CHAPTER 18

— Stealing the Elixirs —

On a moonless night with howling winds—a perfect time for murder and arson—it was indeed an ideal moment for mischief.

Tong Tong, dressed in a cyan robe she had dug out from the bottom of her trunk, followed Ding Ding, who was similarly attired. They walked along a brightly lit corridor, as bright as day, suppressing their excitement and nervousness as they trailed at the end of a small group of cyan-robed disciples. They entered a spacious hall at a leisurely pace.

In the center of the hall stood a bronze-colored cauldron, roughly three zhang [10 meters] tall. Though it resembled a tripod with its four slightly square legs, it wasn't quite one—it was fitted with a lid, atop which lay a creature with four claws, a long tail, a whale-like mouth, and dragon-like whiskers. At first glance, it looked like a raging bull. From a distance, its shape resembled a giant serpent, yet it exuded an even greater aura of majesty. Of course, Tong Tong and Ding Ding, with their limited knowledge, had no idea what this was.

Wispy white smoke drifted from the round holes at the four corners of the cauldron, spreading and filling the vast hall with a misty haze, like a celestial realm. It couldn't help but remind one of the Eight Trigrams Furnace of the Supreme Lord Laozi from Journey to the West.

In fact, this cauldron was the treasured artifact of the Chonghua Sect for refining pills—the Kui-Dragon Li-Fire Furnace. In the cultivation world, it ranked third among the top pill-refining treasures, surpassed only by the Taiyi Eight Trigrams Furnace of the Bingyan Island and the Myriad Dharma Furnace of the Tianyin Temple.

Almost all of Chonghua Sect's high-grade pills were produced from this furnace.

Yes, this was the Xiangzhu Peak of Chonghua Sect, renowned for its elixirs, talismans, and treasures. And Ding Ding's purpose in bringing Tong Tong here was clear—to steal elixirs!

According to reliable information, the day before yesterday, Peak Master Yin Xiaoxiang had successfully refined a batch of top-grade Baining [Hundred Condensation] Pills!

All the disciples of Xiangzhu Peak were thrilled by this news, unconsciously puffing out their chests with pride in front of disciples from other peaks.

It was well known that Chonghua dominated the world with its sword arts, but for a major sect, having its own supply of talismans, treasures, and elixirs was crucial. No cultivator dared boast that they could complete their lifelong cultivation without the support of good elixirs to consolidate their foundation or good talismans and treasures for protection—except for "monsters" like Su Yan.

Chonghua had its own Sword Tomb to provide weapons, and while it purchased most of its elixirs, talismans, and treasures from Bingyan Island each year, the rest had to be self-sufficient.

Xiangzhu Peak was responsible for supplying these reserves to nearly ten thousand disciples across Chonghua Sect.

Peak Master Yin Xiaoxiang of Xiangzhu Peak was the senior sister of Sect Master Ye Zhiqiu and one of the few remaining direct disciples of the previous sect master, Gui Hongzi. She was also a strong contender for the position of sect master.

There were rumors that she had long been at odds with the Sect master, and whispers of an ambiguous relationship with a certain elder from Bingyan Island. But for Ding Ding, the only impression Peak Master Yin left on him was—stinginess.

Yes, this woman was practically the embodiment of Grandet in the cultivation world, but what she hoarded wasn't money—it was resources! Apart from the fixed monthly quota, hoping to get even an extra grain of pill from her was a pipe dream. Moreover, she always seemed to target disciples from their Qiuye Peak intentionally or unintentionally. As a rootless, parachuted-in direct disciple, Ding Ding bore the brunt of it.

While other disciples could exchange their sect contributions for the elixirs they needed, he was always turned away with the excuse, "The pills have all been distributed, there is no surplus."

Once or twice might have been tolerable, but every single time? It was impossible not to see that she was deliberately making things difficult for him.

Even if the white-robed disciples of Xiangzhu Peak were arrogant and insufferable, making one itch to teach them a lesson—that person would never be Ding Ding.

As the Sect leader of Chonghua, Ye Zhiqiu had no extra energy to bother with such trivial matters—after all, the cultivation world was a place where strength spoke louder than words. One couldn't always hide behind their master for everything, so Ding Ding, who lacked any ability to resist, often had no choice but to swallow his grievances in silence.

