Han Yu wanted to be like Li i.
He wanted this level of control, this level of refinent—not just over pills, but over himself. His Soul Qi techniques gave him a path of power, but alchemy offered mastery.
Finally, the light from the cauldron dimd, and a faint clink rang through the room—the sound of the cauldron lid settling into place.
Li i exhaled, long and low, and took a half-step back. She wiped her brow with the sleeve of her robe and reached for a small wooden ladle, carefully removing sothing from the cauldron.
A cluster of pale gold pills, still steaming faintly.
She placed them into a jade container, sealed it with a preserving talisman, and let out a satisfied hum.
"Perfect three-grade condensation," she murmured, clearly proud.
Then she blinked—and turned.
Her gaze landed on Han Yu.
"...How long have you been sitting there?"
Han Yu grinned sheepishly and gave a tiny wave. "About an hour. You were really into it."
Li i squinted at him. "And you didn’t interrupt ? Not even once?"
He shook his head. "No way. I like not being poisoned."
She looked him over suspiciously, then finally smirked. "Wise choice."
Then, as if suddenly recalling who he was, her eyes narrowed. "Wait a minute. You’re not just here to ogle , are you?"
Han Yu coughed, flustered. "W-what? No! I an, not that you looked bad or anything—I an, that’s not why I ca!"
She folded her arms, clearly enjoying his discomfort. "Mmhm. Then what brings the infamous troublemaker of the sect to my humble workshop?"
Han Yu straightened, face serious now.
"I want to beco an alchemist. For real. Join the Alchemy Peak. Learn properly. But before that, I need help—guidance. From soone who knows how to juggle flas and doesn’t mind blowing things up once in a while."
Li i raised an eyebrow, visibly surprised.
"...You’re serious?"
He nodded.
She tapped her chin, considering.
Then she looked down at the sealed jade box of pills, then back at him.
"...Alright, Han Yu. I’ll help you. But only if you promise one thing."
He leaned forward. "Na it."
She grinned, eyes glittering with mischief.
"You’re now officially my test subject for every new experintal pill I make. No backing out."
Han Yu froze. He didn’t want to beco an ’official’ pill tester like before in his servant days.
"...That’s not even a fair deal—"
"It’s the only deal."
He sighed.
"...Fine." he could only accept if this was the cost.
’At least the pills end up benefiting sohow.’ He reckoned.
Li i clapped her hands together. "Excellent! Welco to the first step on the path of pill refinent and gastrointestinal tornt!"
Han Yu had a feeling he’d regret this.
But as he watched her pull out a dusty scroll labeled "Beginner’s Guide to Not Dying During Alchemy", he couldn’t help but smile.
It was ti.
Once Han Yu had finished reading the first scroll, which was basically just a lab safety manual, Li i started the next step.
Li i didn’t waste ti at all.
Once Han Yu solemnly agreed to be her perpetual pill-testing victim—ahem, assistant—she pulled over a small bamboo table from the corner and tossed him a thin, battered scroll. The title read:
"The Basics of Alchemy – Idiot-Proof Edition"
Han Yu blinked. "You made this, didn’t you?"
Li i smirked. "Of course. I had too many Outer Court hopefuls blow up their eyebrows thinking alchemy was all incense and bubbling pots."
She flicked her wrist and summoned a small fla talisman into her palm, letting it hover just above the table for warmth and mood. Then she settled in across from him, propping her chin in one hand.
"Well then, brat. Listen closely."
Han Yu straightened, unusually serious.
Li i’s playful air dropped a notch as her tone shifted to sothing more thoughtful—still mischievous, but now tinged with the weight of experience.
"Alchemy," she began, "is the art of extracting the dicinal essence of materials—herbs, minerals, even beast parts—then purifying that essence of impurities, and finally fusing those essences together into a pill with a stable dicinal core."
She tapped the scroll. "It sounds simple when I say it. But do you know how many different factors you have to juggle while refining a single pill?"
Han Yu raised an eyebrow. "A few?"
Li i snorted. "Try dozens. Hundreds, if you’re working with rare ingredients. It’s not like cooking, where you toss everything into a pot and hope for stew. One wrong herb, one misplaced spark, and boom—no eyebrows. Again."
She leaned forward, her eyes gleaming.
"Even a simple pill with two ingredients can go wrong if their elental affinities aren’t compatible. For example, Blood Lotus Root has a fire-aspect essence, and Snowbell Leaf has a water-aspect essence. If you just throw them into the cauldron together?"
She mid an explosion with her hands.
"Kaboom. Either the pill ruptures during condensation or worse—the cauldron itself cracks. You don’t want that. Cauldrons are expensive. I will make you pay for it."
Han Yu winced. "Duly noted."
Li i gestured lazily, drawing runes in the air with her fingers as she continued.
"Now, the key to balancing these materials isn’t just knowing what they do individually. It’s about understanding the timing and sequence of integration. So herbs need to be added early, to lay the foundation. Others must be introduced at the final phase—just when the fla has reached a specific temperature and the cauldron’s internal pressure is stable."
She held up three fingers.
"Temperature, timing, and Qi control. These three form the pillars of alchemy. Master them, and you’ll survive. Maybe even thrive."
Han Yu furrowed his brows, nodding slowly as the picture ca together in his mind.
"It’s not just an art," he murmured. "It’s a science. A puzzle."
Li i grinned. "Exactly. The best alchemists aren’t just Qi-rich cultivators—they’re smart. They rember sequences. They sense fluctuations. They anticipate how herbs interact, and they feel when a fla needs more or less essence."
She tapped her temple. "It’s all up here."
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