Chapter 11: The Pill Cauldron That Steals Snacks

"Grandmaster Ge, what did you need me for?" Tang Yan asked curiously as Ge Ming caught up to him.

"I merely borrowed your pill cauldron, yet you gifted me a formula. Perhaps in Brother Tang's eyes this is nothing more than a thin sheet of paper, but to me it is a life-saving treasure, and I accept this great kindness with gratitude. Little brother, a talent like yours shouldn't be without a proper pill cauldron — please accept this one as a gift, and I hope you won't think it beneath you." Ge Ming said with a serious expression.

Tang Yan studied Ge Ming carefully. Any pill cauldron Ge Ming would give away was sure to be of exceptional quality. Accepting it freely would mean owing him a favor.

He wanted to refuse, yet he truly did lack a proper pill furnace. After a moment's thought, Tang Yan cupped his hands in thanks: "Grandmaster Ge's generosity is too great to decline. Should you ever find yourself in trouble, Tang will do everything in his power to help."

Ge Ming was relieved to know that Tang Yan had accepted the favor. He had someone arrange a horse-drawn cart and load the pill cauldron onto it.

Tang Yan glanced at the cart — and there, unmistakably, sat the very pill cauldron he had used that day.

He had someone drape a cover over it, then without any fuss, bid his farewell and turned to leave with Little Cui.

"Young Master, did the Master ask you to buy this cauldron?" Little Cui blinked her wide eyes, full of confusion.

"Grandmaster Ge just said it himself — this cauldron was given to me. How could I have bought it?" Tang Yan corrected her.

"Given to you?" Little Cui's eyes went wide again. As the personal maid of the Tang Clan's eldest young master, she had seen and heard far more than the average person. Miaodan Pavilion had always been proud and imposing — she had only ever heard of others sending gifts to curry favor with them. How had her young master managed to bring home a pill furnace without spending a single silver coin?

"Indeed. Otherwise, with the little silver your young master has on him, we couldn't afford even a low-grade pill furnace, let alone one like this."

The master and servant chatted as they walked, and before long the gates of the Tang Clan came into view.

Leading the horse into the courtyard, they had barely taken a few steps when Old Master Tang came storming toward them, fury written all over his face.

"Good afternoon, Grandfather!" Tang Yan greeted him with a grin.

"Good my ass!" the old man cursed.

Tang Yan was completely baffled — what on earth was Grandfather scolding him for?

"I told you to go out and not cause trouble, and the moment you step out the door, you get into a scuffle with that Liu Family dog! Your cultivation core is shattered, and that little bastard is at the fourth grade of the Primary Realm — what if he'd beaten you half to death? How many lives do you think you have to throw away like this?!"

Hearing Old Master Tang's tirade, Tang Yan smiled inwardly. So the old man was worried about him — just in a rather unique way of showing it.

"Grandfather, this really wasn't my fault. It was Liu Yuan who didn't know his place and insisted on challenging me. We'd already agreed beforehand that fists have no eyes, and if anyone got beaten to death or injured, there'd be no one to blame. The fact that I didn't punch him dead already shows I went easy on him." Tang Yan waved his fist, as if regretting that he had held back.

Old Master Tang was startled by Tang Yan's words — this grandson had actually wanted to kill Liu Yuan? Thank goodness he hadn't gone that far today. If he'd truly killed Liu Yuan, the relationship between the Tang and Liu Families would have broken down openly. The Liu Family, for the sake of their own reputation, would have crippled his legs even if they didn't kill him outright.

But he didn't want to say that aloud and remind Tang Yan of it — after all, his own grandson had beaten Liu Yuan like a dog, which was a point of pride for the Tang Clan, wasn't it?

Thinking back on the detailed report his servants had given him about Tang Yan's underhanded tactics in the fight against Liu Yuan, Old Master Tang couldn't help but feel both amused and exasperated. Everyone in the Tang family had always been upright and honorable — how had it come to this, with Tang Yan's generation resorting to all manner of scheming?

"All right, be more careful next time you go out. Your cultivation core is shattered — if you run into a truly powerful expert, you'll have nothing but beatings coming your way. If you cause trouble again, don't think I won't deal with you!" Having vented his anger, Old Master Tang shot him a fierce glare, clasped his hands behind his back, and walked away.

