Chapter 453: The Difference in Alchemical Recipes

One has to give credit—Zhang Xiaohua’s creativity in crafting jade talismans in the shape of gold ingots is likely unprecedented in the ten-thousand-year history of the Immortal Dao.

With a gesture of his left hand, Zhang Xiaohua performed the “Artifact Control Art” from the [General Principles of Artifact Refining]. The jade talisman in midair let out a “whoosh” and landed in his palm.

He carefully examined the bewitchingly green talisman, then immersed his divine sense into it to probe the power of its formation. He sensed the world’s Yuan Qi rhythmically pulsing within, slowly revolving along the formation’s pathways. Yet, the energy remained contained, with not a trace leaking out—truly a superior jade talisman.

Zhang Xiaohua was overjoyed. Previously, his talismans were crudely made, with formations forcibly embedded—while they were talismans, the lack of harmony was evident. Now, by using artifact refining techniques, he first purified the impurities from the jade, then inscribed the formation while the jade was still molten. The formation and the jade were almost born together; not only was the power greater, but the Yuan Qi of the formation was also more restrained.

Compared to his earlier methods of making talismans, this approach was worlds apart.

Most crucially, using artifact refining to craft jade talismans meant he could shape them however he wished.

At this moment, Zhang Xiaohua fondled the small, green gold-ingot-shaped talisman in his hand, relishing its feel—far superior to the stiff, square blocks from before.

Pleased, he strolled to the bedside, tossed his straw mat onto the bed, and, holding the talisman, mused: “Since I can refine jade talismans into different shapes, the rabbit-shaped talisman in my Niwan Palace must have been made from jade as well. I always wondered why that talisman was shaped like a rabbit—so this is the reason. However, the three hundred sixty-five incantations of the talisman, if all inscribed into a large gold ingot-shaped jade piece, I wonder if it would work. Most likely not, since the flow of spiritual energy within the talisman forms the shape of a rabbit. Once the jade solidifies, it will inevitably be a rabbit—no matter how I try, it can’t be anything else.”

Now, Zhang Xiaohua had many cultivation techniques to comprehend. The talisman’s incantations were numerous and obscure, making progress slow. Yet, he knew the talisman’s origins were extraordinary, and its power must be immense. So, every day, he set aside time to study it, and after much hard work, he had already mastered fifty or sixty of the incantations.

Although this was less than twenty percent of the entire rabbit talisman, it still had a significant impact on Zhang Xiaohua’s mastery of incantations. Take the Fire Control Incantation he just used during artifact refining—as soon as he tried it for the first time, he was able to handle and manipulate it skillfully, all thanks to the effects of the rabbit talisman.

After thinking for a moment, Zhang Xiaohua tossed the jade talisman onto the stone table and pulled out the alchemical jade slip from his robe. This jade slip contained many pill recipes. Back on the deserted island, only huangjing was available, so Zhang Xiaohua had studied the method for refining the Fasting Pill in detail, only skimming through the others.

A few days ago, while reading the herbology books from Spring Rebirth Valley, he discovered a problem: the vast majority of medicinal herbs listed in the jade slip’s pill recipes were not recorded in the valley’s books. In other words, if he followed the jade slip’s recipes, he wouldn’t be able to find the required herbs at all—so how was he supposed to refine pills? That’s why, earlier in the day, he had asked Valley Master Nie for access to all of Spring Rebirth Valley’s pill recipes, wanting to compare them with those in the jade slip to see what differences there were.

At this moment, Zhang Xiaohua took out the jade slip and couldn’t help but recall a method for making jade slips recorded in the [General Principles of Artifact Refining]. Jade slips were commonly used in the Immortal Dao to record information, and the appendix of the General Principles casually mentioned several production methods. When Zhang Xiaohua first saw a jade slip, he had been curious about how it was made; now that he knew the method, he was naturally eager to try it.

He pulled out an old jade block from his money pouch—this one no longer held any Yuan Qi. Holding the jade slip in one hand and the jade block in the other, he closed his eyes and immersed his divine sense into both. Following the method from the [General Principles of Artifact Refining], he began the process.

However, after copying less than ten percent of the contents, Zhang Xiaohua realized his divine sense was being rapidly depleted. He stopped immediately and looked at the jade slip, which now showed renewed Yuan Qi fluctuations, and gave a wry smile—copying jade slips was clearly not something a Qi Refining stage cultivator could easily manage.

He put the jade slip away, cultivated the Guiding Spirit Art for a while to restore his divine sense, and then took out the jade slip again to carefully study the Fasting Pill recipe.

The Fasting Pill was the first pill Zhang Xiaohua had ever refined, and he had become quite adept at it. However, the recipe called for not just huangjing, but seven or eight different ingredients. On the deserted island, unable to find the others, he had practiced using only huangjing and still succeeded. Now that he had the resources, he naturally wanted to refine the Fasting Pill according to the complete recipe.

