CH 68

Chapter 68: Missing Ingredient



Rong Ye hid in his room for an entire day and night. His eyes were red and swollen, no tears would come out anymore. He was lying on his bed, at a loss. His mind was a complete blank. He felt that his life was over, and there was only darkness in his future. 



This was the end that stupidity deserved…



Both Ming Hong and He Qingyun knocked on the door, but he was too ashamed to see his friends, so he didn’t answer. Helpless, the two put down by the door, the pastries he usually loved to eat. They then stood watch by the door, fearing that he would do something stupid. Rong Ye quietly walked to the window. He saw the two figures through the gap, and felt sad again. His worthless life wasn’t worthy of such good friends.



He was a sparrow who put on chicken feathers and pretended to be a phoenix, afraid of letting people know his past.



He said his mother was a gentle and virtuous lady, and his father, a well-read scholar. Everyone loved him. He was a child who grew up spoiled in a honeypot. 



These lies were repeated so many times, even he started to believe it.



Fake is fake. This was only him staying in a filthy brothel, spending every day, dreaming of the most beautiful life.



He can no longer deceive himself and others…



Rong Ye opened the door and stood before his two friends. He lowered his head and sobbing, told them the entire truth — his true origins, his mother’s true identity, his jealousy of Ming Hong, his making fun of He Qingyun, and even the stupid thing he did to the Master and the punishment he received…Finally, he cried and said, “I only have myself to blame. You don’t have to pity me. My mother was right. People like me are born with a worthless life.”



The young man who used to love to talk and laugh was now standing in the shadows, shaking with fear.



“Xiongdi, in any case, you still had a mother,” Ming Hong slapped him on his shoulder and berated, “I’ve been a beggar since I was a child. I’ve never even seen what a mother is. I fought over food with wild dogs. I was starving and freezing. Picking up a rotten steamed bun could make me happy for most of the day. If you, who had enough to eat, had warm clothes to wear and had a mother’s love, has a worthless life, then what about me? Are you looking down on my life?”



“That’s right,” He Qingyun smiled honestly, “A’Ye just teases people with his words, but you’re actually very gentle. You’re the first to find out whenever someone’s unhappy, and your amuse them to dispel their worries. We like A’Ye, not because of your identity, but because when you’re around, the atmosphere becomes very happy…”



Ming Hong was heartbroken, “Heaven Craft Pavilion has taken advantage of us.” 



He Qingyun handed over a handkerchief and urged, “Don’t cry anymore. A’Ye’s eyes are very beautiful, and when you smile, you’re even more beautiful.”



Rong Ye took the handkerchief, and for some reason, he cried even more sadly.



From behind them came the sound of quiet footsteps.



Ming Hong perceptively guessed who had come. He turned his head, and called out, “Qing Luan Jiejie.” 



Holding a small wooden box in her hands, Qing Luan walked over with a smile. She said to Rong Ye, “You do not have a worthless life.”



Rong Ye was stunned.



“Women like saying one thing but meaning another. Don’t listen to what your mother had said, but instead look at what she had done.” Qing Luan rubbed Rong Ye’s hair and said softly, “You should think carefully. Why has she said that you have a worthless life since you were young? Why would she rather part with her son and send you to the immortal realm? Was she forcing you to reach Foundation Building and become a true cultivator to be head and shoulders above others? Did she want you go back and find her, to bring honor to one’s ancestors?”

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.

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Ebcu Tf wegwegfv, “Df-yfmjerf bo P tjnf j yjv ilof. Vtf vlvc’a kjca ab ulnf ylgat ab wf…”



The obsession in his mind faded, and some things that he had never wanted to understand suddenly flowed in unhindered. He remembered that when he was sick and was dizzy from fever, his mother sat by his bedside, crying as she took care of him.  She said that she regretted giving birth to this child, and that she couldn’t bear to…



Couldn’t bear to…what? 



Yue Wuhuan’s illusion made him understand how terrifying it was to serve men.



His mother knew this, but she was unable to let her son escape such a terrible fate. She watched helplessly as her son grow up day by day, approaching hell day by day, with nowhere to escape the pain and despair; unable to do anything but accept misfortunes as decreed by fate.



