Chapter 12: The Recipe

"Oh, it's far too complicated for you to understand. The mysteries involved are vast and intricate," Xuanyuan said with a casual wave of his hand. "Just pay attention to Master and learn carefully when the time comes."

"Ah, I see," Li Huowang replied, feigning deep thought, though his mind was elsewhere.

The elixir Dan Yangzi had given him had clearly been effective, which meant that the laws of this world were entirely different from those of his own.

If I'm going to deal with Dan Yangzi, I need to understand far more about this strange place, Li thought.

Cultivators like those in novels? Hardly. What kind of cultivators refine elixirs using human lives? What kind of cultivators enslave mortals to assist in their so-called ascension?

And where's my starter cultivation manual? Shouldn't that have been the first thing handed to me when I joined this sect?

The more Li learned about this place, the stranger it seemed. This Daoist temple bore no resemblance to the image of cultivators he'd imagined.

"By the way, Junior Brother Xuanyang," Xuanyuan continued, leaning in slightly, "let me give you some advice. It's best to have everything ready before Master even asks for it."

"For instance, about the elixirs yesterday—because your hysteria acted up, you missed the timing. If you deliver the necessary materials to the alchemy furnace before the Hour of the Rat the day after tomorrow, it would be like offering an apology to Master."

"Don't let his mood swings scare you. Make him happy, and you'll see the benefits," Xuanyuan added with a smirk.

"Yesterday's elixir materials?" Li froze.

"Of course. What, did you forget what Master asked you to deliver yesterday?"

"White... White Lingmiao," Li's pupils contracted sharply. With everything that had happened recently, he had almost forgotten—this wasn't over yet.

If he didn't come up with a solution by the day after tomorrow, the albino girl, Bai Lingmiao, would be ground into pulp like all the other medicine extractors before her.

Li didn't remember how he made it back to his stone bed. He lay there, staring at the red-stringed gold anklet pressed against his chest, its weight burning into him like hot iron, urging him to think of a solution.

But the gulf between his strength and Dan Yangzi's was insurmountable. The entire temple was filled with people loyal to the scabby-headed master.

The fates of the senior brothers who had previously tried to escape made it clear—blindly running was futile.

As these thoughts churned in his mind, the night passed in restless tossing and turning.

The next morning, just before the morning lesson, Li Huowang dressed and headed out of the cave.

Carrying an oil lamp, he made his way toward the alchemy room, hoping to find some clue or opportunity.

Suddenly, a sharp, monkey-like face appeared out of the darkness, startling him. It was Gouwa.

"Hehe, Senior Brother Li, no need to worry! I was just concerned since you didn't come to the storeroom all day yesterday, so I thought I'd check in on you," Gouwa said with a fawning grin.

"How's Bai Lingmiao?" Li asked, stepping back.

"She's fine, perfectly fine! You personally put her in charge of the storeroom—who would dare defy your orders? Hehe, ever since you took over the storeroom, no one's been taken away!"

Gouwa's words only added to Li's irritation. Pushing Gouwa aside with the lamp, Li strode forward, leaving him behind.

When Li arrived at the alchemy room, he found that some early-rising Daoist children had already begun cleaning the furnace and the floor.

One of them was even standing inside a massive stone urn, scrubbing its walls with a stiff pig-hair brush to remove remnants of flesh.

As a disciple of Dan Yangzi, Li was free to enter the alchemy room without question.

He wandered casually, his gaze scanning the surroundings for any useful details.

The room was starkly simple. Apart from the massive black furnace that occupied a third of the space, the only other items were the stone urn and stone pestle Dan Yangzi used for his gruesome work.

There were no books, no scrolls—not even a single piece of calligraphy on the walls. The room was almost unnaturally barren, devoid of any hiding spots.

"What are you looking at?"

A familiar but bone-chilling voice sounded behind him.

Li turned quickly, lowering his head and clasping his hands in a respectful salute. "Master."

"I asked what you were looking at."

Li's mind raced for an excuse, and within a second, he found one. "Disciple is awed by Master's extraordinary alchemy skills and was hoping to one day reach such heights myself."

Dan Yangzi's expression softened, clearly pleased by the flattery.

"Ambition is good," Dan Yangzi said, pacing slowly around the furnace with his hands clasped behind his back. "It's not that I don't want to teach you, but the art of external alchemy is not so simple."

"Basic elixirs are easy enough, but if you wish to achieve immortality through alchemy, you must combine external and internal techniques. It has taken me many years to reach this stage, and I'm only now approaching perfection."

A trace of excitement crossed Dan Yangzi's face, as if he were already envisioning the divine life that awaited him after ascension.

"Master... is about to ascend?" Li asked carefully.

Dan Yangzi's smile faded, and he shook his head. "The path to immortality is long and arduous, but I will achieve it. Do you know why?"

"I do not."

"Because the method was written by the Lord Laozi himself," Dan Yangzi said, his voice trembling with fervor. "And the Lord himself delivered it to me. Tell me, who else in the world is destined to ascend if not me?"

"The Lord Laozi?" Li echoed internally. Is that one of the three deities from the statues?

Though he didn't fully understand, Li quickly flattered him, "Master is absolutely right. You will surely ascend and become one with the heavens!"

Dan Yangzi beamed at the praise, his scabby face splitting into a grotesque smile.

"Good, good. Since you're eager to learn, I'll teach you a simple recipe for Blood-Replenishing Pills. Take note: twelve liang of cinnabar, half a jin of cyperus root, and two liang and four qian of yangqi stone..."

Though the lesson came out of nowhere, Li wasn't about to refuse. He looked around for pen and paper, but there was none to be found.

In desperation, he grabbed a piece of charcoal from under the furnace and scribbled the recipe onto the hem of his Daoist robe.

"... Start the furnace at the third quarter of the Hour of the Ox, while bathing. Use your eyes to focus, your breath to stoke, your spirit to steam, and maintain a slow fire until the fourth quarter of the Hour of the Rabbit to open the furnace."

"Take this recipe and practice. I'll see what kind of talent you have," Dan Yangzi said, nodding.

Li held up the hem of his robe, presenting his notes to Dan Yangzi. "Master, did I miss anything?"

When Dan Yangzi saw the messy charcoal scrawled on the robe, his smile instantly vanished.

His face darkened, and he kicked Li with such force that he flew into the furnace with a loud clang before collapsing to the ground.

Dan Yangzi stormed off, cursing under his breath, leaving Li sprawled and dazed.

As his anger subsided, Li's thoughts began to churn. Something about the situation didn't sit right.

Why had Dan Yangzi reacted so strongly? The writing was messy, but still legible.

Looking around at the barren walls of the alchemy room and recalling the absence of scriptures during the morning lesson, a sudden thought struck Li.

Could it be... that scabby-headed bastard is illiterate?