"Then I will first deliver this blood essence to Dan Peak. Elder Yue, where do you think the first batch of pills should be tested?"
Han Huijun held the crystal bottle, his expression thoughtful.
Yue Qingsu looked up at the clear, spotless sky. "What about Qinglan City, Qingshui County?"
Han Huijun's eyes brightened. "Yes, why didn't I think of that! Elder Shen and your disciple have both been there, and that place was the very first site overtaken by the miasma. Testing the pill in Qingshui County would be most suitable!"
Yue Qingsu leisurely sipped his spirit tea, running the lid along the rim of the cup. "Once the sect master resolves the miasma in the Central Domain, the status of Wuxiang Sect will rise yet another level."
Han Huijun laughed heartily. "More than a single level. Once we overcome this calamity, even the lords of the Western Seas and Southern Regions will have to look up to us!"
This was a strange miasma that even Guan Fan Temple could not resolve. If Wuxiang Sect brought out the antidote now to save the world, then both his name and that of Pei Xianqiao would be forever carved upon the stone tablets of heaven and earth.
Yue Qingsu gently pressed his lips against the tea, smiling faintly. "At that time, I only hope the sect master does not forget the contribution of my disciple."
Han Huijun's tone grew solemn. "If her spiritual power truly can dissolve this miasma, then there will be no one in this world who could possibly forget her.
This plague of miasma has come fiercely, even threatening the imperial dynasty of the Southern Region. If we can successfully refine the antidote, your disciple will only become a figure worshipped by all beings."
Confidence flickered in Yue Qingsu's calm smile. "I believe in her. She is my pride as her master."
Han Huijun tightened his grip on the crystal bottle. Watching Yue Qingsu, a sigh stirred within his heart. As an elder of Wuxiang Sect and master to five disciples, he could not help but feel Yue Qingsu's concern for the youngest, Pei Xianqiao, was far too deep.
West Sea Demon Cavern.
Yao Ranran received letters from Xiao Rong and the others. They had already arrived at Youyan Gate but had not found her.
In the letter, Meng Xiangxiang even asked about the matter of the black tea antidote.
Yao Ranran locked eyes with the phoenix that had delivered the message, then smacked her forehead. "If he didn't bring this up, I probably wouldn't start until next year!"
"That won't do. Procrastination is a sickness. If I keep putting it off, who knows, they might all just die…"
She immediately set down the gem in her arms. The dazzling stone clattered across the floor, and the phoenix blinked in surprise before bowing its head to pick it up in its beak.
"Since Lì Luoqi and Pei Xianqiao haven't been found yet, I might as well take this time to refine the antidote Meng Xiangxiang asked for."
Yao Ranran looked around, resting her chin in her hand as she sat on the steps. "But I didn't bring my alchemy cauldron. That cauldron has been used several times without exploding, the best I've ever had so far."
"What? The Fairy needs an alchemy cauldron?"
Outside the hall, two gatekeeping demon soldiers overheard her mutterings.
"That's right, the Fairy needs an alchemy cauldron!"
"And it must be sturdy, one that won't explode!"
"Preferably it should look just like the Fairy's cauldron from her homeland!"
"Understood. I'll report to the demon general immediately!"
Yao Ranran did not notice their conversation.
Moments later—
A massive, exquisite alchemy cauldron appeared before her eyes.
Yao Ranran: "…"
Clatter! The phoenix's beak went slack, and the gem dropped to the floor.
"Master, I've never seen the cauldron in your chamber before. I don't know if this one will suit you."
Lu Ziqian worried that the hastily found cauldron might not match his master's skills.
Yao Ranran stroked the cauldron's ear, astonished. "Where did you find this cauldron? This is a spirit treasure too!"
Lu Ziqian chuckled. "Few in the West Sea know how to refine pills. Though this cauldron is of high grade, the Demon Sovereign never valued it. It was tossed behind Demon Mountain for years. I just retrieved it."
Yao Ranran stared at Lu Ziqian's face with renewed amazement. Truly, this disciple was worth taking in!
But once again, the demon soldiers following him had been changed out. Most likely, the last batch couldn't endure the curse of the Lone Star and had crawled back into their caves.
"This cauldron is good, no worse than the one I used on Gu Ling Mountain."