Even if Xie Que was problematic, it was also a new opportunity.



How could people already in hell, be afraid of falling into another hell? Just how bad could fate go? 



She was like the craziest gambler, doing everything she could to gain even a vague chance at a different life.



His mother won the bet…



Qing Luan handed the wooden box in her hands to Rong Ye. “Your destiny has long changed.”



After arriving in the immortal realm, Ming Hong was no longer a beggar, He Qingyun was no longer a farmer, and Rong Ye was no longer a xiao guan. 



After escaping from Yan Shan Sect, they also cast off their fate as slaves and could live for themselves.



Rong Ye opened the wooden box. Inside the box were two small medicine bottles. He poured out the pills and powder to take a look. He recognized them as the highest-quality Spirit Guidance Pill and Vein Enlargement Powder. Among the Spirit Guidance Pills, there were even some that held water and earth-type aura. These were pills tailor-made for his constitution. They could remove the impurities in his meridians and help him reach Foundation Building.



Qing Luan smiled and said, “The Master’s farewell gift to you. He wants you to study well and cultivate well.”



Rong Ye couldn’t help crying again. Just what foolish thing had he done? 



He Qingyun and Ming Hong hurriedly comforted him, saying a whole lot of kind words. But they couldn’t help feeling sad at the thought of separating from their friend.



“Don’t be sad, practice hard.” Qing Luan smiled, “Elder Liao is stationed in Lecheng. The Medicine King’s Valley often sends people to Lecheng to buy supplies. You can regularly write letters to each other. Once you’ve reached Foundation Building, I’ll send you to Lecheng for errands, and it won’t be difficult to meet up.”



Ming Hong cheered up. “A’Ye, I’ll be able to reach Foundation Building in two years! Wait for me!”



Rong Ye burst into laughter: “Are you showing off your high aptitude?” 



He Qingyun had the worst aptitude. He scratched his head in an anxious manner, and vowed to practice hard.



The three curled up with laughter, dispelling the sadness of parting.



In the land under heaven, there is no feast that does not end.



… 



Carrying his luggage, Rong Ye arrived at the Heaven Craft Pavilion’s workshop. From behind the door he heard the shouts of ‘five’ and ‘six’ and the banging of metal being forged. He was so frightened that he hid timidly outside the door. He spent some time doing his best to mentally brace himself, and then he bravely stepped in, facing his new fate.



Behind the door was a spacious school ground.



Two huge mechanical men were competing, surrounding them was a group of men and women, cheering loudly. A monkey made of galvanized iron was tumbling to the side. A porcelain doll rabbit was jumping up and down. Two girls were repairing a disc, on which then appeared fairies, dancing lightly and gracefully.



In the crowd, stood a tall female cultivator filled with heroic spirit. She was wearing a gray robe that was a bit sloppy; it was even dirtied with oil stains and sawdust. She held a delicate wooden eagle in her hand. Amidst the cheers of the crowd, she sent the eagle flying. 



The eagle soared, cutting through the blue clouds, flying higher and higher.



Were there such fascinating mechanical devices in the world? Was this what a craftsman was in the immortals realm? Could he make something like this?



Rong Ye couldn’t tear his eyes away from the eagle in the sky, his heart beating so fast…



The female cultivator saw him, and boldly waved at him. She asked with a smile, “Little imp! Do you like it?!” 



I like it, I like it very much…



Rong Ye was so excited that he couldn’t speak. He ran to the female cultivator, running towards his own future.



Mother, I now have the best fate.



… 



Song Qingshi opened several pill furnaces and refined a lot of pills suitable for low-level cultivators. Some were given to the apprentices, and some were reserved for his and Yue Wuhuan’s own use. He also had plans to take the time to make some commonly used medicines, such as the Spirit Calming Pill, the Peaceful Soul Pill, the Chuhui Pill, etc., that way they would not run out even when he becomes busy with his cultivation in the future and not have time to make medicine.



It was a good habit to be prepared at all times.



