Chapter 174: Chapter 167: Pill Formula Given, Pill Furnace Granted
「One day later.」
Chen Che had followed the others into the Valley.
However, when he saw Ye Jingzhou again, Chen Che’s eyes narrowed slightly.
The first time they met, Ye Jingzhou had white hair but a youthful complexion, and he carried himself with an imposing, powerful air. But after only a few short months in seclusion, he seemed to have aged decades. His body was covered in age spots, his hair was sparse, and he was nothing but skin and bones.
He looked like a candle sputtering in the wind.
He even had to rest for a long time after speaking a single sentence.
Despite this, his spirits were remarkably high. Anyone could see the undisguisable joy filling his cloudy eyes.
’His physical body is on the verge of collapse. How much longer can he live?’
Chen Che wondered. ’Three years? One year?’
"Valley Master!"
Lu Yi turned pale with shock at the sight.
"There is no need to worry. I have spent several months on Artifact Casting and have consumed too much of my Heart Power. Besides..."
Ye Jingzhou chuckled and waved his hand dismissively.
"I am already two hundred and eighty-seven years old; my life was already nearing its end. To successfully forge a Magical Artifact before my time is up can be considered a perfect conclusion. You were injured in your youth and can never reach Foundation Establishment in this life."
"Once I am gone, you alone will not be able to protect Jinyun Valley. When that time comes, I will leave this item to you. It will help you weather any crisis Jinyun Valley faces until the next Foundation Establishment Cultivator appears in the Valley!"
"Master!"
Hearing this, Lu Yi fell to his knees and wept bitterly. "I would give my own life to grant you another hundred years, Master!"
’These two are master and disciple?’
A glint appeared in Chen Che’s eyes. ’He must be a direct disciple. Otherwise, their bond wouldn’t be this deep. No wonder Lu Yi is so loyal.’
However, he remembered Meng Changtu saying that Ye Jingzhou had secretly injured Lu Yi in his youth. ’Just how credible is that rumor?’
Looking at Ye Jingzhou now, he really did seem to be putting his affairs in order.
"Get up!"
Just as Chen Che was lost in thought, Ye Jingzhou spoke again.
"If I am gone, you will be the Valley Master. You must carry yourself with dignity. Stop this blubbering like a weeping woman!"
"Yes!"
Lu Yi took a deep breath and slowly rose to his feet.
"I just can’t bear to part with you, Master."
"Of course I can’t bear it either. I remember you were only four or five years old when you first came to the Valley. In a flash, more than fifty years have passed. Even we cultivators cannot escape the long march of time..."
Chen Che stood to the side, keeping his head down and his expression neutral, quietly observing this touching scene of a loving master and his devoted disciple.
Glancing out of the corner of his eye, he saw that many of the other disciples also had red-rimmed eyes.
’It’s hard to tell if they’re just putting on an act, or if it’s reminding them of parting with their own loved ones.’
"Tributor Chen!"
"Yes!"
Chen Che gave a slight cupped-fist salute.
"I have heard about the matter at the mine. If not for your help, the Magical Artifact would have been delayed for who knows how long. Nowadays, whenever Jinyun Valley is mentioned, everyone knows of you, the genius Pill Master famous throughout the land!"
From his Lotus Platform, Ye Jingzhou slowly looked over, his expression kind and benevolent.
"It is merely a hollow reputation..."
Chen Che didn’t even lift his head.
’There’s nothing tangible, just verbal praise. Who cares?’
Glancing at Chen Che with a smile, Ye Jingzhou chuckled and shook his head.
"It’s no hollow reputation. The Primordial Sect itself has asked you to complete a Pill Formula; an ordinary person wouldn’t have that kind of ability. Your talent is truly remarkable. I have another Pill Formula here that I would like to ask Tributor Chen to refine."
"I must borrow another three years of life from the heavens to polish this Magical Artifact and intimidate the jackals circling around!"
As Ye Jingzhou spoke, he flicked his wrist, and a set of Bamboo Slips slowly flew to Chen Che.
