35. A Test by Mu Yuanfeng

"Father, I've read all the books you gave me. Can I start learning alchemy?" Mu Chen walked into the room and asked.

Mu Yuanfeng glanced at Mu Chen, smiled helplessly, and said, "Chen, don't be too hasty about alchemy. Are you sure that you've really understand all the books I gave you? You must know that no mistake is allowed in alchemy."

"Father, I've really read them all. If you don’t believe me, you can test me!" Mu Chen said.

Mu Chen was a top student in modern world. He had great ability of memory. After coming to this world, Mu Chen still got his learning ability. Therefore, it only took Mu Chen one day to finish all the books Mu Yuanfeng gave to him.

Mu Yuanfeng did not ruin the moment for Mu Chen thus he tested, “Purple Ganoderma!”

Mu Chen answered confidently, "Purple Ganoderma, matures within two to many years. Its cap is mostly purple-black to nearly brown-black. Its gill is brown, dark brown, or dark. Its fungi is transparent, thin-walled….It can be taken to improve elementary strength when it is still alive. Or it can be refined into Purple Elixir. Purple Ganoderma could not be combined with Purple Grass..."

Mu Yuanfeng was shocked and then continued, "Suhexiang."

Mu Chen calmly said, "Suhexiang, purple-red, similar to Purple Sandalwood, firm, very fragrant, but heavy as a stone, and gray when it is fully burnt. It can be refined into Fragrant Elixirs.

Women who take it smell nice and become more beautiful…”

Mu Yuanfeng asked Mu Chen a dozen questions and Mu Chen answered them fluently.

Mu Yuanfeng said in surprise, "Chen, have you really read them all?"

Mu Chen nodded and said, "Yes, father! Is there any problem?"

Mu Yuanfeng shook his head, smiled, and said, "No, there is no problem. To become an excellent alchemist, you must be sensitive to soul power, perception, and mentality. There are very high requirements. Good memory is not enough.”

Mu Chen nodded and said, "Thank you for your guidance! I understand."

Mu Yuanfeng nodded with satisfaction. Being neither arrogant nor impetuous was one of the necessary qualities for becoming an excellent alchemist.

Mu Yuanfeng didn't tell Mu Chen that it took him more than half a month to get to know all the names of elixirs. Even so, his mentor was impressed by his memory.

Mu Yuanfeng felt guilty about Mu Chen. If he had cared more about Mu Chen before, maybe Mu Chen might have changed into a better person sooner.

"Come with me." Mu Yuanfeng said.

Mu Chen followed Mu Yuanfeng into an alchemy room. The temperature in the alchemy room was very high. As soon as Mu Chen walked in, he felt like he was about to faint.

Mu Yuanfeng reached out and tapped on Mu Chen's forehead. Mu Chen immediately felt a bit cooler.

"Alchemy requires fire. After you become a Martial Art Spirit, heart fire will be generated in your body. By then, you can use heart fire to make elixirs. But right now, you are not there yet."

Mu Yuanfeng said to Mu Chen.

Mu Chen nodded and said, "I know. The book says that before advancing to Martial Art Spirit alchemists can use earth fire to make elixirs or absorb strange fires into their bodies to make elixirs.” 

"It looks like you've put in a lot of effort!" Mu Yuanfeng said.

Mu Chen smiled shyly.

"It is every alchemist's dream to find strange fires for one's own use. However, that is too difficult. I have spent more than eight years searching for a special kind of fire, but found nothing. I was super lucky to find an earth fire." Mu Yuanfeng said proudly.

"You are amazing." Mu Chen said.

Earth Fire was very valuable. Thanks to it, Mu Yuanfeng could make elixirs at home. Otherwise, he had to rent an alchemy room at a high cost.

"You are still too weak to withstand the flaming power of this alchemy room. The ice spirit energy I put into your body can only last for two hours. So you can only stay in the alchemy room for two hours at most every day. Understand?" Mu Yuanfeng reminded.

Mu Chen nodded and said, "I understand."

Mu Yuanfeng smiled and said, "In the future, as your strength improves, you will be able to stay in this alchemy room for longer time."

Mu Chen nodded and asked, "Father, when you first learned alchemy, how did you solve the problem of fire?"

Mu Yuanfeng rubbed Mu Chen's head and said, "I was not as lucky as you. I used to rent an alchemy room to learn alchemy, and the rental fee for an alchemy room is high. When I first started alchemy, I failed a lot and couldn’t earn much to pay the rent.” He often had to borrow money to feed himself. Even worse, he thought of giving up a few times.

Mu Chen stared at Mu Yuanfeng while he pondered.

