Zhang Jian had his close attendant Zhang Lu ask a young and robust servant nearby.
"He only transformed lead into silver, and not into gold?"
"Did you get all the details?"
Zhang Lu hurriedly nodded and said, "Young Master, I got all the details. They just turned lead into silver, but it’s absolutely real. Everyone says they saw it with their own eyes!"
"Right now, the Fourth Master of the Qi Family is transporting mother silver here. It’s said that the more mother silver is used, the more the silver output will multiply!"
"..."
Zhang Jian’s eyes revealed a hint of skepticism; sometimes, the people in a situation are confused while bystanders see clearly.
He had a rough idea of what was going on.
"Let’s take a look at the commotion too! Let’s see what kind of skills that Yu Zhen Daoist from Dragon Gate Mountain possesses?"
He had heard these attendants mention that this Daoist came from Dragon Gate Mountain in Shanyang County, a renowned scenic mountain there, where many virtuous and respected Daoists practice. It’s also said that immortals tend to appear there.
As Zhang Jian entered the courtyard of the fourth house, he happened to hear someone loudly shouting.
"Move along, move along, the master said you are all mundane people, carrying the five impurities of the world, most likely to ruin the true elixir furnace. If you ruin this true elixir and lose the mother silver, the master will skin you alive!"
Upon hearing this, many attendants quickly dispersed.
Zhang Jian had already spotted his Fourth Uncle Qi Yuanjia, with his cousin Qi Tongli next to him, looking weary and yawning nonstop.
He had the look of someone indulging excessively in pleasures.
Zhang Jian’s gaze lingered slightly on this cousin.
Qi Yuanjia also saw Zhang Jian approaching, his eyes lit up, and he stepped forward with a smile.
"Ah Yu has come; this is quite a surprise. Come and join us inside..."
Qi Yuanjia was exceptionally welcoming, although he was a playboy who enjoyed feasting and frequented pleasure houses, he was also quite perceptive. Seeing Qi Tongli’s drowsy state, he felt a tinge of frustration.
"Ah Li, look at what a mess you are, always looking so weary. Aren’t you the first grandson of the Qi Family? Even when a cousin visits, you don’t know how to greet them, just like mud that can’t be plastered to the wall!"
Qi Yuanjia grew increasingly annoyed as he spoke.
Qi Tongli acted nonchalantly, completely indifferent to his father’s scolding, merely glancing at Zhang Jian, nodding slightly, and said, "Cousin Jian, feel at home, don’t mind my father’s babbling, just consider it your own home!"
As he yawned, he headed back to nap.
Qi Yuanjia got more infuriated by the sight, about to scold, when Zhang Jian stopped him. Zhang Jian didn’t blame them much; these two uncle and nephew were birds of a feather, both carefree and lackadaisical.
Zhang Jian just smiled, "Fourth Uncle, no need for formality, I just came by to take a look and heard that you invited a skillful Daoist from Dragon Gate Mountain, well-versed in alchemy, so I came by to exchange some insights!"
Hearing this, Qi Yuanjia laughed, "That’s really unfortunate. Master Yu Zhen left this morning on some matters, leaving me in charge of the pill furnace. He’s gathering a few more auxiliary ingredients and will return when he’s got enough!"
"Missed the chance to meet, that’s regrettable!"
Zhang Jian’s eyes flickered.
Qi Yuanjia chuckled, "When Master Yu Zhen returns, I’ll definitely introduce you. You both understand the out-of-the-world skills, perhaps after some exchanges, you might gain something!"
Mentioning Master Yu Zhen, Qi Yuanjia seemed a bit proud, clearly impressed by him.
Zhang Jian laughed and agreed, yet his humility in Qi Yuanjia’s eyes translated to respect or acknowledgment for him as his Fourth Uncle, making him even more delighted and welcoming.
However, Zhang Jian did not stay long. He just strolled around the alchemy room, inspected the silver embryo in the pill furnace, and got ready to leave.
Only to encounter Daoist Tianxu, emerging from another alchemy room.
Daoist Tianxu, clad in a blue cloth robe, washed immaculately, with his gray hair simply bound by an ink jade hairpin, looked extremely neat and sharp.
His face was contemplative.
The two of them spotted each other and were both a bit surprised!
Daoist Tianxu lifted his head, seriously observing Zhang Jian, and said somewhat in surprise.
"Brother Zhang, you look a bit different today?"
In his eyes, Zhang Jian emanated an ethereal aura, seemingly shrouded in an indescribable mysterious charm.
His own Dao practice was limited, and without cultivated spiritual eyes, he couldn’t see clearly. Still, based on his experience, he could ascertain that Zhang Jian’s Dao practice had clearly improved significantly.
He had a hint of envy in his eyes.
Such a significant improvement in Dao practice was something he had experienced before, but after reaching the Nourishing Spirit Stage, tempering spiritual power became particularly difficult.
Zhang Jian merely smiled slightly.
"Just a moment of insight!"
The Jade Pool Golden Lotus Seed had merged with his body, boosting his Extreme Yang Spiritual Power considerably, coupled with advances in the Sun and Moon Swordsmanship. These successive breakthroughs left a faint trace of spiritual mechanism on him.
It’s just a pity he’s yet to learn the technique to conceal his spiritual mechanism, otherwise, he wouldn’t stand out so much.
Daoist Tianxu tutted in wonder, and Zhang Jian looked towards the direction of the alchemy room, taking the initiative to ask.
"Elder Tianxu, you should have witnessed Master Yu Zhen’s alchemy skill firsthand yesterday. Did you notice anything unusual?"
Daoist Tianxu shook his head and said:
"Master Yu Zhen is indeed a cultivator, whose Dao practice is not weak, perhaps even above mine, but his alchemy skill is rather peculiar!"
Zhang Jian reacted with a glance, "Peculiar?"
Daoist Tianxu frowned, "I can’t really articulate what’s peculiar!"
"Moreover, he carries a strange smell!"
"Oh?"
Zhang Jian looked curiously.
Daoist Tianxu whispered, "Fishy smell!"
"Spirit monster?"
Zhang Jian frowned tightly. When mentioning a fishy smell, his first thought was of a monster, most of which consume raw meat and blood, often carrying a distinctive fishy odor.
It might be due to their lifestyle, with such a personal trait.
But the question remains, how could a monster infiltrate Fengyang County City, especially the Qi Family mansion, where the Qi Mansion is protected by Dragon and Tiger Qi.
Did they have a death wish?
Daoist Tianxu shook his head: "I can’t be sure of this, it’s possible that Master Yu Zhen simply has different habits or has practiced some unusual magic, resulting in such a scent!"
After some thought, Daoist Tianxu then took something out from his sleeve, handing it to Zhang Jian.
"By the way, Brother Zhang, upon returning to Iron Immortal Temple yesterday, I found some travel notes left by our predecessors, which might be of use to you. You should take a look!"
At these words, Zhang Jian’s eyes moved, glancing at the few well-preserved booklets wrapped in red silk, a look of surprise in his eyes.
Who writes travel notes like this seriously?
Perhaps only cultivators with a mind to pass down sect cultivation techniques would do such a thing.
Zhang Jian casually accepted and thanked him.
He could see that Daoist Tianxu was reciprocating his earlier lifesaving favor by offering this.
Of course, he also sincerely wanted to make friends.
Otherwise, sect heritage the classics wouldn’t be so readily shared!