cornucopia pot

Chapter 007: Alchemy Room · The Treasure Basin! · A true treasure! · Wait... · He Pingsheng took a deep breath, his eyes narrowing slightly. · He thought of something else: the spring water! · That was it! · Yesterday, those two women had come by mentioning that the Mountain Spring water had changed, losing its former crispness and sweetness. · Previously, He Pingsheng hadn't known the reason, but now he had a general idea of what was happening. · After water was placed inside this basin, it turned green. · Presumably, that green water wasn't spoiled or moldy; it must contain something that could make spring water sweet and crisp. This basin had been lying at the bottom of that shallow pool, producing green water day after day, which was then diluted by the vast pool. · On the surface, nothing seemed out of the ordinary, but in reality, it influenced the water quality. · Once He Pingsheng took the basin away, this water-purifying function vanished. · It was no wonder the originally crisp and sweet Mountain Spring had turned into an ordinary water source. · Connecting these events one after another, He Pingsheng was finally certain that the basin in his hands was a peerless treasure. · "What a fine treasure!" He stroked the basin with his hand, then decisively swallowed the Golden Bone Pill with the four Pill Veins. · Since this treasure could turn one item into two, what did it matter if he ate this Golden Bone Pill? · He could put the remaining one inside, and by tomorrow, he would have two again! · Boom... · The pill melted the moment it entered his mouth, and a majestic surge of energy instantly rampaged through He Pingsheng's body. · He felt a warm glow within him. · On his hands and arms, the injuries and bruises faded away at a pace visible to the naked eye. · His chest no longer ached, and his headache vanished. · The bloody sensation that had been lingering in his nasal cavity disappeared as well. · In the time it took to finish a meal, He Pingsheng's body had returned to its former state, without a single trace of injury left on him. · This... · It was too powerful! · He Pingsheng once again felt a sense of unreality. · He pinched his thigh hard again. · It took about half an hour for him to completely calm down from the excitement and joy. · He couldn't just stay excited; he had to think about what to do next. · It was time to move! · However, He Pingsheng still faced considerable risks. · The Treasure Basin itself didn't matter much, because from the outside, it looked like nothing more than an ordinary, broken basin. · The medicinal pills didn't matter either. · They were small and could easily be hidden in the corners of his clothes without revealing any clues. · The critical issue was the pile of golden rice. · What should he do? · Should he take it with him during the move, or throw it away? · After a few breaths of deliberation, He Pingsheng made his choice! · He placed his clothes and the rice into the basin, covering them up tightly. Waiting until everyone else in the courtyard had gone out, he crept out of his room and went to the latrine. · There was a drainage hole inside the latrine! · Without hesitation, He Pingsheng poured all the golden spiritual rice into the waste pit with a loud splash. · The golden rice sank, vanishing into the waste. · This waste would eventually be flushed into the mountain gullies by the flow of water. · Thus, all traces were gone! · Having finished this, He Pingsheng took his basin, his clothes, and his large iron eating bowl, and made his way toward the Alchemy Rooms of Showy Bamboo Peak. · Showy Bamboo Peak was massive! · The mountain rose ten thousand fathoms high, yet several areas had been carved out to build pavilions and towers. · These buildings were situated on relatively flat ground, but since flat land was scarce on the mountain and scattered in patches, the various locations on Showy Bamboo Peak were quite spread out. · Walking up from the Handyman Quarters, about three or four miles of mountain path led to a building that looked somewhat like a temple. · He Pingsheng was literate; he knew this was the Alchemy Rooms. · Entering the courtyard gate, he saw thickets of dense bamboo. · Hidden among the bamboo was a yellow-painted Main Hall. The hall was solemn and ancient, though its high walls were covered in spiderwebs. · A young man in his twenties saw He Pingsheng approaching and pointed at him from the high steps. "Wait a moment... are you the new Handyman Disciple for the Alchemy Rooms?" · "Yes!" He Pingsheng placed the clay basin on the ground and gave a respectful bow. "This humble one is He Pingsheng!" · "Come here!" · The man beckoned with his hand. · He Pingsheng went up, clutching the clay basin. · The man reached out and rummaged through the basin. After tossing things around, he found nothing but He Pingsheng's clothes, a large iron bowl, a pair of chopsticks, and the old, broken clay basin. · A trace of mockery flickered at the corner of the young man's mouth as he said, "You really are poor enough." · He Pingsheng felt a lingering fear in his heart. Fortunately, he had thrown that golden spiritual rice into the latrine pit earlier; otherwise, he truly wouldn't have passed this inspection today. · "Fine then!" the young man said. "Let me tell you, my surname is Hao. I am the immortal in charge of this alchemy room!" · "From now on, you are responsible for the chores here!" · "See that? There's a house over there; that's where you'll be living. Go on, put your things away, then come back and find me!" · "I'll tell you what your duties are!" · "Yes!" He Pingsheng bowed respectfully once more. "Senior Brother!" · With that, he carried his clay basin into the nearby house. · This house was similar to the handyman quarters he had lived in before, but it was slightly larger and had a partition. · Behind the partition was the bedroom, which contained a bed and bedding. · The outer area had a table and some miscellaneous items. · All in all, it was slightly better than the Handyman Quarters! · He Pingsheng placed the clay basin in the bedroom, locked the door, and returned to the entrance of the Main Hall where Senior Brother Hao was waiting. · "Come in!" · Senior Brother Hao's voice drifted from inside. · He Pingsheng walked in cautiously. · The interior of the Alchemy Rooms was remarkably clean, one might even say spotless. · The Main Hall was vast and airy. In the very center stood a massive cauldron, spherical in shape and resting on three legs. · Between the three legs were three openings for firewood! · The firewood was naturally for burning; fire was an indispensable part of refining pills. · Seeing this, He Pingsheng was somewhat taken aback. · In his imagination, when immortals refined pills, wouldn't a wisp of immortal flame fly out to heat the cauldron? · But here... · They actually used firewood. · "Come here," Senior Brother Hao said with a wave of his hand. "Let me explain your work to you." · "First is the cleaning of this hall!" · "Look closely... when refining pills, furnace ash flies everywhere, so there is dust all over this room!" · "After the refining is done, not only must you clean the ash off the tables, the floor, and the rafters, but you must also clear out the ash from the bottom of the cauldron!" · "That is the most basic task." · "Besides that, you must also chop wood!" · "Firewood is extremely important. Many people run into trouble because of it!" · "You must remember this: be careful, be very careful!" · [END]