It was easy to imagine how the once pampered and indulged Young Master Ding, who had never faced such humiliation before his transmigration, felt. On the surface, he endured the insults quietly, but deep down, he was already seething with the desire to teach the disciples of Xiangzhu Peak a lesson!

A tiger may not roar, but that doesn't mean this young master is on his deathbed!

After pondering for a long time, the reckless Ding Ding finally, on one particular day, coaxed the naive Tong Tong into joining him under the cover of darkness to carry out what he considered a "foolproof" plan to steal elixirs.

Using a few pieces of peppermint candies contributed by Tong Tong to obtain the duty roster of Xiangzhu Peak, the two actually managed to sneak into the main hall. Following the on-duty disciples, they kept a close watch on the Kui-Dragon Li-Fire Furnace.

Behind the massive alchemy furnace stood a row of shelves, seven or eight zhang high, densely and neatly lined with various types of pills. Although sealed in jade bottles, the refreshing fragrance of the pills filled the vast hall. A deep breath of it felt invigorating, soothing both body and mind.

Keeping his head bowed to avoid revealing his true appearance, Ding Ding closed his eyes in intoxication, his heart filled with envy: No wonder the disciples of Xiangzhu Peak were mediocre in swordsmanship but profound in cultivation—they were all pill-popping their way to success! If this young master were to soak in a medicine jar every day, he would have long surpassed that Big Iceberg!

Tong Tong, however, couldn't hide her curiosity. She kept glancing around, now peering at the smoke-billowing furnace, now eyeing the neatly arranged shelves of elixirs, her heart filled with awe. Though she remembered to remain cautious, a hint of excitement was impossible to suppress.

Ding Ding seemed to sense this and shot her a warning glance, but she ignored him.

Turning to look around, he noticed that the other disciples were either dozing off with their heads lowered or huddled together whispering, seemingly paying little attention to them—no wonder. Usually, these junior disciples had to guard the furnace diligently without leaving even a step. But these past few days, with the Baining Pills successfully refined, the peak master was so pleased that supervision had loosened, giving them a rare chance to slack off—which, in turn, unwittingly provided Ding Ding and Tong Tong with an opportunity.

Just as Ding Ding was contemplating how to create chaos to distract everyone and carry out his grand plan, he noticed the previously lazy disciples suddenly straighten up. Those who had been talking immediately fell silent, and those dozing off widened their eyes, pretending to be diligently on duty. Everyone returned to their positions, showing no trace of their earlier laxity.

His heart skipped a beat. Maintaining his posture, he stole a glance out of the corner of his eye—only to see a young girl in a white brocade robe walk in, holding a tray. Her delicate face showed no warmth, cold and tinged with arrogance. After sweeping a glance over the obediently bowed disciples, she snorted, her voice like an oriole's but carrying a hint of willfulness: "Don't think I don't know you've been slacking off! All of you, pull yourselves together! If anything goes wrong with this batch of Baining Pills, who among you can bear the responsibility?"

As soon as she finished speaking, the disciples lowered their heads even further, not daring to make a sound. Even their breathing grew lighter, afraid of angering this young lady.

Seeing the disciples bowing their heads in submission, she felt a surge of satisfaction and curled the corners of her lips smugly before finally announcing, "Open the furnace!"

The disciples in cyan robes obediently raised their heads and began forming hand seals in unison, including the two infiltrators who mimicked the gestures with feigned seriousness.

Moments later, a deafening roar erupted from the lid of the Kui-Dragon Li-Fire Furnace, like the awakening of a slumbering beast, accompanied by a loud, guttural groan. A dazzling white light burst forth as the lid lifted, illuminating the entire hall, transforming the dimly lit alchemy chamber into a space where every detail was starkly visible, almost to the point of being blinding.

Squinting slightly, Tong Tong watched as a green jade vial on the white-robed maiden's tray slowly levitated into the air amidst her murmured incantations. A green light emerged from the vial, aiming to envelop the white radiance.

But in the blink of an eye, the floating vial shuddered violently, as if struck by an unseen force. The green light wavered and veered away from the white glow. Seizing the opportunity, the white light suddenly intensified and, under the watchful eyes of all present, bypassed the direction of the green light's influence, darting swiftly toward the exit of the hall.

Everyone was stunned by this sudden turn of events, and the maiden responsible for opening the furnace and retrieving the pills turned deathly pale, her pretty face frozen in panic.

