The time had come for them to leave. Master Yun Chi had given Mei Xilan a storage ring that contained all of the pills she had requested, then told her to “take his apprentice with her.” He was, of course, referring to Zhou Lihua, who would be traveling with them. Zhou Wen would also be following along this time.
“Sorry Master isn’t here to see you off. You know how he is.”
“I do know how he is, so don’t worry about it.”
They were once more at Azure Harbor, and it was as bustling as always. Despite the hustle and bustle, a lot of the people traveling through here paused to admire the beautiful women in their group. There was a beautiful albino, a mysterious beauty wearing a veil, the snow-skinned Mei Xilan, the dainty Youmei, and the heroic Tang Tiantian. Each of them was worthy of admiration in their own way.
They hadn’t seen much of Tang Tiantian. She was this nation’s princess, so that meant she was not only busy, but she also couldn’t afford to be seen wandering around with a group of random people for no reason. The only time she had shown up during these past few days was to invite Wu Jian and Mei Xilan to meet her father. That meeting had been quite something. Her father was not the strongest person he had met, but he was the wisest. His title of The Wisest Emperor apparently wasn’t just for show.
Lili Ling and Tang Tiantian faced their group with slight smiles.
“You take care of yourself, and be sure to come back. I need someone I can test myself against,” Lili Ling said.
Zhou Lihua smiled behind her veil. “I will, of course, do everything I can to return. I still haven't learned everything from Master Yun Chi.”
While the two rivals were saying their goodbyes, Tang Tiantian held out her hand to Wu Jian, who stared at it like he wasn’t sure what to do.
“What’s this? Have you never heard of a handshake before?” asked Tang Tiantian with a grin.
“I have… I’m just surprised,” said Wu Jian, reaching out to clasp her hand. She had a strong, firm grip that fit her image.
Handshakes were not used often, for the prevalence of martial arts and combat had contributed to the prominence of the martial bow. It carried a deep cultural significance and symbolized respect, humility, and honor. Legend had it that, long ago, a god came to this planet. He taught the people how to cultivate and shared the significance of bowing. Since then, the martial bow had been used as the standardized way of showing respect and courtesy.
“I prefer doing this to bowing,” Tang Tiantian confessed. “Martial bows do not require physical contact, which can be seen as an unnecessary risk, but it can also be seen as a lack of trust. A handshake is proof that you trust someone.”
“I think I understand,” Wu Jian said with a slow nod.
“Thank you for going along with my selfish whims,” Tang Tiantian smiled.
Wu Jian shrugged. “It’s no big deal.”
“Ha ha. You are quite accommodating.” Still smiling valiantly, Tang Tiantian turned to Mei Xilan and held out her hand. “You take good care of yourself.”
Mei Xilan hesitated for a moment, then reached out and clasped the other woman’s hand.
“Yeah. You too.”
It was soon time to leave. An announcement was made that their airship was about to leave port and everyone should board. Wu Jian showed their tickets to the staff and led the four women onto the airships deck. Then they found a spot near the railing to wave at Lili Ling and Tang Tiantian. The ship rocked slightly before it began to move, leaving the port for the open seas, then taking to the skies.
“We should find our cabins now,” said Wu Jian.
“We have two, right?” asked Zhou Lihua.
“Yes. You, Mei Xilan, and Zhou Wen will share one cabin, while I’ll share one with Youmei.”
Their cabins were located on deck two. They were more spacious than the ones they had used last time. His had two beds, both kings, and it came with several pieces of luxurious furniture crafted from a darkwood that gleamed as though freshly polished. The soft carpet was thick and plush. His feet practically sank into it. Youmei, upon seeing the giant beds, immediately dove into the nearest one and began bouncing around.
His room was only a short walk away from the girls’ room, and they soon met up to grab dinner.
The food on this airship was better than the fare they had on the other airship. He wondered if that was because this one was owned by the Southern Tang Dynasty.
All airships you traveled in were owned by whatever country you were leaving. Airships that traveled to a country would have their guests disembark, then load up on foreign goods before traveling back to their country of origin. Mixing passenger travel and trade like this was done to prevent one country from gaining a monopoly on airship travel.
“Jian Wu, after dinner, can I ask you to protect our cabin?” asked Zhou Lihua.
Wu Jian stopped eating, looked up, and tilted his head. “Sure. I don’t mind, but why do you want me to? Is there something going on?”
Tucking a strand of hair behind her ear, Zhou Lihua smiled and leaned back in her chair. “There is. I’m planning to refine some pills. They’re tier 6 Benevolent Deva Ascension Pills. I believe you know this, but tier 6 pills are very advanced and hard to refine. They also make a lot of commotion.”
Zhou Lihua went on to explain how pills that were tier 6 and above released a lot of chi. This chi could be felt by people within the vicinity, which meant anyone and everyone who had an interest in growing stronger and a greed that outweighed their sense of danger would come to take what she made. She would normally never refine a pill while on an airship, but there would not be many opportunities to refine a pill once they set down.
“I understand. I’ll protect your room while you refine your pill,” Wu Jian said.
“Thank you. Be sure to protect me well,” Zhou Lihua said with an intoxicating smile.
***
Zhou Lihua had asked that nobody disturb her while she worked, and thus, she found herself all alone inside of the room she shared with Zhou Wen and Mei Xilan.