"Your Alchemy Skill is superb; you will undoubtedly achieve great things in the future! After I pass away, the Pill Furnace in the main square will be yours. When that time comes, I hope Alchemist Chen can work with Lu Yi to manage Jinyun Valley well. That would not make my two hundred years of effort be in vain."
"To me?"
He had just caught the Pill Formula when he heard the second half of the sentence. He was utterly stunned; he had never imagined Ye Jingzhou would give the Pill Furnace to him.
’Is he really arranging his final affairs?’
"That’s right. The Pill Furnace can only reach its full potential in your hands."
Ye Jingzhou glanced at Lu Yi, whose eyes were already red-rimmed again.
"If Jinyun Valley finds itself without a successor, you may also take the lead. With your talent, Jinyun Valley will certainly not hold you back."
With that, Ye Jingzhou slowly waved his hand.
"All of you may leave. I am tired!"
"...Yes!"
Lu Yi bowed, then led the others away.
He even closed the great hall’s doors on his way out.
Chen Che glanced back one last time. On the Lotus Platform, Ye Jingzhou still wore a kind expression, his eyes lowered as if dozing, but his cloudy pupils were still bright.
But as the doors closed, his view was cut off, and he could see no more.
The disciples all took their leave and dispersed.
Soon, only Chen Che and Lu Yi remained in the square. They walked side-by-side, finally stopping before the Sacrificial Pill Furnace.
"Tributor Chen, would you mind opening the Pill Formula for me to see?"
Lu Yi let out a long breath, steadying his turbulent emotions. "This represents my Master’s three years of life. I want to see what Materials are needed and if we should start preparing them in advance."
"...Alright!"
Chen Che could find no reason to refuse.
Besides, he was intensely curious himself. After all, Tributor Li had spent a great deal of time completing this Pill Formula over half a year ago, yet Chen Che had never seen it.
RATTLE!
The Bamboo Slips unrolled, and a gasp of surprise echoed in Chen Che’s mind.
It wasn’t that the Pill Formula was rare, unique, or terrifying—quite the opposite, it was remarkably common.
Tier Two Middle Grade:
Longevity Pill.
The sole effect of this Pill was to extend one’s life—by five years at most, or three years at least.
"Good!"
Lu Yi glanced at it once before looking away. "I must ask Tributor Chen to wait for a while. In two months at most, I will have gathered all the necessary Materials. I hope Tributor Chen will be sure to refine the best possible Longevity Pill!"
After speaking, he took a step back, clasped his fists, and gave a deep bow.
Then, he turned and left.
"Longevity Pill?"
Staring at the formula in his hands, Chen Che glanced back at the closed doors of the great hall.
The blacksmiths in the Valley had also gone on leave, and the endless clang of hammers that usually filled the air had suddenly fallen silent.
Standing before the Sacrificial Pill Furnace, Chen Che was suddenly overcome with the strange illusion that he was the only person left in all of Jinyun Valley. It was a feeling that made the hairs on his body stand on end!
After one last look at the Pill Furnace, Chen Che quickly turned and left.
The Market was still bustling. News of the earlier meeting hadn’t spread yet, but it was only a matter of time.
Chen Che’s expression was normal as he walked, clutching the Longevity Pill formula. He couldn’t shake the feeling that something was wrong.
For a while, he had even been preparing for the worst-case scenario in his mind.
But in the end...
’Was I just overthinking things?’
As he passed a street corner, he spotted Xiao Chan.
"Tributor Chen."
As soon as Chen Che sat down, Xiao Chan brought over a bowl of soft tofu with a smile. Then, amidst the rowdy shouts of the Market’s Loose Cultivators, he served up more bowls before CLATTERING through washing dishes with a SPLASH of water.
That’s right, Xiao Chan hadn’t left either.
Some time ago, Chen Che had heard a piece of news: while Xiao Chan was on the run, he had been saved by a mysterious Foundation Establishment Cultivator.
Chen Che had asked him about it, but Xiao Chan wouldn’t answer.
In that moment, he guessed that the mysterious benefactor was most likely Ye Jingzhou.
