198 Simplified Yin Yang Divine Vein Pills
"T-This is…"
Ma Ping, Ma Shoucheng, and Pang Lingming couldn't believe their eyes. The trash of the family, Ma Moxi, had revealed his true abilities for the first time.
Then, they recalled Ma Moxi's words and his promises that he could restore his family without Cao Mao's help. This prodigal son had told them the truth, but they had chosen not to believe in the former's words.
The Ma elders sighed. If they could go back in time, they would have believed in Ma Moxi.
It was too late for regrets. From now on, the Ma Clan would become a vessel clan of Cao Mao.
Ma Ping had a heartache. As he wanted to redeem for his mistake, he tossed the black-and-white pill into his mouth without hesitation. Regardless of what the pill might do to him, he was willing to accept all punishment.
The punishment didn't happen. Instead, the pill released gentle yin and yang energy, which slowly came together at the destroyed dantian. The spiritual space in Ma Ping's abdomen was reconstructed by these gentle strands of yin and yang Qi.
For years, Ma Ping had missed the sense of Qi. Now, he could feel the flow of yin and yang power within his dantian. His Qi volume increased from no cultivation level to level 10 meridian establishment realm,
Next, five of Ma Ping's yang essence cores got resurrected. They howled and absorbed every strand of yin and yang to generate multiple seas of Qi.
However, the progress came to hold there, as Ma Ping did not have enough resources to replenish his lost Qi entirely. It would take a while for him to recover his energy naturally.
But one thing was for sure, Ma Ping's dantian was restored. His nascent soul finally obtained a source of energy to recharge its lifespan, increasing Ma Ping's longevity in the process.
Ma Ping shed tears of joy and guilt. He owed his grandson an apology.
"Moxi… I."
Ma Moxi only nodded at his grandfather, gesturing that he understood everything. Then, he turned to Cao Mao, who was still clueless about the development.
"My grandfather ate the pill. You can confirm the effect yourself."
Cao Mao nodded, "I can already sense its effects."
Ma Moxi handed Cao Mao the last pill in his hand, "Here, take it. It should expand your meridians and strengthen your foundation. It will be easier for you to gather yang and yin Qi in the future."
"… Okay."
Cao Mao took the pill and inspected it. He could sense mild yin and yang Qi in the pill, but it seemed unimpressive.
While Cao Mao was scanning the pill, Ju Shoufen arrived at the meeting hall. She also carried a white cat and a fox cub in her arms. When she reached the room, the two animals jumped on an empty table and sat down, looking at everyone in curiosity.
It gave Mao Xueyan and her aide goosebumps.
The alchemist elder spotted the pill in Cao Mao's hand. She raised her eyebrows, "That's an interesting pill. I haven't seen it before. Who made this?"
Cao Mao pointed at Ma Moxi without saying anything. Ju Shoufen's eyes followed the direction.
"Oh? So, you can really concoct pills."
Ma Moxi was taken aback when she saw the haughty loli. But when he recognized the aura of the peak core pillar realm, he assumed that she might be a senior in disguise. He cupped his fist and bowed, "I've shown my inferior skills before senior."
"You… have changed," Ju Shoufen noticed the changes in Ma Moxi's demeanor.
"I was immature in the past. I'm trying to change myself for the better."
"You're quite humble. If only Miaomiao had half of your maturity…" Ju Shoufen glared at Cao Mao, "Tsk!"
"Grandma, why are you clicking your tongue when you're looking at me!?"
"'Cause, you're scum!"
"But I'm doing what you've told me to do?"
"Yes, in a scummy way."
"…"
…
After Ju Shoufen had arrived, Cao Mao was left out of the conversation.
Ma Moxi became the center of everyone's attention. Ma Ping and Ju Shoufen kept bombarding him with question after question, but the ex-protagonist patiently answered them all without hiding any detail.
The beasts were also there, listening to the conversation with interest, even though they had no knowledge in alchemy.
Ironically, after Ma Moxi lost his status as a protagonist, he finally regained the trust from his family members and others, which he had so desperately desired. On the other hand, Cao Mao became an outsider.
Ma Moxi concocted more pills in front of Ju Shoufen. Twelve more pills became the property of the Ma Clan, and they also planned to sell one or two of them in the auction.
