Chapter 34: A Complete Alchemy Inheritance

Chapter 34: A Complete Alchemy Inheritance

Hua Changxi still had medicinal ingredients to clean. After "discussing" things with Eunuch Yu, she returned to the Sixth Bureau.

As soon as she left, Eunuch Yu glared fiercely at Yu Hui, his eyes burning with anger: "That girl is a martial artist. Why didn't you tell me beforehand?"

Yu Hui was stunned. "Sister Changxi is a martial artist? Godfather, I didn't know! I only knew she had a lot of strength; how could she possibly be a martial artist?"

Seeing that Yu Hui's expression did not seem fake, and believing he lacked the courage to deceive him, Eunuch Yu recalled that after Yu Hui mentioned the alchemy matter, he had already sent Xiao Xizi to investigate Hua Changxi's situation.

Given Hua Changxi's family background, it was indeed unlikely they would train her to be a martial artist; most importantly, she was far too young.

He had practiced for decades just to reach the Seventh Rank, yet that girl was only thirteen, and her martial cultivation was actually higher than his.

It was simply unbelievable!

Even the martial geniuses of the Imperial Martial Academy were not this monstrous.

Eunuch Yu's eyes flickered; there must be a secret behind that girl!

However, Eunuch Yu was in no rush. As long as Hua Changxi remained in the Labor Hall, he would eventually uncover the truth.

Eunuch Yu looked at the still-trembling Yu Hui and softened his tone: "Keep in close contact with that Hua Changxi. If you can find out how she became a martial artist, there will be a heavy reward from me."

Yu Hui hurriedly agreed, "Don't worry, Godfather, I will definitely find out."

Eunuch Yu gave an "hmph" and turned his gaze toward the thirty-five pills sitting on the stove.

Hua Changxi had refined twenty pills of each type. The girl had already left, but she had specifically doubled back to take eight of each kind, claiming them as her share.

Thinking of the matter-of-fact way the girl had taken the pills, Eunuch Yu's mouth twitched. He knew he had met his match.

In this world, some people were obsessed with saving face, while others were obsessed with money. This girl, like him, wanted both.

Eunuch Yu did not want to be led by the nose by a young lady. He looked at the young eunuch who had just guided Hua Changxi: "Xiao Xizi, go to the Sixth Street and bring Pharmacist Zhou to me."

Xiao Xizi nodded and left quickly.

Eunuch Yu then instructed Yu Hui: "You still remember the medicinal ingredients Hua Changxi picked out just now, don't you?"

Yu Hui nodded. "I remember."

Having guarded the warehouse for many years, even if he didn't understand the medicinal properties, he had long since memorized the various ingredients.

Eunuch Yu took the token from his waist. "Go to Warehouse No. 9 and fetch a set of the ingredients Hua Changxi just used."

As the Chief Warehouse Manager, he could call upon not just discarded ingredients, but even high-quality ones.

Between fetching Pharmacist Zhou and retrieving the ingredients, Yu Hui immediately understood what Eunuch Yu intended to do.

They had all witnessed the entire process of Sister Changxi's alchemy just now.

Yu Hui knew he only held his position in the warehouse because of Eunuch Yu. Although he felt somewhat guilty toward Hua Changxi, he said nothing and went to fulfill his command.

Half an hour later, the ingredients were brought back, and Pharmacist Zhou arrived.

After seeing the pills Hua Changxi had refined, Pharmacist Zhou was shocked. "Were these pills truly made using only a few types of ingredients?"

Eunuch Yu said, "Would I lie to you about such a thing? I have already told you the refinement process. Hurry and try it. If you can refine them as well, we will strike it rich."

Pharmacist Zhou was also deeply tempted. It wasn't just about the money; he placed more value on the medicinal utility of these formulas.

In recent years, new medicinal ingredients had been discovered in various places, and the clinics in the Nine Streets were all researching new medicines, but the results were often unsatisfactory, with most still in the experimental stage.

Pharmacist Zhou knew all the ingredients in the formula Eunuch Yu had given him, but he did not have a profound understanding of how the various ingredients would interact when combined.

Without needing Eunuch Yu to urge him, Pharmacist Zhou briskly began the refinement process.

The initial cleaning and soaking went without error, but when it came to the third step—grinding—a problem arose.

The ingredients Pharmacist Zhou ground were not fine or even enough; they were nothing like how Hua Changxi had ground them directly into a paste.

Because this step was poorly executed, when it came to mixing and medicating, Pharmacist Zhou was like a baker struggling with dough—it was either too wet or too dry. Despite great effort, he could not knead a suitable consistency.

"This shouldn't be happening!"

Pharmacist Zhou was bewildered. He had practiced alchemy for many years and had never encountered such an issue.

Eunuch Yu was also puzzled. He had known Pharmacist Zhou for decades and was well aware of his skill level. Simply mixing medicine shouldn't have stumped him.

Yu Hui hesitated to speak.

Seeing this, Eunuch Yu said irritably, "If you have something to say, say it."

