Zhong Cai cheerfully dragged Wu Shaoqian to the base of the altar. They then climbed up the small steps beside it and sat shoulder to shoulder on the stone seat.
Wu Shaoqian smiled and asked, “Why did you bring me here specifically?”
Zhong Cai grinned and said, “To give you a pass.”
Wu Shaoqian didn’t understand. “What?”
Zhong Cai, after enjoying the confused look on his friend’s face, explained, “By inviting you to sit here with me, I’ve marked you. Now, you can freely enter and exit the altar without being blocked.”
Wu Shaoqian was touched by Zhong Cai’s trust, but he still gently reminded him, “Your companion artifact is extraordinary. Granting me this privilege might be too hasty.”
Zhong Cai dismissed his concerns, “Oh, this privilege can only be given to one person. Since I’ve given it to you, no one else can have it. It’s also a safeguard for me.”
Wu Shaoqian felt helpless. Whether to grant the privilege or not was Zhong Cai’s decision. What safeguard? With his limited power and inability to cultivate further, what protection can he possibly offer Zhong Cai?
Zhong Cai leaned on Wu Shaoqian, his expression turning slightly serious.
“Jokes aside, Old Wu, if you ever encounter any danger, hide in the altar directly.”
Wu Shaoqian was stunned for a moment before suddenly realizing and exclaiming, “Is this a companion artifact of the Xumi Jiezi type?” Then he reconsidered and said, “Not entirely; it can also exchange items.”
Zhong Cai nodded and said, “This altar is quite complex. Besides exchanging items, it also has certain defensive capabilities cultivators at the Suspended Illumination Realm and below cannot break it. Additionally, it has some Xumi Jiezi-like abilities. It can store both inanimate and animate objects, and when I’m not using it, it turns into a tiny speck of dust hidden in my hair. If I go inside, the speck of dust hides nearby.”
Wu Shaoqian breathed slowly, his heart beating a little faster.
Cultivators can only store their companion artifacts in their soul artifact palace when they reach the Palace Aperture Realm. Those who have already opened their soul artifact before reaching this realm can only carry their companion artifacts with them, hide their true nature and disguise them with other objects, or find a safe place to protect them.
Once in the Palace Aperture Realm, even if a companion artifact can hold living beings, the cultivator cannot enter it once the treasure is stored in the Dao Palace. If the cultivator enters, the artifact can only remain in place.
However, there is one type of companion treasure that is very special: the Xumi Jiezi type.
It allows people to hide inside, and it can also become very small and difficult to detect – it should be noted that only cultivators who have reached the peak of the Palace Construction Realm can enter their own Dao Palaces and turn them into dust.
And the vast majority of Xumi Jiezi types can only hide people, and those that also have other abilities are extremely rare, only appearing in legends – it is said that there is also a medicinal spring in that Xumi Jiezi that can wash the marrow and remove impurities, curing all diseases.
And the one that Zhong Cai possessed was even more extraordinary.
Wu Shaoqian asked in a low voice, “What grade is this altar?”
Zhong Cai also replied softly, “Right now, it should be considered a fifth-grade top-tier artifact, equivalent to having a peak Huang Rank aptitude. However, as my strength increases and I invest more spiritual essence into it, the altar may become even larger, and its grade will likely increase accordingly, along with my aptitude.”
Wu Shaoqian narrowed his eyes, “A companion artifact that can self-enhance… I’ve never heard of such a thing. A Cai, remember, from now on, aside from when you’re alone or in front of me, don’t let anyone else see your altar. No matter how trustworthy they are.”
Zhong Cai put his arm around him and readily agreed, “Don’t worry, I’m not stupid. To be frank with you, if we weren’t tied together right now, I probably wouldn’t have told you so early.”
Wu Shaoqian rubbed his temples. Not telling him at all would have been the right move, but in the end, Zhong Cai had only told him “not so early.” However, it had to be said that because Zhong Cai always gave him the greatest trust, it had supported his rapid breakthroughs before and his quick recovery of mood now.
We’re sorry for MTLers or people who like using reading mode, but our translations keep getting stolen by aggregators so we’re going to bring back the copy protection. If you need to MTL please retype the gibberish parts.
After sighing, Wu Shaoqian said, “As long as you know what to do.”
