Chapter 100: On What Grounds

Chapter 100: On What Grounds

Two months had passed, and the fighting within Wuyou City had ceased, but the city was nearly a ruin.

Those who remained were either clearing the debris or, too lazy to bother, simply lived among the ruins.

The streets were filled with broken stones and shattered tiles.

The original wooden structures had been burned, and all sorts of wooden vines conjured up by wood-element spells blocked the way like works of art.

Flat ground had turned into giant pits.

Water channels had burst upward, forming miniature hills.

The flowing water had to yield to the terrain, detouring around. Narrow paths turned into wide roads, spreading everywhere—here a puddle, there a puddle, mixed with once-packed soil now churned loose. One wrong step and you were ankle-deep in mud. As the weather turned cold, soon those puddles would freeze into slippery ice.

In this environment, the few intact inns saw their prices skyrocket. What had once been a hundred spirit stones a night was now two to three hundred. As a result, most people just cursed and lived in the ruins.

Only the mortals, afraid of the elements, were diligently repairing houses.

The same was true inside the medical hall.

It started when two Hehuan Sect disciples had accidentally slipped in, followed by a group of Hehuan Sect disciples chasing them. The two groups, their eyes burning with hatred, drew their swords without even asking what was happening. In the chaos, the medical hall came crashing down.

Although they compensated with spirit stones afterward, they refused to help rebuild.

Zhang Daozhu and his apprentice stormed off to confront the Hehuan Sect, nearly getting caught in a street fight on the way. When they arrived at the Hehuan Sect, the people there had no time for them, simply paid them off with spirit stones and sent them packing. They had no choice but to find their own builders, who turned out to be the parents of the children at the medical hall.

These mortals worked wholeheartedly on the repairs, both in awe and grateful toward the master and apprentice, laboring diligently.

But with more mortals around, feeding everyone became a headache.

In the old days, the city had many mortals in all trades. They would go hunting themselves or buy prey from cultivators to butcher and sell meat. Whatever they needed, they could simply go to the market or shops.

Now, with people dead or fled, merchants also didn't dare to show up, and food sources had become an issue.

The cultivators, who were living in ruins themselves, naturally didn't care about the mortals' food problems. The mortals who set up stalls again to sell food couldn't scrounge up enough supplies each day, and risked having their stalls smashed. They only dared to open their stalls right before dawn. If you wanted to buy anything, you had to rush over early and grab it. If there was too little that day, even spirit stones were useless, and you had to fight—using your fists to get the goods.

In such circumstances, the smoked meat, cured meat, and animal hides that Shang Yunduo brought were warmly welcomed.

Food wasn't the only issue; clothing was just as bad. Winter in the Boundary Mountains was quite cold. The medical hall was temperature-controlled year-round, still like spring, but the mortals couldn't stay there forever. Once the repairs were done, they would have to go out and make a living. No one in the city would spend spirit stones on heating anymore. Luckily, the animal hides Shang Yunduo brought could be turned into clothes.

The meat, too, was a timely relief.

The mortals gathered together to pay him, but Shang Yunduo naturally refused.

Other people making jerky always had to hunt and chop firewood, but he didn't need to. The meat he'd found along the way, the fire he'd made while training—the pine and fruitwood for smoking were all just side tasks. It wasn't any real cost to him.

Since he had to deal with it anyway, giving it to anyone was the same. Giving it to those in need could even count as doing a good deed.

A group of people were there, pushing and shoving, each trying to refuse the other's offer.

Zhang Daozhu, holding a plate of meat jerky, ate while watching the spectacle: “This apprentice of yours is quite interesting.”

Ever since their medical hall opened, they’d only seen people unwilling to pay, never anyone unwilling to accept money.

Usually, it was all haggling and arguing, with people glaring and ready to fight. This kind of forceful giving and refusing was a rare sight.

“Mm, the roasted meat is tasty too.”

His jerky is different from others—it's specially made from demon beasts hunted by Shang Yunduo, and infused with spiritual energy.

It was originally made as a snack for Pei Jie, but Pei Jie didn't really like it. Shang Yunduo made some new ones, so he brought these along as gifts too.

Zhang Daozhu: "It's good to have an apprentice—makes things lively."

Apprentice?

Which apprentice is like him?

Pei Jie didn't correct him.

