Chapter Thirty-Five: The Pill Tournament Begins

Invitation to the Alchemy Competition

Time seemed to slip by swiftly, almost as if the relentless days of refining pills had made all sense of it fade away. White Qi had been utterly focused, channeling energy into controlling the medicinal ingredients—facing both failures and the occasional, fortunate success. During the day, Su Wen would sometimes enter to check on him; otherwise, her whereabouts remained a mystery. What reassured White Qi most was that, at every mealtime, maids would deliver food to his door—delicious dishes that allowed him to savor a taste of true culinary delight.

He could easily guess that Su Wen had thoroughly cleared out Li Yu and his associates, leaving only Li Yu’s son—whose fate remained uncertain. Yet, all seemed to run smoothly within the Li residence, a sign that Su Wen must have taken thoughtful measures behind the scenes. As for the survival of Li Yu’s son, White Qi spared him no concern; such a man, stripped of all protection, was unlikely to endure for long.

White Qi’s deduction was, in all likelihood, correct. With the demise of Li Yu and his chief accomplices, Nan Yangxiu, after his previous departure, issued new orders and sent his own trusted officials to administer Yuzhong. When it came to Su Wen and White Qi, however, Nan Yangxiu explicitly instructed the new appointees to leave the former Li residence untouched, as if it were forbidden ground, and repeatedly emphasized that any requests from within the residence should be promptly granted. Such meticulous instructions left his subordinates uneasy; never before had they faced a situation so delicate. Still, they felt that as long as they followed their superior’s orders, all would be well.

To Nan Yangxiu’s men, arriving in this barren, forsaken place felt like coming to a land drained of all vitality. Years of Li Yu’s misdeeds had clearly been abetted by powerful backers, but their machinations, which had fooled so many, were ultimately undone by White Qi. Under the new administration’s firm hand, Yuzhong was slowly, steadily transformed.

One evening, White Qi, having just finished refining a batch of pills, was preparing to eat the meal brought by the household maids. He had asked them why they brought him food, but they would say nothing—simply set down the fragrant dishes and hurried off. Unable to contain his curiosity, White Qi once grabbed one of the clever, sprightly maids as she arrived, putting on a fearsome “bully” act to force an answer from her. He learned that the new official in Yuzhong had issued these orders. Pressing further, he asked after the old man and his grandson. One of the young women, unable to withstand his persistent questioning, finally revealed their whereabouts.

It turned out that the old man and his grandson were being cared for with extraordinary attention by the new official—receiving the best food and wine, treated more dotingly than one might treat one’s own parents. Just the previous day, the official had personally escorted them home and even ordered improvements for their humble dwelling.

Upon learning this, White Qi found himself oddly intrigued by this new official—not by the man himself, but by what he had done. Setting aside his tasks, he realized that he had reached a bottleneck in his alchemical practice. He needed to observe the methods of others, hoping to find inspiration in their techniques, perhaps borrowing strengths where he found them.

His own approach to alchemy was idiosyncratic, and he wondered whether other, more unorthodox catalysts might promote the fusion of ingredients. Thus, he resolved to watch and study the pill-refining arts of others, in hopes of making some unexpected discoveries.