Chapter 76
“What good news?”
Ye Ruoshui looked curious. She knew that whenever the Princess visited, she would bring some gifts.
But since the Princess emphasized that it was something special this time, it likely wasn’t just spirit stones or pills.
Xiao Minghuang pinched Ye Ruoshui’s delicate nose and said with a smile:
“There is a mid-grade Yellow-tier alchemy furnace in the palace. Do you know about it, Ruoshui?”
Hearing this, Ye Ruoshui immediately understood, her beautiful eyes widening in surprise as she parted her cherry lips and said:
“Your Highness, did you manage to bring that furnace here?”
Xiao Minghuang shook her head slightly:
“Not exactly. That furnace is connected to the earth and cannot be borrowed.”
“But I have already spoken with Seventh Elder, who oversees the furnace. You can use it, Ruoshui.”
“Thank you, Your Highness!”
Ye Ruoshui responded with a look of joy on her delicate face. As an alchemist, her greatest desire was to possess a high-grade alchemy cauldron.
During this period, she had been using a cauldron made of ordinary iron for her alchemy, and she had already felt the limitations it imposed. The time spent on each batch, the loss of medicinal potency, and the quality of the elixirs produced were all constrained by the cauldron’s limitations, preventing her from making any breakthroughs.
With this mid-grade Yellow-tier alchemy cauldron, not only could she refine the quality of her elixirs, but she could even attempt to concoct low-grade Black-tier elixirs!
Ye Ruoshui knew that all of this was secured for her by Her Highness. Her heart was filled with reverence and affection for her. Apart from diligently refining elixirs to present to Her Highness, she felt there was no other way to repay her.
Xiao Minghuang gently ruffled Ye Ruoshui’s hair, took her small hand, and walked out of the room, heading towards the imperial palace.
Not long after.
Imperial Palace, Offering Hall.
Outside the lakeside pavilion.
“The alchemy furnace is inside the pavilion,” Xiao Minghuang pointed to the pavilion and said to Ye Ruoshui.
“Mm!” Ye Ruoshui’s eyes sparkled with joy, her little face showing a hint of excitement. Since she began practicing alchemy, she had never used a proper alchemy furnace. The ones she had used before were all subpar. Now, she was about to use a graded furnace for the first time, and her excitement was palpable.
As the two approached the entrance, a servant standing nearby spoke up:
“Your Highness, the Seventh Elder is currently refining pills. At this time, he usually does not allow anyone to disturb him. What do you think…”
Hearing this, Xiao Minghuang’s delicate brows furrowed slightly. She thought to herself, “I just mentioned bringing someone over, and now he’s already started refining?”
What Xiao Minghuang didn’t know was that the Seventh Elder was a true alchemy fanatic. In his life, he had no other interests besides refining pills. Otherwise, he wouldn’t have been able to figure out the methods of alchemy on his own.
However, she didn’t insist on entering the pavilion. Earlier, she had given the Seventh Elder an Elephant Blood Body Tempering Pill, which seemed to have inspired him a bit. This batch of pills shouldn’t result in an explosion.
But just at that moment.
The Seventh Elder’s voice suddenly came from inside the pavilion.
“Since the Ninth Princess has arrived, please come in, and bring your maid with you.”
Hearing this, the servant’s face froze. He knew that the Seventh Elder hated being disturbed while refining pills.
But now, he had actively invited the Ninth Princess inside. What kind of treatment was this?
Moreover, he had just tried to stop the Ninth Princess. Had he already offended her?
In an instant, the servant’s face turned pale.
Xiao Minghuang paid no attention to the servant’s reaction. She took Ye Ruoshui’s small hand and stepped into the pavilion.
Inside the pavilion, the furnishings were the same as before, but in the center of the hall, a massive alchemy furnace was burning fiercely, with waves of heat rolling out.
The Seventh Elder sat at the furnace’s air vent. Seeing Xiao Minghuang and Ye Ruoshui enter, he didn’t stop his actions and continued to work busily.
Xiao Minghuang had no intention of disturbing the Seventh Elder either. She turned to Ye Ruoshui and introduced:
“This is the Seventh Elder of the royal family, the most powerful alchemist in Great Xia.”
