Chapter 622
Before the morning mist cleared, Lin Xiaoqi had been carried to the backyard by Fu Shaoping. The rain last night formed a mirror on the bluestone slab, reflecting the figures of the three people. Nangong Wan was using a silver needle to pick open a package of blue cloth, revealing three radiant and colorful spiritual medicines.
"The medicinal properties of the Nine-Leaf Magic Heart Lotus can only last until noon." She stroked the petals with her fingertips, and suddenly poked the lotus heart with a silver needle. The cluster of purple fire actually climbed up along the tip of the needle and condensed into a flame about an inch high in the air. "Xiao Qi, look carefully."
Fu Shaoping kicked the wine jar in the corner and the bronze alchemy furnace fell under the plum tree with a thud. Blood stains could be vaguely seen between the lightning patterns on the furnace. Lin Xiaoqi reached out to touch it, but was burned by the sudden high temperature of the furnace wall and retracted his fingers.
"The furnace used by the Demon Cult to refine blood pills three hundred years ago." Fu Shaoping flicked his finger on the furnace ears, shaking off a layer of dark red debris, "Later, I used Qingmu Zhenqi to refine it-" He suddenly grabbed Lin Xiaoqi's wrist and pressed it against the furnace body, "Use the 'Grass and Tree Breathing' I taught you to sense it!"
There was a sharp pain in the palm of his hand, and suddenly an illusion appeared in front of the boy's eyes: countless screaming souls were rolling in the furnace, and suddenly green vines broke through the furnace wall and swallowed up all the blood. When the illusion disappeared, he found that his back was soaked with cold sweat.
"The furnace has evil spirits, which is just right to overcome the confusion of the Illusion Heart Lotus." Nangong Wan has sorted the herbs. The seven-color bell-sound flower is suspended above his left palm, and each petal vibrates and emits a different tone; the silver needle in his right hand is strung with three sword-shaped Xuanxin grass leaves, and the edges of the grass leaves are shining with a cold light like a frost blade.
Fu Shaoping suddenly opened the cork of the wine gourd, and the amber wine drew an arc in the air, but was caught by Nangong Wan on a silver plate just before it fell to the ground. The wine condensed into three round drops in the plate, chasing each other and spinning.
"To use aged wine as a medicine, we need to extract the 'wine spirit'." She handed the silver plate to Lin Xiaoqi, "Catch it with the bone ring."
As soon as the young man raised his left hand, the bone ring on his ring finger suddenly became hot. Three drops of alcohol spirits jumped up as if being pulled, and landed steadily on the ring surface, reflecting the white bones with a honey-colored luster.
“Fire!”
Fu Shaoping shouted, and Lin Xiaoqi hurriedly pointed at the bottom of the furnace. Green light surged from his fingertips, but when it touched the furnace, it "hissed" and dissipated into a turbulent stream. Nangong Wan's silver needle pierced into the Dazhui point on the back of his neck in time, and the green aphid attached to the end of the needle vibrated hummingly.
"The Qi flows to the hand Jueyin meridian." She traced her fingertips down the boy's spine, "Thinking about the mountain jujube vine that A-man gave me that day."
A wonderful feeling came over Lin Xiaoqi, and the image of the little girl standing on tiptoe to hand over the bamboo basket appeared in front of him. The green mango suddenly became docile, forming a lotus leaf-shaped green fire blanket at the bottom of the stove. The edge of the flame curled up slightly, and it really looked like a fresh jujube leaf.
"Okay!" Fu Shaoping grabbed the Huan Xin Lotus and threw it into the alchemy furnace. The purple flame burst into dazzling sparks when it came into contact with the green flame. "Now put the king's medicine in!"
Nangong Wan shook his wrist lightly, and seven-colored petals floated into the furnace. The pleasant sound filled the courtyard, and every ring of the bell shook the plum tree to drop its petals. Lin Xiaoqi suddenly found that these sounds turned into pictures in his mind: he saw the rainy night when he was chased at the age of seven, and saw the glowing word "Lin" on the altar at the bottom of the river.
"Hold the fire steady!" Fu Shaoping's shout brought him back to reality. The furnace shook violently, and colorful mist seeped out from the cracks in the furnace cover. Nangong Wan threw out twelve copper coins, which formed a heavenly stem and earthly branch formation in the air to press down the furnace cover.
