Immortal Cage - Chapter 21: Disciple Refining Pills
Yu Lie faced the gaze of the crowd and bowed to the attendants of the pill room. Just as Garlic Nose was explaining earlier, Yu Lie knew that upon entering the pill room, as long as he had the token given by the Immortal Sect, he didn't need to stand there foolishly. He could simply hand over the token to the attendant.
Even if he forgot to take it out, the attendant would soon inquire, prioritizing those holding the bronze token, allowing them to enter the pill room like a back door. Garlic Nose stared at Yu Lie, his mind in a mess:
"Didn't they say that in a place like the pill room, where fire and water coexist, good positions are hard to come by? Not everyone might get one in a month... How did he encounter this on his first day?"
Garlic Nose felt like a clown. The other new recruits also looked at the deep green bronze token with complex expressions:
"Is this the token for the pill room?"
"How much did this white-faced guy spend? What kind of backdoor did he use to get it so quickly? If I had this token, I wouldn't have stood there foolishly earlier!"
Envy, jealousy, and even awe flashed through the eyes of the ten or so people. The attendant of the pill room, with a calm expression, stood next to Yu Lie, took the bronze token from him, and examined it. His smile became even brighter as he said to Yu Lie:
"I've heard that a friend will be joining the pill room soon, and today I finally met that friend."
After speaking, he handed the token back to Yu Lie and warmly said, "Please follow me, Friend Yu."
Yu Lie accepted the token without paying attention to the envious glances around him. Instead, he thought to himself, "It seems that the old head of the Immortal Sect has already informed the people in the pill room. The various official rooms in Heishui Town are all interconnected, with relationships both above and below."
Through Garlic Nose's earlier explanation and the change in attitude of the pill room attendant, Yu Lie understood even more the rarity of a good position in the pill room. Its value might be even higher than he had previously thought. In his heart, he made a mental note to thank the old head of the Immortal Sect and followed the pill room attendant with an uplifted expression.
Although he had the bronze token in hand, he knew that as a newcomer to the pill room, he still needed to keep a low profile. The insights and social skills Garlic Nose mentioned earlier were not without merit.
Yu Lie chatted casually with the pill room attendant as they walked shoulder to shoulder towards the depths of the pill room. The other new recruits who had just been called over were left standing there, feeling the cold wind blowing as they watched the backs of Yu Lie and the others.
Their faces were full of envy. What made them even more envious was when the pill room attendant turned halfway and pointed towards Garlic Nose in the crowd, saying, "You, come over here."
Garlic Nose immediately snapped out of his daze, his eyes lighting up as he hurried to catch up with the two, constantly bowing and saying, "Thank you, Brother! Greetings to Friend Yu!"
The other new recruits who had been around Garlic Nose a moment ago were left in a buzz, their expressions becoming even more complex. Some regretted deeply, thinking back to what Garlic Nose had said earlier, "Insight, social skills!"
"If only I had been the first to bow and greet..."
These people were filled with regret. When Yu Lie saw Garlic Nose catching up, he was also surprised, thinking, "The things this person said just now are equivalent to the token from the Immortal Sect?" He found it hard to believe, as many people had given gifts to the old head of the Immortal Sect before, but not all of them had succeeded due to lack of money.
After the three of them became slightly more familiar, Yu Lie approached Garlic Nose and whispered, "Friend, what kind of sect are you from?"
Upon hearing Yu Lie's question, Garlic Nose blushed, lowered his head, and dared not look at Yu Lie. Garlic Nose couldn't use the excuse of "insight and social skills" to deceive Yu Lie this time. He gestured for Yu Lie to look at the pill room attendant in front and rubbed his fingers.
Yu Lie immediately understood that this person had already spent a considerable amount of money and made arrangements with the welcoming pill room attendant in advance. This was true insight!
The pill room attendant noticed the conversation between the two and, instead of feeling ashamed, smiled and told Yu Lie, "Once you're in the pill room, we're all on the same side. If your friends want to join the pill room and don't have the connections from the Immortal Sect, they can come here to try."
