Chapter 44: Chapter 44: Questioning the Ancestors
Translator: EndlessFantasy Translation Editor: EndlessFantasy Translation
For Fang Lin, everything a Pill Refiner does must be extremely meticulous. There can be no room for any error, no matter how trivial it might be, as little mistakes could lead to unimaginable consequences.
In his previous life, Fang Lin had made many mistakes before becoming a Pill Sovereign. He had borne the consequences of these mistakes, but once he became a Pill Sovereign, Fang Lin had never made a mistake in Pill Refining again.
If a Pill Refiner even makes mistakes in the Pill Formula, he simply doesn’t deserve the title of a Pill Refiner.
Fang Lin was very angry, which led him to utter those words and throw the Purple Heart Pill Formula onto the ground like a piece of trash. Meng Wuyou was taken aback for a good while before he finally erupted in fury.
“You little brat, what are you doing?” He scolded, while picking up the Purple Heart Pill Formula. He carefully dusted it off, fearful that it might have been contaminated with dust.
Fang Lin turned around to look at Meng Wuyou. Seeing Meng Wuyou’s face red with anger, he explained: “The formula is flawed. The Hemp Snake Vine doesn’t belong in it at all. Instead, it lacks the crucial Dragon Sunflower Grass. The errors are ludicrous. Even rubbish is better than this formula.”
Meng Wuyou stared blankly at Fang Lin, who he had always viewed as carefree and unscrupulous. However, this time, Fang Lin’s demeanor was extremely serious, making Meng, an elder, lose his authority in front of Fang Lin.
Fang Lin also seemed to realize that his attitude was somewhat inappropriate, so he quickly returned to his usual self, chuckling and saying, “Elder Meng, I’m not making false claims. The formula indeed has a problem.”
Meng Wuyou examined the pill formula. Indeed, it contained Hemp Snake Vine but did not include the Dragon Sunflower Grass mentioned by Fang Lin.
“Fang Lin, this pill formula has been passed down by several generations of our Pill Sect’s ancestors, there’s no way there could be an error.” Meng Wuyou still couldn’t believe it. After all, it’s a pill formula that had been verified by previous generations. How could he be easily convinced that it’s wrong when Fang Lin said so?
Furthermore, if this issue was magnified, it could be seen as Fang Lin disrespecting the ancestors. The implications of such an accusation could be immense.
After all, these pill formulas passed down by the elders represent authority. As a junior disciple, you accuse these formulas of being wrong. If you encounter an elder with a volatile temper, they will surely punish Fang Lin severely.
Although Meng Wuyou highly respected Fang Lin and was convinced of his talent and abilities, he could not lightly believe Fang Lin’s assertion to overthrow the pill formulas left by their ancestors.
“Fang Lin, consider this carefully. Though these are but pill formulas, overturning them could have severe consequences,” Meng cautioned.
Fang Lin remained calm and said, “I, your disciple, know that these pill formulas are the result of careful deliberation by our ancestors in the Pill Sect. But a mistake is a mistake. I won’t insist that a wrong is right simply because it came from our ancestors. Then I would not deserve the identity of a Pill
Refiner.”
Hearing Fang Lin’s solemn words, Meng Wu You’s expression changed as well.
“You claim they are wrong, but why?” Meng Wu You asked.
Fang Lin replied plainly, “When I was young, a nameless senior taught me, and I have countless pill formulas in mind. The Purple Heart Pill definitely does not contain Hemp Snake Vine but should contain Dragon Sunflower Grass instead.”
Hearing this, Meng Wuyou looked even more astonished, reasoning to himself that it was no wonder that despite his young age, Fang Lin performed remarkably. Turned out he had received guidance from a master at a young age.
However, he did not entirely believe Fang Lin’s words since they seemed too elusive. Who could indeed discern the truth from the falseness? However, Meng Wuyou did not insist on this matter.
Seeing that Meng Wuyou remained silent, Fang Lin continued to examine the pill formulas. Soon, another pill formula was discarded by Fang Lin.
