Now just a member of the crowd, the dazed Grandmaster Saintlowe heard the cheering of the crowd and wasn’t sure how to react.

“It can really… reduce the curse?” he murmured. He didn’t want to believe it. Even now, after Fourth Vice-Bishop had personally confirmed it, he just didn’t think it could be real. From ancient times until now, no one had ever done this.

It had been difficult enough for him to improve the painquelling lozenge. He had worked harder on that project than anything in his life, and had read countless ancient records about the curse. And he understood the curse better than just about anyone. As a result, he knew that permanently reducing the curse was nothing short of a miracle! Saintlowe’s mind and heart were reeling, and his eyes were bloodshot.

Some distance away, Xu Qing looked at him, then waved his hand, sending a cursequelling lozenge toward him. Eyes widening, Saintlowe caught the pill and looked at Xu Qing.

Everyone was watching, and everyone had their own opinion of what was happening. As for the ardent followers of Grandmaster Saintlowe, they felt bitterness deep in their heart, as they prepared to have countless humiliating words directed at them.

Except, Xu Qing didn’t do anything like that.

Looking calmly at Saintlowe, he said, “Grandmaster Saintlowe, you and I are both cultivators who pursue the dao of alchemy. Because of that, we both know more than anyone else what all alchemists in the Moonrite Region dream of.

“While other people are working on cultivation, we’re researching the curse. While other people are enjoying themselves, we’re studying old books. The reason is that we want to get rid of that curse. And even if we can’t, we record our research and leave it for the next generation. To give them hope. That is the mission of alchemy cultivators in the Moonrite Region.”

There was no sarcasm in Xu Qing’s words. He understood Grandmaster Saintlowe.

Shivering, Saintlowe looked at Xu Qing and opened his mouth as if to speak. No words came out. Many emotions had flitted through him on this day. At first, he had been proud and arrogant. Next he was shaken. And finally, he was filled with intense doubt and defiance. Now… all of those emotions clumped together into something very complicated. And that was because Xu Qing’s words had struck home. Although he did like fame and recognition, behind that, there was a personal dream.

“Grandmaster Saintlowe, consider that pill a gift from me,” Xu Qing continued. “I can’t figure out how to get rid of the curse on my own. So let’s do it together….”

Xu Qing clasped hands and bowed at the waist.

Saintlowe could sense Xu Qing’s sincerity, and it only made the feelings within him more complex. He was confused, and more than that, ashamed. All of his followers looked similarly filled with mixed emotions.

Fourth Vice-Bishop looked at Xu Qing, his eyes gleaming with respect. He could tell that this Grandmaster Pill Nine was being sincere, and was speaking the truth from his heart.

Saintlowe took a deep breath. Looking very solemn, he approached Xu Qing, then clasped his hands together and bowed deeply.

“Grandmaster Pill Nine, just now I… ai.” Shaking his head, he bowed again.

Xu Qing nodded. Without another word, he went back into his temple. The reality was that Xu Qing didn’t like dramatic situations like this. If Saintlowe hadn’t openly provoked him, he would never have taken the spotlight. In the blink of an eye, he was inside his temple and out of sight. Taking out ten cursequelling lozenges, he put them in the sphere of light. Then, just before leaving, he distributed a cursequelling lozenge to each of his followers.

His departure did not reduce the excitement in the hearts of the members of the Moonrebel Congregation. It was really true that, in the entire history of the Moonrite Region, no one had ever been able to reduce the curse. And Pill Nine’s final words to Grandmaster Saintlowe established a pattern that left a deep impression on everyone.

Before long, the members of the Moonrebel Congregation were respectfully filing through Xu Qing’s temple to examine the cursequelling lozenges and see how much they cost. The asking price… left everyone feeling even more deeply respectful. It was basically the same price as his old painquelling lozenge. All he wanted were some medicinal plants and research information.

“Now that’s a grandmaster…” someone said, and those words were echoed in the hearts of all the cultivators of the Moonrebel Congregation.

From that moment on, the name ‘Pill Nine’ became embedded deeply in the hearts of everyone in the Moonrebel Congregation. It was easy to imagine how many more people would want to consume whatever new pills he concocted in the future. The impression he had made seeped down into the soul.

Xu Qing had an idea of all that, but didn’t care very much. Back in the Green Spirit Pharmacy, he returned his focus to the golden crow research. He really wanted to know what an imperial-class technique was on a substructural level. And he wanted to know how to dig deeper into the truth of the golden crow.

He still wasn’t exactly sure how to pursue that understanding. And the process wasn’t going very smoothly. However, he had the feeling that, as he did further research, and as he provoked further transformations in the golden crow, he would be able to survive longer in the pearl. At first, he died instantly. But by the seventh time, he could last for six breaths of time.

Unfortunately… I only have two shots left.

A few days later at dawn, as he sat cross-legged in the back room, he opened his eyes. As blood oozed out of the corners of his mouth, he consumed a medicinal pill and tried not to feel completely frustrated.

It wasn’t very often that he felt like this. But the repeated failures, and the fact that he only had two chances left, resulted in him feeling extremely exasperated. After all, the tenth attempt… would be when he lost the golden crow forever. He could sense the revulsion and greed in Guru Blackeyes getting more intense.

If I can’t make this work, I might just have to stop at the ninth attempt. Taking a deep breath, he walked out of the back room and into the main floor of the Green Spirit Pharmacy.

He needed to clear his head.

When he stepped out, he saw Ling’er working on accounting. It seemed like there was never any end to the bookwork Ling’er needed to do. Xu Qing had long since come to realize that Ling’er enjoyed accounting more than just about anything else.

Ning Yan was scrubbing the floor. Li Youfei was organizing the medicinal pills on the shelves. The Captain was standing guard. And Wu Jianwu was standing next to the Heir Apparent, reciting some poetry.

