owlsbooks Chapter 15: Blood Qi Refining Pills
Chapter 15: Blood Qi Refining Pills
After leaving the cave, looking at the entrance hidden behind the curtain of water, Li Wu still felt somewhat uneasy.
After thinking for a moment, he swung his halberd and smashed it against the cliff face. The mountain shook, and then rocks fell down, completely burying the cave entrance.
"It should be okay now."
Li Wuwei nodded slightly, quite satisfied with his masterpiece. Now he could continue on his journey with peace of mind.
…………
Valley.
Li Wu currently has business dealings with the Zhao family, and their relationship is in its honeymoon phase. After the clan soldiers informed him and he received permission, Li Wu met with Zhao Qianyuan and learned where Lu Sui was.
After a brief chat, he got up to take his leave and then headed to Danzhai Courtyard where Lu Sui was.
……
Danzhaiyuan.
The alchemists and retainers of the Zhao family all lived here. Li Wu found Lu Sui's residence with the help of one of the retainers.
"Fellow Daoist, I wonder how Brother Lu is progressing in alchemy?" asked one of Li Wu's retainers.
The old retainer led the way, his expression filled with envy as he remarked:
"This Fellow Daoist Lu is quite handsome. He has won the favor of the Fourth Miss, has no shortage of herbs, and his alchemy skills have improved rapidly. It is truly enviable."
"Oh?"
Li Wu raised an eyebrow slightly, a hint of mockery flashing in his eyes, and thought to himself:
"I never expected that Brother Lu would be chosen by someone else?"
"The fourth young lady of the Zhao family..."
Could it be the female cultivator who was on the same flying shuttle as him back then?
As Li Wu pondered, he looked up and saw a magnificent courtyard with blue bricks and gray tiles, upturned eaves, and a tightly closed gate. Two tribal soldiers in armor stood to the side.
This surprised Li Wu greatly; how could the treatment of being a retainer in the Zhao family be so good?
As Li Wu pondered this, the old retainer, maintaining his composure, called out to the gatekeeper:
"Go and inform them that..."
Looking into the old retainer's eyes as he looked back, Li Wudao said:
"Li Wu".
The old retainer nodded slightly, turned his head, and said:
"Do you understand?"
One of the tribal soldiers bowed with his hands clasped, then turned and pushed open the door to enter.
A moment later, a hearty laugh came from the courtyard, followed by the gate opening and Lu Sui striding across the threshold.
"Haha, Brother Li, you've finally come to see me."
Li Wu looked Lu Sui up and down and noticed that he had grown a beard at some point, making him look much more composed.
"Quickly, let's go inside and talk."
With many people around, Lu Sui quickly pulled Li Wushou into the main room.
"Someone, make some tea!"
The two sat down, and after a moment, a servant came with tea and respectfully served it to them.
Lu Sui introduced, "This Autumn Eye Tea is quite good, Brother Li, please try it."
Upon hearing this, Li Wuduan picked up his teacup, took a sip, and nodded, saying:
"It's really good."
"However, I'm more curious about these servants than the tea..."
Lu Sui anticipated his question, so he laughed and explained:
"In the Zhao family, any retainer who has mastered one of the hundred arts of cultivation receives this treatment. After all, the Zhao family is afraid that we will be poached by other powerful families."
"So, Brother Lu can refine pills now."
Lu Sui nodded slightly, a hint of arrogance appearing on his face:
"It's just that it can refine [Spirit Gathering Pills], but unfortunately the success rate is only about 20%."
This Spirit Nourishing Pill is the most popular auxiliary cultivation pill in the early stages of Qi Refining, and the profit is huge; even with a 20% success rate, there is still money to be made.
"Since Lu Sui can already refine pills, he should be able to detect the abnormality of the [Mystic Spirit Pill], right?" Li Wuxin pondered.
He then took out a Miracle Elixir, placed it on the table, and said in a deep voice:
"Brother Lu, I accidentally obtained a pill, but it looks very strange. Could you take a look at it for me?"
"Pills?"
Lu Sui picked up the Miraculous Elixir, examined it for a moment, then sniffed it, his brows immediately furrowing:
"This pill has a faint smell of blood."
To become a true alchemist, one must first be familiar with medicinal herbs, including their appearance, smell, and age.
"And it's not the essence blood of a demon beast, it's more like... human blood."
"Human blood?" Li Wuxin was immediately horrified.
"Could it be that this miraculous pill is made by refining living people?"
Li Wu suddenly felt a chill run down his spine, his scalp tingling.
"Most Qi Refining cultivators in Yue Kingdom consume these Miraculous Elixirs. If these elixirs are made from living people, then wouldn't that mean...they're all cannibalizing people?!"
Lu Sui also looked serious at this moment. Using living people to refine pills was an evil cultivation path, an act that went against the natural order. So he reminded him:
"Brother Li, you should destroy this pill as soon as possible. Eating it will only cause inner demons to arise when you form your core, affecting your cultivation path."
Li Wu suddenly snapped out of his daze and nodded solemnly.
"Don't worry, I certainly won't take this kind of pill."
After saying that, Li Wu took the Miraculous Pill and crushed it into powder with great force.
"Why didn't Ning Que tell me about the alchemy being performed on a living person? Or did he not know either?"
"The Qi family is a Purple Mansion Immortal Clan. If even a force as powerful as that uses living people to refine pills, what about the other smaller forces?"
Li Wu dared not think too deeply about it; for the first time, he realized how dark the cultivation world on the other side must be.
"No, if refining pills from living people is already done openly over there, I should have known long ago; it's impossible for it to be kept from me. Perhaps only powerful and influential families would refine human pills..."
With this in mind, Li Wu had no intention of staying any longer. After handing over the gifts he had brought to Lu Sui, he hurriedly took his leave.
…………
Jianxiawu.
Inner city.
Li Wu visited almost all the pill shops and made a decision in his mind:
"Not all pills are human pills. The pills from small pill shops may be of slightly lower quality, but they are clean. On the contrary, the pills from aristocratic families, although of higher quality, are human pills."
"The Qi family of the Purple Mansion, the Liu family of the Foundation Establishment stage, and the first immortal sect of Yue Kingdom, the Golden Yue Sect... are all like this."
"This is truly a world of cultivation where people devour each other."
Li Wu clenched his fists, and suddenly felt a chill run down his spine.
"The elixirs produced by these powerful clans have nourished tens of thousands of cultivators. How many cultivators in this world haven't consumed human pills?"
It took Li Wu a long time to process this news, and he thought to himself:
"It seems that from now on I will have to buy pills from the small pill shop, or learn how to make pills myself."
…………
Searching for Lufeng.
Snow blankets the land year-round, making the world appear as one color.
Qi Yuansi knelt before the stone gate, which was engraved with intricate patterns, and bowed, saying:
"Ancestor, the person has been brought back."
A deep, aged voice echoed faintly within the stone chamber:
"Let her cultivate on this mountain, and ensure that she receives a constant supply of elixirs and spiritual items. We must help her break through to the Foundation Establishment stage within twenty years."
"Yes, ancestor."
Qi Yuansi bowed and accepted the order, then slowly withdrew.
Inside the cave, the Purple Mansion True Person pondered in his heart:
"Once I consume this precious pill, I will be able to refine the [Duck and Goose Reed] technique, and at that time, I will possess all three supernatural powers. Then, my Qi family can start planning other things."