13 - A Farewell to Mr. Luo

Chapter 113 Holding the dagger, she hesitated for a moment, then looked at her other arm. Grey Haizi's voice echoed in her ears. "Using this dagger to cut can temporarily isolate spiritual power, preventing the wound from healing quickly." Gritting her teeth, Bai Fan slashed her palm, and orange-yellow blood gushed out. "Drip." Blood splattered onto the ground. As Grey Haizi saw this, he immediately exclaimed, rushing over with a bowl in hand. "You should have said something! Look, it's all on the ground. What a waste." The blood, resembling liquid fire, flowed into the crystal bowl, filling the cave with a fragrant sweetness. Grey Haizi took a deep breath and then exhaled slowly. Once the bowl was filled, he reached out to cover the wound, using spiritual energy to mend the cut. Grey Haizi then stood up with the bowl and walked toward the alchemy furnace area. Bai Fan, curious about why he needed her blood, followed. "What are you going to do with this blood?" "Alchemy!" "Alchemy?" Grey Haizi began rummaging through a cabinet nearby, pulling out various spiritual herbs, both familiar and unfamiliar to Bai Fan. They all seemed quite aged and valuable. "Yes." "But isn't alchemy something only humans do?" Grey Haizi, still picking through the herbs, finally chose a small dustpan and walked over to the furnace. He reached into his grey sleeve, pulling out a small lamp with a faint flame. "Who says cultivation has strict rules about what you can or can't do? If I relied solely on pure cultivation, it would take forever to achieve a divine transformation with my current aptitude." "But you're a demon cultivator..." "Foolish! Demon cultivators don't have to follow the same old path. Look at our demon clan—we don't even have a single divine-level expert in this world, which is why we're discriminated against." Bai Fan found some truth in his words. Most demon cultivators advanced through bloodline inheritance, and their spiritual intelligence often couldn't compare to humans. This lack of varied techniques made them vulnerable, often resulting in imprisonment when they met their match. "Indeed, the demon cultivators I encountered in the Northern Continent were quite stubborn." Meaning, they were not adaptable. Back in the underground palace, several demon cultivators almost got themselves killed because they refused to listen to her advice while fighting puppets. Grey Haizi set the furnace alight with the lamp's flame, removed its lid, and threw in a mix of spiritual herbs from the dustpan. Green smoke immediately rose, but Grey Haizi quickly increased the heat, causing the smoke to vanish as the furnace turned red-hot. He added various herbs in a particular sequence. Although Grey Haizi might not have noticed, Bai Fan memorized the order from that one demonstration. After adding all the herbs, he took Bai Fan's bowl of blood and poured it all into the furnace, causing a sizzling sound. Reacting quickly, Grey Haizi covered the furnace, trapping the noise inside. The furnace grew increasingly red, and Grey Haizi skillfully controlled the flame, ensuring it wasn't too big or too small—much like a master simmering a pot of soup. Alchemy is a long process. It requires constant attention to control the fire, with a single batch taking anywhere from seven or eight days to several months. Alchemists are often physically strong because weak bodies can't endure the long hours needed to produce spiritual pills. For an entire month, Bai Fan let Grey Haizi collect a bowl of her blood each day, watching as he emptied it into the furnace without a hint of reluctance. She had no clue what kind of pill he was making that demanded dragon blood. A month passed in a blink. The pills were still in production, but Bai Fan, having sustained blood loss without proper nourishment, felt weak and dizzy. Grey Haizi, noticing her condition while tending the furnace, tossed a small bottle her way. "Take this." "What is it?" Bai Fan asked curiously, opening the bottle to find a single pill inside. "It's a tonic to replenish your blood and energy. You've been giving blood for a month. Consider this your compensation." Hearing this, Bai Fan swallowed the pill, feeling much better almost immediately. The weakness vanished, and her complexion improved. She thought that learning alchemy might indeed aid her cultivation. Moreover, staying here temporarily would keep her safe from Nascent Soul cultivators. She decided to ask the rat demon if she could stay and learn. After a moment of contemplation, Bai Fan stood up. Grey Haizi, thinking she was about to leave, asked, "Are you leaving?" Bai Fan shook her head. He focused on his alchemy but then heard her say, "Great demon, can