Chapter Three: The First Time, Xu Wen's Initial Refinement

Prompted by a nameless senior from the outer sect, Xu Wen, now furious, simply packed away his cauldron, and with a sweeping gesture, began stuffing herbs into his storage pouch, the bag’s mouth wide open as he crammed in as much as he could grab. Mu Wan’er was startled by his near-banditry, nervously biting her lip and craning her neck to keep watch for him. She only relaxed once he finally stopped and they left the Medicine Peak.

By then, Xu Wen had regained his composure. Inside his storage pouch, the originally sufficient quantity of herbs had now doubled, packed full—enough to keep him refining medicine all night.

Trailing behind, Mu Wan’er had no idea what Xu Wen was thinking. She merely assumed he was venting his frustration over wasted time by grabbing extra herbs. Wanting to comfort him but not knowing what to say, she hesitated. Xu Wen noticed every bit of this.

This girl… Truly inexperienced. Why fret over picking a few herbs? The Hortonklin family has fourteen Medicine Peaks, with common herbs so plentiful they cover the mountains within half a month. Could a small storage pouch ever deplete them?

Still, the girl had a kind heart. He couldn’t understand how she’d attracted the attention of a proud scion like Ding Yushan. Judging by her demeanor… she hardly seemed a pampered young miss.

Yet if she truly had no background, would an arrogant young lord, with such discerning taste, really be taken by a girl so plain and unadorned? And why would Senior Sister Mi Xue entrust her to his care for the journey up the mountain?

This little girl’s identity was certainly not simple!

His eyes flickered, and Xu Wen suddenly halted. Turning abruptly, he startled the girl from her reverie; she jumped away like a frightened rabbit, wide-eyed and staring at him.

“I’ll be refining medicine when we get back. If you’d like to watch, you can join me.” As he spoke, Xu Wen’s fair cheeks flushed slightly, but he quickly caught himself, inwardly chiding: You’re in your twenties—why act like such a child?

Simple-minded Wan’er’s eyes lit up at his invitation, her face flushing with excitement as she readily agreed, too caught up in her delight to notice Xu Wen’s awkwardness.

Seeing her acceptance, Xu Wen felt a little more at ease: it seemed that relationships between men and women in this world weren’t as restrictive as he’d feared.

He turned and continued on.

“Xu Junior Brother.”

Just as they reached the door of his tiny room, Xu Wen heard someone call his name. He stepped back to see Senior Brother Li standing outside, eyeing the pair with a curious look.

“Senior Brother Li,” they greeted hurriedly, turning toward him.

Senior Brother Li’s gentle smile returned. “Just back from the Medicine Peak? Any luck?” His warm tone was refreshing, truly worthy of someone assigned by Elder Xu as an inner sect mentor.

“Yes, Senior Brother. We picked some herbs and plan to refine medicine according to the book’s instructions.”

“Refining medicine?” Senior Brother Li paused, then seemed to understand. This boy had been brought here by the master himself; perhaps he truly had some special talent in this field. But…

His gaze shifted to Mu Wan’er.

…This girl’s identity was unusual. If she were to stay alone with a man and word reached the clan head, trouble could follow. He softened his tone further: “Wan’er, alchemy requires steady accumulation. You must first master the herbs—their appearance, properties, and proper harvesting. Only with enough knowledge can you begin refining. Don’t rush the process, understood?”

“Thank you for your guidance, Senior Brother Li! I’ll remember and study diligently with Senior Brother Xu!” The girl’s artless reply made Senior Brother Li’s expression stiffen momentarily.

Clearly, the little lass hadn’t grasped his hidden meaning.

Still, his face was thick enough to adapt. With a glint in his eye, he smiled at them both: “Since this is your first time refining, and I happen to be free, I’ll join you and offer some pointers.”

“Wonderful!” The girl was overjoyed, and even Xu Wen relaxed a little.

He’d only realized after inviting Mu Wan’er that Ding Yushan was so attentive to her—if word got out they’d been alone together, who knew what trouble might ensue? But with Senior Brother Li present, he’d have a buffer.

The rooms for registered disciples weren’t wide, but they were spacious. The bed was near the door, and at the far end of the twenty-meter room stood a human-shaped stone target for practicing fire magic. There was still space for two to refine medicine.

“Senior Brother Li, is alchemy difficult?” As the cauldron was placed, Mu Wan’er asked innocently from her seat at the bedside.

He was surprised, rubbing his nose—few ever asked such a question. After a moment’s thought, he replied, “Alchemy… isn’t hard to begin. In the Hortonklin family, we have tools, herbs, and written guides, so the early stages are straightforward. The real challenge comes after you reach three-star pills. Their properties are complex, and you must sustain the flame yourself throughout the process. The slightest error can ruin precious materials. If the pill is of high grade or contains a magical beast core, the cauldron could even explode.”

