novelraw Chapter 21 : Water Refinement Method
Chapter 21 : Water Refinement Method
Chapter 21: Water Refinement Method
The torrential rain poured relentlessly, continuing for a long time without pause.
Inside the cave, Lin Xiaowan closed her eyes in feigned rest. Half of her mind sank into deducing the techniques of 《Path of Theft》, while the other half remained alert to the surroundings.
As Zhang Fan sat cross-legged regulating his breath, his long, steady inhalations and exhalations blended with the roaring rain outside, forming a monotonous background.
As time passed, a chill quietly began to spread, gradually driving away the lingering warmth of the campfire.
Lin Xiaowan’s eyelashes trembled slightly as she opened her eyes.
As expected, the fire had already gone out, leaving only a pile of dark red embers and wisps of green smoke—the last bit of wood had been completely burned.
“The firewood really wasn’t enough… Where is Zhang Fan? He’s been out for quite a while.”
Lin Xiaowan poked at the fire with a branch. Not long after, a figure bent low and slipped into the cave—it was Zhang Fan. His whole body was drenched, but in his arms he carried a bundle of dry wood covered with clothing.
“I saw the fire was about to go out, so I went to gather some firewood. It took a bit of time.”
Zhang Fan explained.
He placed the firewood onto the extinguished pile.
“There’s flint here, and lamp oil to help ignite it.”
“No need for that.”
Zhang Fan waved his hand, crouched down, and extended his right palm toward the still-warm embers and the newly added wood.
His expression turned slightly focused. Spiritual power circulated within his body, and an orange-red glow suddenly lit up in his palm!
“Go.”
Zhang Fan let out a low shout, and the orange-red light floated out lightly, landing precisely among the embers.
“Whoosh—!”
As if hot oil had been poured over them, the dark red embers instantly reignited. The orange-red glow rapidly spread, devouring the newly added wood.
The flames flared up with a “whoomph,” burning brighter, stronger, and warmer than before.
Lin Xiaowan quietly watched this scene, a trace of understanding flashing through her eyes.
Sitting by the fire, she extended her hands to warm them and casually asked, “Is that the technique you cultivate?”
Zhang Fan brushed the ash off his hands and sat down opposite her.
Hearing this, he nodded, a hint of youthful excitement appearing on his face as if sharing a secret. “Yeah! It’s the 《True Art of Departing Fire》 that my master taught me. He said it suits me well. That move just now, ‘Palm Flame,’ is just a beginner spell. It’s pretty useful for starting fires, lighting things up, or dealing with some unclean entities.”
He seemed quite eager to show off his abilities in front of Lin Xiaowan.
Lin Xiaowan gave a soft “Mm,” her gaze resting on the dancing flames as she fell into thought.
Outside the cave, the sky was still pitch black, but the sound of the rain had lessened.
Judging by the time, dawn was not far off.
“How have your gains been since entering Luoxia Valley?” Lin Xiaowan raised her eyes to look at Zhang Fan, her tone carrying a hint of probing.
“Quite fruitful.” Zhang Fan smiled. “Thanks to my master’s guidance, I found several hidden medicinal gardens, including a few rare spiritual herbs.”
He patted a small, inconspicuous gray bundle beside him. “They’re all in here.”
Lin Xiaowan’s gaze fell on the seemingly deflated bundle. “Oh? You didn’t collect the whole plants?”
“Hehe.” Zhang Fan smiled somewhat proudly. He picked up the gray bundle, untied it, and took out several small bottles of varying sizes made of ordinary material.
“Of course I collected the whole plants, but I refined them all into pills! Otherwise, carrying so many herbs out of Luoxia Valley would be too conspicuous, and it would be inconvenient to move around.”
“Refined them into pills?” Lin Xiaowan was genuinely surprised this time. Her eyes widened slightly. “You’re also an alchemist? But I didn’t see you carrying a cauldron.”
In Luoyang City, the art of alchemy was essentially monopolized by the three great families and certain deeply rooted minor factions. The related knowledge, formulas, and techniques were tightly guarded and rarely spread.
Even when an alchemy method circulated or when hiring an alchemist was possible, the cost was frighteningly high.
Even as one of the top courtesans of Drunken Immortal Pavilion, it was nearly impossible for Lin Xiaowan to obtain an orthodox inheritance of alchemy.
Zhang Fan clearly enjoyed Lin Xiaowan’s “admiring” surprise, his smile growing wider. “I wouldn’t really call myself an alchemist. I got into pills quite early and obtained some alchemy methods back then, along with a cauldron. Later, after following my master and learning a bit, the cauldron became unnecessary.”
He picked up a small bottle, pulled out the stopper, and a faint medicinal fragrance drifted out.