Lin Xiaoqi gritted his teeth and urged his Qi, but saw a trace of black gas mixed in with the green fire - it was the evil energy left by the alchemy furnace! The bone ring suddenly rotated spontaneously, and fine wood grain appeared on the ring surface. The black gas seemed to be attracted to the bone ring, and formed a micro vortex on the ring surface.
"The Green Wood Bone Ring has such a magical effect?" Fu Shaoping raised his eyebrows, but did not dare to stop. He was using the palm wind to guide the three drops of wine spirits to shuttle through the furnace. Each drop of wine spirit dragged a long tail of light, like three meteors passing through the colorful mist.
At 3:30 pm, a clear phoenix cry was heard from the furnace. Nangong Wan suddenly cut his fingertips and flicked the blood drop to the top of the furnace: "Blood contract to make pills!"
The furnace lid was opened with a bang, and three pills flew out of the dazzling light. The largest one was as bright as the moon, with plum branch patterns formed naturally on the surface, and was taken away by Nangong Wan in a silver bottle; the red one was wrapped in the aroma of wine, and Fu Shaoping swallowed it directly, his Adam's apple rolled and his beard was stained with golden light.
The smallest pill was as green as jade, but it suddenly cracked when it flew towards Lin Xiaoqi - a jujube kernel sprouted from the crack and grew into a three-inch tall jujube seedling in a blink of an eye. The boy hurriedly caught it with his bone ring, and the jujube seedling actually took root along the texture of the ring surface and bloomed small golden flowers as big as rice grains.
"Interesting." Fu Shaoping wiped the ash from his beard, "With jujube kernels as the core and green wood as the soil, this 'Green Jujube Pill' is probably the only one of its kind in ancient and modern times."
Fu Shaoping opened a jar of "Bingpo Shao" and the liquor poured onto the bluestone slab condensed into frost. "Marrow washing is like scraping bones. Let me give you a taste of the cold first." He lifted Lin Xiaoqi by the back of his neck and pressed the boy into the jar of liquor.
Nangong Wan's silver needles tapped seven major acupuncture points on the boy's back, and ice crystals formed at the ends of the needles. Lin Xiaoqi opened his mouth to scream, but blood with ice crystals gushed out of his throat - the blood beads fell into the alchemy furnace, freezing the bronze furnace wall into spider web patterns.
"Okay!" Fu Shaoping threw out the golden cicada shell, which was as thin as a cicada's wing, and suddenly opened up, wrapping up the ice blood like a predatory spider web. "Now watch carefully, the snow ginseng should be cut like this."
He put his fingers together like a knife, and the moment the ginseng body was cut open, the ginseng whiskers suddenly grew three feet long and stabbed at the three people like silver needles. Nangong Wan's sleeves rolled up, and twelve jade slips flew out of his sleeves, nailing the ginseng whiskers in mid-air. A drop of crystal liquid hung at the tip of each whisker, reflecting a colorful halo under the moonlight.
"Cold marrow enters the furnace!"
When the chalcedony fell, the whole courtyard was covered with light snow. The jujube seedlings on Lin Xiaoqi's bone ring suddenly stretched out their branches and leaves, creating a small green shade in the snow.
Nangong Wan untied her hairpin, and her black hair swayed down, bringing with it a gust of fragrant wind. She took out half of a red feather from her hair, and the feather root was still stained with blood.
"I took it in Burning Sky Valley three years ago." She stroked the charred tip of the feather with her fingertips. "Before the Vermillion Bird died, it hid its last flame of love in this broken feather."
Fu Shaoping suddenly bit his finger and smeared the blood on the inner wall of the furnace. The blood turned into a snake of fire when it encountered the heat, and bursts of phoenix cries came from the furnace. Lin Xiaoqi was about to stick his head out to take a look, but was knocked over by the exploding waves of fire - what was spewing out of the furnace was not flames at all, but flowing magma!
"Fire Essence Dates are not for eating." Fu Shaoping picked up the date and threw it at Lin Xiaoqi's forehead. The boy suddenly had an illusion of a volcanic eruption. He subconsciously used his bone ring to block it, but the date melted into red juice on the ring surface and flowed along the wood grain to the furnace core.
