Supreme Emperor of Mist

"Finally done!" Lu Yi raised both his hands above his head to celebrates the completion of his task. His few days of struggle with processing the medicinal herbs are finally over as he glanced towards a corner with a wooden crate.

In Qin Lan's recipe, producing a pot of the Flesh Mending Pill's concoction requires an even number or weight of eight different medicinal ingredients.

Twenty stalks of Sweet Dragon Grasses - Six-Leaves Sage - Fragrant Wood - Gypsum Powder - Incense Flower - and three kinds of dried medicinal spices.

Fifty pellets a pot is how much they could make in each batch, from firing to rolling the coagulated concoction into a bite-size pill. And from Qin Lan's previous exchange, 500 sets can also be translated into 25 batches.

This means Qin Lan had more than enough to produce 1,250 pills to be delivered to the Qin Family Pharmacy again.

But what Lu Yi and Lu Qing Yun never think about is the difficulties to maintain the same mentality throughout the entire pill-making process. Completing five batches at a go would only take a toll on their concentration, but when it comes to ten, things changed.

Making ten batches of pills at once exhausted them not only mentally but spiritually. Except for Qin Lan, the other two almost collapsed on the spot from the sheer pressure itself.

Lucky for both of them, a combination of Flesh Mending Pill and Flesh Foundation Pill gave them a miraculous effect of soothing both mental and spiritual.

"Young master, I'll head to the kitchen to prepare some food first." Lu Qing Yun excused herself from Qin Lan's room.

"Lu Yi, you'll tidy the room while I'm out." Qin Lan donned his humble and down to earth attire of pharmacist as he prepares to leave through the windows.

"I'll make sure it's clean by the time you're home, young master," he answered.

And without further ado, Qin Lan left the Qin Family Manor through the backyard. Since it was the nearest exit from his private garden to the outside, the security is almost none existent.

Qin Lan made his trip to the pharmacy without a hurry.

...

...

"Hah... Hah..." a youngster about Qin Lan's age was trying to catch his breath as he hides behind a useless wooden crate. Just as he was going to take a peek behind him, a kick came. The youngster's head knocked on the wall, which almost took him out of consciousness.

Housekeeper Kun, please have mercy... This lowly one promise that I'll return what I've borrowed after I get the money." the youngster kneeled and begged with his head on the floor.

"Can you even afford to pay me fifty silver coins? Too bad your sister killed herself before I can ravage her and toss her into the brothel. If not, you won't need to suffer from all these treatments!" the one called Housekeeper Kun steps on the youngster's head as he speaks.

His words made the youngster tighten his fist, but for a chance of survival, he decided to keep this anger inside him for a little longer.

(I'll survive through this. Just you wait until I enter the Cloud Plucking Sect)

The youngster grit his teeth and bear the humiliation while the one called Housekeeper Kun lowered his pants to pee on him.

"Ahem! Messing with people's dignity wasn't an honorable act, especially in the early morning." Qin Lan adjusted the tone of his as he warned the bullies.

(Eh? How can it be him?)

Qin Lan was shocked by the identity of the bully and his two subordinates. He has no idea that fate would put them together once more at an alleyway right behind their Qin Family Manor.

"Who are you? You better not mess with people like us." Kun Ning turned around and pointed his index finger at Qin Lan.

"Just someone that hates to see injustice in the early morning. I don't care what's wrong between both of you, but hitting someone with three people is quite mean, don't you think so?" Qin Lan answered.

"You! I've been holding myself for quite some time. Since you seem strong, then let's see if you have the power to back your words!" Kun Ning made a few steps forward and gathered his spiritual energy onto his right palm.

"Rainbow Palm!" his hand emitted a mirage of a rainbow as he attacked.

"Heh..." Qin Lan chuckled. The attack that looks impressive two months ago now seems to be nothing more than a move from a jester on the street show. Qin Lan effortlessly takes two steps aside to his right as he brings up his index finger.

"Heart Puncturing Needle." Qin Lan used the same move as he did to the first White Marten Demon in Western Demon Forest. His blow that seems harmless punctured through the heart of Kun Ning's palm at that single exchange, leaving him in pain the moment they shifted their position.

"Ah - Ah - Aargh!!!" Kun Ning grabbed his right wrist as he cried in pain. He's clueless about what had just happened, but he knows that this person before him is an expert!

"You won't be able to bully people anymore with that hand. Now get the hell off before I change my mind." Qin Lan warned.

"Boss! Boss!" his two subordinates quickly drags Kun Ning and leave without leaving words of threat like they always do. As for the youngster, he's too, speechless from witnessing what had just happened.

"What's your name? How can your cultivation of a second-level Flesh Refining Layer end up like this?" Qin Lan questioned the youngster about his age out of curiosity.

