Mortal Alchemy

Chen Ping returned to Jiazhi Courtyard, already dizzy with hunger.

He had the handyman bring over his dinner, and Chen Ping devoured it ravenously.

The food provided by the Mu family was not ordinary food, but spirit rice, spirit water, spirit wine, and spirit beast meat that cultivators used.

Prolonged use of these spiritual items had the effect of purifying a cultivator's spiritual power, but the effect was negligible.

After Chen Ping had his fill, he returned to his room, circulated his cultivation technique, and began to further eliminate the Dan poison in his body.

Feeling increasingly relaxed, Chen Ping stood before the mirror, his brow furrowed slightly: "The Dan poison is being eliminated too quickly..."

His lips were no longer purplish-black. If he went to test the pills tomorrow, it would be easy for Steward Tang to see through him.

Chen Ping had the handyman bring him some mulberries, mashed them, and applied the juice to his lips, restoring their purplish-black color.

Only then did Chen Ping nod in satisfaction, breathing a sigh of relief: "Just maintain one meal a day for another day..."

He circulated his cultivation technique, but the speed at which his five-element mixed spiritual roots absorbed spiritual energy was simply too slow. But being idle was no option. He wouldn't let go of any opportunity to improve his cultivation.

Suddenly!

"Knock knock!"

A knock sounded on the door.

Chen Ping stopped cultivating and asked in confusion, "Who is it?"

A frivolous young voice sounded from outside: "Is that Junior Brother Chen?"

"It's Luo Chongzhi, your Senior Brother Luo."

Chen Ping's eyes flashed, and he went forward to open the door.

He saw a youth half a head taller than him, wearing the Mu family's standard spiritual plant department Daoist robe, smiling at him.

Luo Chongzhi was one of the immortal seeds of Jiazhi Courtyard back then. He had smoothed things over and transferred to the Mu family's spiritual plant department.

The other party was wearing a brand new, bright Daoist robe, with a storage bag tied to his waist.

Looking at Chen Ping, who was wearing old, worn-out handyman clothes, he felt a little inferior.

Chen Ping clasped his fist, his tone weak: "Senior Brother Luo, long time no see."

Luo Chongzhi smiled and sized Chen Ping up: "It's been several years indeed."

"I didn't expect Junior Brother Chen to still be in the handyman courtyard."

Chen Ping forced a smile: "My cultivation hasn't reached the standard yet, so I can't enter the Pill Hall and can only stay in Jiazhi Courtyard."

Being a pill-testing boy was painful. As an orphan cowherd, he had no money or connections to smooth things over, so he could only stay in the handyman courtyard.

Moreover, he didn't want to leave the Pill Hall; to gain a foothold in the cultivation world, he had to rely on pills to unlock his bloodline inheritance.

Luo Chongzhi said with a smile: "Hey, I only just broke through to the fifth level of Qi training and officially took office in the spiritual plant department."

"The reason I came back today is to see how many people are still in Jiazhi Courtyard."

Back then, six of them had entered the Mu family handyman courtyard at the age of nine or ten.

"After wandering around and asking the handyman, they said that Junior Brother Chen is the only one left in Jiazhi Courtyard."

"It's not that I'm saying anything, Junior Brother Chen, but why haven't you been transferred yet?"

Chen Ping chuckled twice, his expression a little uneasy: "My connections aren't good enough."

His handyman clothes were already like this; couldn't Luo Chongzhi see it?

Chen Ping felt that Luo Chongzhi could see it, but he was deliberately showing off in front of him.

Luo Chongzhi waved his hand: "Junior Brother Chen, that's not what I meant."

Although the innocence of childhood was gone, and they hadn't seen each other for several years, the affection from back then was still there to some extent.

Otherwise, Luo Chongzhi wouldn't have come to visit Chen Ping.

Chen Ping pursed his lips: "I know."

But he still felt a little uncomfortable inside.

Luo Chongzhi was frivolous and careless, but his nature wasn't bad.

Chen Ping asked: "How has Senior Brother Luo been in the spiritual plant department these past few years?"

