Mutated Tao

“I don’t think you would understand it even if I were to explain it to you. After all, it’s quite a complicated process. Just learn it from Master.”

“Oh, I see.” Li Huowang brushed him off.

The pills that Dan Yangzi gave him were clearly effective, meaning that the laws of this world were different from those of his original world.

If he wanted to fight against Dan Yangzi, there was much more he needed to learn about this world.

Is he something akin to a cultivator that I’ve always read about in novels? That can’t be right. Since when do cultivators use live humans to refine pills? And since when do they enslave people in order to achieve Immortality? Based on what I know, if he was a cultivator, then shouldn’t I be given a special technique to cultivate? I don’t have any of that!

As Li Huowang’s understanding of this world deepened, he felt that the laws of this world were bizarre. Dan Yangzi did not even give him the impression of a cultivator.

“Oh before I forget, this is my advice, as a Senior Brother to a Junior Brother. Try your best to ensure that everything is done even before Master asks for it. Take what happened yesterday for example. Because of your hysteria flaring up again, we missed the right timing to refine the pill. So, if you send in the guiding drug ingredient to the Pill Room before 11 pm on the day after tomorrow, you will technically be making up for your mistake from the last time. It should make Master happy. While our Master may be moody, as long as you keep him happy, he will give you benefits.”

“Yesterday’s pill ingredient?” Li Huowang was shocked.

“Yeah, did you forget? What exactly did Master ask you to retrieve?”

Li Huowang’s pupils shrank. So many things had happened so quickly that he had nearly forgotten about this! To think that it was not yet over.

If he did not come up with a plan before the day after tomorrow, then the girl suffering from albinism would suffer the same fate as the rest of the guiding drug ingredients and be turned into minced meat!

Li Huowang stumbled back to his room and laid on the stone bed, the red-threaded golden anklet still pressed against his chest. It felt as if it was red hot, spurring Li Huowang to quickly think of a way to save her.

But Dan Yangzi was too strong, and Li Huowang had no allies within Zephyr Temple!

Those who had tried to flee blindly had already perished, so Li Huowang couldn’t really copy their plan.

As he tossed and turned, the night passed.

Before the morning classes, Li Huowang wore his robes and started walking out of his cave.

He wanted to go to the Pill Room and see if there was anything that could help him.

Just as he was walking out of the cave with an oil lamp, a sharp face appeared within the darkness. Li Huowang was startled but he soon composed himself. The one who had appeared in front of him was Puppy!

“Hehe, Senior Brother Li, sorry for scaring you. I didn’t see you in the Preparation Room the entire day and got worried. That’s why I came to find you.”

“Is disciple Bai alright?” Li Huowang took a step back.

“Yeah, she’s fine. You’ve already chosen her to be the one to take care of the Preparation Room, so who would go against your order? Ever since you were made in charge of the place, no one else has been taken away. You are amazing!”

Upon hearing Puppy spout such words, Li Huowang felt irritated. He took the oil lamp and walked past Puppy.

When he arrived at the Pill Room, he saw that some of the assistants had already started cleaning the furnace and floor using rags.

One of them was even standing within the stone urn with a pig bristle brush, using it to scrape off the leftover meat within it.

As Dan Yangzi’s official disciple, no one would question him for entering the Pill Room.

Li Huowang walked around and observed the room.

The entire room was quite simple. With the exception of the black furnace that took up one-third of the room, there was only the stone urn and the pestle beside it. There was nothing else in the room, not even books on refining pills or any tapestries. The room looked quite empty and spacious.

“What are you looking at?” A familiar yet chilly voice sounded from his back.

Li Huowang turned and bowed. “Master.”

“I’m asking you, what were you looking at?”

Li Huowang thought quickly and came up with an excuse. “I was in awe of your amazing pill-refining skills, so I came here to see if I could someday attain the same level of mastery as Master.”

Dan Yangzi was satisfied with Li Huowang’s attitude.

Looks like the brat has finally become obedient.

He held both hands behind his back and circled the black furnace. “It’s good to be curious and to want to improve yourself. However, it’s not that I don’t want to teach you, but the Dao of External Pills is not simple. Ordinary pills are easy to refine, but it is extremely difficult to become an Immortal through the Dao of Pills. You need to be able to refine both external and internal pills. I’ve almost succeeded in doing so, but I’ve had to expend a lot of effort in the process.”

Dan Yangzi was ecstatic as he pictured himself living life as an Immortal.

“Master, are you almost at the realm of an Immortal?”

Li Huowang had just said this when Dan Yangzi reeled back from his imagination and composed himself. “The path to becoming an Immortal is a long road, but I know that I can be one. Do you know why?”

“No.”

Dan Yangzi’s eyes shone with excitement. “That’s because this method to become an Immortal was recorded within a sacred text written by Taishang Laojun himself! He personally gave it to me! Who else could possibly become an Immortal? If he says that I can become one, then I will definitely become one!”

Taishang Laojun? Who is he? Is he one of the three deities?

Li Huowong didn’t recognize that name.

While he wasn’t sure about the details, Li Huowang still had to put up a facade. “Master is right! You will definitely become an Immortal and live as long as the heavens and earth!”

Dan Yangzi loved listening to praises like these, causing a grin to appear on his grotesque face.

“Hahaha! Good! If you wish to learn how to refine pills, then let me teach you a simple one. This is the recipe to refine a Blood Nourishing Pill. Remember it: 600g of Crimson Pills, 500g of nut grass, 110g of actinolite...”

This was an unexpected harvest that Li Huowang could not afford to miss out on!

He quickly tried finding some paper and ink to write down the recipe, but the entire room was devoid of any such items. He did not find anything despite doing his best to scan the entire room.

Out of desperation, he picked up a piece of charcoal from under the furnace and started writing down the recipe on his robes.

“...start the furnace at 1:45am, put in the ingredients; look closely, breathe quietly, and pay attention. Refine it slowly using a weak flame. Open the furnace at 6 am. Use this recipe to slowly practice on your own. I’m looking forward to seeing how talented you are.”

Li Huowang threw the charcoal away once he was done writing it down. He showed his Master the recipe he had written. “Master, please take a look and see if I’ve missed anything?”

But when Dan Yangzi saw the recipe written in charcoal, his initially joyous face became sour.

He raised his right leg and kicked Li Huowang, causing him to crash into the furnace and fall heavily onto the ground.

Then, Dan Yangzi muttered angrily under his breath and left.

Meanwhile, Li Huowang just sat still on the ground.

Once he suppressed his anger, Li Huowang felt that something was wrong. He hadn’t done anything wrong, so why did his Master act like that?

He looked at the recipe that he had written. While it was not written in the best of handwriting, it was still legible.

At that moment, a sudden thought popped up into his head. He looked around the empty room that was devoid of anything with words. He then thought about how none of them had any books for morning classes.

Piecing together all the information, he came to a realization.

Could he be illiterate?

Chacha and Char’s Thoughts

Yo the MC has some detective level thinking skills