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Wu Shaoqian was taken aback for a moment, then praised, “That’s a good idea.” He pointed to the blue mustard seed bag hanging from Zhong Cai’s waist, and with a mysterious smile, he said, “Take a closer look at our hidden treasures.”
Zhong Cai was surprised, picked up the pouch, and inspected it. He discovered a small, stove-like object in one of the compartments on the shelf where odds and ends were stored. When he had previously inventoried their belongings, he had thought it was an incense burner. Now, could it be a pill furnace?
With a thought, the thing fell to Zhong Cai’s feet. He circled it a few times and indeed, it was a pill furnace.
He didn’t know what material it was made of, but it had three stable legs at the bottom. Upon careful observation, he discovered that the round furnace was actually divided into two layers. The lower layer had four openings on each side, which seemed to be the fire chamber for burning fuel, while the upper layer was a closed furnace body used for refining medicinal herbs.
“Quite impressive, looks like it’s of second grade?” Zhong Cai asked curiously. “Where did this come from? Won’t other people find out where it’s from?”
Wu Shaoqian said, “It was also a coincidence.” His tone was light, “My eldest brother has a legitimate daughter named Wu Zhaohong, with only mid-grade Huang Rank talent. The companion artifact, a vase, only has the ability to maintain the freshness of level one or two precious medicines for an additional ten days. Perhaps for this reason, she developed an interest in alchemy, and my sister-in-law also supported her, finding a first-level alchemist to teach her. After nearly ten years of study, she can now handle the production of ordinary first-grade elixirs. She’s very considerate to me on weekdays. Even after she married, she would often send someone to greet me. I wanted to find her a better pill furnace, so I found a skilled second-level craftsman.”
“That craftsman’s life was nearing its end and hadn’t taken any orders for a long time. But when I asked him, he gave me face and agreed. He just asked for a few rare refining materials to refine the best quality pill furnace. It took me two years to gather the materials, and he spent another half year polishing. In the end, he didn’t disappoint my hopes. At the end of last year, he refined this second-grade top-quality pill furnace, which is enough for Wu Zhaohong to use for a long time. Then the craftsman passed away. He was reclusive and had no children or relatives. I handled the aftermath through my people.”
Wu Shaoqian continued, “Originally, I wanted to surprise Wu Zhaohong on her birthday this year, so besides me, no one else knew. Even Xiang Lin only knew that I hired someone to refine an artifact, but didn’t know what was being refined. Now it just happened to be useful for you.”
Listening, Zhong Cai frowned and said, “I guess it’s because Wu Zhaohong always tries to please you, and you’re generous, giving her a lot of benefits in the past, right? Also, did she marry in this city? Before, even if you bumped into her a little, she would immediately send someone to greet, and then you would send out a bunch of stuff? But this time you were unconscious for half a day, she not only didn’t show up, but also didn’t send any gifts when we got married, right?” He knew Wu Shaoqian very well, didn’t doubt his own judgment at all, sneering and mocking, “Really shrewd, not deserving of your affection.”
Seeing his friend angry for him, Wu Shaoqian didn’t mind at all, smiling and saying, “It shows that this pill furnace originally belonged to you, and only you deserve it.”
Zhong Cai thought for a moment and said straightforwardly, “You’re right.” He touched the pill furnace and continued, “The companion artifact is a second-grade pill furnace, so I’ll just tell everyone that my aptitude is Huang Rank.”
Then the two of them looked at each other and chuckled.
As for that mood-killer Wu Zhaohong? Who remembers her anymore?
Wu Shaoqian smiled and said, “Put away the altar and make a few more lists. Have someone buy more precious medicines for you, so you can start learning alchemy sooner.”
Zhong Cai nodded in agreement and counted on his fingers, saying to Wu Shaoqian, “I have to start with first-grade pills. The inheritance said that each low-grade first-grade pill can provide one strand of spiritual aura, two strands for middle-grade, three strands for high-grade, and five strands for top-grade. For a beginner like me, it’s not bad to be able to produce pills, so don’t even think about getting the best quality. What if I can only make one or two low-grade pills at a time? It will take several furnaces to get ten strands of spiritual aura before I can exchange! If it’s a higher-grade item, like one per hundred strands or one per thousand strands… How many precious medicines and how much money would that require? It makes my scalp tingle just thinking about it. Low-grade first-grade pills don’t sell for much. If my luck is bad, I’ll end up spending more than I earn. Sigh!”
