was that Su Fei'er actually looked utterly shy, and in the end, she nodded with a bashful expression after agreeing to goodness knows what.
Many disciples felt as though they were dreaming, hardly believing their eyes. When had they ever seen Su Fei'er acting like this before?
It wasn't until Moyang's figure vanished from sight that Qi Heng walked up with a dark expression.
At this moment, the flush on Su Fei'er's face hadn't completely faded yet. Qi Heng stared in the direction of the mountain path and snorted coldly, "Junior Sister Su, no matter what Moyang said, you must not believe him. He shows no respect for his elders, acts rashly, and speaks frivolously. You shouldn't get too close to him!"
Su Fei'er hurriedly reined in her emotions and nodded with a feigned calmness, "Senior Brother Qi, I know!"
...
After returning to Wood Peak, Moyang went straight into the Stone Tower to sit cross-legged and regulate his breath before beginning to experiment with refining other ordinary pills.
"My alchemy skills are only at the introductory stage right now; I must quickly refine ordinary pills to get familiar with the process. Otherwise, even if I find those extraordinary spiritual herbs, I'll just be wasting ingredients."
He spent his time refining pills in the Stone Tower, losing track of time. By the time he left the tower, it was already pitch dark outside.
He pushed open the door and stepped into the small courtyard. The moon was bright and the stars sparse, with silvery moonlight blanketing the earth. Only then did he notice that someone was actually sitting on the stone stool—the silver threads embroidered into her white dress gleamed brilliantly in the moonlight, and the jade hairpin obliquely inserted in her dark hair also cast faint glimmers of light.
Moyang frowned as he looked over, discovering to his surprise that it was Su Fei'er.
He instinctively turned back to look at the room's door, finding it completely undamaged, with no signs of the courtyard being wrecked either. Moyang felt a bit suspicious; given Su Fei'er's personality, shouldn't she have either torn the courtyard apart, kicked the door to pieces, or vented her frustration here?
Moyang pondered for a moment and walked over, only to find that Su Fei'er had leaned against the stone stool and fallen asleep. In the quiet courtyard, her even breathing could be clearly heard.
Under the moonlight, that peaceful sleeping face didn't look quite as annoying as usual.