After the ex-protagonist was done, Ma Ping remembered that Cao Mao still had the legendary materials to make the real version of the Yin Yang Divine Vein pill.
"Miaomiao, why don't you let Moxi concoct the real pill. You have those hearts with you, right?"
Ju Shoufen also approved. Since Ma Moxi's pill-making ability was special, she wanted to see if they could make the divine pill with this method.
Cao Mao's face turned ugly. He didn't want to promote Ma Moxi anymore, but the elders were already aware that he had the items in his possession.
The discredit plan backfired in a spectacular manner. Now, he was forced to donate the only set of divine ingredients to these people. It was a huge gamble since no one knew if Ma Moxi could actually complete the pill or not.
Yet, Cao Mao believed in Ma Moxi's plot armor ability.
"Alright. But I'll take all pills since the ingredients are special and you have already been healed. Only a pill of this level can heal Jia Shan."
Ju Shoufen was surprised, "I see. So, you've been secretly working to heal your mentor. That's quite admirable for a scum like you."
"Oi, grandma. Stop calling me a scum. I'm an upright and honorable man!"
"An upright and honorable man? Pfft."
Ju Shoufen and the white cat scoffed. They had seen how dirty Cao Mao was in that cave, and they didn't believe in his words.
Reluctantly, Cao Mao took out the heart of the heavenly beasts and other ingredients.
Ma Moxi was taken aback when he saw the legendary items for the first time. His face twitched as he realized his mistake, "So, you had everything all along? Are you planning to sell these items in the auction? You might earn billions of refined stones if you sell all of them."
Cao Mao sighed, "I can get more precious things if I can make the pill. Well, this is a huge gamble for me. Do you think you can make the divine pill?"
"I don't know."
"You don't know?"
"What did you expect? I've never had the chance to work with divine ingredients. I can only promise you to do my best."
"…"
Had it been other alchemists, Cao Mao would have taken all ingredients back without hesitation. But this person was Ma Moxi. Even if he lost his protagonist status, he still retained his cheat abilities.
"Okay. You can try."
"Oh, one more thing, boss."
"What?"
"Can I have one of the finished pills?"
"You have already taken a lot. Why do you need it?"
"The real pill can benefit me. If possible, I want to cut it in half or dilute it in a bathwater tub, so everyone in my family can use it."
"…"
Cao Mao didn't know if it was Ma Moxi's protagonist's charisma or charm that got to him, but he seemed dazzling after he had changed. Even Ma Ping and others were moved to tears.
"See? He's such a good boy. Miaomiao, you should learn from him."
Ju Shoufen mocked Cao Mao again. The latter rolled his eyes and ignored her, "Fine. You get one. And if you make it into a bath, I want a portion of that, too. Also, I'm taking the rest."
After getting permission from Cao Mao, Ma Moxi reached for the ingredient boxes. He tried to unseal one of them.
BANG
As Ma Moxi touched the sealed box, they lightened up in golden light. A mechanism of the seals activated by itself.
"WATCH OUT!"
Ju Shoufen dragged Ma Moxi away from the seal containers. Then, a lightning bolt landed on the place where Ma Moxi had stood.
The sealed boxes dimmed. Yet, an archaic voice resounded.
'Only the Chosen One with a strong heavenly fate power can use these seal items.'
"What heavenly fate power? What Chosen One?"
Ma Moxi and others were baffled. They asked back if the mysterious voice could enlighten them.
But the voice didn't reply. Instead, the hearts inside the seal boxes moved as if they wanted to break out of the containers. The elders also sensed the killing intent from the hearts.
At the same time, the system also flashed a message for Cao Mao.
Ding
\u003cYour sponsor has predicted that you might try to cheat, so this mechanism is there to prevent you from taking another shortcut.\u003e
\u003cPlease master the alchemy arts and concoct the divine pill yourself.\u003e
The quest for an immortal-grade item wasn't easy.
Cao Mao clicked his tongue. He couldn't take a shortcut in Kunwu's quest.
Without a choice, Cao Mao reached for the sealed box and put them back into his spatial rings before things escalated.
"Sorry. I think we should postpone this to another date. You guys should eat the pill and rest."
