Fasting Pill

Song Shuhang brought Medicine Master for a stroll around Auspicious Street Area and they viewed dozens of rental apartments. Unfortunately, Medicine Master was not satisfied with any of them—Shuhang didn’t know what sort of house Medicine Master was looking for.

‘If we really can’t find any, we should head over to another street area and take a look.’ Song Shuhang thought.

Just then, Medicine Master found a house he was satisfied with.

It was a brand-new detached single-family home with five floors and, additionally, an enclosed garden. Not only that, there was also a front and backyard. The overall arrangement was exquisite and one could see that the owner had expended his time and effort in making this building look the way it was now.

It was a great apartment!

However, this apartment simply didn’t seem like it was for rent!

"This apartment will do, let’s rent it!" Medicine Master heartily laughed.

"Wait a moment, Senior, this apartment is not for rent. This is someone’s private property!" Song Shuhang called out.

However, Medicine Master did not listen to his explanation and heartily laughed while dragging Song Shuhang to the entrance, holding out his hand to press the doorbell.

"Coming!" A coarse and deep voice resounded.

Swiftly, the entrance door opened, and a slightly fat middle-aged man with a crew cut looked at Song Shuhang and Medicine Master from the other side of the door.

He stared at Medicine Master’s ‘exploded’ haircut for quite some time before he puzzledly questioned, "Express delivery?"

"No, we would like to rent this building." Medicine Master directly got straight to the point.

The middle-aged man stiffened and the corner of his lips twitched. However, he maintained his manners and replied. "I’m sorry, my apartment’s for my own family to stay in and we don’t really like staying with strangers. Therefore, I have no intention of renting it."

"You don’t like to stay with strangers? Then that’s great!" Medicine Master happily replied. "Me too, I don’t like to live under one roof with strangers. So, how about you move out and rent this entire apartment to me? You can name your price as you like and I will definitely not bargain!"

Medicine Master’s words were quite infuriating, to be honest. Song Shuhang covered his face—For the original owner of the apartment to move out and rent their house to us? Wouldn’t they have to sleep on the streets? Such an infuriating way of requesting rental... how would they be able to rent an apartment?

As expected, veins bulged on the middle-aged apartment owner’s forehead. He then revealed an unwelcoming appearance. "I’m sorry, I do not lack the small change, so I will not rent out my apartment. Please find another place, goodbye."

To be able to endure even till now… this indicated that this apartment owner was an educated gentleman. If it was Shuhang, he felt that he would totally be unable to restrain himself—at least he would scold the other party something like ‘are you crazy’ or whatnot!

"Aish, please reconsider! Money’s really not a problem!" Medicine Master didn’t want to give up.

Song Shuhang could already imagine the scene whereby the apartment owner angrily chased them out. He immediately tried pulling Medicine Master and was prepared to forcefully drag this senior away.

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Unexpectedly, Medicine Master and Song Shuhang ultimately moved into this apartment.

"Aiyaya, as expected, this sort of detached single-family home is the best, the size is just right too. After removing all the walls on one floor, it can be used as a pill refining room!" Medicine Master toured each floor and satisfactorily nodded while looking around.

"Actually, renting a room would be sufficient for us." Song Shuhang grumbled.

Everything in this secular world had a price. The reason why one was unable to purchase some items was not because that item wasn’t for sale, but because the price that one offered wasn’t enough.

And this apartment was as such.

Even if the owner had expended his heart’s blood in constructing this apartment solely for him and his family to live in, after Medicine Master had offered an irresistible offer… the middle-aged uncle whose face was bulging with blue veins and showed he was about to hit someone changed as if a Beijing Opera as the cloudy weather instantly cleared up.

Following that, the uncle happily handed over this apartment and contract for the land’s usage along with the keys for the entire apartment while arranging a time to complete the ownership transfer procedure with Medicine Master.

After that, that uncle and his family moved out from the house in two hours. This sort of efficiency was extremely amazing!

Yes, the apartment was purchased—Medicine Master straightforwardly purchased this entire apartment.

Rich people are truly unruly!