Yu Hui said, "Godfather, wasn't I injured by a Fourth Rank martial artist before? It was Sister Changxi who treated me. The prescription she gave me for decocting could be replicated, but no matter how I tried, I couldn't produce the same medicinal paste for my wounds that she made."

"Godfather, I think Sister Changxi must have some special technique for handling ingredients. It might look simple to us, but there is surely a trick to it."

Eunuch Yu did not understand these matters either, so he looked toward Pharmacist Zhou.

Pharmacist Zhou was also unsure where the problem lay, so he said, "Old Yu, give me some time to study this."

Eunuch Yu nodded. Seeing that the retrieved ingredients had been wasted, he asked, "Should I fetch you some more ingredients?"

Pharmacist Zhou smiled. "I am not short on ingredients."

As a pharmacist, even if a new medicine research failed and some ingredients were wasted, he would not be held accountable as long as he could explain the reason.

To some extent, he could call upon more ingredients than Eunuch Yu, and he could draw them directly from the medicinal warehouse, where ingredients were already processed, whereas the ones in Old Yu's warehouse were fresh.

Pharmacist Zhou took three of each: the Blood-Qi Pill, the Body-Tempering Pill, and the Foundation-Stabilizing Pill. As he prepared to leave, he looked curiously at the pile of discarded medicinal waste in the courtyard.

"Old Yu, why are you piling trash in the courtyard?"

Upon hearing this, Yu Hui and Xiao Xizi both lowered their heads. Eunuch Yu's expression also became unnatural. If his old friend found out that Hua Changxi had used this "trash" to refine those pills, his friend would lose face.

"The subordinates made a mistake; we haven't had time to clean it up yet."

Pharmacist Zhou clearly didn't care much about it; he gave an "oh" and left.

Eunuch Yu watched him leave. When he returned to the courtyard, he saw Yu Hui following him, looking hesitant. "How many times have I told you not to be so petty? If you have something to say, just spit it out!"

Yu Hui stopped hesitating and asked, "Godfather, Sister Changxi's speed in cleaning ingredients is very fast. She usually finishes her daily tasks by morning. If you allow it, we can start refining medicine tomorrow."

Eunuch Yu glanced sideways at Yu Hui. "There is no rush. We will wait for Pharmacist Zhou's response."

Hearing this, Yu Hui gave a disappointed "oh."

Seeing him like this, Eunuch Yu snorted. After a moment of thought, he ultimately gave him four of each of the three types of pills Hua Changxi had refined. "This is your twenty percent share."

Seeing that Eunuch Yu had not withheld his portion, Yu Hui was immensely surprised. "Thank you, Godfather! Thank you! Godfather, once your son has mastered martial arts, I will surely repay you properly."

Eunuch Yu didn't think much of Yu Hui, who was only a First Rank martial artist, but he found Yu Hui's filial piety quite pleasing. "Since you recognize me as your father, how could I mistreat you? Do your work well for me, and there will be no shortage of benefits."

Yu Hui nodded repeatedly. "Yes, your son will definitely work hard for you, Godfather."

The collaboration on alchemy had gotten off to a good start. Although the profit share was ten percent less than expected, he was satisfied.

He was merely the middleman. His Godfather provided the ingredients and the courtyard, and Sister Changxi provided the alchemy skills. For someone who contributed nothing, receiving a twenty percent share was enough.

While Yu Hui was excited and happy, on the other side, Hua Changxi was also filled with joy.

While she was refining the Blood-Qi, Body-Tempering, and Foundation-Stabilizing pills, new spells appeared on her data panel.

[Fusion Technique (Minor Success): Blend medicinal ingredients 16/100] *When the blended ingredients reach ten stalks, various fusion methods for processing mortal plants and mortal beasts will be imprinted into Hua Changxi's mind.*

[Pill Condensation Technique (Minor Success): Condense medicinal pills 60/100] *When the hand-rolled pills reach ten, various techniques for causing medicine to condense into pills will be imprinted into her mind.*

[Preservation Technique (Minor Success): Preserve medicinal pills 60/100] *When the pills preserved in wax shells reach ten, various methods for preserving the medicinal efficacy of mortal plants will be added to her mind.*

The appearance of these new spells made Hua Changxi even happier than reaching the agreement with Eunuch Yu. She knew that according to the previous pattern of the spells, once she had refined pills over one hundred times, she would be able to use the Fusion, Condensation, and Preservation techniques with her spiritual energy.

After a burst of excitement, Hua Changxi slowly calmed down and began to recall the medical knowledge she had learned.

*The Commentary on the Classic of a Hundred Herbs* taught the properties of mortal, spiritual, and divine plants;

*The Art of Purity* taught how to use water and wind power to clean ingredients;

*The Complete Encyclopedia of Processing* taught how to process medicinal ingredients;

*The Complete Atlas of Meridians* taught how to dissect and grind ingredients;

*Fusion Technique* taught how to blend ingredients;

*Pill Condensation Technique* taught how to turn medicinal masses into pills;

*Preservation Technique* taught how to preserve the medicinal properties and spiritual energy of pills.

When these seven types of medical knowledge were summarized together, they formed a complete process of alchemy.

Therefore, she had obtained a systematic inheritance of alchemy.