Cao Mao gestured to Ju Shoufen and Ju Chen to follow him. He flashed the pill that Ma Moxi had given him, hinting to them that they had a cure for Jia Shan.
Ding
\u003cYou cannot complete Kunwu's quest with the inferior pill.\u003e
\u003cIf Jia Shan's dantian is cured by using the inferior pill, the quest will be deemed as a failure and all divine ingredients will be taken back.\u003e
'DAMMIT! YOU ALL ARE SLAVE DRIVERS!!'
There were so many restrictions that Cao Mao wanted to complain out loud. He looked up and glared at the sky as if he wanted to kill somebody in the cloud.
'Fine! I won't give it to Jia Shan. If Jia Shan can't eat it, I'll eat it!'
Since Cao Mao couldn't heal Jia Shan with the pill, he just tossed it in his mouth. He chewed the pill and swallowed it.
Ding
\u003cYou have consumed a simplified Yin Yang Divine Vein pill.\u003e
\u003cYour meridians have been enhanced.\u003e
\u003cYour dantian has been enhanced.\u003e
\u003cYour life essence core has been enhanced.\u003e
\u003cYour element crystals have been strengthened. Their max level capacity has increased.\u003e
\u003cYour Incomplete Vital Yin Core (8) can now generate 16 liters of life essence per day.\u003e
\u003cYour Life Essence Core can now generate 10 liters of Life Essence per day.\u003e
\u003cYour dual-cultivation skill has been enhanced. You can generate more life essence drops.\u003e
Even if the pill was a simplified version, it gave so many benefits to Cao Mao that he was shocked. He was glad that he ate it instead of giving it to Jia Shan and ruining the quest.
Still, it came at a price. Ju Shoufen was pissed again. She widened her eyes in shock, "WAIT! DON'T YOU NEED THAT FOR JIA SHAN!? EXPLAIN! WHY DID YOU HAVE TO EAT IT!? YOU COULD HAVE GIVEN IT TO YOUR MENTOR!!"
Ju Chen tried to stop her grandma. She stood between Ju Shoufen and Cao Mao, "Grandma, please calm down. Ma Moxi can concoct more pills if we have more ingredients, so we don't have to worry about it. He must have his reason for eating the pill, right? Master?"
Cao Mao sighed, "Dao God Kunwu and my boss want me to concoct the divine pill for Jia Shan. They told me that it has to be the divine pill. If I use the inferior pill, they will kill me."
"I don't believe you."
"Look, grandma. Please don't be angry. Many dao gods are watching me. If they think that you're too annoying, they might want you dead. Please pipe it down."
Ju Shoufen closed her mouth by reflex. She grumbled while Ju Chen patted her back.
Cao Mao turned around and tossed a spatial ring to Ma Moxi.?Several leftover herbs that he bought from the market were in there.
"You can have those. It's a gift from me. Oh, please excuse us, we need to discuss something about our home base."
Ma Moxi caught it and scanned inside the ring. There were at least 100,000 catties of common herbs and a few bundles of rare herbs in there. Moreover, packages of food supplies, which could be converted to spirit beverages were in there.
"Thanks, boss."
"You're welcome. Take care of your family. If you have time, come see me tomorrow."
"Alright."
The previous hostility between the two men was no more.
While Cao Mao was relieved that today's morning family meeting was over, a group of messengers knocked on the front gate of Ma Clan's residence.
They shouted.
"EXCUSE ME. IS MASTER MAO MIAOMIAO HERE!?"
Cao Mao, Ju Shoufen, Ju Chen, and Pang Lingming went to receive the guests. As for Ma Moxi, Ma Ping, Ma Shoucheng, and the beasts, they stayed in the meeting hall. Ma Shoucheng just ate a pill, and they wanted to make sure that this elder could digest the energy in peace.
Cao Mao opened the door. He stood before everyone, "I'm Mao Miaomiao. Who's asking?"
The group leader was a man with a white mustache and long goatee. He stood in front of his entourage and bowed, "Hello. I'm a butler from the Tang Merchant Guild. We would like to invite Master Mao to discuss your items."
"What about my items?"
"We would like to purchase the pills that you have deposited."
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