“Grandpa’s eyes glitter aesthetically; the ladies cluster around him protectively!”

The Heir Apparent took a sip of tea and smiled at Wu Jianwu.

Wu Jianwu bowed at the waist, a flattering expression on his face. As he straightened up, he cast a lofty glance at the Captain and Nethersprite. He had finally found a way to curry favor with the Heir Apparent. Every morning at the start of the day he would recite a poem for ‘grandpa.’ Day after day of such hard work really seemed to be having an effect. With that accomplished, he hurried to his spot outside the door and started reciting poems into the wind.

Xu Qing was used to the daily routine in the medicine shop. Nodding at Ling’er, he sat down next to the Heir Apparent.

“Any progress?” the Heir Apparent asked. The parrot sat on his shoulder, looking arrogantly at Xu Qing.

Xu Qing shook his head. “Senior, what exactly is an imperial-class technique?”

Xu Qing had been pondering that question for a while now, but this was the first time he’d asked the Heir Apparent.

The Heir Apparent didn’t respond immediately. Instead, he shifted his gaze to Chen Erniu. Xu Qing did the same.

The Captain with his sword didn’t notice Xu Qing and the Heir Apparent looking at him. He was currently looking at Wu Jianwu and thinking, What an obedient little child. That said, the Captain wasn’t inclined to argue with Wu Jianwu about his behavior, so he turned his attention to Nethersprite.

“You boil water every day!” he said. “Haven’t you learned a thing? Why are you so slow? Don’t you realize you can blow on the fire??”

Nethersprite shivered. She was reaching her limit of tolerance with Chen Erniu, and was about to snap.

However, with the Heir Apparent around, all she could do was grit her teeth and daydream about chopping Chen Erniu into tiny little pieces.

One of these days I’m going to rip him in two! I’ll boil one half and turn the other half into meat pills! I’ll chew and chew as he screams. And when the water is boiled, I’ll have some lovely soup to sip.

Those were the thoughts that ran through Nethersprite’s mind on a daily basis, and they gave her at least a bit of inner comfort.

The Captain snorted. “What are you shaking for? You’re always shaking, every single day. Didn’t you notice that the water is boiling already? Hurry up and give grandpa his tea! And why are you always walking around swishing your big booty back and forth? Who are you trying to seduce? Doesn’t it get annoying? And let’s not talk about how you eat more than everyone else!”

All of a sudden, Nethersprite stood up, her eyes blazing and her cultivation base pulsing. Glaring at Ning Yan, who was scrubbing the floor right in front of her, she snapped, “Get out of my way!”

Forcing herself under control, she carried the kettle over to the Heir Apparent and started another cup of tea for him. Then she stood off to the side.

“Xu Qing,” the Heir Apparent said, pushing the cup of boiling tea in front of Xu Qing and pointing at it. “Tell me, what is water? And why does it get hot? What are tea leaves? Why does the water change color when you pour it onto the tea leaves? Why does it taste different?”

Xu Qing’s gaze hardened as he looked at the cup of tea in front of him. “It’s because—”

“That’s not the point,” the Heir Apparent interrupted. He held out his hand toward Sprouty, who was on the table next to him.

Sprouty swayed back and forth obediently until a tiny leaflet fell down. The Heir Apparent put the leaflet into the tea. It floated on the surface.

“Understand now?”

Xu Qing sat in thought quietly, his eyes closed.

Ning Yan had stopped scrubbing and was standing there looking introspective. He knew that advice from a Smoldering God was a rare thing, and he didn’t want to miss out. It was the same with the Captain, who also looked thoughtful. Li Youfei was similarly paying close attention.

After a long moment, a tremor passed through Xu Qing. Eyes opening, he looked at the leaflet in the tea for a moment. Then he stood up.

“I understand, Senior!” Struggling to control his breathing, he bowed. He knew where he had been going wrong, and also knew what to do about it. Turning, he returned to the back room.

The Heir Apparent smiled and nodded slightly. He was impressed with Xu Qing’s powers of understanding.

The Captain sighed in a way that seemed to say he understood everything that just happened. Ning Yan blinked a few times and looked similarly enlightened. In contrast, the parrot seemed confused as he looked at the tea, then the leaflet. Finally, he looked around at everyone else.

“Grandpa,” he said quietly, “I don’t get it. What do they understand that I don’t…?”

The Heir Apparent lifted the cup and took a sip. “I was explaining coexistence. When the tea leaves and the water combine, they make something better. And when Sprouty’s leaflet dropped into the water, it was about loss and acceptance.”

The parrot got it. Ning Yan nodded. The Captain seemed deeply understanding.

In the back room, Xu Qing’s eyes gleamed as he sat down cross-legged. As the solution rocked his mind, he contemplated what he had learned.

When the tea leaves and the water combine, it’s like the consolidation of a great dao. However, everybody can return to their original state. All living beings have an original essence. Therefore, the Heir Apparent was pointing out that, in reality, everything can be separated.

Sprouty’s leaflet is the same. Even after falling down, that leaflet is still part of Sprouty’s essence. In other words… he was telling me that they’re still a unified whole!

He wants me to deepen my research. To magnify it. Then break down the golden crow into all its parts. To peel it down. Find the golden crow’s essence! I understand now. That’s the essence of an imperial-class technique. It’s substructure! I was focusing on the wrong thing. I shouldn’t be observing things from the outside. And the same goes for instigating transformations. Instead, I should focus on the inside! On the finer details!

Moved, Xu Qing looked in the direction of the main sales floor, and his respect for the Heir Apparent grew even deeper.

Meanwhile, as the Heir Apparent lifted his tea cup again, he could sense that something was happening in the back room.

Hold on, what did he gain enlightenment of?

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