“The proportions in the formula for this Nine Wonders Pill are incorrect,” Fang Lin simply stated before diving back into the examination of pill formulas. “This formula has an unnecessary herb.”
“This formula contains a herb that can be replaced with a more readily available one.”
“This formula is showy but empty. It can drop three kinds of herbs.”
One by one, pill formulas were tossed onto the floor by Fang Lin, with Meng Wuyou continuously picking them up from behind.
Soon, all the pill formulas in the first layer had been examined by Fang Lin, and in the end, more than a dozen pill formulas were singled out by him.
Meng Wuyou held a handful of pill formulas in his hand, quite speechless.
These were the crystallization of the wisdom of the ancestors of the Pill Sect. How come they became worthless in Fang Lin’s hands?
Once Fang Lin had checked the last formula and confirmed that there were no errors, he put it back to its original place. He turned his head to see Meng Wuyou, whose ox-like eyes were staring at him.
“Elder Meng, what are you doing with these useless papers?” asked Fang Lin,
puzzled.
Meng wished nothing more than to throw the pill formulas back at Fang Lin’s face. These are useless papers? I’ll render you useless first.
Meng Wuyou took a deep breath to suppress his impulse before asking in a restrained tone: “Are all of these flawed?”
Fang Lin nodded. He was sure his judgment wouldn’t be wrong. When it comes to discerning pill formulas, not many people in Pill Saint Palace could match him in his prime, let alone these rather primitive pill formulas.
Meng Wuyou looked at the seventeen pill formulas in his hand. These weren’t just useless pieces of paper. They were the fruits of wisdom from their forebears, even though they were just first-class pill formulas. Their value was enormous, and several of the yellowing formulas were hand-written by the Sect’s ancestors.
The Pill Sect had always treasured these formulas, handling them with utmost care even on an ordinary day. Yet, today, they were discarded like trash by Fang Lin and deemed useless papers. If it weren’t for Meng Wuyou being here, but other elders of the Pill Sect instead, they most likely would have taught Fang Lin a harsh lesson.
“Fang Lin, since you singled these out, what do you plan on doing?” asked Meng Wuyou, feeling somewhat helpless.
Fang Lin furrowed his brows, saying: “Keeping these erroneous pill formulas might misguide others. They should have been corrected a long time ago.”
Meng Wuyou’s expression kept changing as he mulled over this in his heart.
If these formulas were to be revised, the Sect Leader of the Pill Sect would have to be notified. This would undoubtedly make a big scene, and Fang Lin might become a target of public criticism.
Regardless of how one looked at Fang Lin’s actions, they seemed quite blasphemous. If such a label was attached to him, it would be difficult to shed.
Even Meng Wuyou could be implicated.
But Meng Wuyou also trusted Fang Lin a lot. These dozen or so pill formulas might indeed have problems, otherwise, Fang Lin wouldn’t have singled them out for no reason, unless he was intentionally making trouble.
After much careful consideration, Meng Wuyou thought that, for the time being, not paying attention to these formulas might not cause any problems. However, if they led to any problems in the future, he would be the sinner of the Pill Sect.
“Fine, I will follow your reckless act this once. Since you say there are problems with these formulas, let’s test them first to see whether what you said is correct. If they are as you said, I will request approval from the Sect Leader to revise these formulas.” Meng Wuyou said solemnly.
Fang Lin faintly smiled, gaining further admiration for Meng Wuyou.
Although he singled out the flawed formulas, whether Meng Wuyou would take action was his decision.
If Meng Wuyou had chosen to not believe him and ignore the issue, Fang Lin wouldn’t have said anything. At least, he had done what he thought was right, with no guilt on his conscience.
But Meng Wuyou’s choice, to trust him, moved and impressed Fang Lin. Elder Meng chose to believe him.
Both Fang Lin and Meng Wuyou understood well enough that the modification of these pill formulas would shake the whole Pill Sect. There would be only two outcomes: One, it would benefit the Pill Sect; Two, two of them would ruin their reputation and fall into an irredeemable state..