Chapter Fifteen: The Vengeance of Sun Sanjiu
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The Next Day
“Mu... Brother Mu... Li Mu…”
From below the building, a familiar voice called out.
Li Mu glanced outside. Beside Sun Qi stood a sharp-eyed young man, who, upon entering, immediately bowed low to the ground in a respectful salute.
Li Mu rose to help him up, brought over some meditation cushions, and invited them to sit.
No sooner had they settled in than Li Mu cut straight to the point. “Sun Sanjiu, did you once serve as an apprentice for an alchemist?”
His previous failures in alchemy had left him with some resentment, making him eager to know more about the craft.
Sun Sanjiu’s face was pale, his injuries still not fully healed. “Yes, I was an outer disciple of Flower Grove Sect, chosen by the sect’s alchemist to serve as an apprentice.”
Li Mu’s eyes shone with anticipation. “Did you manage to learn any alchemy skills?”
Sun Sanjiu shook his head helplessly, a trace of bitterness in his expression. “No, I served for less than a month before being expelled from the sect. Now, I only remember the main herbs for two types of pills, but as for the exact proportions—those are a mystery to me.”
“The main herbs?”
Sun Sanjiu explained carefully, “Every pill has its essential main ingredients. They are indispensable. The auxiliary herbs can vary between alchemists, so the effects differ as well.”
Li Mu’s mind was working quickly. Main herbs, auxiliary herbs—perhaps now he understood the direction for his next experiment. As long as he could identify the main herbs, it might work. The proportions might not be so critical, since the Mythic Spirit Tower’s prompts had never emphasized them; perhaps they weren’t essential.
“Can you tell me what they are?” Li Mu fixed his gaze on Sun Sanjiu.
Sun Sanjiu nodded, speaking with certainty. “Of course. The two pills I remember—one is called the Qi Restoration Pill, which can restore a large amount of true energy. It’s a top-grade pill for everyday use. Its three main ingredients are Spirit Fruit, Twining Herb, and Three-leaf Wood Root. The other is the Panacea Pill; its main herbs are Seabed Shell, Nine-heart Flower, and Dragon Emperor Blossom. The Panacea Pill is a second-grade pill. While I was apprenticing, we never found the perfect proportions, and after half a month, we were still busy experimenting with auxiliary herbs.”
Now that he was speaking about alchemy, Sun Sanjiu became animated and talkative.
It was clear he truly loved the art of alchemy. Being chosen as an apprentice proved he had some natural talent.
“You know quite a lot. Impressive,” Li Mu nodded silently, a pleased expression on his face. “Thank you.”
He felt a spark of hope. With these main herbs, perhaps he could achieve some results.
“It’s nothing, Brother Li Mu.”
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A faint blush crept onto Sun Sanjiu’s pale cheeks, as if Li Mu’s praise had left him at a loss.
“It’s only right, Li Mu,” Sun Qi added with a delighted smile.
Sun Sanjiu looked at Li Mu, his eyes flickering with emotion before turning solemn. “Brother Li Mu, I have a request—I don’t know if I should mention it.”
Sun Qi, sensing what was coming, immediately stood up to stop him. “You want revenge? No, absolutely not.”
Sun Sanjiu turned his face away, jaw clenched, his expression pained and deeply unwilling.
“Sit for now,” Li Mu said, suddenly interested. “How did you get injured, Sun Sanjiu?”
Sun Sanjiu turned back, speaking through gritted teeth. “A few fellow disciples from my sect attacked me.”
“Why?”
“I don’t know, truly I don’t. That day, I merely spoke a little longer with Alchemist Shen, and then several apprentices accused me of stealing herbs. In the end, I was expelled from the sect. No sooner had I left than they chased me down, beat me, and swore I would never practice cultivation or alchemy again!”
At the mention of never practicing alchemy, Sun Sanjiu’s face flushed red, his fingers digging into his palms.
Sun Qi’s expression was also pained. “Both of Sanjiu’s hands were broken, his meridians shattered. Fortunately, his cultivation is low, so with a Marrow Cleansing Pill, he’ll recover. But it will be months before he can cultivate or practice alchemy again.”
Li Mu pondered for a moment. “This Alchemist Shen—how old is she? Is she a woman?”
“Alchemist Shen is a renowned alchemist in the region, who reached the Spirit-Building stage at just eighteen. She’s already able to refine second-grade pills, something never seen before in the Cloud Mountain Realm.” Sun Sanjiu’s eyes flashed with rare admiration. “Yes, she’s a woman—a fairy-like woman. Every disciple in Flower Grove is enamored with her.”
Li Mu seemed to understand. “Those apprentices—who are they close to?”
“They’re often seen with Inner Disciple Wang Qi... Could it be him?”
After all this time, Sun Sanjiu suddenly realized, anger flooding his face. “So it was Wang Qi who set them on me! He’s been pursuing Alchemist Shen, but she ignores him. He must have taken it out on me.”
“Calm down.” Li Mu nodded gently. “It’s all right. I understand.”
“So?” Sun Sanjiu looked at Li Mu, puzzled.
“First, you and your brother will help me with something,” Li Mu said, rising slowly. “I can help you with this matter—don’t worry. But be patient.”
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“Really? What do you want me to do?” Sun Sanjiu stood at attention, eyes fixed on Li Mu.
He was still doubtful. Li Mu spoke with such certainty, but he was only a mid-stage Qi Condensation cultivator, just like the other apprentices. And Wang Qi from Flower Grove was already at the Spirit-Building stage.
Sun Qi stepped forward to block him, his tone turning stern. “Enough, little brother. If Li Mu says it, he won’t be wrong.”
Li Mu smiled, not bothering to explain further. He took out a medium-grade spirit crystal and tossed it to Sun Qi. “Get me an alchemy cauldron—anything usable will do. Here are a hundred low-grade spirit crystals, keep the rest for yourself.”
Sun Qi accepted the crystals, nodded, and dragged Sun Sanjiu away.
Outside the building, their voices drifted back, faint and scattered.
“Big brother, why didn’t you let me say more?”
“I told you not to speak, but you insisted. Now you’ve told him everything—are you satisfied? I almost regret bringing you along.”
“I just wanted to help him think it through. He’s only at mid-stage Qi Condensation—sure, he’s wealthy, but he has no way to stand up to Wang Qi.”
“Qi Condensation? Did you know he was just a mortal twenty days ago?”
“What! How is that possible?”
“If someone can achieve that, I believe there’s nothing he can’t do. Just wait and see.”
...
Li Mu went upstairs and rummaged through the pile of herbs. He remembered now—he actually had all the main ingredients for the Qi Restoration Pill.
As for Sun Sanjiu’s issue, he didn’t give it another thought. He had too much to do already—what was one more task? “Ha, an eighteen-year-old beauty of an alchemist. This could be interesting.”
Li Mu murmured to himself, lowered his head to gather the three main ingredients he needed, and entered the Spirit Tower.