’I’m only one step away from Foundation Establishment now. It will take a month or so at most. Ye Jingzhou is already decrepit. At his peak, he only reached the Foundation Establishment Third Layer. How much of that power could he possibly have left?’
Recalling Ye Jingzhou’s decrepit appearance, Chen Che couldn’t help but breathe a sigh of relief.
’It’s a shame I didn’t get to see the Magical Artifact. I wonder what kind of artifact it is?’
Muttering to himself, Chen Che returned to the Pill Shop and tossed the Bamboo Slips onto the counter.
Meng Qingxuan saw it, but she only glanced at it for a moment before looking away, making no move to inspect it.
She was sensible and knew her place.
"Oh, right. While you were in Jinyun Valley, a Cultivator came by, saying he had something important to discuss with you. I asked him to leave a message, but he wouldn’t. When he saw you weren’t here, he turned and left, only saying he would be back in a few days."
Without his permission, Meng Qingxuan would never look through his things. Instead, she served him a cup of Pill Tea and added,
"He was a Foundation Establishment Cultivator!"
"Oh?"
Chen Che raised an eyebrow slightly.
To guard against the Black Smoke Cultivator, Meng Changtu had given Meng Qingxuan a Warning Jade Pendant, so she was alerted whenever a Foundation Establishment Cultivator appeared.
Not counting Xiao Chan and Ye Jingzhou, there were now four Foundation Establishment Cultivators in Jinyun Valley.
’With Ye Jingzhou’s life nearing its end, these people are starting to get restless,’
Chen Che thought to himself.
How could a Foundation Establishment Cultivator, with a lifespan of some three hundred years, truly remain aloof from the world? Even if you do nothing, simply occupying a territory is enough to attract the envy of others.
Cultivators were still human, not free from passions and desires.
Sure enough, by the next day, the news that Ye Jingzhou’s life was nearing its end had spread far and wide.
The Loose Cultivators in the Market were certainly surprised to hear it, but the position of Valley Master had already been tacitly promised to Lu Yi. To them, it was merely a change in the sky above their heads. Those who had been slightly worried were greatly reassured upon hearing that Ye Jingzhou had left behind a Magical Artifact for this very purpose.
However, as the news spread, two more Foundation Establishment Cultivators appeared in the Market over the next few days.
...
Chen Che ignored it all and entered closed-door cultivation.
On the sixth day, Hu Yao and several disciples returned to Jinyun Valley, riding their horses hard. He made a trip into the Valley proper, then came to the Pill Shop with red-rimmed eyes.
"What’s wrong?"
Chen Che was a little surprised.
"I delivered a Material and went to see the Valley Master,"
Hu Yao said honestly. "It’s just... it’s hard not to feel heartbroken."
To the disciples of the Valley, Ye Jingzhou was their sky. As long as he was there, Jinyun Valley would not fall.
This belief had persisted for two hundred years. Now, seeing Ye Jingzhou in his decrepit state, their Dao Hearts were inevitably shaken.
After speaking, he drained a cup of tea, mounted his horse, and gave a cupped-fist salute.
"I must continue searching for the next Material. Once this is all over, I’ll have a proper drink with you, my friend."
"Be careful on your journey!"
Chen Che returned the salute.
As he watched the figure disappear down the long street, Chen Che was about to head back into the Pill Shop when a chill suddenly ran through him. A Divine Sense Mark he had left behind had just been triggered, alerting him to its presence within a three-hundred-zhang radius.
Almost at the same instant, Meng Qingxuan’s voice transmission sounded in his ear:
"The Foundation Establishment Cultivator from the other day is here!"
Chen Che looked up.
He saw a red-haired Cultivator in purple robes, a faint, domineering air about him, slowly approaching the Pill Shop. The man raised his hand slightly.
"Tributor Chen, I’ve heard so much about you!"
Chen Che’s eyes shifted as he thought to himself with a hint of regret.
This was not the Black Smoke Cultivator from the exchange meet, but the Fire Pattern Cultivator who had wanted to take the trade back then.