“Explode?” Mu Wan’er’s mouth fell open as she stared at the cauldron, as if expecting it to detonate.

“Don’t worry. Early-stage alchemy is safe.” Senior Brother Li smiled to comfort her, but his gaze soon landed on the heaps of herbs Xu Wen had failed to hide.

“You…” Senior Brother Li’s face froze, cold sweat beading on his forehead.

This junior! For a first attempt, was all this necessary? Some one-star herbs were understandable, but he’d even included ingredients for two- and three-star recipes. Senior Brother Li’s lips began to twitch uncontrollably.

Uh-oh.

Xu Wen blushed with embarrassment, having forgotten how much he’d stuffed into his pouch. By the time he opened it, the herbs had spilled out in an uncontrollable heap.

He was about to scold them when another loud rustle sounded.

Turning, he saw Mu Wan’er upend her own pouch, dumping out a veritable mountain of herbs in spirited competition—a sight that snuffed out his anger before it could be voiced.

The two young ones, as if conspiring, quickly selected ingredients for a Blood Restoration Pill while he was silent, preparing for the session. Senior Brother Li took a deep breath, gritted his teeth, and forcefully suppressed his irritation. He vowed: Just wait, I’ll teach these extravagant kids a lesson after this batch.

Mu Wan’er stuck out her pink tongue playfully behind Senior Brother Li’s back and winked at Xu Wen, her expression adorable. Xu Wen flashed her a grateful look, then quickly focused on the cauldron before him.

He placed his hand on the cauldron and closed his eyes.

Two streams of fire energy activated the magical formations inside, and the room’s temperature began to rise.

For all ordinary one- and two-star pills, there was really no technique involved since the invention of the energy-gathering cauldron. Each recipe had set instructions, the process straightforward—simply follow the steps: which herb to add when, when to add water, what to do when certain signs appeared. Success was almost assured. In Xu Wen’s eyes, using such a “foolproof cauldron” required only basic knowledge.

If this weren’t his first time—if not for the need to compare the process to his prior experience—he wouldn’t have been content to just sit and watch.

Of course, this only applied to someone who’d refined countless pills before. Across from him, Mu Wan’er didn’t find it easy at all. As the flames rose, she watched the cauldron intently, inhaling the emerging fragrance, not daring to be the least bit careless, moving to the next step precisely as the book instructed.

Senior Brother Li observed their focused faces, growing more and more astonished.

Their composure was remarkable. Both had clearly memorized the introductory knowledge, and were perfectly clear on each step. Xu Wen’s calm confidence seemed to influence Mu Wan’er, who grew increasingly steady, showing none of the usual panic or errors of a novice.

Reflecting on it, since arriving, Mu Wan’er had always been shy and reserved. Yet since returning from the Medicine Peak, she seemed brighter and more adept at identifying herbs. Was this Xu Wen’s influence, or was she simply gifted?

Lost in thought, Senior Brother Li was brought back to reality by the familiar scent of medicine.

“It’s done!”

One-star pills took little time to refine, but the result still startled him. As a three-star alchemist, he didn’t need to look to know the Blood Restoration Pill was a success—the scent was pure, the quality excellent.

These two little rascals…

“Senior Brother Xu, look! I did it too!” Mu Wan’er cried, retrieving a plump, round pill from the cauldron, her cheeks flushed with excitement as she bounced up from the floor.

It was her very first refined medicine—its significance clear.

“Well done.” Senior Brother Li nodded, a complicated emotion in his heart. He himself had only succeeded after several failed tries, and had been quite proud of it back then.

“Practice several more times, memorize the process for the Blood Restoration Pill, and try refining on your own. Once you can smoothly make three kinds of one-star pills, you’ll have no problem becoming an outer sect disciple,” he said.

At that, Xu Wen, busy bottling his pills, looked up to ask, “And to become an inner sect disciple?”

“The inner sect? Requirements are stricter. Registered disciples must refine five types of one-star pills and one two-star pill on their own. Besides alchemy, your fire magic can’t fall behind either.”

He glanced meaningfully at the piles of herbs filling the room. With the energy-gathering cauldron, Xu Wen would have no trouble. The real test would be refining without the magical formation—maintaining the flame himself. Not only would he need talent with herbs, but at least seventh-rank one-star fire magic to supply the minimal power for a two-star pill.

This was clearly stated in the introductory texts.

Mu Wan’er’s expression changed slightly, feeling the pressure mount.

In three months, she not only had to master at least six pill recipes, but also cultivate her fire magic to at least seventh-rank one-star.

It would not be easy.

But as her eyes met Xu Wen’s across the room, a sense of calm settled in her heart. Quietly packing up the cauldron, the two of them, without a word, began preparing the ingredients for their second batch.