Chapter 20: The Pill

Qin Chengming was in his personal realm, rolling herbal pills with practiced hands, preparing to sell them for spirit stones to trade for a pill furnace. Suddenly, a dull ache struck his chest, nearly causing him to drop the bowl of herbs. The sensation faded as quickly as it came. Puzzled, he ran a hand over his chest and thoroughly checked himself for any abnormalities. Finding nothing amiss, he returned to his work.

Tomorrow would mark his tenth day in this place, and he was starting to feel uneasy without earning any spirit stones. Rolling herbal pills required little skill—follow the proper steps and give it time, and the pills would be done. These hand-rolled pills fetched a far lower price than refined pills, and left more residue in the body. Only those without the means, itinerant cultivators short on spirit stones, would buy such crude medicine. Over the past few days, Qin Chengming had observed the market; even the pills sold in the shops were of dubious quality, some worse than the ones he made by hand. There was certainly a market, but he was unsure if the locals would accept a medicine they had never seen before.

As he worked, he muttered to himself, each completed bottle seeming to ring with the imaginary clink of spirit stones. The more he rolled, the more spirited his muttering became.

During these days holed up in the inn, a torrential rainstorm had swept through, making Hu Zhe's vigil outside the shop a miserable one. After being punished to reflect on his errors, Hu Zhe had been assigned to watch the inn, hoping to observe with whom Qin Chengming associated. Yet, after several days, he had seen no sign of the man. Yesterday’s downpour had left him looking like a drowned fox. Were it not for his desperate desire to redeem himself, he would have abandoned his post long ago.

The rain did nothing to cool the oppressive heat; when the sun returned, the temperature only soared. For those covered in fur, such heat was doubly uncomfortable. Even though their cultivation made them immune to the temperature’s effects, the stifling air still left them irritable.

When Qin Chengming stepped out the inn’s door, he immediately spotted the fox-eyed manservant—clearly one of the fifth-rank fox demon’s associates. Perhaps they were here because he had stumbled upon their secret plotting, and now sought to trouble him. Not wishing to let anyone spoil his business, Qin Chengming casually altered his appearance with a swipe across his face and strode confidently out of the inn. As he passed the fox-eyed man, he spared him a glance; the man had no reaction at all.

“Guess he’s not here for me. Good! I wonder who the unlucky soul he’s after is?” Qin Chengming concluded with certainty, then swaggered off toward the herb market on Taihua Road.

The market was bustling as ever. Qin Chengming paid the management fee in gold, found a spot with decent foot traffic, and set up his stall.

“Qi Gathering Pills, Rejuvenation Pills, Illusion Dissolving Pills—special offer today! Buy nine, get one free. Only ninety mid-grade spirit stones for a bottle of ten. Try one on the spot and see the effect!” He was an old hand at peddling his wares, well aware of how to entice buyers.

Sure enough, a crowd soon gathered. Yet, seeing that his pills were a different color from the usual, many voiced their doubts.

He said little, merely pointed to a man in the crowd—a fellow whose poverty was apparent, clearly not a hidden accomplice. Smiling, Qin Chengming addressed him, “Brother, would you help me test a pill? If it works, I’ll give you two more. If not, I’ll give you a hundred taels of gold. If there are any side effects, I’ll give you ten thousand taels. How about it? Will you help?”

The man agreed eagerly, barely pausing to consider.

Seeing his agreement, Qin Chengming turned to the doubters, “Does anyone here know this man?”

Several voices called out from the crowd, “Of course, that’s Huang Jiancheng! Who doesn’t know him?” So, he’d picked a local celebrity at random. All the better—the more well-known, the better the demonstration.

Qin Chengming clapped his hands. “Then let him try the medicine. Surely none of you will suspect me of cheating?”

“Of course not! Huang Jiancheng may be poor, but he’s never lied,” shouted a man in yellow, echoed by others.

Things were going smoothly—Qin Chengming was pleased. “He’s currently at the peak of the sixth level of Qi refining. I’ll give him a Qi Gathering Pill to try.” He drew a green pill from a bottle and handed it to Huang Jiancheng.

Without hesitation, Huang Jiancheng swallowed it, then immediately sat cross-legged to meditate and absorb the medicine.

“Is this boss confused? Qi Gathering Pills are for replenishing spiritual energy, but Huang Jiancheng’s energy is already full. Even if he takes more, it’ll just spill out—how will we know if it works?” people whispered.

“Exactly! He’s at the peak of the sixth layer, and breaking through to the seventh requires more than just spiritual energy—it takes opportunity. No amount of extra energy will help!” said another.

A sharper voice sneered, “He’s just trying to attract attention! That green pill looks poisonous—who would dare buy it? What if it’s toxic?”

The hubbub at the stall grew louder, as if the marketplace had boiled over.

Yet as Huang Jiancheng sat refining the pill, a sudden surge of spiritual pressure swept the crowd—a clear sign of advancement. Typically, cultivators could suppress such fluctuations, but Huang Jiancheng let it burst forth for all to feel. Instantly, the crowd fell silent, eyes shining as they stared at him.

Once it was confirmed that Huang Jiancheng had indeed advanced to the seventh level of Qi refining, the crowd surged and began snatching up all the pills at the stall as if they cost nothing.

Ordinary Qi Gathering Pills only replenished spiritual energy, but these green ones could actually help break through a bottleneck? And they weren’t expensive! If not now, when? In no time, not only the Qi Gathering Pills but also the untested Rejuvenation and Illusion Dissolving Pills were all sold out.

Huang Jiancheng quietly waited nearby until Qin Chengming finished his business and packed up. Then he stepped forward, “Thank you, Immortal, for your medicine. Though I have little in worldly goods, I know this area well and offer my assistance should you ever need it.”

Qin Chengming smiled, handing him a bottle. “You were simply lucky, just a breath away from your breakthrough. Between us, it was only a transaction, no other obligation. Here are the two pills I promised as payment—take them.” Without waiting for Huang Jiancheng’s reply, he turned and entered a shop selling pill furnaces.

This time, he didn’t bother picking the best—he bought a few beginner furnaces, choosing the cheapest ones available.