Chapter 22: These Two Guys Caused All This Trouble?

Feng Yang watched as Bai Chen clumsily yet precisely followed the pill formula, controlling the rhythm with careful attention.

Though without a trace of Spiritual Energy to assist, he could still blend the medicinal vapors and the fragrance of the grain into perfect harmony, keeping them cohesive and undispersed.

The potency was only eighty percent of a normal Inedia Pill, yet this had been cooked over a mundane flame without Spiritual Energy to concentrate the essence — achieving eighty percent was nothing short of a miracle.

This child had not the slightest foundation in Alchemy, yet he could both stumble into producing a pill by pure instinct and, when following a formula, produce one with such a clean and refined appearance.

This innate affinity with Alchemy — this strange phenomenon — far exceeded his decades of knowledge in the field.

He had seen those of mediocre talent follow the rules to the letter, and he had seen the gifted forge their own paths. But never had he seen someone work entirely on instinct, make every conceivable mistake, and still produce a pill.

"How peculiar," Feng Yang murmured quietly to himself.

If only Su Qingzhou, the Elder of the Qingyun Sect, were here.

Su Qingzhou possessed no remarkable cultivation in spells, yet he had a pair of eyes unmatched in the Cultivation World — eyes most adept at seeing through the surface to perceive hidden talent, innate constitution, and special bonds.

He could always pinpoint precisely what made a prodigy unusual, and teach according to each individual's nature.

If Su Qingzhou were to take a look at Bai Chen, perhaps he could understand why the boy was the way he was.

Thinking this, Feng Yang shook his head with a touch of regret.

Yet even if Su Qingzhou examined him, it would not change the fact that Bai Chen possessed Five-Element Spirit Roots.

For now, low-grade pills like the Inedia Pill were manageable enough.

But higher-grade pills required Spiritual Energy to nourish and condense the medicinal essence layer by layer — something no mundane flame or ordinary method could achieve.

No matter how gifted Bai Chen was, if he could not advance in his cultivation, this would be his ceiling.

What a pity.

Feng Yang was silent for a moment, then reached into his storage bag and withdrew two thread-bound, yellowed basic volumes, handing them to Bai Chen.

"These are a basic pill compendium and a common spirit herb illustrated guide. Take them and study them."

Bai Chen accepted the books with both hands in surprise. One cover read "Elementary Pill Essentials," and the other read "Introductory Spirit Herb Identification."

Before he could even offer his thanks, Feng Yang waved his hand and produced a pile of medicinal ingredients, setting them on the table.

Feng Yang looked at Bai Chen solemnly and said:

"These are materials sufficient to refine two batches of Qi Gathering Pills. You may try refining them. I know you are in urgent need of Qi Gathering Pills right now, but unless a pill is refined to perfection, it will retain pill toxins. Even if you manage to produce Qi Gathering Pills, do not consume too many — it will not do you good."

Bai Chen bowed respectfully. "Yes, this disciple will remember."

Feng Yang gave a slight nod. "In the future, if there is anything about Alchemy you do not understand, you may come find me at Danyuan Peak. If you achieve Foundation Establishment, I will take you as my disciple."

At those words, Bai Chen froze completely.

From the moment he had first laid eyes on Feng Yang, he had been on guard, fearing the man might be like Feng Ling'er's great-uncle — just as unreasonable as that insufferable woman.

As the master of an entire peak, it would have been far too easy for Feng Yang to have him killed.

Yet he never could have imagined that the master of Danyuan Peak would be this kind of person.

Simply because Bai Chen showed talent in Alchemy, Feng Yang was willing to gift him pill formulas and materials, and even promised that he could come seek guidance at any time — and even offered to take him as a disciple.

Bai Chen could hardly believe it.

Feng Yang, so generous and appreciative of talent, was actually the blood uncle of that arrogant, ungrateful Feng Ling'er?

The two were as different as the clouds and the mud.

One could only wonder whether this was a case of a fine bamboo producing a bad shoot, or a bad bamboo producing a fine one.

The niece was spoiled, willful, and utterly unreasonable; the great-uncle was sensible, valued talent, and possessed a breadth of character far beyond ordinary people.