Song Qingshi felt very satisfied as he finished refining dozens of pill furnaces worth of pills. Feeling a little tired, he decided to walk around the medicinal material storehouse to relax. This was his secret hobby for de-stressing. He was just like a dragon guarding his hoard of gold, silver and gemstones. Every time, after refining a huge batch of medicine, he would secretly take stock, confirming that the medicinal materials were stored properly. If there was a lot of stock still available, he would feel a deep sense of satisfaction and security in his heart.



“Heaven Pine Torch – 72 catties, Bright Sun Flower – 324 catties, Swallow Shark – three barrels, and Moonlight Stone – only 22 catties… Recently, I’ve been using this quite a lot. I’ll have Wuhuan do an inventory count.” Song Qingshi carefully checked the stock of each drug.  Some of them had some discrepancies but the difference wasn’t large. 



He then opened the drawer for the Heaven’s Will Bamboo, and was suddenly stunned.



The quantity of Heaven’s Will Bamboo had gone down by a lot…



Song Qingshi was a little confused. Heaven’s Will Bamboo had the effect of driving away heart demons, helping one’s focus and keeping calm. But the side effect was purifying the heart and having few desires. Back then, he had no concept of morals and ethics, so he had caught a slag man who’d been toying with women and used him for a human experiment, feeding him a lot of this drug. Later on, this slag man became a Liu Xiahui, turning over a new leaf. In the end, he was enlightened by a Buddhist master. He left home and became a monk, doing kind deeds and accumulating merit.



Rules in the immortal realm were relatively lax. Victims wouldn’t collapse over this sort of thing. Female cultivators were never ones to cry when they encountered emotional swindlers or were taken advantage of. Most of them would simply come knocking with swords drawn, ready to resolve matters in a frank and straightforward manner. 



However, this slag man was an expert at sweet talk. He coaxed them so well, they became confused and disoriented, and in the end, by some unknown means, they would simply let him off.



Song Qingshi was immersed in his recollections of the past. For a while, he did a bit of self-reflection. He claimed to be a good man who had single-minded focus when it came to matters of emotion. He would never say three in the morning but change to four in the evening. But it turns out, he wasn’t even as good as a slag man. A slag man could coax many beauties into being happy but he couldn’t even coax and pursue the only person he likes…



The scholar tyrant felt a bit wronged.



He quickly raised his spirit and threw out his garbage moodiness from his mind. He then began to ponder where the Heaven’s Will Bamboo had gone. 



There weren’t a lot of medicines that used Heaven’s Will Bamboo. Its calming effect could be replaced by many other medicinal materials. It was very effective in driving away heart demons, but the side effects were more terrible. Very few cultivators dared to use it. Occasionally, some would use it to teach loose wastrels a lesson but it generally wasn’t used in medicine.



Song Qingshi didn’t keep a lot of stock of Heaven’s Will Bamboos. He mainly used it in doing research to see if he could get rid of its side effects and develop other effects. However, he has not yet been successful.



A full half of the Heaven’s Will Bamboo in the drawer was missing.



Apprentices wouldn’t use Heaven’s Will Bamboo in refining medicine, which only left… 



Song Qingshi suddenly remembered the faint scent of medicine he smelled on Yue Wuhuan.



He hadn’t touched Heaven’s Will Bamboo for hundreds of years, and had forgotten how it smelled. Now that he has smelled it again, after thinking about it carefully, it seemed similar? It seemed to be Heaven’s Will Bamboo with a mixture of Mica and Black Crow Flower? The combination of these medicinal materials would create a drug that suppresses men’s desires.



Yue Wuhuan wasn’t a slag man. Why was he secretly taking this medicine?



Although he seemed to have controlled the dosage, long-term use would be detrimental to the body and cause unpredictable consequences. 



Song Qingshi was a little confused…



He wanted to rush over there and ask Yue Wuhuan, but he thought better of it. Yue Wuhuan would never answer about things that he was hiding. He couldn’t out-talk him and he would be taken to go around in circles every time. In the end, he would inexplicably be talked into abandoning looking into matters.



Song Qingshi thought for a while and decided to execute first and report to the emperor afterwards, taking away all the Heaven’s Will Bamboo.



Heaven’s Will Bamboo comes from overseas. Because no one collected it, it rarely appeared on the market, and it was not so easy to restock it after it has ran out. 



He wanted to see what Yue Wuhuan was up to.