Tang Yan let out a sigh of relief. The old man had been so caught up in his anger that he'd forgotten to ask about the pill cauldron, saving Tang Yan from having to explain himself. He quickly called a few servants to carry the cauldron from the cart into the rear courtyard.

After sending everyone away, Tang Yan took out the two porcelain bottles from his chest pocket. He gazed at the jade-green Spirit Initiation Pills without hesitation and swallowed them directly.

The Spirit Initiation Pill — an elixir passed down through China's Cultivation World for a thousand years without fading into obscurity, revered by countless Cultivators across the ages, and considered the finest pill for the early stages of cultivation.

It dissolved the moment it touched his tongue, leaving a lingering fragrance in his mouth, and a surge of warmth shot straight toward his cultivation core. Tang Yan was just about to Refine and absorb it when the Heaven and Earth Creation Cauldron, which had been lying dormant in his cultivation core all this time, suddenly flipped open its lid, swallowed the entire medicinal energy whole, and then slammed the lid shut with a resounding clang.

No matter how hard he tried, the pill cauldron sat in his cultivation core as if nothing had happened — utterly motionless. Not even a trace of the medicinal power he had wanted appeared.

Holy shit, you fucking ate my pill?! Tang Yan raged inwardly!

He struggled for a long while, but the cauldron gave no reaction whatsoever. Tang Yan was overcome with despair — not entirely because he mourned the lost pill, but because if this wretched cauldron was going to devour his pills, did that mean he could never use pills to cultivate?

At that thought, Tang Yan couldn't suppress a shudder. If that was truly the case, he'd rather be rid of this Heaven and Earth Creation Cauldron entirely.

Refusing to accept it, Tang Yan picked up another Spirit Initiation Pill and swallowed it without hesitation.

The Spirit Initiation Pill dissolved just as before, a surge of warmth shot toward his cultivation core, the Heaven and Earth Creation Cauldron's lid flipped open, and once again it swallowed the medicinal energy whole.

The third one! Swallowed again!

The fourth one! Swallowed again!

"What the hell are you eating pills for, you damn cauldron?!" Tang Yan could no longer hold back, and let loose a torrent of curses at the cauldron!

Fuming with rage, Tang Yan grabbed the other bottle, yanked out the stopper, poured all six pills into his palm, and swallowed them in one go.

The cauldron's lid flipped open again — but this time, it only swallowed one. The remaining five Spirit Initiation Pills suddenly dissolved all at once, and a surge of pure True Qi rose from his cultivation core like a rushing river, roaring through his Meridians.

What the — why did it stop eating?!

The explosive burst of energy gave Tang Yan no time even to cry. He quickly held his breath and focused his mind, working to guide the True Qi as it circulated through his body.

The Spirit Initiation Pill was renowned for its gentle nature — but only when a single pill was taken. With five Spirit Initiation Pills dissolving simultaneously, the fivefold surge of Spiritual Energy made Tang Yan feel as though his Meridians were being violently stretched to their limits!

A burning sensation flooded his entire body. Tang Yan's eyes turned bloodshot, the Supreme Pill Scripture within him spun furiously, and the skin across his body flushed deep red — it seemed as though the slightest external force would cause the blood inside him to explode outward.

So what if it's five Spirit Initiation Pills — I'll fight through it! Tang Yan steeled his heart, ignoring the searing pain in his Meridians, and drove the rampaging True Qi to circulate through every channel in his body.

Pop, pop, pop…

The smaller Meridians couldn't withstand the immense Spiritual Energy and began to rupture one after another. Just as he was about to complete one full circulation, the pure energy showed no sign of weakening, and Tang Yan let out a quiet sigh. His already-damaged Meridians likely couldn't absorb such an overwhelming force.

Just as Tang Yan was preparing to guide the True Qi into a second full circulation, the Heaven and Earth Creation Cauldron — which had gone quiet — suddenly flipped its lid open again. Tang Yan's heart leapt with joy; he was about to channel all of that True Qi into the cauldron, when suddenly a stream of even purer Spiritual Energy came gushing out from the cauldron's mouth.

Are you kidding me?!

Tang Yan was horrified. His Meridians were already at their breaking point from the earlier Spiritual Energy — why on earth was the cauldron outputting Spiritual Energy now?!