The pill room attendant continued, "The positions may not always be to your liking, but as for the price, hehe, we can discuss that."
The Immortal Sect could charge for services, and the pill room itself could also charge. With one less intermediary, the price would undoubtedly be cheaper. With the pill room attendant's words, Garlic Nose's face was no longer red with embarrassment.
Taking the opportunity, he flattered Yu Lie and Garlic Nose, saying, "Indeed, indeed! Thanks to the help of Brother, otherwise, how could I, with my limited abilities, join the pill room alongside Friend Yu?"
Upon hearing this, Yu Lie and Garlic Nose both smiled. With this conversation, the three of them became even more familiar.
...Shortly after.
The pill room attendant led the group into a spacious stone hall, hundreds of steps long, resembling a giant's residence. Numerous large cauldrons made of gold and iron were arranged in the hall according to the Bagua formation, each towering two stories high and so wide that they required ladders to reach the top.
The stone hall was filled with billowing smoke, flames flickering, and the pungent smell of saltpeter, sulfur, and medicinal herbs. Countless attendants scurried around like ants around the large cauldrons, transporting charcoal and herbs fervently.
Upon seeing this scene, Yu Lie and Garlic Nose's thoughts were drawn back from other distractions. They both looked dazed, witnessing such a grand scene of pill refining for the first time, which seemed different from what they had imagined.
The pill room attendant who led them around the stone hall looked around and suddenly exclaimed, "Oh! You're in luck today. The Master Alchemist will personally refine pills."
He pointed his finger, and Yu Lie and Garlic Nose followed his gaze, immediately spotting a figure on a cloud platform in the center of the stone hall. It was a well-built woman, wearing a robe with the Bagua pattern, sitting cross-legged and gently caressing her abdomen.
Various herbs were brought to the woman's side and poured into the cauldrons under her guidance. Yu Lie listened carefully and gradually heard the sound of chains rattling.
After a short wait, they saw a huge creature, contained in a cage, being dragged into the stone hall.
In the cage was a colorful giant elephant, roaring loudly!
Roar!
The giant elephant in the cage shimmered with colorful spiritual light, clearly not an ordinary creature. Instead of tusks, it had sword-like teeth, and its roar could shake the entire hall.
Many attendants were mesmerized, frozen in place, dropping herbs all over the floor. Yu Lie watched, his heart pounding, and he blurted out, "Could this monster be a seventh-grade spirit beast?"
The pill room attendant nodded and sneered, "You have good insight. When the Master Alchemist refines pills every month, the ingredients must include a seventh-grade spirit beast... This is the seventh-grade Spotted Tiger Elephant, with the abilities of both a tiger and an elephant, and even ghostly powers."
Yu Lie's pupils contracted, and he asked, "What is the Master Alchemist's cultivation level?"
The pill room disciple replied, "The Master Alchemist is already an eighth-grade disciple."
Seemingly understanding Yu Lie's question, he explained, "A seventh-grade spirit beast is only one of the lower three grades among the ninth grade. The Masters, being disciples, also have techniques, bloodlines, and talisman spells to assist them. Subduing a spirit beast is relatively easy for them."
This explanation was not wrong. Among the lower three grades, disciples could capture creatures higher than themselves using various means. It was only from the middle three grades and above that monsters would gradually catch up to the disciples. After all, disciples were the top predators in the world of mountains and seas, able to prey on all things.
However, Yu Lie still felt shocked as he looked at the caged giant elephant. He was proud of his own opportunities and hardships that allowed him to enter the Immortal Sect and build a solid foundation. Yet, upon entering the pill room, he discovered that the monthly pill refining work required slaughtering a spirit beast for ingredients!
The pregnant woman, draped in a wide robe, continued to sit on the cloud platform. She caressed her abdomen, then grabbed a large elephant trunk and began chewing on it delicately.
The bloody elephant trunk was bitten off in one bite.
The black hair behind the woman wriggled and coiled like a spider's web, pulling the cauldron from afar, appearing eerie and demonic.
At the entrance, the pill room attendant watched with a smile.
Yu Lie and Garlic Nose also watched, their expressions somewhat uneasy.