Chapter 177: Exploding Cauldron
Translator: StarveCleric Editor: GaiaNove
"Is he that confident fellow showed by the Record Crystal?"
Recovering from his shock, Apothecary Hong Yun calmed his breathing.
The fellow in the Record Crystal emitted wisdom and self-confidence as he displayed his deep understanding toward pill forging. Yet, the fellow before him is listless and his eyes were bloodshot...
Was he bullied by someone?
Apothecaries often come into contact with medicinal herbs and as such, they are exceptionally particular about maintaining their bodies. Usually, they wouldn't allow themselves such fatigue. Besides... an apothecary is one of the top professions among the Upper Nine Paths. As such, they pay great attention to their image and prestige. When has anyone ever seen such heavy eyebags on the face of an apothecary?
This isn’t cool.
Apothecary Hong Yun isn't the only one who is perplexed, puzzled expressions had also appeared on the faces of Apothecary Ouyang and the others.
Is this really the fellow who achieved a perfect victory in the Pill Debate? The person who caused them the temptation to dive into any hole they could find?
How unbefitting...
...
Oblivious to the thoughts running through their minds, upon walking into the room, Zhang Xuan saw that more than a dozen of the apothecaries of the Tianxuan Kingdom were gathered here and felt baffled.
These apothecaries are usually extremely busy. It isn't a simple feat to gather them like this. Back then, it was due to the importance of the Pill Debate that ten of them could be gathered in a day’s notice. But why are they so many of them present today?
However, it isn't his business why the apothecaries are gathered here. Zhang Xuan shook his head, choosing not to involve himself in the matter. Enduring the fatigue which is on the verge of overwhelming him, he walked toward the center of the lounge.
"Guild Leader Ouyang, have the items I bought arrived?"
"They have arrived. Over here..."
Guild Leader Ouyang handed over the items that Apothecary Hong Yun had just delivered.
The tier-3 Unravel Yin Pill and the blood of the Primordial Colossus Rhinoceros.
Upon receiving the goods, delight appeared on Zhang Xuan's face. He kept the items into his storage ring and passed over the stack of gold bills which he had prepared beforehand in return.
"Farewell..."
Witnessing that the other party had counted the money and confirmed that there were no problems whatsoever, Zhang Xuan prepared to leave.
He is simply too tired. It is great that the items had arrived. This way, he can quickly bring them to Zhao Ya and Yuan Tao for their consumption and he can finally enjoy his long-awaited rest.
"Apothecary Zhang Xuan, hold it for a moment..."
Apothecary Hong Yun finally recovered from his shock and stood up.
"Who are you?"
Tired and irritable, Zhang Xuan was displeased to see that someone had blocked his path.
"I am Hong Yun... I have a doubt in pill forging that I would like to consult you on. I hope that Apothecary Zhang Xuan can accept my request..."
Apothecary Hong Yun said.
After viewing the contents in the Record Crystal, he is seventy to eighty percent convinced by the abilities of the person before him. Still, he has to question him in person to ascertain whether there was any fraud involved in the process.
"I'm not free!" Zhang Xuan's lips curled up in displeasure. "I'm not your teacher. If you have any queries, go and look them up in the books. Why would you ask me to answer your question? Go and find someone else to bother..."
What a joke, can't you see that I'm busy? I want to return back home to sleep. Who has the time to answer your question? Why are you so insensitive to your surroundings?
Besides... Who the hell are you!
If every apothecary were to pose a question to me, won't I die of exhaustion?
Guangdang!
All of the apothecaries in the room fell onto the floor.
Guild Leader Ouyang nearly choked to death on a mouthful of phlegm.
Brother, this is a 2-star apothecary sent by the upper echelons to look you, yet you dare to tell him to go and look for someone else to bother...
"Cough cough!" Holding in the urge to spurt blood, Guild Leader Ouyang stepped forward and added, "Apothecary Zhang Xuan, Apothecary Hong Yun is a 2-star apothecary sent by the headquarters..."
"2-star apothecary?" Zhang Xuan was startled. Taking a glance at the fellow blocking his way, he lifted his tired eyelids slightly and replied, "Alright. Feel free to ask anything you are unsure of. I'm in a hurry..."