Lu Ziqian let out a subtle sigh of relief and smiled. "As long as Master likes it. I am also having the demon caverns cleaned. If anything useful for Longyin Village is found, I'll have it sent back."
"Good, good. Do as you see fit. I trust you!"
Yao Ranran's eyes shone with single-minded focus on the cauldron, as if she might dive inside to take a closer look.
Lu Ziqian watched her with warmth, then departed with a faint smile.
The phoenix exclaimed in awe, "Master, your disciple is incredible!"
Lu Ziqian, not yet far, glanced back at it curiously and asked the nearby demon soldiers, "When did this chicken get sent here?"
Phoenix: "...You're the chicken! Your whole family are chickens!"
Lu Ziqian: "…"
Yao Ranran raised her hand and knocked the phoenix on the head. "He doesn't know. How could he recognize that you're a phoenix?"
"It's a phoenix?" Lu Ziqian's mouth fell open.
The phoenix straightened its neck, wings spreading with radiant colors. "I am the divine beast, Phoenix!"
Boom!
An ear-splitting explosion burst beside them. Black smoke billowed from the cauldron, dusting the phoenix's wings gray.
Lu Ziqian's face went rigid. "Master, are you all right?"
He quickly pulled Yao Ranran away from the cauldron. The phoenix folded its wings and curled into a pitiful ball.
"No one ever cares about me…"
Yao Ranran casually cast a cleansing spell. "Disciple, I'm fine. Go handle other matters. The Western Sea needs you!"
Seeing her firm gaze, Lu Ziqian turned to the now blackened cauldron and could only say, "...Master, be careful!"
"I understand! One mistake doesn't mean anything. Your master will be fine, don't worry!"
She pushed him toward the door.
Before leaving, Lu Ziqian cast one last worried glance inside.
Yao Ranran caught the phoenix, which had tried to sneak away.
"You're not leaving. I still need a helper. Stay here and assist me."
"Cluck cluck cluck! Master, I'm just a hen! I don't know anything!"
The phoenix clung pitifully to her robes, begging for mercy.
Yao Ranran patted its head gently. "Da Huang, don't belittle yourself. As long as you're willing to learn and put your heart into it, you will understand something eventually. And besides—refining pills isn't hard."
The phoenix's face instantly turned ashen.
If it hadn't seen her alchemy skills with its own eyes, it might almost believe her lies!
Boom! Boom! Boom!
Explosions rattled from the main hall in succession.
Outside, Lu Ziqian froze, staring at the doorway. At least he consoled himself: "Fortunately, in this search, I found not just one cauldron. These hundred or so cauldrons should be enough for Master to burn through here…"
===
Hey guys~ just a quick update ( ´ ▽ ` )ﾉ
Technically, I've got 9 ongoing projects listed on my account. But! Mom's Apocalypse Survival Log, The Invincible Money-Grubbing Fairy, and My Daughter is the Empire's Lucky Charm are all fully translated already. Right now (as of September 29), Reborn as the Fallen Idol, I Leaned Into the Chaos! has less than 50 chapters left to go.
That means, out of the last 5 projects that are truly active, 3 of them are complete works (the original novels are already finished). The other 2 are still being serialized by their authors, but I've already caught up with the latest chapters—those are also queued up in my drafts with over 400 chapters ready to roll (148+260).
So really, my current active projects are just 3. Yay progress! (๑˃̵ᴗ˂̵)و
On my side, I also just got a job offer starting in October. I don't know the exact details yet, so I'm holding off on picking up any new big translation projects for the moment. If I do start working, I'll have to juggle both job and translations, and I don't wanna push myself into burnout (ง •̀_•́)ง.
Originally, I planned to dive into another historical-themed novel right after finishing Mom's Apocalypse Survival Log, but that might have to wait a bit. Or if I do take it, I'll probably slow things down to about 2 chapters a day instead of my usual 5. Some of you have also asked me about continuing Glitched: Highway Apocalypse, and I'll see if I can sneak it into my schedule ( •̀ ω •́ )✧.
For now, until I know how much free time I'll actually have, I won't be starting any giant 400+ chapter novels (unless the chapters are really short). If it's on the longer side with heavier word counts, I'll probably cap it around 300