Peeping into the Immortal Road

Chapter 50: Hired Alchemist
The shopkeeper raised his head, looked Ji Chang up and down, then smiled and nodded.

He put down the account book in his hand, stood up, and returned the greeting: "You are too polite, Fellow Daoist Ji. I am the shopkeeper of Qiancao Pavilion. My last name is Li. Fellow Daoist, you can just call me Shopkeeper Li."

At this point, he paused for a moment, then continued, "However, regarding the matter of recruiting alchemists, I really cannot make the decision. This matter must be handled by Master Mo himself."

Like most of the shops in the market town, the shopkeeper of Qiancao Pavilion was just a cultivator hired by Master Mo Dan to run the shop.

The real owner of Qiancao Pavilion is Master Mo Dan.

After hearing this, Ji Chang did not show any disappointment, as he had already expected this situation.

So he smiled and said, "In that case, I'll have to trouble Shopkeeper Li to pass on the message that Ji Chang hopes to have a chance to meet with Senior Mo."

Shopkeeper Li nodded in agreement and asked Ji Chang to wait in the hall for a while.

Not long after, Shopkeeper Li came out from the back hall and said to Ji Chang, "Fellow Daoist Ji, Senior Mo wants to see you."

Ji Chang was delighted, he knew this was the crucial moment whether he could join Qiancao Pavilion.

So he straightened his clothes and followed Manager Li to the back hall.

In the back hall, an old man with white hair and beard was sitting upright on a throne.

The old man was wearing a black robe with exquisite golden cloud patterns embroidered on it.

Although his face looked a little old, his eyes were bright and revealed an extraordinary temperament.

He is the owner of Qiancao Pavilion, Master Mo Dan.

Master Mo Dan's eyes were as bright as lightning as he looked Ji Chang up and down.

Ji Chang did not dare to neglect and quickly stepped forward to salute and said, "Junior Ji Chang, greetings to Senior Mo."

Master Mo Dan nodded slightly, indicating that he didn't need to be polite.

Then he slowly said, "You want to join my Qiancao Pavilion? Do you know the art of alchemy?"

Ji Chang's heart trembled, knowing that this was Master Mo Dan testing him.

So he answered respectfully: "Although I am not talented, I know a thing or two about alchemy. I have made some pills at home, so I can be considered to have some experience in alchemy."

Upon hearing this, Master Mo's expression did not change. He said calmly, "Oh? Then have you ever refined any elixir of any grade?"

Ji Chang did not hesitate at all and answered truthfully: "I have refined a first-grade inferior elixir before."

Master Mo nodded to show that he understood, and then said: "Words are not enough, you refine a first-grade low-grade pill in front of me and let me see how good your alchemy skills are."

As he spoke, he took out a black gold alchemy furnace from his storage bag and gently placed it in front of Ji Chang.

"Just tell me what kind of herbs you need."

Ji Chang took a look at the black gold alchemy furnace. Although he did not examine it carefully, he could tell that this alchemy furnace was probably a first-grade top-quality magical weapon.

The effect of using this kind of alchemy furnace to refine elixirs would naturally be far better than his own low-grade first-level alchemy furnace.

But at the same time, the consumption of mana is also greater.

My current cultivation level is only at the early stage of Qi Refining. It is difficult for me to sustain the use of my magic power to activate this first-grade superior alchemy furnace.

Therefore, Ji Chang smiled and declined Master Mo's kindness: "Thank you for your kindness, Senior Mo, but I am still used to using my own alchemy furnace."

After saying that, he reached into his storage bag and took out his first-grade inferior alchemy furnace.

Although its quality is not as good as the black gold furnace, Ji Chang is already very familiar with it and can better control the alchemy process.

Master Mo Dan watched quietly as Ji Chang took out his alchemy furnace from the storage bag, with a hint of approval in his eyes.

Upon seeing this, Master Mo Dan nodded slightly, and his evaluation of Ji Chang increased a bit.