Nangong Wan suddenly cut his wrist, and blood condensed into chains in the air, forcing the restless magma back into the furnace: "Feed the fire with blood, and you will get the true essence."
When the elixir is formed, three red beads chase each other and spin in the furnace, just like the legendary three-legged golden crow.
Lin Xiaoqi sat cross-legged under the plum tree, holding the Qingzao Pill in both hands. The surface of the pill glowed with a warm green light, reflecting the blood mole between his eyebrows. Fu Shaoping stood aside, holding a wine gourd in his hand, with a rare serious look: "The pill is not taken externally, it needs to be taken step by step."
Nangong Wan took out a silver needle and gently tapped it on Lin Xiaoqi's Baihui acupoint: "Relax your mind and guide the medicine into your meridians."
The Qingzao Pill gradually softened in Lin Xiaoqi's palm, turning into a wisp of green mist, which followed his breath and entered his mouth and nose. After the drug entered his body, it first slowly swirled around his dantian, and then seeped into his meridians like spring rain. He felt a gentle warm current flowing through his body, and wherever it passed, the originally blocked meridians gradually became unblocked.
Fu Shaoping handed over a cup of warm water at the right time: "Drink it, it will help the medicine work."
Lin Xiaoqi closed his eyes and regulated his breathing. Following the method he practiced every day, he guided the medicinal power to flow along the Ren and Du meridians. At first, the medicinal power flowed slowly, but as it circulated around the body, the speed gradually increased. The spiritual energy in the Dantian began to condense, and the originally thin air became clearly perceptible.
Nangong Wan's silver needle occasionally tapped his acupuncture points to help him clear the key nodes. Fu Shaoping watched from the side, and when he saw his breath gradually stabilize, he nodded slightly: "Not bad, the foundation is pretty solid." After running for thirty-six weeks, Lin Xiaoqi felt that the spiritual energy in his Dantian had become saturated. He took a deep breath, sank all his mind into the sea of qi, and tried to break through the bottleneck of the middle stage of Qi training.
The medicinal power and spiritual energy blended together, forming a small vortex in Dantian. At first, it was a little sluggish, but as he continued to push, the vortex gradually accelerated. At a certain moment, he seemed to hear a slight "click" sound coming from his body, as if some kind of shackles were broken.
When he opened his eyes, Lin Xiaoqi found that his perception was much sharper than before. He could clearly perceive the flow of spiritual energy around him, and could even vaguely see the spiritual light floating in the air.
Fu Shaoping patted him on the shoulder and said, "This is the middle stage of Qi training, which is considered the entry level."
Nangong Wan put away the silver needle and said calmly: "The medicinal power has not been fully absorbed. You need to rest and recuperate in the next few days to consolidate your realm."
Lin Xiaoqi looked down at his palms. The spiritual energy flowing through his fingertips was more condensed than before. He knew that he had finally taken a new step on his path of cultivation.
The morning mist had not yet dissipated, but there were already people walking in groups on the bluestone-paved streets of the market. Fu Shaoping kicked open the carved wooden door of the new shop, causing the copper bells on the eaves to jingle.
"Xiao Qi! Put the 'Herb Rejuvenation Pill' in the most conspicuous position!" He shouted in a hoarse voice, and placed a jar of aged wine on the counter, causing the porcelain bottle to clink lightly.
Lin Xiaoqi climbed up the ladder swiftly and placed several jade medicine bottles on the top of the sandalwood shelf. He had specially changed into a brand new indigo shorts today, and tied the exorcism sachet given by Nangong Wan around his waist.
Nangong Wan flicked her hand, and three bronze lamps ignited without fire, illuminating the shop with a faint green light. She took out a piece of brocade embroidered with the eight trigrams and spread it on the long table in the main hall, and placed a few jade-like pill samples on it.
"Master, the sign is hanging crookedly." Lin Xiaoqi stood on tiptoe and pointed outside the door.
Fu Shaoping snorted, and a green light flew out from his sleeves. The three characters on the gilded plaque "Lingdan Pavilion" suddenly became as neat as new. The dust-avoiding talisman hidden in the corner of the plaque glowed slightly, and even the spider webs on the eaves disappeared instantly.
