Chapter 48: Chapter 47: No Comparison
Wen Qingye peered through the scorching air and the dappled shade of the leaves, spotting an old woman not far ahead. He watched as she tossed a black plant from her hand into a Pill Furnace, followed by some sort of powder. She then channeled her Primordial Qi into the flames, continuously stoking the fire beneath the furnace.
Wen Qingye watched silently from the side, not making a sound.
The old woman was completely absorbed in her alchemy, oblivious to Wen Qingye watching from a distance.
Wen Qingye shook his head. ’Forget her refining technique—even the way she adds ingredients is riddled with errors. She might be able to make a Low-Grade pill, but anything even slightly better is out of the question.’
Sure enough, not a moment later...
BANG!
The black Pill Furnace began to shake violently, looking dangerously unstable. Suddenly, a huge crash erupted from within it before it clattered to the ground. Wen Qingye didn’t need to guess; he knew the furnace had exploded.
The old woman sighed and muttered, "Where did I go wrong? How strange."
Wen Qingye glanced over, preparing to leave. But just as he turned, a hand clamped down on his shoulder. He looked back to see a withered hand yanking him. He was pulled off his feet, his body flying through the air before landing on the ground.
Wen Qingye quickly adjusted his footing; if not for his nimble reflexes, he would have stumbled.
The old woman looked at Wen Qingye and laughed. "You’re quick on your feet, boy."
"Why did you grab me?" Wen Qingye asked with a frown.
The old woman’s voice suddenly grew stern. "Were you just spying on my alchemy? How long have you been watching?"
Wen Qingye laughed. "With your crude alchemy techniques? I have no interest in studying them. You can’t even refine an Eighth-Grade Pill without the furnace exploding. If there’s nothing else, I have matters to attend to, so I’ll be leaving."
The old woman flew into a rage. "Wait! You say my alchemy is crude, boy? Let me tell you, not many people in Qig Mountain Academy would dare speak to me like that, you know?"
Wen Qingye waved his hand dismissively. "Fine, fine. Your alchemy is superb, second to none. I have other matters to attend to, so I’ll be going now."
Wen Qingye knew the old woman was furious about her furnace exploding, so he couldn’t be bothered to argue with her.
"Wait, boy! Don’t you like to watch?" the old woman suddenly sneered. "Then you’ll stay right here. This old woman will let you watch your fill today. If you dare leave, don’t blame me for getting rough."
As she spoke, she waved her hand again. Primordial Qi surged out like a river, and the blazing Yang Fire erupted with such intensity that Wen Qingye had to quickly retreat several steps.
The old woman placed the medicinal herbs inside one by one, then slowly began the refining process, using the Yang Fire to melt them down and extract their essence.
One look was enough for Wen Qingye to know this attempt was doomed to end in another explosion. Since the old woman had bizarrely forced him to stay, he could only shake his head with a wry smile and stand aside.
After some time, another loud crash assaulted Wen Qingye’s ears.
BANG!
Another deafening roar erupted from the Pill Furnace, sending dust flying everywhere. The old woman’s face was ashen. She glanced at Wen Qingye and, noticing his expression hadn’t changed, explained slowly, "I’m refining an Eighth-Grade Pill, so it’s quite difficult. Watch closely. This is your lucky chance to learn something."
Wen Qingye nearly burst out laughing but held his tongue and continued to watch in silence.
BANG!
BANG!
...
After several more consecutive furnace explosions and who knows how many wasted herbs, the old woman, looking pained by the loss, forced herself to rally and continue with the alchemy.
She channeled her qi to control the fire and began placing the ingredients.
Wen Qingye finally couldn’t watch any longer. "Add the leaves of the Hundred Cloud Mushroom first, then the rest of the plant," he couldn’t help but advise.
The old woman froze, then, for some reason, subconsciously followed his instruction.
"Don’t add all the Golden Jade Powder at once. Add half now, and the other half after you’ve added the Purple Lotus."
"The fire is too hot."
"Right, just like that."
Wen Qingye nodded slowly. It was only when the alchemy was nearly complete that the old woman seemed to realize what was happening. She glared at Wen Qingye and snapped, "Do you know alchemy? How dare you command me?"
Wen Qingye crossed his arms and said nothing.
BOOM!
Though she was scolding him, she had followed his every instruction. Suddenly, the Pill Furnace began to shake violently again.
"It’s not going to explode again, is it?" the old woman said, her lips twisting into a bitter frown. "That was my last Golden Scale Grass."
Just then, the lid of the Pill Furnace flew open, and a refreshing fragrance burst forth, jolting the senses. A moment later, several small, dark pellets shot out.
The old woman snatched the pills from the air. "It’s a success!" she exclaimed in delight. "It’s really a success! The Eighth-Grade Pill, the Ginseng Essence Pill!"
She was ecstatic. It was impossible to say how long she had been trying to refine these few pills, and her joy was palpable.
"Well, now that you’ve succeeded, I have other business to attend to. I’m leaving," Wen Qingye said, getting up to depart.
"Wait!" The old woman walked up to Wen Qingye, a smile on her face. "How did you know how to refine the Ginseng Essence Pill? Have you seen your elders refine it day after day? What are their names?"
Wen Qingye glanced at the old woman and replied nonchalantly, "How would I know what pill you were making? I just saw that your method was wrong and gave you a few pointers based on the properties of the herbs."
The old woman stared at Wen Qingye, stunned. "You... you know alchemy?" she stammered.
Wen Qingye nodded but didn’t speak.
"Then how does your alchemy compare to mine?" the old woman pressed, thinking to herself, ’This boy was able to guide me based on the properties of the herbs; he can’t be that bad.’
Wen Qingye glanced at her. "Don’t compare me to you. There’s no comparison."
There was no comparison!
If anyone else had heard Wen Qingye speak to this old woman in such a manner, their jaws would have dropped in astonishment.
The old woman studied Wen Qingye carefully. "I don’t believe you."
"Whether you believe me or not is your business," Wen Qingye said casually. "Your alchemy is too reliant on Pill Fire. I’d wager your success rate for a Sixth-Grade Pill is about fifty percent, and for a Seventh-Grade Pill, ten percent. If it weren’t for me, you wouldn’t have been able to produce that Eighth-Grade Pill either. The Alchemy Dao demands a solid, steady foundation. At this rate, the peak of your entire life’s work will be an Eighth-Grade Alchemist."
The old woman stared at Wen Qingye, dumbfounded. "You... how could you possibly know my success rates?"
Wen Qingye shrugged. "You must have started learning alchemy as a child, right? Your control over the Pill Fire is quite skilled, and you’ve grasped the basic properties of some herbs. But you don’t understand the true principles behind them. That’s why you’ve hit a bottleneck. You feel like you haven’t made any progress in the Alchemy Dao for years, don’t you?"
The old woman nodded, a sharp glint in her eyes. At that moment, she was completely convinced. Her heart pounded with shock. ’Who is this person? He only watched me perform alchemy for a short while, yet he deduced so much. He even guided me to refine the Ginseng Essence Pill. Who in the world is he?’ The old woman’s mind was filled with a mixture of curiosity and astonishment.