He did not look down on Ji Chang just because he was using a first-grade inferior alchemy furnace. Instead, he was even more looking forward to his performance.

For an alchemist, the quality of the furnace is certainly important, but what really determines the success or failure of an elixir is the alchemist's superb skills and calm mentality.

A skilled alchemist, even with a low-level alchemy furnace, can use his profound skills to refine high-quality high-level elixirs. What's more, some high-level alchemists who have reached the realm of transformation can refine spiritual materials into elixirs without the help of any alchemy furnace, just with their superb alchemy furnace skills.

This is the most advanced realm in alchemy and is also the lifelong goal of many alchemists.

Ji Chang took a deep breath, calmed himself down, and then asked Master Mo for the spiritual herbs and medicinal materials needed to refine the elixir.

Ji Chang placed the necessary spiritual herbs and medicinal materials in front of him one by one, and then used his magic power to light the fire.

He concentrated on controlling the temperature and intensity of the flame, and put the spiritual herbs and medicinal materials into the furnace in a specific order.

As time passed, a faint medicinal fragrance began to emanate from the alchemy furnace.

Ji Chang carefully controlled every step of alchemy, not daring to be careless in the slightest.

He knew that this was the crucial moment for him to demonstrate his alchemy skills to Master Mo Dan.

Finally, after some careful refining, a crisp sound was heard from the furnace.

Ji Chang was delighted, knowing that the elixir had been successfully refined. He quickly extinguished the flame, opened the lid of the elixir furnace, and a strong medicinal fragrance filled his nose.

There were three round pills lying in the alchemy furnace, with a faint luster on the surface. They were all finished Qi-Condensing Pills.

Ji Chang carefully took out one of the pills and handed it to Master Mo Dan.

"My alchemy skills are still rudimentary, so I hope Senior Mo will give me some advice and advice." He said in a humble tone.

Master Mo took the pill, looked at it carefully, and then glanced at the other two Qi Condensation Pills in the furnace.

After a moment, he nodded slightly, with satisfaction in his eyes: "Yes, this furnace of first-grade lower-grade Qi Condensation Pills is of high quality, and there is not a single waste pill. You have indeed made some achievements in the art of alchemy."

Hearing Master Mo Dan's praise, Ji Chang felt relieved.

As expected, Master Mo nodded and said, "From today on, you are the master of Qiancao Pavilion."

……

Time flies, and in the blink of an eye, more than half a year has passed.

During the past six months, Ji Chang has settled down in Qiancao Pavilion.

Qiancao Pavilion covers a large area. The shop is three stories high and has a backyard.

The front hall on the first floor of the shop sells medicinal pills, and a reception room is separated in the back hall to entertain distinguished guests who are in the late stage of Qi Refining.

Half of the second floor is used as the shopkeeper's bedroom, and the other half is used as a warehouse.

The third floor is the bedroom and alchemy room of the alchemist Ji Chang.

As for Master Mo Dan, he lived in the backyard behind the shop.

Of course, Master Mo Dan did not force Ji to live in the shop.

Unlike the shopkeeper of Qiancao Pavilion, Ji Chang, as an alchemist, only needs to hand in the refined pills once every ten days, which means three times a month.

The medicinal materials for refining the pills are provided by the store, and Ji Chang only needs to refine them, but the success rate of refining the pills must be maintained at more than 30%, otherwise he will have to pay out of his own pocket to make up for the losses.

Despite this, Ji Chang still chose to live in Qiancao Pavilion.

By living in the shop, Ji Chang can not only save a lot of spirit stones for renting a house in the inner city.

And he can also receive guidance from Master Mo Dan from time to time.

You know, Ji Chang currently has not many first-grade low-grade elixirs, which is far from meeting Qiancao Pavilion's daily sales needs.

To this end, Master Mo Dan not only gave him the recipes of some of the first-grade low-grade elixirs that Qiancao Pavilion mainly sold, but also taught him to learn and master them.

In his spare time, he would also provide detailed guidance and instruction on his alchemy skills.

(End of this chapter)