The Eternal Saint of Alchemy

Having worked as a blacksmith for most of his life, he could tell at a glance how exquisite the picture was.

The spiral patterns on the furnace wall and the design of the temperature control valves are particularly breathtaking.

"You...you came up with this idea?"

"You don't need to worry about that, just tell me if you can do it or not."

The old man carefully examined the blueprints and nodded, saying, "It's acceptable, but it will take some time. At least five days. Moreover, the materials used are not cheap; black steel, cold iron, and red copper—these three items combined will cost at least three hundred taels."

"Three hundred taels?" Xiao Fan frowned. "Is there a cheaper option?"

"Young man, this is already the cost price. I'm not making a single penny." The old man glared at him. "If you don't believe me, go ask around in the market."

Xiao Fan gritted his teeth and said, "Alright, three hundred taels it is. However, I don't have any silver on hand, could I pay on credit?"

The old man laughed angrily: "You brat from the Xiao family still owe me a debt? Your grandfather still hasn't paid back the money he owed for the sword ten years ago!"

"That's Grandpa's business, it has nothing to do with me."

"Just like your grandfather!"

The two stared at each other, but in the end the old man gave in: "Alright, alright, since you have the blueprints, I'll make them for you. But you have to pay me back within two weeks, or I'll break your legs."

"Deal!" Xiao Fan said.

Fan Jian was completely bewildered when he left the blacksmith shop.

"Young master, you owe another three hundred taels of silver? That's a total of thirteen hundred taels of silver!"

"What are you afraid of?"

"But we don't even have ten taels of silver on us!"

Xiao Fan ignored him and walked straight back.

Money is not the problem, time is.

With his dantian not yet restored, his cultivation level was only at the third rank of the mortal realm, and he couldn't even activate the lowest level of dan fire.

Fortunately, the Qiankun Creation Cauldron can replace the alchemy furnace for refining medicinal liquids.

Five days later, the alchemy furnace was completed, and his dantian was almost fully restored.

As long as he is given a batch of Qi-Nourishing Pills, his cultivation level can be raised to the fifth rank of the mortal realm.

By the time they arrived at the Xiao family's residence, it was already dark.

As soon as Xiao Fan stepped into the west courtyard, he saw a person standing in the courtyard.

Sun Xingzhou.

"Young Master is back." Sun Xingzhou greeted him with his signature forced smile and cupped his hands in greeting.

Xiao Fan was a little puzzled. Why was this old man here?

"Mr. Sun, what can I do for you?"

"It's alright." Sun Xingzhou took out a small porcelain bottle from his sleeve and said, "The patriarch asked me to bring a bottle of medicine to the eldest young master, saying it will help with the medicinal bath."

Xiao Fan picked up the bottle, opened the cap, and sniffed it.

The Nourishing Essence Pill, a mid-grade elixir, is not bad.

However, he soon noticed something was wrong. There was a faint gray spot on the surface of the pill, which was caused by improper storage and dampness, resulting in the loss of most of its medicinal properties.

"Thank you, Pharmacist Sun." Xiao Fan accepted the porcelain bottle expressionlessly.

Sun Xingzhou had no intention of leaving. He just stood there, wanting to say something, but not daring to.

"Mr. Sun, what can I do for you?"

"Um...Young master, I have a question I'd like to ask you."

"explain."

Sun Xingzhou thought for a moment, then said in a low voice, "Did the eldest young master go to Baicaotang this afternoon?"

Xiao Fan was taken aback, not expecting the old man to be so insightful.

"Um."

"What medicine did you buy?" Sun Xingzhou asked impatiently.

Xiao Fan glanced at him and smiled faintly: "Pharmacist Sun, what medicine I buy is none of your business."

Realizing his lapse in composure, Sun Xingzhou quickly explained, "Young Master, please don't misunderstand. I only did this because I was worried about your health. Your dantian is severely damaged, and many medications cannot be used casually. If anything goes wrong..."

"I've already taken a medicinal bath with poison, how could there be any problems?" Xiao Fan interrupted him with a smile.

Sun Xingzhou's expression changed instantly.

He naturally knew about the "poison" that Xiao Fan mentioned.

He personally placed all three items there, thinking that Xiao Fan knew nothing, but he never expected that Xiao Fan knew everything.

"Young master is too kind. Although these three herbs are poisonous, they are mutually reinforcing and mutually restraining."

Xiao Fan waved his hand and said, "Alright, alright, I don't have time to listen to your explanation of pharmacology. If Dr. Sun has nothing else, you can leave. I need to go and rest."

Sun Xingzhou's face turned ashen, and he finally clasped his hands in a fist salute and left.

Fan Jian leaned closer to him: "Young master, there's something fishy about this old man. Why is he asking you for medicinal herbs?"

"What kind of pill did he ask about?" Xiao Fan sneered. "Or rather, he wanted to see if I really knew how to refine pills."

"Then you..."

"Let him do as he pleases."

Xiao Fan pushed open the door and entered.

He took out the Nourishing Essence Pill that Sun Xingzhou had given him, poured one out, and placed it in his palm.

The pill was gray in color, with cracks on the surface, and looked quite ugly.

However, what Xiao Fan wanted was not him, but the prescription.

He crushed the pill and analyzed the proportions of the ingredients.

The Nourishing Essence Pill is a mid-grade first-class pill, and its formula is not complicated.

Xiao Fan held the powder to his nose and sniffed it, quickly identifying what it was.

"Blood ginseng, polygonatum, dried earthworm, snowdrop flower..."

These medicinal herbs are highly similar to the ones he bought at Baicaotang today.

It's not that he bought the medicinal herbs specifically for refining the Nourishing Essence Pill, but rather that Baicaotang's reserves of medicinal herbs were sufficient to support his pill refining.

There's only one problem, and that's money.

Xiao Fan sat cross-legged, closed his eyes, and sank into his sea of ​​consciousness.

Golden light flowed within the Cauldron of Creation.

He remembered a method from his past life.

For an alchemist, the most precious thing is the formula, not the elixir itself.

A good prescription is worth more than a thousand pieces of gold.

He couldn't produce the overpowered pill formula, but he had over a hundred first- and second-grade pill formulas in his mind.

Any one of these cards can solve a pressing problem.

So, who should we sell it to?

Baicaotang belongs to Yaowang Valley, and Sun Xingzhou also comes from Yaowang Valley. Selling it to Baicaotang is tantamount to giving Sun Xingzhou a knife.

Huichun Pavilion is owned by the Lin family, and they've already embarrassed Lin Yifeng today, so it's even more impossible.

Just as he was pondering this, there was a knock on the door.

"Young Master, Uncle Yu has arrived."

Xiao Fan opened the door and saw Uncle Yu standing outside, holding a letter.

"Young Master, the patriarch asked me to give you this." Uncle Yu handed over a letter, "It's from the Yun family."

Xiao Fan opened the envelope and saw only a few lines of text on it, written in neat handwriting.

"Three days from now, our Yun family will be hosting a flower-viewing banquet, and we cordially invite Young Master Xiao to attend. Written by Yun Ruoxi."

Fan Jian peeked at the letter, while Xiao Fan folded it and put it in his pocket.

"Miss Yun wants to see you?" Yun Ruoxi asked.

"Um."

"are you going?"

"Why not?" Xiao Fan laughed. "I'm short on cash right now, maybe I can find a buyer during the flower viewing banquet."