"..." Guild Leader Ouyang.
"..." The other apothecaries.
The other person is here to test you. Why does it look as though he is consulting and learning from you now? More importantly... in a hurry? Your head. Aren’t you worried at all? If you were to fail his evaluation, the other party has the right to strip you of your identity as an apothecary...
The crowd was shocked by Zhang Xuan's words. On the other hand, Apothecary Hong Yun felt depressed. If not for the fact that he had watched the other party's performance in the Pill Debate through the Record Crystal, he would have already gone into a frenzy.
"When the tier-1 Breath Restoration Pill is forged, it would often turn slightly yellow. I would like to ask how one can solve this problem."
"And you call yourself a 2-star apothecary when you don't even know this? Breath Restoration Pill allows one to recover depleted energy and the main ingredient is the White Banquet Grass. This object is white and upon contact with a person's zhenqi, it will turn a shade of faint yellow. This isn't a problem with the medicinal herb but because the apothecary's zhenqi is filled with too many impurities. If one were to possess a purer zhenqi, such a condition would not occur. To prevent the pill from turning yellow, one can also add a stalk of Green Sun Grass while forging the pill. This herb absorbs the impurities in one's zhenqi, and as such, prevents the White Banquet Grass from turning yellow..."
Zhang Xuan casually gestured.
The golden page had allowed him to convert all of the contents contained within the books from the basic tier book collection vault and advanced tier book collection vault of the Apothecary Guild into functional knowledge. Even without using the Library of Heaven's Path, he was able to easily solve the problem the other party brought up.
More importantly, it is because the other party had asked a question regarding tier-1 pills. If a more advanced question were asked, Zhang Xuan would have had no way of answering.
"Pure Lotus, as the main ingredient of the pill, tastes extremely bitter. However, adding licorice into the mix makes the concoction unstable. How do you solve this problem?" Apothecary Hong Yun continued asking.
"The bitter taste of the Pure Lotus comes from the golden colored seed pod on top. This part doesn't contribute to the pill at all, and by getting rid of it, not only will the pill not be bitter, it would have a slightly sweet taste. Adding licorice is an excessive action, so naturally, it will result in the explosion of the cauldron."
Zhang Xuan stared at the other party as though looking at an idiot, "You are a 2-star apothecary, and you don't even know this? How did you even get your qualification?"
"..."
Apothecary Hong Yun nearly choked on his anger.
"Alright, if these are the kinds of problems you have for me, the answers can be found in the guild's advanced tier book collection vault. If you're free, do read more books. I have something on, so I will be taking my leave..."
Zhang Xuan yawned and walked toward the exit.
He feels that if he doesn't sleep anytime soon, he might die of fatigue.
Upon hearing his words, Apothecary Hong Yun was dumbfounded.
Can't you show some respect for me?
No matter what, I am a 2-star apothecary from the headquarters and I am a tier higher than you. Other people treat me with utmost respect upon seeing me, yet you don't even look at me properly when conversing with me, telling me to go and find someone else to bother and read more books...
Read your head!
I am examining you, can't you tell that much? Of course, I know the answers...
A look of displeasure appeared on his face and his eyebrows shot upward.
"Wait a moment. As long as you can answer this question... I won't ask anything else. Also, I will give you the Unravel Yin Pill and Colossus Rhinoceros Blood for free."
Finishing his words, just as he was still wondering if the other party would take up his offer, he saw that Zhang Xuan was already standing right in front of him. The fatigue in his eyes had disappeared without a trace and in its place is overwhelming vitality, "Are you serious?"
The Unravel Yin Pill and Colossus Rhinoceros Blood are worth a total of twenty-three million gold coins. If he can obtain them for free, it would be for the best.
He would be able to save a huge sum of money...
"You... Materialistic!"
Apothecary Hong Yun was so angry that his beard was flying up from his agitated breathing.
When he was talking to him earlier on, the other party wasn't even willing to open his eyes. Yet, upon hearing that he would be able to obtain the items for free, he became so excited that he immediately dashed to him...
To think that he, as a 2-star apothecary, would be inferior to a pile of gold coins in the other party's eyes...
He felt like going on a rampage.
