“Huh? Are you new here?”
Xiao Liuzi beamed at Shui Miao. “Hi, I’m Xiao Liuzi. Everyone calls me that.”
Xiao Liuzi approached Shui Miao, grabbed his finger playfully, shook it, then mischievously darted away to grab a gourd and start filling it with pills. This Xiao Liuzi was actually the head of the pharmacy transformed into a child’s form. He was truly frustrating—appearing no older than seven or eight, with a round face, dimples when he smiled, and two little tiger teeth, making him look both adorable and mischievous.
“Hello, I’m Shui Miao. Nice to meet you.”
Any little Daoist apprentice who managed to get in here was definitely no ordinary person.
Shui Miao smiled politely, but inwardly he was alert. Something just didn’t feel right.
How could such a major immortal sect allow someone like him—who had just arrived for the first time and had barely exchanged ten sentences with anyone—to enter this crucial pill storage area? It was highly unusual. There had to be a hidden plot!
Shui Miao also picked up a gourd and mimicked Xiao Liuzi’s actions, filling it with pills.
Meanwhile, Shui Miao subtly sensed everything around the pill storage chamber…
Everything here felt real!
The pills were genuine, the gourds were real, and even the immortal energy was normal.
Suddenly, Xiao Liuzi tossed a pill into his mouth and started chewing it with a crunching sound, like eating beans. The pill, crushed by his teeth, immediately released a large amount of immortal essence. This essence was extremely pure. As soon as Shui Miao inhaled a bit of it, a surge of immortal energy rushed into his spiritual sense, and then flowed back into his dantian, rapidly restoring his energy.
“Xiao Liuzi… you’re sneaking snacks!?”
Shui Miao looked at Xiao Liuzi in surprise.
Xiao Liuzi looked up, winked at Shui Miao, and then smiled sweetly, saying, “Oh! You didn’t know? These are meant to be eaten. These aren’t valuable pills—they’re just the ones we pack and distribute to inner sect disciples as regular food. If you want to eat, go ahead!”
As he spoke, Xiao Liuzi grabbed a few more pills and tossed them into his mouth, crunching loudly.
Shui Miao didn’t dare to eat…
But he really wanted to…
Seeing that Shui Miao hadn’t eaten any, Xiao Liuzi stopped and asked, “Brother Shui Miao, you don’t like them, do you? If you don’t, I can show you some better ones. What do you say?”
“No, that’s okay.”
Shui Miao shook his head, but secretly increased his breathing rate, trying to absorb more immortal essence to replenish his energy.
“You must just be afraid someone will see you, right, Brother Shui Miao?” Xiao Liuzi ran over and grabbed Shui Miao’s finger. “Come on, I saved an extra Dragon Soul Pill last time I was filling gourds. I’ve hidden it in the corner. I’ll give it to you now. Come with me… This is a top-grade pill that nourishes the soul. After eating it, your soul will become incredibly powerful. No one will be able to destroy your soul. I heard it’s specially made by our Yuxu Sect for the Immortals.”
Xiao Liuzi led Shui Miao to a gray wall. He stomped his foot, and the wall split into two, revealing a magnificent interior filled with premium pills. Shui Miao could sense the powerful immortal energy from some of them, which exuded a soul-piercing pressure. Particularly eye-catching was a golden gourd on a jade table. Its surface was engraved with a golden dragon, exuding a mysterious force that unconsciously drew Shui Miao closer.
Xiao Liuzi took a small box from a nearby cabinet. As he turned, he noticed Shui Miao looking at the golden gourd and his heart sank. He quickly approached, took Shui Miao’s hand, and handed him the Dragon Soul Pill.
“Brother, quickly eat this Dragon Soul Pill…”
Xiao Liuzi deliberately positioned himself between Shui Miao and the golden gourd.
Shui Miao glanced at the Dragon Soul Pill—it looked like white jade, about the size of a lychee.
But he was curious about the pill inside the golden gourd. He asked, “What’s that? Can you tell me?”