If her guess was correct, that white light was none other than the fully formed supreme-grade immortal pills—the Baining Pills.

If her master were to find out that the Baining Pills, crafted with countless rare treasures and immense effort, had simply flown away, would she even have a chance to survive?

"Chase it! Retrieve it at once!" Shivering uncontrollably, the maiden's melodious voice turned sharp and distorted with urgency. Yet, no one paid it any mind—if the spiritual pills escaped, the consequences awaiting them would be far more dire!

Amidst the chaos, Ding Ding and Tong Tong exchanged a glance. Feigning equal panic, they joined the frantic crowd surging out of the hall, embarking on a haphazard search through the darkness.

Ding Ding widened his eyes, scanning for any trace of the suspicious white light, while inwardly cursing his luck. If only he had acted earlier, when the maiden was transporting the pills. Now, even he had lost track of the spiritual pills!

Resolute, he seized the moment when no one was paying attention, halted his steps, turned on his heel, and slipped back into the hall.

All things possess spirit, and who would have thought that even pills could develop a pill spirit? Only under the rarest of circumstances could a supreme-grade pill nurturing a pill spirit be refined.

Even for Yin Xiaoxiang, who had already reached the level of a Grandmaster in alchemy, she had only ever produced three batches of Top-grade pills since mastering her craft— this alone showed just how precious they were!

A pill that had gained sentience was unwilling to be consumed. The moment the furnace opened, it would always seek a way to escape. That was why Yin Xiaoxiang had dispatched a favored white-robed disciple, armed with the specially crafted Tianqing Jingye [Azure Pure-Karma] Vial designed to capture spiritual pills, to retrieve it. Little did she expect that someone would set their sights on the Baining Pills, ruining all her painstaking efforts!

Earlier, while the maiden was wholly focused on retrieving the pills, Ding Ding had secretly flicked a pebble, striking the jade vial and allowing the Baining Pills to escape. Yet, he never anticipated that this would lead to a lose-lose outcome—truly a pity!

With only a superficial understanding of alchemy, he had no idea that the Baining Pills had already developed a pill spirit, nor did he realize how close he had come to losing it forever.

Fortunately, he had brought Tong Tong along.

As soon as it left the hall, the white light vanished, as if it had withdrawn its radiance on its own, hiding within the darkness and leaving no trace to be found.

However, for the foodie Tong Tong, what drew her forward was the faint, lingering scent of pills.

Sniffing the air like a bl0odhound tracking a scent, she followed the traces carried by the wind to a small courtyard behind the main hall. Under the dim moonlight, she cautiously approached a certain spot.

Step by step, closer and closer... Finally, her nostrils were filled with the rich, enchanting fragrance of pills, and before her eyes appeared faint, flickering points of light. Hesitating for a moment, Tong Tong reached out to touch them—her fingers met a smooth, round surface, cool to the touch, like jade or pearls, making her reluctant to let go.

Strangely, the beads obediently spun in place without scattering, as if they had been waiting just for Tong Tong's arrival.

She carefully counted them—there were six or seven in total!

So, it turned out there wasn't just one Baining pill, nor were there a hundred as she had imagined...

Feeling an inexplicable sense of regret, Tong Tong cupped her hands together, holding the still faintly glowing pills in her palms, wanting to examine them more closely.

Suddenly, hurried footsteps approached from behind, accompanied by a sharp, demanding voice: "You there, what are you doing?"

Startled, her hands trembled. Glancing at the pills in her grasp, she instinctively stuffed them all into her mouth—swallowing so many pills at once didn't choke her. On the contrary, the Baining Pills melted instantly upon entering her mouth, transforming into a sweet elixir liquid that slid smoothly down her throat.

"Burp..." She even let out a satisfied belch.

By the time the disciples of Xiangzhu Peak, holding palace lanterns, surrounded her, all they saw was a young girl in cyan robes, her cheeks flushed, her eyes hazy as if drunk, wearing an innocent and harmless smile.

"Seize her!" the leading girl in white robes shouted angrily.

"Wait." Before the cyan-robed disciples could act, a cold voice suddenly spoke, as if right beside their ears.

Though the tone was indifferent and the voice soft, it was impossible to ignore, leaving them no choice but to obey.

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