Zhang Daozhu: "No wonder you didn't begrudge him the Solidifying Origin Pill. But let me remind you, his meridians are injured in a strange way. Even after taking the Solidifying Origin Pill, it might not be enough to mend them. Foundation Establishment is no problem—he could achieve it even without the pill—but whether he can achieve Core Formation is another matter."

Pei Jie: "I know."

Zhang Daozhu: "You'd better tell him sooner rather than later..."

He then looked at his own foolish apprentice, who, by appearance, could pass for his grandfather. Sigh, he had great talent for medicine, but his aptitude was too poor. As a child, he wandered the city with his parents, going hungry from meal to meal, which damaged his bone foundation. What a pity that even though they were doctors themselves, and had treated every difficult and unusual ailment in Wuyou City, they couldn't help him form a Core.

"Ah Qian, take a break. Come have something to eat."

The old man, who had been scolding a patient, called back, tossed some medicinal powder onto the patient's wound, clapped his hands, and walked over.

Shang Yunduo, who had been squeezed in among a group of kids to peek at their alchemy books, quickly asked, "Senior Ah Qian, do you have more of these alchemy books? Can I buy one?"

"Is that how you address me? 'Ah Qian'?" the old man said sternly. "Call me Grandpa Qian or Senior Qian."

Shang Yunduo complied smoothly: "Grandpa Qian."

Zhang Ah Qian: "..."

Was he doing that on purpose?

Zhang Daozhu laughed heartily.

The kids joined in the laughter.

Zhang Ah Qian picked up a piece of dried meat and tasted it. "You roasted this?"

Shang Yunduo: "Yes! See how well the heat is controlled? Not too tough, not too tender, just the right crispness? I tried it several times and decided this temperature works best. It also locks in moisture, so it's not dry or tough."

"..." Does anyone brag like that? Zhang Ah Qian ate two more slices: "Do you want to learn alchemy?"

Shang Yunduo: "I can do alchemy, but only a few types."

Zhang Daozhu: "Oh? What can you make? Let me see."

Shang Yunduo took out a bottle of Vitality Pills and handed it to him: "My pills are very popular."

Zhang Daozhu poured one out and examined it. The color was off. He brought it closer and sniffed—the smell was wrong too. "Honey? You added honey to the pill?"

Shang Yunduo: "Yes! Don't you think strictly following the recipe makes it too bitter? I've tested it—adding honey doesn't affect the efficacy, and it tastes better."

Zhang Ah Qian didn't quite agree: "It's only bitter for the moment it passes your mouth..."

Shang Yunduo: "What do you mean? When you swallow those pills, from your mouth to your stomach, it's all bitterness! If I knew how to make Qi Recovery Pills, I'd definitely modify the elixir recipe myself."

Zhang Daozhu: "Modify the elixir recipe? By adding sugar?"

Shang Yunduo nodded. "Mm-hmm."

Zhang Aqian: "Adding some sugar is called messing up the elixir recipe!"

Shang Yunduo: "How is it ruined? Ask them, what do they prefer—sweet or bitter?"

Zhang Aqian: "Recklessly adding stuff will definitely mess with the potency."

Shang Yunduo: "Impossible. The Vitality Pill turned out fine."

Zhang Aqian: "That was a fluke."

The two argued back and forth, reaching no conclusion, neither willing to concede. Shang Yunduo knew only a few elixir recipes, so they argued back and forth over those few without any real point, giving Zhang Daozhu a headache.

He simply gave Shang Yunduo the recipe for the Qi Recovery Pill and told him to try it. Shang Yunduo, without any hesitation, borrowed their alchemy furnace and went ahead and started refining.

The first batch failed, the second batch also failed, but the third batch yielded five pills. He paused to think for a moment, then started the fourth batch, which produced seven Qi Recovery Pills, including one superior-grade.

Zhang Daozhu: "Oh? You've got some talent!"

He clapped and watched Shang Yunduo work.

However, by the fifth batch, Shang Yunduo started experimenting with adding honey and sugar.

Failure, failure, and more failure.

Zhang Daozhu and his disciple smirked. Alchemy wasn't that easy, huh?

"Let's get back to business." Seeing that he was stuck and wouldn't be refining any sweet Qi Recovery Pills today, Zhang Daozhu took out the Foundation Strengthening Pills. "Eight pills produced: two superior, four medium, two inferior. You want just the superior ones or all of 'em?"

Pei Jie: "I'll take all the medium and superior ones."

Zhang Daozhu: "Thirty thousand spirit stones."

Shang Yunduo: "What?! We provided the Yuanhu Bark."