Mu Yuanfeng tapped on Mu Chen's forehead, "What are you looking at?"

"I was just thinking, you had tough days," Mu Chen said.

Mu Yuanfeng smiled and said solemnly, "That is why you should cherish everything I did for you.” 

Mu Chen nodded and said, "I understand."

 

 

36. The Talent of Making Elixirs

 

"Fire control is an extremely important step to make elixirs. The first step is to control the flame from low, small, medium, and to high. The higher level of the elixirs you make, the more demanding the flame is required. Sometimes, you have to keep adjusting the flame accordingly.”  Mu Yuanfeng said.

Mu Chen nodded in understanding.

"This is low flame." Mu Yuanfeng drew out a small cluster of flames from the fire vein of the earth fire.

"This is small fire..." The flame above Mu Yuanfeng's palm suddenly grew a lot bigger.

"This is medium fire..." Mu Yuanfeng demonstrated the five kinds of flames one by one.

Mu Chen’s eyes were fixed on the flames. There was record of the five types of flames, including their strengths and weaknesses. However, the records in the book were ultimately invisible, not as astonishing as he saw with his own eyes. It was much easier to have a competent tutor to guide him.

Mu Yuanfeng looked at Mu Chen and asked, "Did you see it clearly?"

Mu Chen nodded and said, "Yes, I did."

Mu Yuanfeng was surprised. He did not expect that Mu Chen would see clearly. So he was ready to demonstrate it to Mu Chen again. Back in times, his mentor had to demonstrate it for five times before he barely got to know the degree of the flame.

"Then give it a try." Mu Yuanfeng said.

Mu Chen nodded and drew a small flame from the fire vein of the earth fire. The flame was exactly the same as the flame that Mu Yuanfeng had drawn before. Mu Chen demonstrated the five kinds of flames one by one.

Mu Yuanfeng was astonished! What a genius! Why didn't he know before that his son was such a genius! What a waste of time! Mu Yuanfeng felt more guilty.

"Father, did I do it correct?" Mu Chen asked Mu Yuanfeng.

Mu Yuanfeng nodded, tried his best to maintain calm, and said indifferently, "Yes, you have a hang of it."

Mu Chen breathed a sigh of relief and said, "That's good."

"Since you are a beginner, you should start with making spiritual liquid.” Mu Yuanfeng thought for a while.

Mu Chen nodded and said, "Okay."

Spiritual liquid was usually for external intake, one step before solidifying to elixir pills. Therefore, it was easier to make spiritual liquid. Spiritual liquid took a longer time to take effect, but with less side effect than elixir pills.

Mu Yuanfeng waved his arm and ten types of spirit grasses appeared next to him. He said, "These are different types of spirit grass for refining body-forging spirit liquid. I am going to show you the method of making body-forging spirit liquid."

Mu Chen stepped back to make space for Mu Yuanfeng to demonstrate.

"Did you see clearly?" Mu Yuanfeng finished the demonstration and asked Mu Chen.

Mu Chen nodded and said confidently, "I did..."

Two hours later, Mu Yuanfeng and Mu Chen walked out of the alchemy room. Mu Yuanfeng looked very happy.

Back in the alchemy room, Mu Yuanfeng showed Mu Chen the methods of making two first-grade spiritual liquids and three first-grade elixirs. Mu Chen mastered all of them just by looking at the demonstration once. Even Mu Yuanfeng himself failed to demonstrate how to successfully make Mind-calming Elixirs. But Mu Chen succeeded at first attempt.

Mu Chen looked tired but his eyes were surprisingly bright.

"Yuanfeng, what happened to Mu Chen?" Mu Yuanhang asked.

Mu Yuanfeng smiled and said, "He was smoked by fire."

Mu Yuanhang looked at Mu Chen and said, "He is too young to learn alchemy. Look at him. He looks like he is about to faint from the heat."

Mu Yuanfeng smiled lightly and said, "He's old enough to learn it."

"How is his talent in alchemy?" Mu Yuanhang asked.

Mu Yuanfeng smiled bitterly and said, "He has just started learning. It is hard to tell if he is talented in alchemy.”

Mu Chen smiled shyly and said, "I think alchemy is very interesting, but I'm not good at it."

Mu Yuanhang smiled, patted Mu Chen's shoulder, and comforted, "Chen, alchemy is not something that can be accomplished overnight. You have to take your time. Take your time."

Mu Chen nodded and said, "I understand."