Actually, Zhang Xuan's actions were not intentional.
His values are still of the period when he was still a librarian in the other world. It has been just a few days since he had transcended over and he hadn't truly understood how this world operated. Thus, he doesn't have a concrete idea of a 2-star apothecary; no matter how incredible the other party is... can he be more practical than money?
After all, he burnt so much brain cells just to earn this twenty million...
"The problem is... Whenever I forge a Vitality Restoration Pill, the cauldron would always end up exploding..." Apothecary Hong Yun started raising the question.
Upon hearing the question, Ouyang Cheng and the others stared at one another in shock.
Vitality Restoration Pill... This is a top-grade tier-2 pill that is used to restore a person's expended vitality. It is said that even 3-star apothecaries are not able to forge the pill easily.
Apothecary Hong Yun actually asked a 1-star apothecary how to forge a top-grade tier-2 pill...
This is way too shameless.
He has obviously overstepped the boundaries.
Upon seeing the gazes from the others, Apothecary Hong Yun's face flushed.
Honestly, the reason why he brought up this question was that he was infuriated with Zhang Xuan. Aren't you intelligent? Let's see how you answer a question which even I, a 2-star apothecary, is unable to answer.
If you are unable to answer my question, I shall teach you a lesson and pop your egotistical bubble. I will show you the correct attitude to assume when you speak to a 2-star apothecary.
"Vitality Restoration Pill?" Zhang Xuan had never read books pertaining to the tier-2 pills and as a result, he didn't recognize its name. He simply thought that it might just be a rare pill which isn't detailed in the book collection vaults of the Tianxuan Kingdom Apothecary Guild.
Of course, it doesn't make a difference whether he knows or not. In any case, he hadn’t intended to depend on his knowledge to solve the question. It has been less than half a month since he had transcended over, and even with the cheat known as the Library of Heaven's Path, allowing him to learn rapidly, it is impossible to match up to these apothecaries who possess decades of experience.
"Let me see you forge a pill..."
Confident, Zhang Xuan casually waved his hands.
"Alright!"
Detecting his disrespectful tone, Apothecary Hong Yun became increasingly enraged. Very solemnly, he decided to severely discipline Zhang Xuan if he is unable to come up with a good answer. Thus, he stepped forward to the cauldron, retrieved a few medicinal herbs from his storage ring and started the forging process.
The Vitality Restoration Pill is one of the bestsellers among tier-2 pills. As Apothecary Hong Yun hasn't been able to successfully forge the pill, he carries a few sets of ingredients everywhere, studying the matter whenever possible.
Xiong xiong xiong!
The flames licked the sides of the cauldron, providing the heat required to refine the medicinal herbs.
As a 2-star apothecary, Apothecary Hong Yun's skills are clearly on a much higher level than Apothecary Chen Xiao and the rest. Regardless of control over the medicinal herb, flames, as well as over the refinement of the medicinal herbs... None of the other apothecaries present are able to compare to him.
Different herbs were thrown into the cauldron in an extremely fluid manner. Under the intense heat of the flames, shortly, a dense pill fragrance started to emanate from the cauldron.
The pill fragrance is infused with a considerable amount of spiritual energy. Even with just a single whiff, one feels energized.
Zhang Xuan had been awake for five continuous days and had accumulated quite a bit of fatigue. With a single whiff, he felt some fatigue disappearing from his body. His bloodshot eyes also eased to a small degree.
Boom!
However, just as the pill fragrance reached its densest, it ceased abruptly. A violent energy surged outward from within the cauldron, and unable to stand the might, the cauldron blew apart.
Kacha!
A pile of charred medicinal residue flowed from the remains of the cauldron.
Not only did he fail to form a pill, it was the scariest failure that could happen during a pill forging process... cauldron explosion!
If not for the crowd having been warned in advance and was prepared for it, they might have been wounded by the violent aura that shot forth from the cauldron.
Having suffered the full force of the explosion, Apothecary Hong Yun was entirely covered in soot and his hair spiked upward, as though he had been struck by a bolt of lightning. Placing his hands behind his back and assuming the disposition of an expert, he turned around to look at Zhang Xuan.
"I am done. Tell me what went wrong in the process..."