"You don’t have to care for these small details, it is more important to have a suitable pill refining room. Right now, we can start refining Body Tempering Liquid." Medicine Master happily laughed. He then fished out a porcelain bottle from his bosom and poured a pill out before tossing it to Song Shuhang.

Song Shuhang caught the pill with a puzzled face.

"This is a fasting pill, something that can be used to replace meals, an essential pill for cultivators’ daily use. As your cultivation becomes more profound in the future, your closed-door cultivation will often be for dozens of months or even years. It’s even possible that it’ll last for dozens of decades, and cultivators also require to eat. This is where this fasting pill comes into play. By sucking it in your mouth, the medicinal effect would dissolve into a steady stream. This pill is of the lowest quality, but it would be able to substitute for one month of your meals." Medicine Master smilingly explained.

"Thank you, Senior." Song Shuhang’s heart warmed up. To think that Medicine Master still remembered that he had yet to have his lunch. The rough- and crazy-looking Medicine Master was surprisingly considerate.

Medicine Master then added, "You don't have to be courteous with me. Suck it for a while, and after you’re full, we shall go refine Body Tempering Liquid."

Song Shuhang placed the fasting pill into his mouth and instantly, fragrance enveloped his mouth while the feeling of hunger in his stomach vanished. Afterwards, he felt so full that he even wanted to burp.

"When you feel full, take out the pill lest you are filled to the bursting point. Before this fasting pill is completely used up, it can be used repeatedly. Keep it as you might use it in the future." Medicine Master carried on. The best-before dates of the items he refined were counted in hundreds of years and there was no need to worry of it going bad.

Song Shuhang listened to him and took out the fasting pill from his mouth, then kept it away. Fortunately, he didn’t swallow it. He was still thinking of it earlier on—whether this fasting pill would be similar to those plots in movies, where he wouldn’t require to consume food or drinks for a month after swallowing the pill.

However, looking at it now, he would probably be stuffed to death if he had swallowed it.

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Induction stove, check. Hot pot pan, check.

Forty-five Simplified Body Tempering Liquid medicinal ingredients were also placed beside Song Shuhang according to their quantity and recipe’s sequence.

"Repeat the entire process according to your first attempt in refining and start," Medicine Master spoke. "Don’t be pressured or worry about failure. I have plenty of Body Tempering Liquid ingredients."

Song Shuhang bashfully smiled. He closed his eyes and recalled the process of his first attempt at refining Body Tempering Liquid. As it was something that happened yesterday and it was his first time refining the liquid, he could clearly remember every step.

"Firstly, adding water." He poured a ladle of water into the pot.

After that, he added in the ginseng slices and boiled for five minutes

Shortly after was wolfberry, and he continued to boil it for five minutes.

When it was at the third ingredient, ‘Morning Dew Mysterious Grass’, Shuhang no longer followed the time. He started staring at the minute changes within the medicinal ingredients in the pot before beginning to increase the heat of induction stove.

Medicine Master kneaded his jaw and attentively stared at Song Shuhang’s each and every action. He maintained his silence without speaking.

‘Even though I prepared myself mentally, I cannot connect little friend Shuhang’s actions with pill refining.’ Medicine Master sighed with sorrow internally.

Fortunately, he was a Pill Refining Master that kept up with the times.

If those old-fashioned Pill Refining Masters knew that Song Shuhang used a hot pot and an induction stove to refine a pill, they would probably be angry until their livers burst.

‘Also... modernizing refining of pills should also be added into the plan ahead of time. At least in refining pills that do not require pill flames or any specialized flames, the modernized facilities make it easier to control heat and temperature.’ Medicine Master pondered.

For example, looking at Song Shuhang, he only had to press a few buttons and could perfectly control the heat. This was something the old-fashioned pill furnace was unable to achieve; even with a heat-control treasure, it would not be that effortless.

Currently, under the ice bead’s assistance, Song Shuhang once again entered a state of high-degree concentration. In his eyes, other than this Body Tempering Liquid he was currently refining, there was nothing else.

Medicine Master’s gaze revealed an admiring look.

Although he might be a bit old, perhaps this Song Shuhang had talent in pill refining!