“What my master taught me is the ‘Heaven and Earth Natural Alchemy Method.’ It uses heaven and earth as the cauldron. With spiritual fire and incantations, you directly draw in the spiritual energy of heaven and earth at the place where the herbs grow—or at a specific location—and refine and fuse the essence of the herbs into pills. It skips many tedious steps like processing, purification, and fire control. The success rate is higher, and the medicinal properties are purer and more natural.”
Lin Xiaowan felt a stir in her heart.
Heaven and Earth Natural Alchemy Method?
The name alone sounded profoundly mysterious.
“However…” Zhang Fan changed his tone and added with some regret, “this ‘Heaven and Earth Natural Alchemy Method’ also has limitations. First, you need to master at least one type of flame. Second, to achieve better results, you need an external ‘fire source’ as assistance. For example, certain underground fire veins, remnants of heavenly lightning, or… special flames accompanying certain fire-attributed spiritual herbs. I was just lucky to find a weak residual earth-fire vein earlier, which is how I managed to refine a few batches.”
Lin Xiaowan’s thoughts raced.
The Heaven and Earth Natural Alchemy Method belonged to Yun Yazi’s teachings, and it also required flames—its requirements were extremely high.
She definitely could not obtain this method, but Zhang Fan’s mention of the “cauldron-based alchemy method” sparked great interest in her!
“Can you let me take a look at the ancient text on cauldron alchemy?” Lin Xiaowan revealed her curiosity at the right moment.
Zhang Fan nodded and took out another item from his bundle—a thin, ancient-looking wooden slip, about a finger’s width and the length of a palm, its edges smoothed from frequent handling.
“This is the most complete one. It’s called: Water Refinement Method. It records a relatively basic cauldron alchemy method, covering everything from identifying herbs and controlling heat, to handling the furnace, as well as some common low-grade pill formulas. But since I have my master’s natural method, I never really studied this one in depth.”
Lin Xiaowan’s gaze fell upon the ancient wooden slip, and her heart stirred.
This was exactly what she needed!
The scene of a young member of the Lin Family turning the tide with pills still lingered vividly in her mind. With systematic alchemy knowledge, she could better utilize herbs, attempt refining pills herself, and reduce her dependence on others.
She raised her head and looked at Zhang Fan, her tone serious. “Zhang Fan, how about we make a deal?”
Zhang Fan was taken aback. “A deal?”
“Mm.” Lin Xiaowan nodded. “You lend me this ancient text on cauldron alchemy to study. In exchange, I’ll tell you the location of a fire-attributed spiritual herb—more precisely, a herb that may be accompanied by a special flame, the ‘Flameburn Grass.’”
As soon as she said it, even Lin Xiaowan felt she was being somewhat shameless.
The value gap between “alchemy methods” and “information about a spiritual herb” was like a chasm!
Only a fool in this world would agree to such a trade.
Yet Zhang Fan was exactly that fool!
He barely hesitated. A delighted expression immediately appeared on his face as he nodded vigorously. “Sure! Of course! This ancient text isn’t very useful to me anyway—just take it! I hope it helps you!”
Upon hearing that Lin Xiaowan was interested, Zhang Fan had already been prepared to give it to her. He hadn’t expected to also gain information about a fire-attributed spiritual herb.
“Here.”
As he spoke, he readily handed over the ancient wooden slip.
Lin Xiaowan accepted it. It felt slightly heavy in her hand, with a warm wooden texture.
Examining it carefully, she noticed an extremely fine seam along the side.
Using her finger to gently push along the seam, the wooden slip slid open like pages of a book, revealing a hollow compartment inside.
Within the compartment was a sheet as thin as cicada wings yet remarkably tough “paper.”
It was densely covered in small characters, the writing faintly golden—not ink, but more like an imprint formed by spiritual power, clear and distinct. The content detailed various foundational methods and key points of cauldron alchemy, along with several lowest-tier pill formulas, such as Hemostasis Pills and Qi Recovery Pills.
She quickly skimmed a few lines, then closed the wooden slip and carefully stored it in her personal pouch.
“Thank you.” She looked at Zhang Fan, her tone sincere. “That Flameburn Grass is located on the mountainside of this mountain. Once the rain stops, we’ll go take a look.”
Hearing this, Zhang Fan beamed with joy, full of motivation.
The two exchanged a few more words.
Outside the cave, the sound of rain gradually thinned, and finally ceased altogether.
The dark clouds dispersed, and a faint gray-white glow appeared on the eastern horizon.
Dawn was approaching.
Lin Xiaowan and Zhang Fan quickly packed their belongings and extinguished the remaining embers of the fire.
Stepping out of the cave, a cool, refreshing air rushed toward them, carrying the fragrance of grass and trees. The mist in the valley, washed by the heavy rain, had thinned considerably, greatly improving visibility.