Mu Yuanfeng looked at the back of Mu Yuanhang leaving and sneered in mind.
After discussing with Mu Chen, he decided to keep Mu Chen's talent as a secret. There was not only one big family in City of Mo. If other families knew about Mu Chen's great talent, Mu

Chen would be in danger.

It was not a happy thing that Mu Yuanfeng couldn’t tell the world that he had a talented son. But Mu Yuanfeng could live with it for the sake of his son’s safety.

 

…………

"Ye Shi, your pork knuckles." Amu handed the pork knuckles to Ye Shi enviously.

Ye Shi complained in his mind: Why did not Mu Chen come to see him? 

Ye Shi had a big bit of the pork knuckle, as if he had a grudge against the pork knuckle.

"Stone, do you miss Young Master Mu?" Chen Da leaned forward and asked.

Ye Shi gritted his teeth and said, "No. I don’t. He is so bad."

Chen Da said, "Stone, if you really miss young Master Mu Chen, you can go see him. You don't have to wait for him to come to you!"

Ye Shi replied, "He is making alchemy. He doesn't have time to see me."

"Whether he has time to see you, you won't know until you go!" Chen Da advised.

Ye Shi thought about it for a while and started to consider it.

"Stone, you have a visitor." A waiter walked in and said.

Ye Shi's heart skipped a beat, and he asked nervously, "Who is it?"

"He is a servant of Master Mu Chen." The waiter said.

Ye Shi asked, "Just a servant. He didn't he come?"

The waiter shook his head and said, "I didn't see him."

Ye Shi calmed down, washed his hands, and walked out.

"Master Ye Shi." Ren Three greeted respectfully.

Ye Shi blinked, looked at Ren Three, and said, "Is there anything you want to say to me?"

Ren Three handed the food box to Ye Shi and said, "Master Mu Chen prepared for you."

Ye Shi took the food box and felt moved. Finally, he asked, "Where is he?"

"Master Mu Chen has been working hard on alchemy recently. He is very tired. Now he is resting." Ren Three said.

"Has he succeeded in making elixirs?" Ye Shi asked.

Ren Three smiled bitterly and said, "Alchemy is not that simple."

Ye Shi pouted and said, "I guess so too."

Ren Three, "..."

"Master Ye Shi, if you will excuse me, I am leaving." Ren Three said.

"Wait a minute." Ye Shi stopped Ren Three.

Ren Three looked at Ye Shi and asked, "What's wrong?"

"Tell him not to rush it. Don't work too hard. Anyway... anyway... he is so stupid. Even if he works overnight, he may not be able to make elixirs." Ye Shi said.

Ren Three shrugged and said, "I will deliver the message to the young master."

Ye Shi hesitated for a moment, then stopped Ren Three again, and said blushing, "Please don't tell him."

Ren Three looked at Ye Shi and said, "Okay."

Ye Shi felt gloomy in his mind.

Zhuang Yu was walking on the street when he saw Ye Shi sending Ren Three away.

"Master Ye Shi." Zhuang Yu called out as Ye Shi was about to get back into the restaurant.

Ye Shi saw the person standing beside Zhuang Yu was Lan Ruofeng who he had seen at the auction.

"This is Ruofeng." Zhuang Yu introduced to Ye Shi.

Ye Shi nodded lightly towards Lan Ruofeng and said, "Hello."

Ye Shi pursed his lips. He was amazed how quickly Zhuang Yu hooked up with Lan Ruofeng. It looked like that Zhuang Yu already possessed the Ice Lotus Water.

"Ruofeng is a second-level alchemist." Zhuang Yu said to Ye Shi.

Ye Shi was surprised and said, "You are really amazing." A young second-level alchemy room was rare.

Lan Ruofeng had a second thought about Ye Shi. Ye Shi was obviously ugly, but Lan Ruofeng felt that he had seen this person before, and they should be very close.

"I am flattered. Have we met before?" Lan Ruofeng asked.

Ye Shi shook his head and said, "No." Ye Shi saw him at the auction, but Lan Ruofeng had never seen him.

Zhuang Yu couldn't help but wondered. Ye Shi shouldn't be attractive to men. But Mu Chen seemed to have been fascinated by him, and now even Lan Ruofeng appeared to look at in a different way.

Zhuang Yu said to Lan Ruofeng, "Ruofeng, I have something to say to Ye Shi alone."

Lan Ruofeng nodded and said, "Then I'll go to the spirit grass shop over there. I'll come back and pick you up later."

Zhuang Yu nodded and said, "Okay."

Intuition told Ye Shi that he would be deeply related with Lan Ruofeng and he would do everything for Lan Ruofeng.

Ye Shi shook his head and found it ridiculous. Why would he do that for a completely stranger?