Lin Xiao's seemingly random handful of herbs turned out to be exactly the right amount. The excelling spectacle would even blow away Shan Chengfeng himself — remarkably experienced as he was, he still had to attach full-on attention when fetching herbs. for Shan Chengfeng, doing it in such a casual manner as Lin Xiao did was literally a blue moon — was he a real 16-year-old young lad?
"Chiyan the Great Master, could you please tell me how you successfully produced such a horrifying consummate disciple. Is there anything in the world that he is incapable of?" Li Taixuan wondered in awe. Watching Lin Xiao in action, Li Taixuan would not find it bizarre if Lin had said that he could give birth to children.
Seeing Li Taixuan being stupefied, Lin Xiao uttered a light smile. While murmuring incantations and carrying on with elixir production, he turned his head and said to Li, "Esteemed Patriarch, this is the very prescription of the Martial Law Gestation Elixir. Please bear in mind the percentages of all the herbs in it."
The other day. Lin Xiao asked Li Taixuan to run an errand for him with an inventory of herbs without notes of specific amounts attached. Now Li Taixuan figured it out right away that Lin Xiao was imparting the alchemical methods to him incidentally. Hence Li came back to his sense right away and began to memorize the percentages by heart.
Lin Xiao spared no information about the alchemical methods. While continuing with elixir production, he taught Li Taixuan the methods in length. The latter appeared strikingly respectful as if he had been on a pilgrimage.
Being up to his neck for almost one hour, Lin Xiao made a pause to relax. Right then, the gate to the Furnace Hall was pushed open.
"Haha, Patriarch Li. It took me ages to find you here," an old gatecrasher showed up along with his hoarse voice. He cast a glimpse and took a breather. Then he turned pale and asked Li Taixuan in an amazed and uncertain tone, "Are you refining the Martial Law Gestation Elixirs?"
Not feeling like offering a response, Li Taixuan threw an inquiring look at Lin Xiao instead.
Lin Xiao cleared his throat and hastened to say, "Esteemed Taoist, please don't worry. My master will, by all means, return you the four gestation pills. Currently, he is engaged in elixir production, which will conclude in two to four hours. We, the Taixuan people, won't go back on our word."
"Patriarch Li, you even had what it takes to produce the Martial Law Gestation Elixirs?" Shan Cheng asked, startled. He smelled a couple of herbs in the furnace, which was indeed on the prescription for the pills.
Then he felt ill at ease, as he kept the prescription solely to himself. If people in the Taixuan Sect could manage it, then he would be under risk of losing his monopoly on them.
With sparkles flashing across his eyes, Shan Chengfeng circled around the furnace for a couple of times. Then he burst into a grin and felt at ease again. "I knew it! There was no such thing in the world that anyone else in Chijing Prefecture was capable of producing the Martial Law Gestation Elixirs. It would be ridiculous if Li Taixuan could manage it."
Having been scrutinizing Shan Chengfeng since his entrance, Li Taixuan got perturbed by Shan's sneering grin. Then his tongue ran before his wit, "Esteemed Taoist, anything wrong with the elixir production?"
Though he was confident in Lin Xiao, Li Taixuan still got mentally disturbed by Shan Chengfeng's reaction, given that Shan was, at present, the only one who had the ability to produce the Martial Law Gestation Elixirs.
It was fair enough Li Taixuan had a slip of the tongue.
Nevertheless, Li Taixuan caught himself raising a wrong question as soon as he said it. It was a clear manifestation that he didn't give much credence to Lin Xiao. At the moment, he even dared not have a look at Lin Xiao's reaction.
The terribly diffident reaction of Li Taixuan brought a further sense of relief to Shan Chengfeng. And he even went on to tease Li Taixuan, "Patriarch Li, you shouldn't have refined the elixirs this way. If you can manage it simply with a rough combination of the fire crystal stones and a random furnace, I can, by all means, nullify the IOU for four pills."
On hearing that, Li Taixuan twisted his eyebrows and started to waver.
Then he heard Lin Xiao say, "Esteemed Taoist, you just gave us your word. If my master really did it, at last, you can't repudiate it."
Noticing Lin Xiao referring to Li Taixuan as his master and repeating "our Taixuan Sect", Shan Chengfeng knew Lin Xiao was making a declaration that Lin wanted him to forgo the idea of having Lin as a disciple. Not getting around to responding to the declaration due to the pills, Shan Chengfeng decided to commit himself on it. Being irritated by Lin Xiao calling Li as his master again, Shan Chengfeng cried in indignation, "I will never go back on my word! Bear it in mind, you'll have to pack up your luggage and leave here with me if your master fails today."
Then Shan Chengfeng let out a hum and went off in a huff.