you teach me alchemy?" "You want to learn alchemy?" Bai Fan nodded. "My cultivation has stagnated. I wish to learn alchemy with you in hopes of finding a way forward." Grey Haizi, a unique demon who practices both alchemy and artifact crafting, even fashioned his tail into a magical tool post-transformation. Unlike other demons, he does not cherish his original form. Hearing Bai Fan’s request, Grey Haizi’s attention momentarily wavered from the furnace. "You truly wish to learn from me?" "Yes." Eyes gleaming, Grey Haizi looked pleased, his beard trembling with excitement. "You have vision! Meeting me before my divine transformation! I thought I was the only enlightened demon, but meeting you reassures me that the heavens haven't forsaken us." He turned towards the shelf. "Since you want to learn alchemy, get familiar with all the spiritual herbs first. Memorize every book on that shelf, and then I'll teach you about controlling fire." Nodding without hesitation, Bai Fan went over, picked up a book, and began memorizing. Grey Haizi watched Bai Fan immerse herself in study, a satisfied smiled spreading across his face, though he mused, "Her learning enthusiasm is impressive. But that shelf of books is no easy task. She might tire in a couple of days. It took me centuries to read them all, and I still refer back to them.” He had no idea that Bai Fan possessed an extraordinary ability. Unlike others, she received an unparalleled memory instead of bloodline inheritance during her transformation. The entire shelf of books, with detailed descriptions of spiritual herbs, their uses, and growth environments, was instantly imprinted in her mind. While Grey Haizi continued his alchemy, Bai Fan had already memorized the entire shelf. Closing the final book, she felt a bit of eye strain but was satisfied that everything was now in her mind. Each book was full of valuable information, including uncommon knowledge she didn’t find in the shops back in Immortal City. Hearing the book close, Grey Haizi turned and asked, "Finished already? Are you getting impatient?" Bai Fan shook her head. "I've finished reading them all." Surprised by her speed, Grey Haizi assumed she was being careless. It seemed impossible to absorb so much so quickly with the sound of flipping pages making it appear she hadn't read them thoroughly. "Read them again until you have them memorized." "I've memorized them all." At this, Grey Haizi grew annoyed. "You said you wanted to learn alchemy from me, but now you can't even stick to reading the books? You can't fool me. Those books on the shelf are crucial for any alchemist. If you're not familiar with spiritual herbs, you won't even recognize them during alchemy, let alone understand which herbs conflict with one another." Hearing Grey Haizi's words, Bai Fan felt somewhat frustrated. "I've really memorized them." Seeing how stubborn this little dragon was, Grey Haizi decided to test her. "Alright, then. Bring me some books from that shelf. I’ll ask you questions at random, and if you can recite everything, I'll believe you've memorized them." Bai Fan nodded, turned to the shelf, picked out a few basic books, and handed them to Grey Haizi, who pulled them into his hand with a simple gesture. Opening a few pages, he picked several herbs to inquire about, only to find Bai Fan reciting everything perfectly, even down to the punctuation and pauses. "Unbelievable." Thinking it was a coincidence, Grey Haizi persisted, asking more questions. But Bai Fan answered flawlessly each time, just like before. "No, you must have picked books you already memorized," he said, refusing to believe it. "I'll choose a few at random and ask you again." With that, he grabbed a few books himself, opened them randomly, and asked about various herbs' uses, appearances, and growing conditions. Once again, Bai Fan recited everything without error. Grey Haizi nearly dropped the alchemy furnace in shock, feeling tempted to examine Bai Fan's head to understand her memory. Fortunately, the importance of his current alchemy process kept him from abandoning the furnace, forcing him to continue despite his frustration. He couldn’t shake the feeling of unfairness, having spent centuries learning what she memorized in a month. Could it be? Had he stumbled upon a true genius? Was his demon clan about to produce a remarkable alchemist? ※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※※ Thank you to the dear angels who voted for me or watered me with nutrient solutions~ Special thanks to the angels: 27122832 for 10 bottles; Ah Qi for 2 bottles; Xiao Qiang for 1 bottle; Thank you all for your support! I will continue to work hard! 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