After making sure the door was locked, Zhou Lihua brought out her cauldron. What appeared before her was a masterpiece of alchemical craftsmanship. Crafted from a rare and heat-resistant alloy celestial silver, this pure white cauldron, like unblemished jade, boasted exceptional heat resistance, capable of withstanding the intense temperatures generated by a Heavenly Flame. The exterior was adorned with a sealing array. It not only served to enhance the cauldron’s aesthetics but also contributed to its mystical properties.
It was called the Heavenly Ember Cauldron. Master Yun Chi had gifted it to her when she had become his apprentice.
She rarely ever used this cauldron, for her master had often told her that it was not the cauldron who made the alchemist. According to him, relying too heavily on the properties of a good cauldron would cause an alchemist’s skills to degrade since they would no longer have to work as hard to refine a pill. Zhou Lihua had only used this cauldron our times in total. Each time, it was to refine a tier 6 pill.
Zhou Lihua was capable of refining tier 6 pills without the aid of this cauldron. However, her success rate was only twenty percent. She had enough ingredients for six attempts, which meant she would likely only be able to refine one pill. They needed at least two. More would be better. If she could refine six pills, they could auction off the other four. The Benevolent Deva Ascension Pill was exceedingly rare and highly sought after.
Zhou Lihua summoned the ingredients necessary from her storage ring. There were over two hundred. She separated the ingredients into six, then popped open the lid.
The Heavenly Ember Cauldron’s primary purpose was to amplify the effects of the Heavenly Ghost Flame. Its inner chamber had been specifically designed to contain and channel the ethereal flames, allowing them to burn hotter and more efficiently during the pill-refining process. This amplification would significantly enhance the potency and purity of the pills she made.
With a snap of her fingers, the Heavenly Ghost Flame sprang to existence, lighting up inside the cauldron. The sealing array glowed brightly as she felt the cauldron synching with her flames. She crossed her legs and closed her eyes, feeling out the flames as they heated the cauldron, and then, with a wave of her hand, added the first ingredient.
There were quite a few ways to refine alchemy ingredients. She was using the most typical method, which was to refine each ingredient individually, then mix them together. Zhou Lihua was capable of refining multiple ingredients at once now, but she didn’t want to take chances with these ingredients. Better safe than sorry.
Zhou Lihua breathed in and out with deep, slow, methodical breaths as she controlled the flame’s heat to let the ingredients dissolve. Once one ingredient had been refined, she tossed in another. The Heavenly Ember Cauldron possessed a built-in stabilization mechanism that prevented the Heavenly Ghost Flame from fluctuating or spiraling out of control. This allowed it to maintain a steady and controlled burn. Of course, she still had to adjust the temperature for each ingredient, but she didn’t have to worry about accidentally burning her ingredients during the process.
It took half a day to refine all two hundred ingredients. Zhou Lihua felt sweat trickling down her face and neck by the time she was done, and this wasn’t even the most difficult part. She soon formed a seal with her hands and willed the various purified ingredients to converge.
What made tier 6 pills so difficult to refine was not just the number of ingredients they contained, but the volatility of each ingredient. Many of them created a volatile reaction when mixed. The alchemist’s job was containing that reaction with their flames and ensuring the process was smooth. Of course, even the most talented alchemist could not perfectly contain the power erupting from their cauldron. Waves of chi erupted from the cauldron, spreading out from her room to engulf the entire ship. Now everyone would know that someone was refining a powerful pill.
I’m counting on you, Wu Jian.
***
Wu Jian and Youmei were the first to feel the waves of chi erupting from Zhou Lihua’s room. They looked at the closed door. Youmei sniffed several times, then licked her lips.
“That smells delicious. Is Big Sis cooking something?”
“I suppose you could say that…”
“Can Youmei eat it when she’s done?”
“Absolutely not.”
“Awwww.”
Youmei was already at the Deva Realm, so this pill would serve no purpose--not that the magical beast cared about that. All she wanted was to fill her stomach.
Before he could think about scolding her, a sense of malice and greed caused Wu Jian to turn his head. Six people were walking toward them.
The person in the lead was a handsome and well-groomed young man who boasted a flawless complexion and sharp facial features. His lustrous jet-black hair was meticulously styled. The way it framed his face as though to highlight his eyes, which screamed superiority, only added to his arrogant mien. The extravagant crimson robes adorning his frame were embroidered with intricate gold patterns. He was definitely the arrogant young master type. It had been a while since Wu Jian dealt with someone like this.
Behind him were the other five: a towering brute who stood a head and shoulders above the rest, a wiry individual a cunning face, a bulky man with a clean-shaven head, a man shrouded in darkness, and a mischievous young man with an unruly mop of brown hair. Wu Jian quickly dubbed those five Brute, Skinny, Baldy, Shadow, and Brat.
“Can I help you?” asked Wu Jian.
The young master smiled. “Oh, no. We are merely here because we felt a strong eruption of chi and became concerned. You see, we’re worried the chi might disrupt this ship’s navigation and so took it upon ourselves to investigate. I hope you’ll let us through so we can make sure nothing dangerous is happening in that room.”
Does...does that actually work for this guy? "Hey, we're concerned so let us in." Really?