“This? This is the Foundation-Building Pill, meant for the Immortals. If we little Daoists eat it, the powerful medicinal energy will definitely kill us.” Xiao Liuzi pointed at the Dragon Soul Pill in Shui Miao’s hand. “Hurry up and eat it. This one is best for you. After eating it, your soul will become much stronger.”
“…”
Shui Miao cast a reluctant glance at the golden gourd, then brought the Dragon Soul Pill to his nose to sniff it. Strangely, he found the so-called Dragon Soul Pill quite ordinary—only slightly stronger in immortal energy. He had no real desire to eat it. However, he felt an intense craving for the pill inside the golden gourd on the jade table. He didn’t know why, but he really wanted to eat it, as if it had some kind of magical allure.
“Well, I think I’ll pass. This is too valuable. Can I just look at it?”
Shui Miao handed the Dragon Soul Pill back to Xiao Liuzi.
In truth, Shui Miao still had some doubts about Xiao Liuzi’s motives. There’s no such thing as a free lunch. He didn’t believe he was that lucky.
Seeing that Shui Miao refused to eat it, Xiao Liuzi looked disappointed.
This pill storage chamber was the most secret one in the ninth heavenly realm of the Yuxu Sect. The head of the pharmacy had transformed into Xiao Liuzi, mainly to trick Shui Miao into eating the Dragon Soul Pill. Then he would transform back into the head and punish Shui Miao, accusing him of consuming an extremely expensive pill, and then force him to join the sect to resolve the matter. However, Shui Miao remained unmoved, which surprised the head greatly. Within this secret chamber, except for the Dragon Soul Pill, the head dared not touch any other pills without permission. Especially the pill inside the golden gourd on the golden box—the Yuanhun Golden Pill, which had been refined for three hundred years especially for the sect leader.
The Yuanhun Golden Pill was the supreme pill among all pills, a sacred medicine that even the Great Immortal Elders longed for.
The Yuanhun Golden Pill was formed by gathering all the spiritual essence and immortal energy in the world. It also contained the Soul Devouring Force that Shui Miao desired most.
“Don’t look around anymore. If the head comes and sees me opening this secret chamber, he’ll definitely kill me!” Xiao Liuzi said anxiously, looking at Shui Miao.
Shui Miao scratched his head. “How about this, I’ll just take a quick sniff, just one!”
“Okay then…”
Inwardly cursing, the head thought, this Shui Miao really has a nose like a dog, finding the best pill so quickly.
But a few sniffs wouldn’t matter much.
True to his word, Shui Miao took a deep breath of the Yuanhun Golden Pill’s aura, then immediately walked out of the chamber and started filling his gourd with pills.
On the surface, Shui Miao was focused on filling the gourd.
In reality, he was sensing the changes in his spiritual sense. After inhaling the Yuanhun Golden Pill’s aura, all the immortal energy in his spiritual sense condensed together, forming a strange, tiny object—no bigger than a sesame seed. Shui Miao didn’t know what it was, but he knew it was something good! Because after this small black object formed, he felt his soul filled with strength.
Seeing that Shui Miao was unmoved by the pills, the head felt reluctant.
He thought to himself that it was a shame to miss out on such a talent. Perhaps he should try again with some slightly inferior pills from the chamber?
However,擅自 using the pills from the secret chamber was a serious offense.
However, if he could recruit a once-in-a-thousand-years genius for the sect, the sect leader would not only refrain from punishing him but would also reward him.
As long as he didn’t touch the Yuanhun Golden Pill, it should be fine. The head made up his mind, gritted his teeth, and decided to take the risk. Suddenly excited, he called out, “Oh right, Brother Shui Miao! I just remembered I also hid an Yin-Yang Five Elements Immortal Pill before. It’s perfect for you. Come, let me find it for you!”
“Mm.”
Shui Miao grunted, following the transformed Xiao Liuzi back into the chamber. But this time, while Xiao Liuzi was searching for the pill, Shui Miao took the opportunity to move closer to the Yuanhun Golden Pill, opened his mouth, and inhaled deeply twice…
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