"Huo Zunjie, that's my name. I'm the only one who's left from our family of four because we've offended someone we shouldn't. The reason my cultivation worsened to this state is caused by those animals. They ambushed me when I'm fighting against an Amber Snake Demon." the youngster introduced himself.

"Amber Snake Demon? The one with very dark skin that almost resembles the skin of a crystallized tree?" Qin Lan asked. If his suspicion is correct, then his choice to escape last time would be the smartest one he could have made.

"Yes. It has a pair of hidden wings about two inches from the head and a bulging crown on the head," Huo Zunjie nodded.

"That's no longer a Demon Beast, but Demon Soldier. You're considered lucky to leave with your life." Qin Lan said. He shook the bottle of pills before Huo Zunjie's sight, urging him to open his hand to collect something Qin Lan is going to give him.

"Sir, I'm grateful for your help, but please ignore this pitiful beggar. I am not worthy of any medicinal pills with my condition now." Huo Zunjie crawled two steps back until he's obstructed by the wall. He hesitates because the current him is drenched with urine, dust, and wounds.

"That's why I'm giving you a pill. After taking it, I'll be on my way, and you'll be on yours. If fate brings us back again, I hope I'll see a new Huo Zunjie and not the one that still lingered in sadness and hopelessness." Qin Lan said.

"Thank you, kind cultivator... But I... I can no longer cultivate. My cultivation decreases the more I absorb the spiritual energy." Hun Zunjie held the Flesh Mending Pill with both hands as he added.

"Have you heard the word [Not dying because you dare to die] before?" Qin Lan asked.

"My education level is too shallow. I'm afraid that I have never heard about this sentence before." Huo Zunjie answered.

Qin Lan smiled.

"Since you dare to fight against the Amber Snake Demon Soldier before without worrying about your death, why are you worried about dying under its poison? If cultivation decreases, then all you need is to regain them back."

"I'll let you comprehend my word on your own. If you couldn't, then I guess that's all your potential amounted to." Qin Lan chuckled and left Huo Zunjie there. But before he moves too far from him, he tossed a bottle of ten Flesh Foundation Pills onto the pitiful youngster's head.

"This!" Hun Zunjie picked the bottle up. After realizing that it was ten Flesh Foundation Pills, he immediately picked up his body and chased after Qin Lan. The only disappointment is his benefactor has long vanished from the alley they were at earlier.

"Lord benefactor, I, Huo Zunjie, will not be defeated by a mere poison from the Amber Snake Demon. Please allow me to show my gratitude back to you in the future with my life." Huo Zunjie bowed towards where Qin Lan had left and returned to a broken hut nearby.

...

...

"Pharmacist Lu!" Qin Kun personally came down from the upper floor the moment he heard about Qin Lan's arrival. In his mind right now, this person is the most honored guest of the Qin Family.

"Pharmacist Qin," Qin Lan politely greets his third grandfather without showing his emotion behind the mask.

"Please, come in." Qin Kun immediately takes the lead as he escorted Qin Lan towards the guest room, which is now decorated with things and tools a Pill Master could use.

"The room wasn't like this the last time I came," Qin Lan said. He gently places the wooden crate on the table before going through the books on the table.

"Under my elder brother's order, this room will now belong to Pharmacist Lu. If there's anything you dislike, feel free to let me know, and I'll have some servant to exchange them with something else immediately." Qin Kun slightly bowed and tried to clear the intention behind their action.

"Oh? Qin Family Patriarch is too kind. This really makes this surname Lu feeling embarrassed for not bringing any gifts today." Qin Lan cupped his hand together and gently lowered his posture.

"Pharmacist Lu, no need for such a gesture. Our Qin Family prepared this room just to show appreciation and gratitude on behalf of the people of Fu-Rong Town." Qin Kun followed what Qin Lan was doing, but lowering himself a little more than before.

"I've brought twenty bottles of the Flesh Mending Pill here today. It should be enough to supply the town for a little while when I'm following my teacher on a road trip." Qin Lan understands the intention behind his grandfather and third granduncle.

Thus, he quickly finds a reason to somewhat accept and rejected their proposal at the same time, to set aside the inconveniences that might happen in between.

And by moving the topic to the Flesh Mending Pill instead of agreeing to accept their gesture, he could push this matter forward to the next one to two weeks. Or at least, until it was the day before the Annual Hunting Festival started to decide if he's accepting their goodwill.

In fact, a thousand pills could barely supply a town's consumption for a week. Qin Lan's current step is just a move to keep their eagerness in control to cull all possible selfishness from appearing outside of his reach.

"I believe that a thousand pills could last for some time until Pharmacist Lu returns from his fortuitous road trip. If there's any need to use this room by then, feel free to come inside our store using this set of keys," Qin Kun extends his palm out with a set of master-keys to enter the pharmacy.

"Qin Family's goodwill, I'll temporarily accept them on behalf of my teacher." Qin Lan said as he accepted the keys.