Wu Shaoqian couldn’t help but laugh, “Well, there’s no need to think that way. If you were a rare genius in alchemy, and every furnace you make produces twelve full elixirs, all of them top-grade, wouldn’t each furnace have sixty strands of spiritual aura?”
Zhong Cai rolled his eyes. Now that he has the inheritance, does he not know whether or not he could be an alchemy genius?
Zhong Cai’s gaze fell involuntarily on the still burning white-flamed pit, the corners of his mouth twitching slightly.
To be honest, he really felt that this thing was very much like the gacha system in the games he played in his previous life. Not only did the exchange have different levels, but what was even more outrageous was that no matter what level it was, as long as he exchange ten times in a row, there was a guaranteed resource!
“First-grade rare herbs, Tianma grass, Bailuo root, Qizhi flower… Among them, Tianma grass is one of the three main herbs of the Baicao Dan, Bailuo root is one of the two main herbs of the Buxue Dan, and Qizhi flower is one of the two main herbs of the Cuigu Dan… The market price of the low-grade Baicao Dan is one hundred and twenty taels, and it is a pill used for healing… The low-grade can be used at most for cultivators in the fourth level of the Heavenly Induction Realm; the middle-grade is one hundred and fifty, and can be used at most for the sixth level of the Heavenly Induction Realm; the high-grade is three hundred, and can be used at most for the eleventh level; the top-grade is five hundred, and can be used at most for the twelfth level… The market price of the Buxue Dan… The market price of the Qizhi flower…”
Zhong Cai sat on a stone stool, his fingers scraping back and forth on the stone table where several rare herbs were displayed.
[Tianma grass is verdant all over, with jagged leaves emitting a faint spicy scent; Bailuo root is a rare herb where after maturing, the leaves wither completely, leaving only the white root resembling a spiral, with no smell; as for the Qizhi flower, true to its name, its flowers resemble seven fingers on a palm and emit a sweet fragrance.]
As Zhong Cai scraped, he muttered to himself. “I really can’t believe it, even after crossing over, I have to study so hard. I originally agreed to be a useless cultivator who just messes around.”
Carefully familiarizing himself with the inheritance in his mind, Zhong Cai pushed these three rare herbs aside and picked up several other medicinal herbs from the basket at the side of the table, beginning to compare them with his memory, becoming familiar with the pill formula.
He didn’t know how much time had passed when Zhong Cai felt dizzy and his eyes blurred. He also felt a bit hungry. Suddenly, he caught a whiff of a savory fragrance, and his stomach growled even louder, unable to resist lifting his head.
Not far away, an extremely handsome young man stood quietly, holding a bowl of steaming meat soup.
Seeing Zhong Cai notice him, the young man smiled at Zhong Cai, “Shall we fill your stomach first?”
Zhong Cai almost pounced over, tears welling up in his eyes, “Old Wu, you really saved my life. I was almost starving to death! I’ve been memorizing those things all morning, I’m going crazy!”
Wu Shaoqian laughed, This guy is talking nonsense again. He handed the meat soup to Zhong Cai.
Zhong Cai eagerly drank it, the temperature slightly hot but very palatable.
The meat was mashed into the soup, fresh, fragrant, and rich, quickly soothing Zhong Cai’s stomach.
Zhong Cai wiped his mouth, placed the empty bowl on the table, and let out a long breath.
“Ah! Finally coming back to life.”
Wu Shaoqian sat on another stone stool, smiling, “I’ve already ordered lunch. It will be here soon.”
Zhong Cai was moved and said, “Without you, what would I do?”
Wu Shaoqian couldn’t help but laugh again.
Lunch indeed arrived quickly. Zhou Lin and Dong Jin each carried trays and entered through the second gate.
Wu Shaoqian helped Zhong Cai tidy up the rare herbs on the table and put them back into the basket.
Zhou Lin set down two bowls of meat dishes and took away the empty bowls.
Dong Jin placed two vegetarian dishes and a bowl of rice porridge, filling the stone table.
Zhong Cai ate from the bowl and asked, “Shaoqian’s medicinal meals, didn’t I tell you to make three meals a day?”
