Chapter 146: Yu Zhao, You Are My Biological Sister
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Upon learning the news, Mu Ye’s spirits sank further. She knew that once Wang Qian obtained the Fourth-Grade Alchemy Recipe, he would undoubtedly master its techniques, greatly improving his Pill Refining Art. Their odds had always been evenly matched, but with Wang Qian’s abilities advancing while she was subjected to malicious interference, his chances of winning had significantly increased.
“Phew…” She exhaled deeply, as if trying to release all her frustration.
She was Mu Ye—someone who never conceded easily. Composing herself, she turned to Yu Zhao with a smile.
“Let’s not dwell on unpleasant matters. How about I take you on another tour around Pill Peak?”
Yu Zhao had come from afar, and Mu Ye didn’t want her own troubles to ruin her mood.
“Can I see your alchemy room?” Yu Zhao asked.
“Of course! As it happens, I’ve rented one. I can show you inside,” Mu Ye replied.
The two women chatted and laughed as they made their way to Pill Peak, with Mu Ye showing no outward signs of her inner turmoil.
Pill Peak sat atop a high-grade Spirit Vein of fire. The ancestors of the Green Wood Sect had chosen this location for its fiery energy, perfect for alchemy. Over the years, the sect had refined and divided the fire vein into 108 branches, each connected to an individual alchemy room.
Unlike the mild climate of Medicine Peak, Pill Peak greeted visitors with an intense heat.
“There are 108 alchemy rooms on Pill Peak,” Mu Ye explained. “The fire intensity increases from the base to the summit. My usual room is Room 66, while Wang Qian uses Room 63. See that stone door? That’s an alchemy room.”
She pointed to a sealed stone door as she explained.
Yu Zhao nodded attentively, familiarizing herself with the layout. She might need to borrow an alchemy room soon herself.
Room 66 was located halfway up Pill Peak. As they walked, chatting along the way, they soon arrived outside the room. Mu Ye pulled out a Stone Token and placed it in the slot beside the door.
Click!
The door opened automatically, and the two entered one after the other.
The alchemy room was a carved stone cave, with its most unique feature being a bottomless pit in the center of the floor. Surrounding the pit were intricate, mystical patterns engraved into the stone.
As Yu Zhao observed the engravings, she felt as though her very soul was being drawn in.
“This pit connects to the fire vein below. Using the Formation, you can control the fire source,” Mu Ye explained, noticing Yu Zhao’s interest.
She demonstrated by placing her hand on the formation and channeling her Spiritual Energy. The engraved patterns lit up one by one, and the room grew warmer. A faint glow emanated from the pit, intensifying until a half-foot-tall blue flame burst forth, filling the space with its heat.
After a few moments, Mu Ye withdrew her hand, and the flame extinguished. The formation dimmed once more.
Yu Zhao’s eyes sparkled with excitement. This was exactly what she needed—a method to control fire without a Fire Spirit Root.
Before asking to borrow the alchemy room, Yu Zhao decided to help Mu Ye with her current predicament.
“Mu Ye, would you like the recipe?” she asked.
“Huh?”
The sudden change in topic caught Mu Ye off guard.
“As long as you ask, I’ll bring the recipe to you,” Yu Zhao said confidently.
Mu Ye was overcome with emotion and hugged Yu Zhao tightly.
“Yes! Yes! I want it! I won’t refuse such a gift!”
Whether or not Yu Zhao’s alchemy recipe would prove useful, Mu Ye first acknowledged the favor given by Yu Zhao.
Yu Zhao smiled faintly and pulled out a stack of seventy or eighty alchemy recipes from her storage pouch, shoving them into Mu Ye’s arms. “See if there’s anything here you can use,” she suggested.
The fastest way to get rich in the cultivation world was through killing and looting treasures. Along Yu Zhao’s journey, she had encountered and killed at least thirty or forty assassins. Adding to that the other cultivators who had tried to rob her, like Big Boss Wu and his group, she had lost count of how many storage bags she had seized.
The sheer volume of items forced her to organize them roughly on her way to the Green Wood Sect, discarding the useless ones. What remained could easily sustain a small sect for centuries. Naturally, among these were plenty of alchemy recipes, most of which were first- and second-grade recipes, while all the third-grade recipes were now in Mu Ye’s hands.
“Five Poisons Pill, Corpse Rotting Powder, Forget Worries Pill…” Mu Ye read through the recipes one by one, her expression becoming more peculiar with each glance.
“Yu Zhao, did you rob an evil cultivator’s den and take all their prized alchemy recipes?” she asked, half-jokingly. The recipes were anything but normal—all of them were toxic pills.
Yu Zhao didn’t answer directly, but instead asked, “Are disciples not allowed to refine toxic pills during the examination?”
“It’s not that they can’t,” Mu Ye replied, “but most of the Pill Hall’s disciples cultivate harmless spirit herbs. Gathering the materials for these recipes would be very difficult—especially for this Five Poisons Pill. It would be nearly impossible to collect even three of the required poisons.”
As the most favored disciple of the Pill Hall Elder, Mu Ye’s alchemy talent was unquestionable. A mere glance at a recipe allowed her to deduce much of the refining process. While the Five Poisons Pill was indeed superior to the Stabilizing Essence Pill and suited her better, the scarcity of materials left her feeling helpless.
Yu Zhao smiled slightly again and handed a medicine bottle to Mu Ye. Inspecting it, Mu Ye noticed a line of small characters engraved on the jade bottle: Double-Tailed Black Snake. One of the Five Poisons.
Before she could express her surprise, Yu Zhao handed her a second jade bottle: Thunder-Faced Toad. One of the Five Poisons.
And then the third, fourth, and fifth bottles followed.
The supposedly impossible-to-collect poisons were now fully assembled in Mu Ye’s hands in an instant. Just as Mu Ye thought that was the end, Yu Zhao began piling various other alchemical materials on the ground—ingredients from the sea, creatures from the mountains, and even items Mu Ye had never seen or heard of. Soon, the items overflowed, almost filling the entire floor.
“Yu Zhao, Sister Yu, my dear sister! From this day on, you are my reborn parent! I love you to death!” Mu Ye exclaimed in excitement. She hugged Yu Zhao tightly, jumping up and down with joy, as though she wanted to plant a big kiss on her face.
No wonder Yu Zhao had worn that mysterious smile at the Medicine Peak. It wasn’t mockery but pure confidence.
“Hehe, Sister Yu, next time you go adventuring, you must call me! I’ll cover all your pill needs!” Mu Ye said, recalling their last meeting. Back then, Yu Zhao didn’t even have a decent magical artifact. The only powerful spirit treasure she had was used up saving someone. Yet, in less than two years, Yu Zhao had become unimaginably wealthy. Mu Ye felt so envious her tears nearly ran down her cheeks.
“These materials are for refining pills, and these,” Yu Zhao said, pulling out another box, “are for your enjoyment.”
Yu Zhao had purchased many beautiful accessories from the Merfolk Pavilion during her travels. She had kept a separate set for Mu Ye and now handed it over. Holding the weighty jewelry box, Mu Ye was moved to tears for the first time, realizing what it felt like to be genuinely cherished by a friend.
“Sister Yu~” she sobbed.
“Stop!” Yu Zhao shuddered, interrupting the emotional moment before it became too sappy. “The materials for the Five Poisons Pill are all here. You can start refining it now.”
“One month,” Yu Zhao said with a hopeful tone, “Let’s hope it’s enough.”
“Understood!” Mu Ye replied, full of determination.
Sister, gained.