Chapter 145: The True Value of the Fourth-Rank Pill Recipe
This novel is translated and hosted only on BCatranslation
Zhao Liang’s eyes lit up when he heard the voice. The other disciples of the Medicine Hall, who had been pretending to be busy, immediately stopped what they were doing and respectfully greeted the newcomer.
“Elder Wang.”
“Hmm.”
A middle-aged man, bearing a striking resemblance to Wang Qian, walked in with his head held high, his elder’s robe flowing as he entered the medicine storeroom.
Mu Ye, seeing who it was, reluctantly greeted him as well, “Elder Wang.”
Elder Wang didn’t even glance at Mu Ye; his gaze remained fixed on Zhao Liang. “I could hear a commotion from outside the storeroom. What’s going on?”
The arrogance Zhao Liang had shown earlier in front of Mu Ye vanished in an instant. His face took on a sorry expression. “Elder Wang, it’s my fault for not managing the storeroom properly, which caused Junior Sister Mu Ye from the Pill Hall to suffer. I’m willing to accept any punishment.”
“Hmm, since you’ve acknowledged your mistake, go ahead and receive your punishment later. Just make sure it doesn’t happen again.”
“Yes, Elder Wang.”
Elder Wang and Zhao Liang exchanged a few words, clearly intending to sweep the matter under the rug.
But Mu Ye wasn’t willing to let it go so easily. She protested, “Elder Wang, the disciples of the Medicine Hall deliberately switched the spiritual herbs I had reserved. Is that all you intend to do about it?”
Elder Wang frowned and turned to Zhao Liang. “Explain.”
“Elder Wang, this is how it happened. Junior Sister Mu Ye did reserve a batch of spiritual herbs, but it so happened that Elder He from the Pill Hall needed the same herbs for his alchemy. As the saying goes, ‘even a clever housewife cannot cook without rice,’ so we had no choice but to substitute them with another batch of herbs. To express our apologies, we even added extra herbs to compensate her. However, Junior Sister Mu Ye was not satisfied with our solution and even went so far as to maliciously accuse us, bringing up the Grand Elder of the Pill Hall to intimidate the disciples. I had no other option but to seek your help, Elder Wang.”
With just a few sentences, Zhao Liang shifted all the blame away from himself, clearly having rehearsed his excuses.
Only now did Elder Wang bother to look at Mu Ye directly. His expression was one of arrogance as he said, “Although this is indeed a fault of the Medicine Hall, we’ve already made amends. Don’t push your luck.”
“I—”
Mu Ye was about to argue further when she felt Yu Zhao press her hand firmly against her waist, signaling her to stop.
Her words swirled on her tongue but were swallowed back down.
“Let’s go,” Yu Zhao’s voice echoed in her mind.
As an outsider to the situation, Yu Zhao saw things more clearly than Mu Ye. It was obvious that Elder Wang was in cahoots with Zhao Liang, and his intervention was meant to cover for Zhao Liang. If Mu Ye continued to argue, it would not only yield no benefits but might also lead to her being labeled as unreasonable and disrespectful—a label that could severely harm her chances in the upcoming selection for the position of Junior Sect Leader. It was better to leave Medicine Peak and plan her next move carefully.
Mu Ye wasn’t foolish. Once she calmed down, she realized that the current situation was not in her favor. Taking a deep breath, she responded, “You’re right, Elder Wang. It was foolish of me, Mu Ye, to not appreciate the situation. When I return, I will reflect deeply on my actions.”
She bit down hard on the last few words, as if forcing them through clenched teeth.
Without waiting for a response, Mu Ye grabbed Yu Zhao and made for the exit. Before leaving, she didn’t forget to pick up the medicine bag on the table—it was hers, after all, and she wasn’t about to let the Medicine Hall have it.
As she left, Elder Wang’s eyes narrowed slightly. “Who is the woman beside Mu Ye?”
Zhao Liang quickly stepped forward, lowering his voice as he stood behind Elder Wang. “I don’t recognize her. She doesn’t look like a disciple of the Green Wood Sect.”
Elder Wang agreed; the woman didn’t seem like she belonged to the Green Wood Sect. Her sudden appearance in their sect could bring unexpected changes. But regardless, the position of Junior Sect Leader of the Green Wood Sect was meant for Qian’er. No one would take it from him.
…
On the way down the mountain, Mu Ye was seething with anger. Her cheeks puffed out, and her teeth were clenched so tightly that Yu Zhao was reminded of a certain fish she had once seen in the Southern Sea—a short, fat fish that would puff up its body when threatened to ward off predators.
Mu Ye looked so adorable that Yu Zhao couldn’t help but let a small smile tug at the corners of her lips.
Mu Ye noticed this and looked at her friend in disbelief. “Yu Zhao, are you even my friend? I’m being bullied, and instead of helping me, you’re laughing at me!”
“Sorry, sorry, I didn’t mean to.” Yu Zhao quickly suppressed her smile. “So, what are you going to do now?”
Mu Ye’s shoulders slumped in defeat. “What can I do? They’ve already made up their excuses. Even if I ask my master to step in, it’ll probably just end up being a case of ‘raising the issue high and setting it down lightly.’ It won’t have any real impact on them.”
“Isn’t the Green Wood Sect about to hold the Junior Sect Leader trials?” Yu Zhao asked suddenly.
“How do you know that?” Mu Ye was startled.
The disciples of the Pill Hall underwent a yearly assessment, but this year’s assessment had been combined with the selection process for the Junior Sect Leader—a detail that was supposed to be a well-kept secret, known to few within the sect.
Yu Zhao couldn’t tell Mu Ye that she had inferred it from information she’d obtained in her previous life, so she lied, saying that one of the elders who had welcomed her to the sect had mentioned it.
Mu Ye accepted the explanation, thinking to herself that Yu Zhao must have made a good impression on Elder Luo for him to share such sensitive information.
“That’s right. The assessment is in less than a month. I planned to refine a batch of third-rank Spirit Consolidation Pills for it. They must have guessed what I was going to do with the herbs I reserved and deliberately swapped them out.”
Yu Zhao pressed further, “Did you only prepare one pill recipe?”
“Of course not. I have a few third-rank recipes, but the Spirit Consolidation Pill was the best option after comparing them all.”
This novel is translated and hosted only on BCatranslation
“The best option, huh? Do you know that Wang Qian has a recipe for a fourth-rank pill?”
“A fourth-rank pill recipe?” Mu Ye was taken aback, surprised both by Yu Zhao’s knowledge and by the implications of Wang Qian possessing such a recipe. With his current skills, Wang Qian’s chances of successfully refining a fourth-rank pill were less than ten percent. He wouldn’t risk trying it during the assessment.
Seeing Mu Ye’s skepticism, Yu Zhao explained how Wang Qian had purchased the fourth-rank recipe at a high price at an auction.
When Mu Ye heard how Yu Zhao had manipulated the bidding to inflate the price, she couldn’t help but laugh. But as the story continued, her smile faded. Wang Qian must have had a secret reason for spending so much to acquire the recipe.
A thought struck Mu Ye. “Could it be that the recipe contains a special alchemy technique? Is that why Wang Qian was willing to pay any price for it?”
Most pill recipes only listed the necessary spiritual herbs and their order and quantity. However, a few rare recipes also included unique alchemy techniques that could significantly increase the success rate of refining the pill. Such recipes were naturally more valuable.
Mu Ye suspected that Wang Qian had learned about this beforehand and had traveled all the way to Blackwater City specifically to acquire the recipe. If she were in Wang Qian’s position, she would have made the same choice.
The true treasure wasn’t just the recipe—it was the alchemy technique hidden within it.