Zhou Lin hurriedly said, “They are already stewing. They need a little more time, and we can bring them over right away.”
Zhong Cai was finally satisfied, “Okay, hurry up.”
Zhou Lin and Dong Jin quickly withdrew.
Wu Shaoqian’s eyes softened as he rested his chin on his hand and watched Zhong Cai devour his food.
Not long after, Zhou Lin brought a bowl of medicinal soup. Wu Shaoqian took it and drank it in one gulp.
Zhong Cai picked up a slightly sweet vegetarian dish with his chopsticks and brought it to Wu Shaoqian’s mouth, saying, “Quickly get rid of the medicinal taste.”
Wu Shaoqian ate it directly, chewed and swallowed it in two bites, then immediately ate the piece of tender meat Zhong Cai shared with him, and remarked after tasting it, “Zhou Lin’s cooking is quite good.”
Zhong Cai nodded, “I also think it’s quite good. The taste of this meat dish today is the best, and the energy inside is very gentle. You need to rest well now. You can’t handle anything too strong. Try this mild one.”
Wu Shaoqian smiled in response.
Zhong Cai muttered again, “Once you recover, we can eat whatever we want again. I only have this little desire for food now that I’m messing around with these things…”
Wu Shaoqian smiled as he looked at him and agreed again, “Okay, then we’ll have a different dish every meal.”
Zhong Cai thought for a moment and said, “If it’s particularly delicious, we can eat it a few more times.”
Wu Shaoqian laughed out loud.
In the shadow of the corridor, Xiang Lin, who silently guarded, watched this scene and felt relieved. Since the young master was disabled, he had been worried about his mood. Fortunately, Young Master Cai came, and indeed the young master improved. He seemed to be happier now than when he was always tense before.
In the afternoon, Zhong Cai identified various rare herbs and common medicinal ingredients again, repeatedly recited several of the most common pill formulas, and then focused on details like how to set up the furnace, how to start the fire, how to control the size of the flames, the amount of ingredients to add, and the timing and degree of heat control.
Wu Shaoqian was always there beside him, occasionally organizing the various scattered herbs for him.
Zhong Cai was completely absorbed, unaware of anything else.
Suddenly, at the second gate, Xiang Lin appeared abruptly and came to Wu Shaoqian’s side, whispering softly to him.
“Young Master, Concubine Wu Xiang is asking for Miao Hua and Miao Ye, saying she’s willing to use money to buy them.”
Wu Shaoqian casually replied, “Tell her to get lost.”
Xiang Lin responded with an “understood,” then swiftly disappeared again.
Wu Shaoqian returned his gaze to Zhong Cai, his expression gentle and tender.
—-
Outside the courtyard, Xiang Lin looked at the beautiful young woman in front of the main gate and said expressionlessly, “The young master told you to get lost.”
Wu Xiang’s expression turned somewhat ugly. In the past, she had no choice but to let her younger uncle take away those two maidservants. But now that her younger uncle was disabled, she politely came to ask for someone, yet her younger uncle didn’t even show his face and directly scolded her. Does he really still think he is the pride of heaven?
Feeling upset, Wu Xiang almost wanted to barge into the courtyard. However, Wu Shaoqian held a higher position, and the obstructing guards were completely unyielding.
She was utterly helpless and could only leave reluctantly in the end.
—-
Inside the courtyard, Zhong Cai confirmed that he wouldn’t be frantic anymore, turned his head, and discussed with Wu Shaoqian, “I feel quite good. Shall we give it a try?”
Wu Shaoqian held the basket of herbs and showed his support through action.
Zhong Cai hugged the pill furnace and happily walked into the cultivation room with him.
Thanks for the chapter! We’ll forget the useless people & stick to our happy couple.
Oh, growing up together is romantic
Thank you for your translation 💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛💛
They are so sweet together.
AWW it’s because of zc’s great trust in wsq that made his breakthrough go so fast? platonic or romantic, that’s real love there.
i wonder if zc got that altar as a soul artifact because of he willingly gave away his guhun fruit and even consummated with wsq who he has a good relationship with.”this privilege can only be given to one person” hm. this is only supporting my hypothesis.
oh! i’m looking at incense burners and the image in the toc DOES resemble them. i thought it was a funky cauldron.