Had he not heard and seen it with his own eyes, he never would have believed these two could be family.

Looking at the pill formula volumes in his hands and the pile of materials on the table, all of Bai Chen's earlier anxiety and wariness melted away, replaced by genuine admiration and gratitude.

He bowed his head deeply and said from the bottom of his heart: "Many thanks, Peak Master. This disciple will not fail your expectations!"

Feng Yang gave a slight nod at Bai Chen's sincere expression, a faint glimmer of hope passing through his eyes.

Having Five-Element Spirit Roots didn't mean cultivation was entirely impossible. Perhaps… he truly could make it?

"Let's go."

Feng Yang said no more and headed out of the room. Liu Yan hurried to follow.

Bai Chen followed along to see them off.

The moment Feng Yang stepped outside, his gaze swept calmly over the corner where Zhou Shi and Fang He had been hiding.

He had noticed the two of them sneaking over the moment they crept close.

He simply hadn't bothered to deal with it.

Zhou Shi and Fang He shuddered the instant Feng Yang's gaze landed on them.

The two scrambled up from the ground in a hurry, brushed the dust off their robes, straightened their collars, and bowed their heads low in greeting.

"W-we greet Peak Master Feng Yang!"

Both buried their heads as low as they could, not daring to breathe.

Feng Yang gave them a cool glance without a word in reply, then lightly tapped his foot against the air and rose into the sky, his figure wrapped in golden-red spiritual light as he swept toward the heavens.

Liu Yan watched Feng Yang depart, then turned back to look at Bai Chen.

"The door of your wooden cabin is damaged. Would you prefer to move to another vacant room, or shall I send someone to repair it tomorrow?"

Bai Chen glanced at the empty room next door and replied, "This disciple will simply move to another room."

"Very well." Liu Yan nodded and called out to Shifeng, "Let's go."

Shifeng looked back at the batch of "dung"-scented Inedia Pills Bai Chen had produced in the previous pot, and lingered with reluctant, longing glances.

Bai Chen understood immediately. He quickly wrapped the "dung"-scented Inedia Pills that had been temporarily placed in a wooden bowl in a cloth, and held it out to Shifeng.

"They're all yours."

Hearing that so many were being given to it, Shifeng let out a delighted yelp and snatched up the cloth bundle in its mouth, its tail wagging so hard it nearly flew off!

Shifeng had no qualms, but Liu Yan could not accept so easily.

"This won't do — let me transfer some contribution points to you."

He removed his steward's badge and was about to transfer contribution points to Bai Chen.

Bai Chen immediately waved his hand generously. "No need, no need. I've already troubled Steward Liu today. I don't have much to offer, so let Shifeng have these as a treat."

After all, the materials hadn't cost him anything, and he wouldn't eat the finished product himself. It was as good as a thank-you to Liu Yan for bringing Feng Yang to him — he wasn't losing anything.

Seeing that Bai Chen truly didn't want the contribution points, and that six points wasn't a large amount anyway, Liu Yan smiled, nodded in thanks, and left for the steward's hall with a gleeful Shifeng in tow.

Only after Liu Yan departed did Zhou Shi and Fang He finally relax completely.

The two exchanged a glance and let out a simultaneous sigh of relief, then looked toward Bai Chen in unison.

Bai Chen looked back at them.

These two guys caused all this trouble?

He wondered if there were any wooden cabins in the valley that were farther away from them.

He didn't want to be neighbors with them.

Just as Bai Chen was about to ignore them and turn back inside to pack his things and move, Zhou Shi was the first to speak, rubbing his hands together as he apologized.

"Brother Bai, we're truly sorry! It was entirely our fault just now. We didn't know you were refining pills — please forgive us."

Fang He also snapped to attention and hurried to the doorway, saying in a placating tone: "Yes, yes, we were far too reckless. Brother Bai, you're moving your things, right? Let us help!"

With that, the two squeezed through the doorway and began cleaning up the scattered medicinal residue and other odds and ends strewn across the floor, carrying everything out to be discarded.

They had no cleaning tools, so they gathered everything bit by bit with their bare hands — and the sight of it was, in its own way, a little pitiful.