However, after reviewing the pill recipe, Zhang Xiaohua found that four of the ingredients were not recorded in the books, so they were likely unavailable in Spring Rebirth Valley as well. Yet, he remained calm. One important reason he wanted to first refine the Fasting Pill was that Spring Rebirth Valley also produced its own version. Zhang Xiaohua intended to compare the two recipes to see what differences existed.

“Could it be that Spring Rebirth Valley’s Fasting Pill, like mine, is made using only huangjing?”

“But since I can refine the Fasting Pill with just huangjing, and I have personally taken one with fasting effects, why does their recipe require seven other herbs?”

As he studied the recipe, Zhang Xiaohua naturally pondered these questions.

Looking at the other herbs in the recipe whose names and effects he recognized, he began to think deeply. Suddenly, he recalled his experience at the Qihuang Hall prescribing medicine to patients. There was always a chief herb in a prescription, but also supporting herbs that worked in concert, forming a ruler-minister relationship. Additionally, prescriptions were designed according to the Five Elements theory, matching herbs with similar effects to regulate the elements.

“Could it be that this pill recipe also follows the principles of Five Elements, Yin and Yang, and the ruler-minister dynamic?” Zhang Xiaohua felt a sudden enlightenment.

It had to be so. Where did medicinal theory come from? It was the result of alchemy techniques spreading to common folk. Pills were used by Immortal or Martial Dao practitioners, while decoctions were for ordinary people. The medicinal theory in prescriptions was derived from pill recipes, so if prescriptions contained such principles, the pill recipes must as well.

Realizing this, Zhang Xiaohua felt deeply ashamed. The concepts of Yin-Yang, Five Elements, and ruler-minister relationships must be the foundation of alchemy. Without a master to teach him, blindly studying jade slips left him ignorant of these fundamental truths. Fortunately, meeting Nie Qianyu and coming to Spring Rebirth Valley allowed him to understand these medicinal principles. Otherwise, even if he mastered all the pill recipes, he might never grasp their essence.

Just as he was thinking, Zhang Xiaohua sensed something and extended his divine sense, seeing Nie Qianyu approaching quickly with a small booklet in hand.

Unhurriedly, Zhang Xiaohua put away the jade slip and got up to greet her.

When he reached the doorway, Nie Qianyu arrived as well. Seeing Zhang Xiaohua, she smiled and said: “Brother Ren, have you been waiting long?”

Zhang Xiaohua shook his head. “No, I was just bored sitting inside and thought I’d go out for a walk.”

Nie Qianyu was delighted. “Then let me accompany Brother Ren for a stroll through the inner valley. I can also tell you a bit about it.”

Zhang Xiaohua agreed, and the two of them picked a direction and walked in.

When they reached a medicinal garden, Nie Qianyu handed Zhang Xiaohua the booklet. “Brother Ren, take this first. It’s a collection of pill recipes from Spring Rebirth Valley. Use it for now—once you’ve practiced these, I’ll bring you more.”

Zhang Xiaohua accepted it with a smile. “Thank you, Little Fish. With this book, I can slowly practice alchemy tonight.”

Nie Qianyu replied: “Brother Ren is so eager! I was planning to come tomorrow and refine pills with you, but seeing how smoothly you made the Blood Replenishing Pill today, you might as well try one yourself tonight. If it doesn’t work out, I’ll come by tomorrow and we can discuss it together.”

Zhang Xiaohua nodded. “That sounds good. By the way, I heard you mention on the way that Spring Rebirth Valley has a ‘Fasting Pill’ that keeps you from feeling hungry for days. Is its recipe in here?”

Nie Qianyu smiled. “Of course. The Fasting Pill isn’t anything rare—just a convenient pill that martial artists carry. The booklet you’re holding contains all the basic recipes from Spring Rebirth Valley.”

Zhang Xiaohua was delighted and flipped through the book. Sure enough, in the middle, he found the “Fasting Pill”. Looking further, he saw that, as expected, the main ingredient was huangjing, but unlike what he had imagined, there were no supporting herbs; instead, much like the jade slip’s recipe, it included five different herbs.

These five herbs were all common in Spring Rebirth Valley.

Without pondering the five elements compatibility of these herbs, Zhang Xiaohua asked: “Little Fish, do we have all five herbs for the Fasting Pill here in Spring Rebirth Valley?”

Nie Qianyu smiled. “Yes, we do. Aside from huangjing and baizhi, which need to be of a certain age, the others are all common herbs here.”

She added: “Now I see—Brother Ren, you’re not out for a walk, you’re out to gather herbs!”

Zhang Xiaohua chuckled and didn’t reply.

Nie Qianyu pointed to a medicinal field on the slope below. “That’s where we grow huangjing. The ones below are one or two years old; the ones above are ten to twenty years old. If you want to refine the Fasting Pill, start with the younger ones.”

Zhang Xiaohua nodded. “That’s only right. If I ruined your twenty-year-old huangjing by mistake, Uncle Nie might not say anything, but he’d be heartbroken inside.”

Nie Qianyu laughed: “Father isn’t as stingy as you!”