Zhang Aqian: "Don't the other ingredients cost spirit stones too? Over a dozen kinds of spirit herbs, ten of which had to be sourced from the demon races—we already gave you a great deal."

Zhang Daozhu: "I didn't even charge you for the batch I messed up."

Shang Yunduo: "Why do we have to pay for the ones you ruined?"

Zhang Aqian: "Hey, don't you know the trade? When refining such high-grade superior pills, you naturally have to cover the losses from ruined batches."

Shang Yunduo: "Why?!"

Zhang Daozhu: "Go ask around the whole city. Who else in this whole city can guarantee superior Foundation Strengthening Pills besides me?"

Shang Yunduo: "..."

But didn't he just mess up a batch?!

He now felt the master and disciple were quite alike—both were money-grubbers!

Pei Jie: "I'll throw in two medium ones."

Zhang Daozhu: "No, all four have to come to me."

Pei Jie: "At most, three."

Zhang Daozhu: "No, it has to be four."

Shang Yunduo: "..."

He suddenly felt that old Zhang wasn't very sharp either.

Who besides him knew exactly how many pills a single batch could produce? Normally, the maximum was nine pills. If he claimed he only made seven, no one would suspect it, so why all this haggling back and forth?

Shang Yunduo ruined another batch of Qi Recovery Pills. Adding in the cost of the materials he used up, in the end, Pei Jie only took two superior and one medium Foundation Strengthening Pills, and all the spirit stones they had were handed over to the master and disciple.

Carrying his failed pills, Shang Yunduo returned with a gloomy face.

The only thing that slightly made up for his losses was a few elixir recipes Pei Jie had gotten for him.

Shang Yunduo placed the recipes alongside his own books: "Being an alchemist is crazy profitable. I'm gonna sell pills and make spirit stones too."

Pei Jie was amused: "Don't overthink it. Your alchemy will get better once you build your foundation."

He handed over the bottle of Foundation Strengthening Pills to Shang Yunduo. "Get ready. You can break through to foundation building now."

Shang Yunduo: "Huh? But you haven't even reached the ninth layer of Qi Refining yet."

Pei Jie: "Don't wait for me. Just go ahead."

Shang Yunduo: "Why the hell not?!"

If he built his foundation first, how would he still be able to dual cultivate with Pei Jie?

Shang Yunduo: "Are you not satisfied with... my...?"

He snuck a glance at the bed. "Not satisfied?"

"Mm?" Pei Jie was stunned for a moment, not immediately reacting. When he realized what Shang Yunduo was hinting at, he...

He took a deep breath. "You've been holding off on building your foundation just for this?"

Shang Yunduo immediately said: "Of course not! We agreed to do it together... Actually, you should go first. I have a single spirit root, so my success rate for foundation building is way higher. I'll only take the pill after you succeed."

Pei Jie: "You've been at the peak of Qi Refining for a long time, and lately, you've been showing signs of foundation building. You're only one step away from breaking through. You might even break through to foundation building one day without needing a Foundation Building Pill. If you suddenly break through without being prepared and can't take the Foundation Strengthening Pill in time, you'll injure your meridians and have to wait until Core Formation to fix them."

Shang Yunduo: "Then I'll just seal my spiritual power for now."

Pei Jie: "..."

Shang Yunduo: "I won't go out either. I'll stay home and study alchemy. I'll cultivate with you. Even if I suddenly build my foundation, I can take the Foundation Strengthening Pill in time. Otherwise..."

He swallowed the rest of his words and looked at Pei Jie with pleading eyes.

There was another way to keep suppressing his cultivation without building his foundation, besides sealing his spiritual power: continuing dual cultivation with Pei Jie.

It would not only make his foundation more solid but also help Pei Jie improve his cultivation.

But it seemed Pei Jie was deliberately ignoring this option.

Shang Yunduo glanced at the bed again and hesitated to ask: "Last time... you didn't like it?"

Pei Jie: "..."

Shang Yunduo said bashfully, "Or is there something about my performance that didn't satisfy you? But I thought our last time together went... pretty well."

Pei Jie: "..."

"I can change whatever you don't like!" Shang Yunduo gazed at him imploringly, after thinking it over, and asked, "Is it... um... the ending...?"

"Ahem," he composed himself and raised his hand to swear, "I promise, this time I will try my best to control myself!"

Author's note:

Senior: Trust you, or trust that I'm...?

Yun Duo: Trust me, trust me!