At three quarters past noon, the bells in the market town rang melodiously.
"Open for business!" Lin Xiaoqi shouted at the top of his voice, and the gong in his hand was struck loudly. Several monks passing by were attracted by the movement and stopped to watch.
The first person to come was an old alchemist carrying a medicine basket. He squinted his eyes and looked at the bottle of "Nine-turn Resurrection Pill" on the counter. Suddenly, his white beard trembled in surprise: "Could this pill pattern be made by ancient methods?"
Fu Shaoping stood with his arms folded: "Fellow Daoist, you have good eyesight. This furnace of elixir used the Three Flavors of True Fire and was tempered by thunder." As he spoke, he opened the cork of the bottle. A refreshing medicinal fragrance immediately filled the air, and even the guests in the tea shop across the street couldn't help but look out.
"How many spirit stones?" the old alchemist asked impatiently.
Nangong Wan raised her hand and dialed a number on the abacus. The old alchemist took a breath of cold air, but still gritted his teeth and took out a treasure bag: "Take it!"
Lin Xiaoqi was sharp-eyed and saw that the emblem of a major sect was embroidered on the brocade bag. He quickly and diligently packed the pill and also gave it a small packet of nourishing tea.
Just after noon, the shop was already crowded with people. There were independent cultivators who came to ask for medicine, and there were disciples from large sects who were buying medicine on behalf of their masters. Lin Xiaoqi was so busy that he had no time to rest, pouring spiritual tea for customers, and climbing up and down to get medicine.
"Little Taoist friend, how much is this 'Qingxin Mingmu Powder'?" a female cultivator wearing a bamboo hat asked softly.
Lin Xiaoqi wiped his sweat and was about to answer when his nose suddenly moved: "Senior, have you been poisoned by the cold pond poisonous dragon? This powder is too warm. I suggest you use the "Red Sun Detoxification Pill" instead." He took out a small gourd from his waist and said, "This is a new pill that was just made this morning. Master added Vermillion Bird Feather Powder."
The female cultivator was shocked when she heard this, and her eyes flashed with surprise under her bamboo hat. Fu Shaoping stroked his beard with satisfaction behind the counter, while Nangong Wan lowered his head to hide a faint smile.
As the sun was setting, a young man in fine clothes rushed in with his entourage.
"I heard you have some elixirs that can help build your foundation?" The young man flicked open his folding fan and said, "I'll take as many as you can!"
Fu Shaoping narrowed his eyes and said, "My fellow Daoist, each person is limited to purchasing three Foundation Establishment Pills."
"Do you know who my father is?" The young man's face darkened.
Lin Xiaoqi suddenly came over holding a medicine box and said, "Sir, look, this is a specially made 'Qingxin Jingqi Pill', which is most suitable for..." Before he finished speaking, the young man suddenly jumped up and slashed at the medicine shelf with one palm!
With a muffled "bang", the young master's wrist was clamped by Nangong Wan's two fingers. The whole shop suddenly became quiet, and everyone saw that the silver needle on her fingertips was pressing against the young master's pulse.
"Our store," Nangong Wan said softly, "does not sell medicine to people with bad intentions."
Fu Shaoping laughed and opened a jar of spirit wine: "Everyone continue! All the pills today will be discounted by another 10%!"
As night fell, Lin Xiaoqi sat slumped on the doorstep counting the spirit stones. Fu Shaoping took a sip of wine and hung a wooden sign with the words "honesty to all children and the elderly" on the door. Nangong Wan was counting the herbs in the inner room, and the moonlight shone through the window, casting a layer of silver light around her.
The night watchman in the market passed by, knocking on his clapper, and could vaguely hear the young man's excited shout:
"Master! We have to refine thirty more furnaces of pills tomorrow to have enough to sell!"
As soon as the market opened, a long queue formed in front of Lingdan Pavilion.
"Make way! Make way!" Lin Xiaoqi rushed out from the backyard holding a large basket of "Qi-nourishing Pills" that had just been made, not even wiping the sweat off his forehead. He deftly packed the pills into small celadon bottles, his movements so fast that they almost left an afterimage. (End of this chapter)