Chapter 22: Human Lives Are As Cheap As Grass

"Alchemy is no easy feat; otherwise, alchemists wouldn't be so rare.

It is hard to imagine that someone who doesn't even know how to use a Dharma-tool furnace could refine pills of a certain grade!"

The woman from Shuiyue Pavilion shook her head.

Yu Yuehai gave a calm smile.

"The affairs of this world cannot be judged solely by common sense. Take Kaiyuan City, for example; before we entered, who would have thought it had been targeted by an anomaly?

Furthermore, before it had even fully formed, it could control the minds of all the cultivators in the city and surreptitiously consume the flesh and souls of every cultivator.

Who could have guessed that you and I, core disciples of the Black Demon Sect, would be trapped here for several years? I expect the sect members think we have both perished!"

Hearing this, the woman could not help but sigh with emotion.

She let out a long breath and said, "It is a blessing that you discovered the anomaly, Senior Brother. Otherwise, we would be like the other cultivators in the city, waiting for death in ignorance!"

At this point, she looked at Yu Yuehai with an apologetic expression and whispered, "If it weren't for your efforts to forcibly suppress my bodily transformations, you wouldn't have ended up like this, Senior Brother."

Yu Yuehai reached out and pulled her into his arms. "Why dwell on such things? As long as we obtain the Blood Demon Pill to break through to the Foundation Establishment stage, we can sever the red thread and leave this place. Even if we lose half our lifespan, we can still live another twenty or thirty years. To live that long as a Foundation Establishment expert is not a bad outcome.

Besides, how difficult it is to reach Foundation Establishment normally—this is perhaps a stroke of luck. Moreover, as I said, I am willing to do anything for you."

Having finished speaking, he stroked the woman's long hair and kissed her smooth forehead.

Her eyes were filled with tenderness as she leaned closer into him.

***

Chen Lin was unaware of the events outside. He had conducted three consecutive trials before finally understanding how to use the alchemy furnace.

It wasn't actually that mysterious; one simply used their own Dharma power to activate the formations on the furnace to make it run, and then regulated the temperature by controlling the intensity of the Dharma power output.

At this moment, he discovered that with his current level of Qi Refinement middle-stage Dharma power, he could not complete a full cycle of alchemy.

The furnace consumed a vast amount of Dharma power.

Even if it didn't collapse halfway due to operational errors, he would run out of energy.

Having made this discovery, he immediately ceased the refining process, tidied up, and pushed the door open to step out.

By this time, the woman from Shuiyue Pavilion had already returned to her room, leaving only Yu Yuehai standing at the door with a somber expression.

Chen Lin walked over casually and spoke, "Daoist Yu, my Dharma power is too weak to support a complete refining process. I'm afraid I will need some Qi-Replenishing Pills."

Yu Yuehai gave a cold sneer and, without a word, tossed over a porcelain bottle.

Chen Lin caught it. Upon opening it, he found it filled to the brim with Qi-Replenishing Pills. He nodded in satisfaction, stowed them away, and turned to leave.

He did this not just to get some benefits, but naturally because he did not want his secret discovered.

If it were discovered that he had never actually completed a full refining cycle yet had somehow produced finished pills, the truth would be easy to guess.

From the other's previous words, it seemed they believed he could refine Primordial Essence Pills and Enlightenment Pills simply because he had good luck.

Since that was what the other party believed, he would maintain that persona.

Just as Chen Lin was about to open the door to enter his room, a cold voice rang out from behind him again.

"Daoist Chen, my time is running short. I advise you not to delay. If you still haven't refined any pills after three days, hmph!"

Chen Lin's footsteps faltered for a moment, then he stepped into his room.

At that exact moment, the window of the opposite room was pushed open, and the head of a sallow-faced female cultivator poked out.

She looked at Chen Lin, then at Yu Yuehai, and shouted at the top of her lungs, "What pills? Who got pills? Can you sell some to me? I'll do whatever you want to serve you!"

After shouting, she cast her gaze upon Yu Yuehai and teased, "Old Yu, did you get the pills? Come to my room quickly, and I'll help you inspect them, haha..."

"Get lost!"

Before her laughter could even finish, Yu Yuehai let out a cold shout. A streak of dark light shot out, piercing through her skull.

The dark light then traced an arc and flew back.

A blood hole the size of a peach pit was left in the center of the sallow-faced woman's forehead, and she slumped limply onto the windowsill.

When Chen Lin turned back after sensing the fluctuation of Dharma power, he happened to witness the dark light piercing the woman's head, causing him to let out a startled cry.

As a chill ran down his spine, a surge of anger rushed to his head.

The emotions he had suppressed for so long finally erupted at this moment.

He stepped out from the room with a grim expression and questioned in a heavily suppressed voice, "Why did you kill her? She wouldn't have affected you!"

Yu Yuehai looked at Chen Lin with murderous eyes and sneered, "Does killing someone require a reason? If you can't produce a Blood Demon Pill in three days, your fate will be the same as hers."

With that, he turned and went back into his room.

Chen Lin stared at the door for a long time, then turned away in silence and walked to the woman's window.

He reached out, closed her eyes which still held traces of panic, and tore a sleeve from her garment to wrap around the bloody hole on her forehead.

Then, he forcefully pulled the corpse through the window, hoisted it onto his back, and slowly walked toward the exit of the courtyard.

Yu Yuehai's actions were clearly an outburst of anger, venting his frustration over Chen Lin's delay onto her.

Although this female neighbor had many flaws, they had lived in the same courtyard for a long time, and Chen Lin could not bear to leave such a scene.

However, his strength was too low to do anything; he could only ensure she was laid to rest by taking her outside the city to find a place to bury her.

As for reporting it to the authorities?

There were no officials in this city. The rogue cultivators in the shantytowns received no protection from the five great families; they were only there to be exploited.

A low-level Qi Refinement rogue cultivator with no background was nothing; her death wouldn't cause a ripple.

Of course, he also did this to test the waters, to see if he could use this as an excuse to leave the courtyard.

As long as he could leave the courtyard, he would have other choices even if he didn't run away.

For example, he could agree to Zhang Ma'zi's offer to become a guest official for his family. If he showcased his skill in refining Primordial Essence Pills, they would surely be delighted to have him join.

If all else failed, he might even consider marrying that widowed cousin of theirs; it was better than sitting here waiting for death.

With the Zhang family's strength, they were more than capable of dealing with a Qi Refinement cultivator who had not yet reached Foundation Establishment. Even if the opponent were at the Great Circle of Qi Refinement, they could not withstand the suppression of an established clan.

But if he refined the Blood Demon Pill and relied on it to become a Foundation Establishment cultivator, there would be no one left in Kaiyuan City who could stop him.

Even if there were, no one would risk their life fighting a Foundation Establishment cultivator for the sake of a minor character like him.

Chen Lin's pace was slow as he walked, sensing Yu Yuehai's room as he went.

One step.

Two steps.

He carried the corpse all the way to the courtyard gate, yet Yu Yuehai did not come out.

His eyes flickered, and he prepared to push the door to leave.

At that moment, a sharp whistling sound rang out from behind him, and a streak of dark light traced an arc, hovering directly in front of his face.