“Good wine!”
Chen Lin exclaimed.
Zhao Zhengyuan smiled smugly. “Of course. This is my Family’s inherited livelihood. I can survive in this city entirely because of this skill.”
“Indeed, Brother Zhao’s winemaking skill is truly exceptional.”
Chen Lin nodded, then looked at him and said, “Oh, by the way, didn’t Brother Zhao say he was going to refine Medicinal Pills some time ago? How did that go?”
Zhao Zhengyuan’s face fell.
His smugness vanished instantly.
“Sigh, don’t even mention it.”
Zhao Zhengyuan sighed, shaking his head repeatedly.
But then he immediately lifted his chin high, squinted his eyes, and sneered, saying, “A mere Alchemy technique can’t stump me! I, Zhao Zhengyuan, come from a Family of Alchemists!”
Chen Lin’s mouth twitched involuntarily, and he likewise squinted his eyes and sneered back, “Right, right, right. With Brother Zhao’s perseverance and talent, he will succeed sooner or later.”
Zhao Zhengyuan gave a bitter smile, returning to normal, “I’ll take your auspicious words. It’s a pity my Legacy is incomplete; otherwise, there might truly be a sliver of possibility.”
Chen Lin grimaced, saying nothing more.
Communicating with people here was truly an ordeal.
Because they themselves seemed unaware of such abnormalities.
The two began to drink in silence.
“By the way, Brother Zhao, everyone says Alchemy is difficult. Is it really that hard?”
Seeing that more than half a bottle of wine had been drunk and most of the meat and porridge were gone, Chen Lin finally began to inquire about the information he wanted to know.
Although the other party’s demeanor could change at any time, if he couldn't leave, he could only integrate. Besides, when they weren't 'having an episode,' everyone was still normal.
Resources here were extremely scarce, and Medicinal Pills for improving cultivation were simply unobtainable for someone of his status.
Otherwise, he wouldn’t have thought of using Spirit Rice Porridge to Break through a Bottleneck.
And he didn't want to stay in this strange place for another moment, single-mindedly wanting to Breakthrough to the Qi Refining Middle Stage and then escape from here.
Therefore, he planned to refine Medicinal Pills himself.
With his 'ten times certain hit' ability, as long as he had the tools, Materials, and a Pill Formula, he could definitely refine them.
Zhao Zhengyuan was also a bit tipsy, exhaling a breath of alcohol and saying, “What do you think? If it weren’t difficult, would even the lowest-grade Qi Replenishing Pill be so expensive?”
“That’s true. I heard that even among the few Foundation Establishment Families, each only has one Alchemist. If Brother Zhao, you can succeed, you can immediately go to the inner city to enjoy a good life. Don’t forget your little brother then!”
Chen Lin refilled the other party's cup, seemingly casually saying, “Brother Zhao, since you’ve started trying Alchemy, you must have a Pill Formula, right? What kind of Medicinal Pill is it for? Can you tell me?”
Zhao Zhengyuan paused, then sneered normally, glancing at Chen Lin, “What, you want to do Alchemy too?”
Before Chen Lin could speak, he continued, “Alchemy isn’t that easy. I advise you to focus on studying the Dao of Talismans instead.”
His thoughts exposed, Chen Lin didn't mind.
Many people wanted to learn Alchemy; it was quite normal for him to want to learn.
However, since it was clear, he simply got straight to the point.
“That’s right, I do want to learn Alchemy. My cultivation has been stuck at Qi Refining second layer for over twenty years. Without Medicinal Pill assistance, I probably can’t Breakthrough. But as you know, Medicinal Pills in the city are controlled by the big Families, and it’s impossible for us low-level Loose Cultivators to buy them. That’s why I had the idea of refining Medicinal Pills myself. No matter what, trying it won’t leave me with regrets.”
Chen Lin’s words made Zhao Zhengyuan sigh with empathy.
He felt the same way.
Loose Cultivators, especially low-level Loose Cultivators, had it too hard.
After hesitating for a moment, he shook his head, “I do have a Pill Formula. If you want it, I can sell it to you, but let me state beforehand, this Pill Formula is flawed, so don’t say I cheated you.”
“What flaw?”
Chen Lin immediately pressed.
Zhao Zhengyuan fumbled in his embrace for a while, and a yellowish paper scroll was taken out. He pressed it under his hand and said, “Pill Formulas are all Ancient cultivator Legacies, but with the changes in the Immortal Cultivation World, some Spirit Medicines from ancient times have become extinct. Current Pill Formulas are modified by Alchemists themselves after many attempts, by finding substitute Spirit Medicines. That’s why Pill Formulas are so rare.”