Luo Chongzhi curled his lip and said: "Not great. Among the Mu family's six departments and three halls, the spiritual plant department is the most bland, but it's still better than being idle."

"In the future, I'll be taking care of spiritual plants and planting spirit rice. Hehe, maybe the spirit rice you eat in the future will be grown by me."

The Mu family had a Golden Core ancestor who imitated the Eastern Xuan Sect in setting up family departments and agencies, in the order of the Talisman Department, War Department, Weapon Department, Formation Department, Spiritual Plant Department, and Punishment Department.

The three halls were the Pill Hall, the Affairs Hall, and the Logistics Hall.

The six departments each had inheritances related to the myriad arts of the immortal path, while the three halls had no inheritance of the myriad arts and very little profit.

What Luo Chongzhi said implied that his situation was not much better than Chen Ping's.

Luo Chongzhi said: "Senior Brother Li Erniu is still impressive. As a foreign immortal seed, he was able to join the Mu family's War Department and receive key cultivation."

Chen Ping's expression showed longing: "The War Department..."

That was a place where you had to have good talent to go. He heard that there was even a chance to get a Foundation Establishment Pill.

A Foundation Establishment Pill cost three thousand five hundred spirit stones!

Many people couldn't save that many spirit stones in their entire lives, and such good things as Foundation Establishment Pills were even more priceless. Even if you had three thousand five hundred spirit stones, you couldn't buy one without a background.

Li Erniu, who had entered the handyman courtyard with them back then, was probably already at the sixth or seventh level of Qi training, right?

The two chatted on and off until late at night. Before leaving, Luo Chongzhi left two spirit stones for Chen Ping:

"Junior Brother Chen, take these spirit stones and buy some antidote pills."

Chen Ping fell into silence, feeling complex and even more uncomfortable.

But his days were already getting better. Perhaps he would be able to catch up with Luo Chongzhi soon, right?

Chen Ping held the two spirit stones in his hand and fell into a deep sleep on the bed.

The next morning, he was awakened by hunger.

Chen Ping endured the hunger, smeared mulberry juice on his lips, and staggered towards the pill testing yard.

He arrived before Steward Tang with a wretched expression, received a Qi Gathering Pill in the other party's cold gaze, and swallowed it to refine the pill.

Chen Ping was secretly delighted and sneered in his heart:

"Steward Tang, Steward Tang, your wish to see me unable to withstand the Dan poison and die, or to bow my head to the Mu family and become a handyman son-in-law, is impossible."

Chen Ping looked wretched, enduring the hunger to refine the pill, genuinely improving his cultivation.

Seeing Chen Ping's body trembling, Steward Tang's expression was indifferent, and he kindly reminded Chen Ping:

"If you can't stand the Dan poison, just tell me. This steward will definitely choose a beautiful wife for you."

Chen Ping gritted his teeth and said:

"Thank you for Steward Tang's kindness. If I can't hold on, I will definitely tell Steward Tang. I feel that I can still hold on for a while longer."

Steward Tang sneered.

Time passed bit by bit, and Chen Ping was getting closer and closer to the fifth level of Qi training.

In a flash, half a month had passed.

On this day, Chen Ping's cultivation had reached the peak of the fourth level of Qi training.

He opened his mouth weakly and said:

"Steward Tang, my body can't hold on any longer. Can I have two days of rest..."

He planned to go back and break through to the fifth level of Qi training. At that time, he wouldn't have to look at Steward Tang's face anymore.

Compared to free pills, Chen Ping still wanted to refine pills to earn money and improve his cultivation with his own ability!

Moreover, Steward Tang had already begun to suspect him recently. If he saw through his flaws and thought of more ways to torture him, then Chen Ping would be in trouble.

It was very simple: directly bring a concubine of the Mu family's collateral line and force Chen Ping to marry her and become a son-in-law!

In that way, Chen Ping's hard work over the past six years would be in vain.

He was very nervous and asked Steward Tang for leave.

Steward Tang's eyes were cold, carefully sizing up Chen Ping, as if he wanted to see through him inside and out!