“This alchemy furnace was personally forged by the Seventh Elder. It’s called the Flame-Turning Furnace, a mid-grade Yellow Tier treasure. Ruoshui, you can try using this furnace to refine pills.”
Hearing Xiao Minghuang’s words, Ye Ruoshui’s little face showed a hint of excitement, and she said gratefully:
“Thank you, Your Highness!”
After that, the two didn’t speak much but focused on watching the Seventh Elder refine pills.
As the most famous alchemist in Great Xia, the Seventh Elder’s techniques were undoubtedly unique. Even though Ye Ruoshui was a natural talent in alchemy, watching someone else refine pills could still provide her with some inspiration.
However.
After only about a quarter of an hour, a look of confusion appeared on Ye Ruoshui’s little face. She gently tugged on Xiao Minghuang’s sleeve and asked in bewilderment:
“Your Highness, from what I see, the Seventh Elder’s alchemy techniques seem to show a fundamental lack of understanding of alchemy. He’s completely relying on his own spiritual power to forcibly combine the medicinal ingredients. This is likely to cause the furnace to explode. Even if it doesn’t explode, the success rate won’t be very high, probably not exceeding thirty percent.”
Hearing this, Xiao Minghuang’s delicate brows furrowed slightly. She didn’t understand alchemy, but she trusted Ye Ruoshui’s words completely.
Although Seventh Elder was renowned far and wide, there were no tales of him concocting any high-quality elixirs.
Ye Ruoshui, despite her modest cultivation and lack of fame, had personally witnessed this young girl produce a pill with pill patterns.
However, being a junior, it might seem disrespectful if she spoke out directly.
As she hesitated.
A flash of panic suddenly appeared in Ye Ruoshui’s eyes, and she trembled as she spoke:
“Seventh Elder is directly condensing the pill without first liquefying and purifying the medicinal herbs. The success rate of this batch of pills probably won’t exceed ten percent, and there’s even a risk of the furnace exploding!”
Ye Ruoshui’s exclamation made Xiao Minghuang’s heart skip a beat, her eyes fixed intently on Seventh Elder.
Boom!
Suddenly, a series of explosions erupted from the pill furnace, followed by a thick cloud of smoke billowing out.
Xiao Minghuang’s expression changed drastically. She pulled Ye Ruoshui back several steps, channeled her spiritual energy to raise a protective shield, and withstood the shockwave from the furnace explosion.
At that moment.
A faint yellow light emanated from the dark smoke, quickly spreading and settling all the dust in the room.
After a few breaths, the dust settled.
Xiao Minghuang dispelled the protective shield and saw Seventh Elder, covered in soot, staggering down from the pill furnace.
“Cough, cough, cough~!”
Seventh Elder coughed several times in a row, his aged face flushed red from the violent coughing.
Both Xiao Minghuang and Ye Ruoshui breathed a sigh of relief upon seeing Seventh Elder emerge. Xiao Minghuang stepped forward, reaching out to support Seventh Elder, and said softly:
“Seventh Elder, are you alright?”
“Cough, cough, cough~”
Seventh Elder coughed several more times, his complexion growing increasingly unpleasant.
He had intended to show off his skills in front of Ninth Princess and her maid, to let the younger generation know the prowess of this master of alchemy. However, not only did he fail to concoct the pill, but the furnace also exploded. This time, he had thoroughly lost face.
After the furnace explosion, his desire to guide Ninth Princess also extinguished. He said listlessly:
“This old man is fine, it’s just a furnace explosion. Such things often happen during alchemy, no need to make a fuss… I’m tired, if you have matters to discuss, come back another day!”
Before Xiao Minghuang could respond, Ye Ruoshui couldn’t hold back.
Her small eyebrows furrowed, with a hint of fear, she peeked out from behind Xiao Minghuang and said:
“Seventh Elder, don’t talk nonsense. How can furnace explosions be a common occurrence? Clearly, your skills are lacking. Not only is your alchemy technique poor, but you’re also unfamiliar with the properties of the herbs. Otherwise, how could such a thing happen?”
Translator: Glariosa
Editor: Ruu
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