When Mo Wangchen arrived, it was precisely noon. Now, the bright sun was setting in the west. The white clouds were covered with a layer of dusk, and it was likely to get dark soon.
The nighttime in Fangtian City was much busier than during the day. Naturally, the Alchemy Pavilion had also welcomed many more guests.
"Has that kid come out? Master Lin Qing went to Jianye City today to refine pills for the Zhang Family. He'll be back soon, so don't let him know I rented the alchemy room to someone else!" In front of the Alchemy Pavilion, Fang Mu had just stepped out for a moment. Upon returning, he asked the servant who had previously attended to Lin Feng.
"I followed your instructions, Master Fang Mu, and stayed here the entire time without leaving. I haven't seen Young Master Mo come out yet..."
Having received a commission of more than 600 gold coins today, the servant was overjoyed. Standing here all afternoon was worth it, and he wouldn't mind standing for three days and nights. As he watched the young women passing by outside, he couldn't help but stand taller—he was a rich man now.
"Still not out?" Fang Mu's face darkened. Could it be that the kid really fell asleep inside?
Thinking this over, he was about to rush up to the second floor to drag Mo Wangchen out when he saw Mo Wangchen descend the staircase, yawning and stretching lazily.
"Damn, he really was sleeping?!
Seeing Mo Wangchen like this, Fang Mu was immediately filled with black lines!
Then, he snorted coldly and walked up to Mo Wangchen, who had just come down from the building. "Young Master Mo, did you gain anything? With your 'talent,' you must have gained a lot, right? Haha, was spending tens of thousands of gold coins worth it?"
Listening to the sarcasm in his words, Mo Wangchen coldly smiled inside, yet his face remained unchanged as he smiled and nodded, "Well! I had a good sleep. In my dream, I became an Alchemy Dao Master, with millions of cultivators begging me to make pills, but I couldn't care less about them."
With that, he ignored Fang Mu's reaction and directly walked away.
In fact, after successfully refining the third batch of herbs into pills, he indeed took a nap.
"This kid is hopeless. Mo Xiaotian, the Mo Family Head with Spirit Transformation Realm cultivation, is one of the top experts in Fangtian City, but to think his son is such a failure."
Watching Mo Wangchen's departing figure, Fang Mu couldn't help but shake his head and mutter to himself.
However, not long after Mo Wangchen left, a carriage stopped steadily in front of the Alchemy Pavilion. A middle-aged man dressed in blue stepped out.
"Master Lin Qing!" Fang Mu was startled, hurriedly going out to greet him with a smile that was now devoid of the arrogance he had shown in front of Lin Feng.
Master Lin Qing was the only second-grade alchemist in Fangtian City, holding a high position. Even someone like Mo Xiaotian had to show him respect.
"Hmm!" Seeing it was Fang Mu, Lin Qing nodded and then asked, "How's business at the Alchemy Pavilion today?"
"With your reputation, Master Lin Qing, how could business be bad? Today's earnings are much higher than usual." Fang Mu cautiously replied, almost bowing. Today, he had squeezed tens of thousands of gold coins from Mo Wangchen, which was more than double the usual revenue.
Since it was Fang Mu who watched over the Alchemy Pavilion today, he thought that Master Lin Qing would definitely praise him after knowing their hefty earnings.
Thinking this, Fang Mu couldn't help but ask with a smile, "Master Lin Qing, did you succeed in refining the Spirit Transformation Pill for the Zhang Family in Jianye City today?"
"Ah, don't mention it..."
Hearing Fang Mu's words, Lin Qing couldn't help but sigh with a look of frustration, "The Spirit Transformation Pill is a third-grade pill, extremely complex to refine. With my skills, I'm still far from capable..."
Um!
Upon hearing Lin Qing, Fang Mu knew it had failed. The Spirit Transformation Pill, as the name suggests, is for those about to break through to the Spirit Transformation Realm. Consuming it during the breakthrough increases the chance of success by at least thirty percent!
In general, such pills are evidently more troublesome to refine than others. Besides, Lin Qing was only a second-grade alchemist. To refine a third-grade Spirit Transformation Pill, the success rate was likely less than ten percent.
"Get me two sets of Spirit Transformation Pill ingredients to the alchemy room; I want to refine this pill there!" After saying that, Lin Qing ignored Fang Mu and headed alone to the second-floor alchemy room.
Watching Lin Qing Master's figure disappear from view, Fang Mu couldn't help but breathe a sigh of relief, yet puzzled, he thought to himself, "Master Lin Qing usually refines pills at his residence. Why does he want to use the alchemy room today? Fortunately, Mo Wangchen has left. If Master Lin Qing had bumped into him, I might have been held accountable!"
"If my skills could advance further to reach third-grade alchemist level, then there'd be over a fifty percent chance to refine a Spirit Transformation Pill successfully. But now, over fifty years old, my talent is exhausted—to reach third-grade alchemist level..."
Inside the second-floor alchemy room, Lin Qing stood alone, sighed, and continued muttering to himself, "During today's pill refining, the furnace accidentally exploded, shattering the pill furnace, an utter embarrassment. It will take days for a new furnace to arrive. Meanwhile, I'll have to try refining here..."
With that, Master Lin Qing sat cross-legged on the spot.
"Hmm?"
But just as he sat down, he felt as though he had sat on something hard.
"What's this..."
Curious, Master Lin Qing reached beneath himself and pulled out the hard object. A moment later, his face revealed an expression of disbelief.
"Whose pill... whose pill is this?!"
"Although misshapen, it's just one step from success. Something must have gone wrong at the crucial moment, and the pill color and fragrance..."
"Such technique... who could it be? Could it be a third-grade alchemist?!"
"Impossible! A third-grade alchemist would never appear in a small city like Fangtian City, and this pill seems unfamiliar..."
Master Lin Qing murmured to himself, his eyes flashing unexpectedly. He then sniffed the imperfect pill in his hand, placing it to his nose, "Boneless Flower, Heavenly Spirit Grass, and several other ingredients..."
"Boneless Flower is of yin attribute, whereas Heavenly Spirit Grass grows in the desert and is of yang attribute. These ingredients shouldn't mix." Master Lin Qing was indeed a second-grade alchemist, as his mere sniff of the half-finished pill revealed its ingredient composition.
This pill was a Body Tempering Pill, the second waste pill Mo Wangchen had refined earlier and forgot to take with him.
Bam!
Without any regard for his image as a master, Lin Qing didn't bother to open the door, opting to kick it open and considering going downstairs to ask Fang Mu who had been refining pills here today.
However, just as he stepped out the door, he saw Fang Mu standing there with two sets of Spirit Transformation Pill ingredients, his face wearing a startled expression as he looked at him.