Saying that, he unfolded the scroll, revealing the densely packed tiny characters on it.
He traced the characters for a while, sighing, “The Pill Formula I got, although it’s also modified, might be very ancient. One of the Spirit Medicines in it is now a scarce item. The value of the Spirit Medicine itself already far exceeds the value of the Medicinal Pill. I myself replaced it with a cheap Spirit Medicine based on its medicinal properties. Whether the Medicinal Pill can be refined is still an unknown.”
“Replaced it yourself?”
Chen Lin tapped the table with his finger, a look of suspicion on his face.
“Heh heh.”
Zhao Zhengyuan’s demeanor changed, and he squinted and sneered, “Fellow Daoist Chen, don’t look down on me, Zhao. Although I’ve never refined a Medicinal Pill, I come from an Alchemy Family and have a deep understanding of pharmacology and efficacy. Improving a Pill Formula is effortless!”
“Is that so? Then let me see what you replaced it with?”
Chen Lin ignored the other party’s pathological boasting and reached for the Pill Formula.
But he was blocked by the other party.
Zhao Zhengyuan rolled up the Pill Formula again and said, “Want it? Three hundred Spirit Stones!”
“Too expensive.”
Chen Lin retracted his hand and slurped a mouthful of porridge.
“This is a Pill Formula, and it’s a Pill Formula for Medicinal Pills that increase cultivation! Three hundred Spirit Stones is still expensive? If it were through normal channels, you wouldn’t be able to buy it no matter how many Spirit Stones you had!”
Zhao Zhengyuan glared, indignant.
Chen Lin shook his head, “What you’re talking about is a normal Pill Formula. Yours is basically a Waste . Who would buy it? How about this, anyway, I’m just going to study it. I’ll give you twenty Spirit Stones, just as a hobby.”
“Twenty Spirit Stones? Are you kidding me? What kind of Pill Formula can you buy at that price? Do you think it’s your Strength Talisman?”
Zhao Zhengyuan yelled angrily.
Chen Lin, however, stopped speaking and just continued to drink his porridge.
If the other party didn't want to sell, he would have left long ago. Since he hadn't, it meant the other party was very eager to sell.
And he wasn’t sure if his innate ability would be effective on such a flawed Pill Formula, so he wasn’t willing to invest too much.
Most importantly, he was also very poor.
Sure enough, Zhao Zhengyuan huffed and puffed for a while, but still gave in.
“Add a bit more, how about fifty? And you have to swear not to spread it.”
Chen Lin could accept this price, and he nodded, “Okay, but I’ll also have to trouble Brother Zhao to explain some basic knowledge and precautions about Alchemy to me.”
After the time it takes for an incense stick to burn.
Zhao Zhengyuan left dejectedly, looking as if he had been greatly taken advantage of.
Chen Lin, on the other hand, held the Pill Formula and examined it carefully.
He was immersed for an unknown period of time when he heard the low sound of the bronze bell placed in the corner of the room. His expression changed, and he immediately stood up, went to the window, opened a crack, and looked out with a solemn face.
It was already midnight.
Aside from the sound of snowflakes carried by the cold wind swirling everywhere, the city was silent.
Suddenly.
A red light appeared from a courtyard not far away.
It shot straight into the sky!
Followed by a second, a third, a tenth.
In the blink of an eye, countless tiny light rays appeared above the entire city.
Dense and yet orderly, they rushed into the dark sky, with no end in sight.
Such a spectacular sight, even the blizzard was dispelled, yet it did not cause any Cultivator in the city to come out and investigate.
It remained utterly silent.
The red lines continued for nearly a quarter of an hour before slowly fading and disappearing.
The wind picked up again, and snowflakes drifted.
Chen Lin stood for a while, then re-closed the window and walked back to the table.
This scene had been present ever since he Transmigrated.
Every day at midnight, it would happen.
The rest of the time, everything was as usual.
After a month of investigation, he discovered that each of these red lines was actually connected to a person, but he didn't know what they were for.
Moreover, the people connected by the lines seemed to be completely unaware. He had subtly questioned many people, but they all looked bewildered.
Even in the original owner's memory, there was no recollection of this situation.
So he suspected that the people here, including the original owner, simply couldn't see this strange phenomenon, just as they couldn't detect that they always squinted and sneered.
His limited knowledge prevented him from inferring the cause, and with his current cultivation, he couldn't possibly have the ability to investigate.
All he could do was quickly raise his cultivation to the Qi Refining Middle Stage, gain some survival ability in the wilderness, and then escape.