“Oh, I suppose so, but are you suspecting something wrong with this pill?”
Zhang Zhenshan furrowed his brows and took out a small porcelain bottle from his robe.
Li Tan received it, pulled out the wooden stopper, and gave it a slight sniff before scoffing, “It’s indeed a third-grade pill, but it’s not Qingxin Powder.”
Upon hearing this, Zhang Zhenshan was startled. He scrutinized Li Tan carefully, as if trying to find evidence of his lie, but Li Tan’s expression was too serious and flawless to detect any deception.
Zhang Zhenshan himself knew nothing about alchemy, so he asked doubtfully, “If it’s not Qingxin Powder, then what is it?
I have no grudge with that three-star alchemist; he wouldn’t want to harm me.”
Li Tan replaced the stopper and casually put the bottle down, “This pill does resemble Qingxin Powder somewhat. It’s called Zhenxin Pill.”
Why would that three-star alchemist deceive me?
Zhang Zhenshan’s heart sank, asking anxiously, “Then what’s the difference between Zhenxin Pill and Qingxin Powder?”
Li Tan glanced at the small porcelain bottle on the table and said with a sneer, “Qingxin Powder, as its name suggests, calms the mind and clears the thoughts, with absolutely no side effects, although its effectiveness isn’t very strong. On the contrary, Zhenxin Pill has a powerful effect but also severe side effects.”
Zhang Zhenshan’s expression turned serious.
“If that’s the case, there’s something that doesn’t make sense. Why wouldn’t that three-star alchemist tell me the truth?”
“That’s right. Why wouldn’t he tell you the truth? He’s clearly trying to harm you deliberately,” Li Tan said thoughtfully, lowering his head. After a while, as if realizing something, his face turned cold.
Could it be related to those hooded men again?
Earlier, Zhang Zhenshan had mentioned that he had no enmity with that three-star alchemist, so there was no motive for him to do such a thing unless those hooded men were involved!
“Young man, have you thought of something?”
Zhang Zhenshan asked curiously.
Li Tan couldn’t easily reveal the matter of the hooded men to others, so he resumed his usual calm expression. “I’m just wondering why that three-star alchemist would do such a thing. Honestly, I can’t understand his motives at all. Old man, think carefully again—did you really have no conflict with him?”
Zhang Zhenshan shook his head firmly, “We had never met before. Our ancestral homes were also separated by thousands of miles. We had no contact or conflict at all.”
Because of this statement, Li Tan became even more convinced that the hooded men were involved.
Yet, on the surface, he pretended to be puzzled and said, “How strange. But to find out why, we can only ask the person himself. It’s pointless to speculate here. Old man, you should stop taking this medicine.”
“Stop? Easier said than done. If I stop, what about my madness?
Even with side effects, it has indeed suppressed my madness,” Zhang Zhenshan looked anxious at this moment.
The reason why Tianlang Sect had achieved its current status was largely due to him. Their enemies feared him as well. If something happened to him due to his madness flaring up, the sect might soon face the crisis of destruction.
The human factions were relatively manageable, as they were of the same race and cautious, and with the supervision of the Great Xia Dynasty, they wouldn’t go too far.
However, things might be different with the Yao race just across the desert. Knowing what the other was worried about, Li Tan also fell silent.
It would be great if Zhang Zhenshan’s madness could be cured. Although he thought so, Li Tan was powerless to do anything. He had never heard of such a condition before, let alone knowing its cause or how to treat it.
“Forget it. Anyway, my son Zhi is capable enough. Let the side effects be. Just let me hold on for another two years,” Zhang Zhenshan looked somewhat desolate, gazing at the sparks from the stove, lost in thought.
Li Tan thought back and forth but found no solution. Just as he was about to give up, a sudden idea popped into his mind. He paused, then burst into laughter.
“Young man, why are you laughing?”
Zhang Zhenshan was puzzled.
Li Tan shook his head self-mockingly and replied, “I’m just laughing at my own stupidity for forgetting about that.”
“That what?”
“The thing that can cure your madness.”
Zhang Zhenshan showed a very surprised expression, “You’re not joking with me, are you?”
“Do I look like I have the time for jokes? Anyway, give me a day. Tomorrow I’ll tell you the solution.”
Li Tan’s expression was flawless. Zhang Zhenshan couldn’t detect even a hint of hesitation on his face, so he agreed half-believingly.
Although only half-convinced, his previously gloomy expression had lightened somewhat. He deliberately instructed, “You don’t need to help in the kitchen today. Go back and work on a solution. But if you’re lying, tomorrow I’ll definitely leave a few lumps on your head.”
“Don’t worry about that.”
Li Tan stood up, walked out, and strolled leisurely under the strange gazes of the disciples, smirking proudly in his heart.
How foolish of me! I actually forgot about the sea of books on the first floor of the Wasteland Pagoda.
That’s right. Li Tan had been thinking for a long time but had completely forgotten about the sea of books in his all-encompassing space.
Since this matter involved the hooded men, Li Tan didn’t delay. He returned directly to his residence in the bamboo forest. The two large holes Zhang Zhenshan had made the previous night had already healed, and the furniture inside, previously in disarray, had been neatly arranged, giving the place a fresh new look.
That girl, Zhang Chenghuan, certainly didn’t procrastinate when it came to getting things done.
After giving a satisfied evaluation, Li Tan sat on his bed and directed his spiritual consciousness into the desolate Wasteland Pagoda located within his dantian—a space that could barely be called a world.
The sea of books on the first floor remained the same as always, countless books slowly floating in a soft, yellowish glow.
Trying to find a specific book in such circumstances was as difficult as climbing to the heavens. However, through previous exploration, Li Tan had discovered a pattern: if he focused on a specific purpose, suitable books would appear nearby.
Using this method, Li Tan successfully brought out a bundle of bamboo slips.
Bamboo slips had been obsolete in the Nine Provinces for thousands of years. The ancient age of these artifacts suggested their function should be reliable enough.
Expectantly, he spread them out before him. Immediately, he felt a strange dizziness. No matter how hard he tried to focus, the characters on the bamboo slips appeared blurred, as if pixelated.
Yet, as soon as he averted his gaze, everything returned to normal.
This was protected by a special technique, likely for two purposes: one was to compress the information to save materials and make them easier to carry; the second was for protection, to prevent theft of the knowledge.
Such protections were still in use even now, although only the most precious books received such treatment.
To access the contents of protected books, one had to use spiritual power to break through the protection.
Coincidentally, Li Tan had some expertise in this area. It took him about two hours to completely go through the real content of the bamboo slips and, at the same time, find a satisfactory answer.
Tai Sui Yellow Amulet Paper FuLu Taoist Love Talisman Traditional Chinese Spiritual Charm Attracting Love Protecting Marriage