togophonebook Chapter 67: Old Friends
Chapter 67: Old Friends
Time always flies by; in the blink of an eye, several days have passed.
Inside a certain alchemy room at the Immortal Temple.
Zou Yun, dressed in plain robes, sat cross-legged on a straw mat with a solemn expression.
Standing before him was a bronze alchemy furnace, over ten feet tall, cast entirely in bronze, with three legs and two handles.
The furnace is heavy and solid, with three legs and symmetrical handles, fully demonstrating the Qin state's aesthetic of grandeur and majesty.
The furnace wall is cast with simplified cloud and thunder patterns and kui dragon patterns.
The lines are simple and vigorous, unlike the elaborate lines of later periods.
Apart from this, there are no other decorations, except for a shallow engraving of a water ripple pattern near the bottom of the foot of the furnace, which represents the profound artistic conception of water and fire complementing each other and yin and yang in harmony.
The entire alchemy furnace is simple yet elegant, imposing yet understated.
It was the alchemy furnace that Lu Sheng had always used, but now it was in the hands of Zou Yun.
The furnace body is round and slightly square, with a furnace door in the center of the body.
Feng Zhixue, also dressed in plain clothes, stood three feet in front of the furnace, his eyes fixed intently on the flickering firelight on the furnace.
Wait until the firelight dims slightly.
He immediately stepped forward, carefully opened the heavy furnace door with the animal head ring, and precisely added a few pieces of firewood and certain minerals.
On the other side of the stove, Zheng Ze was only wearing a coarse linen short coat, with his arms bare.
Holding a large cattail fan in both hands, he leaned over the vent at the bottom of the stove and slowly fanned himself.
The wind was gentle and calm, blowing into the furnace through the duct, and the faint crackling sound of flames swirling inside could be heard.
The two worked together seamlessly and complemented each other perfectly.
The alchemy furnace was like a giant beast that could swallow the heavens and earth, with flames rising with every breath.
Pale blue smoke curled out from the Big Dipper-shaped opening at the top of the furnace, casting shimmering light and shadow on the furnace body, filling the entire alchemy room with a mysterious atmosphere.
Amidst the rising smoke and shifting light and shadow...
Zou Yun recited aloud, his voice long and solemn, as if piercing through the veil of life and death...
"The phoenix gall draws forth the mysterious yin, refining the form to return to the Great Void."
"Dead bones give birth to immortal bones, and a single thought restores the original body..."
This chanting is not like an alchemical formula; rather, it is more like a solemn and ancient prayer to the unknowable deities in the dark.
This is the situation.
At first glance, it does indeed have a somewhat otherworldly and unfathomable air about it.
Not to mention Feng and Zheng inside the room.
Even those who happen to pass by and only hear its sound or catch a glimpse of the wispy smoke cannot help but feel awe and stop to hold their breath.
Every detail was meticulously recorded and sent to Xianyang Palace.
However, beneath the solemn exterior of the alchemy room...
Zou Yun, however, was inwardly ranting and raving.
"With such a weak flame, it's a miracle they could refine a celestial star into a pill..."
"And... this weather is unbelievably hot!! No wonder historical records say that elephants can still be seen running around freely in the Yangtze River basin today."
"By the way, Ying Zheng should have already seen my alchemy check-in for today."
"Let's call it a day, it's unbearably hot."
Zou Yun wiped the sweat from his brow without making a sound, and pondered to himself.
After they returned to Xianyang, the height of summer had already quietly arrived.
The summer heat intensifies day by day, the chirping of insects rises and falls, incessantly clamoring, and the sweltering weather makes people increasingly irritable.
"Of course, the noisier one is that brat Wei Shuqing..."
Zou Yun thought to himself, "When is Meng Xuande finally going to get back?"
Not long after he returned from Zhangtai Palace that day, Zhao Gao came to inform him that His Majesty had pardoned the common people near the point where the celestial star fell, as he had requested.
However, these days, it takes several days for news to travel, let alone for Meng Xuande himself to return.
So, Wei Shuqing has been pestering Zou Yun all this time.
"Tsk, shouldn't we find this kid a proper teacher?"
Just as Zou Yun was mechanically reciting the pill formula, a figure flashed through his mind.
"Great Master! Look! My son has memorized the entire Tao Te Ching!!"
Speaking of Cao Cao, Cao Cao will arrive.
The courtyard gate outside the alchemy room was suddenly pushed open with a "bang," and a figure rushed in.
Zou Yun's lips twitched involuntarily. He didn't even need to look up; the moment the courtyard gate opened, he knew it was Wei Shuqing who had arrived.
Nowadays, in the entire Immortal Temple, only that kid dares to push open the courtyard gate outside his alchemy room so directly.
"Alright, let's leave it at that for today."
Zou Yun stood up and said in a deep voice to Feng and Zheng, who were still busy at the furnace, "The fire is ready for today, so let's seal the furnace and let it rest for a while."
"only!"
Upon hearing this, Feng Zhixue and Zheng Ze immediately stopped what they were doing and bowed in response.
Zou Yun, meanwhile, had already stepped out of the steamy alchemy room.
"Uncle Qing, let's go. Haven't you been saying you wanted to stroll around Xianyang City?"
Zou Yun said to Wei Shuqing, who was beaming with excitement.
Upon hearing this, Wei Shuqing's eyes lit up instantly.
"Huh?! Really?!"
"Would I lie to you? Forget about going."
Zou Yun rolled her eyes at him, and without waiting for his reaction, walked straight out of the Immortal Temple. Seeing this, Wei Shuqing didn't dare to hesitate and immediately followed after him with a happy expression.
As the two approached the gate, the soldiers guarding both sides did not stop them, but merely glanced at them as usual.
However, shortly after they merged into the crowd, several unfamiliar faces appeared silently not far from them.
Zou Yun keenly sensed something amiss behind him, but he only glanced at it before ignoring it.
The city of Xianyang in the height of summer is completely different from the bleakness of autumn and winter, and is full of vitality everywhere.
The streets were lined with shady trees, and the pedestrians were dressed much more lightly.
Throughout the journey, Wei Shuqing appeared exceptionally excited, turning his head left and right like a rattle drum, curiously observing everything on both sides of the street.
Rows of houses, a constant stream of carriages and horses, and all sorts of passersby...
All of this was incredibly novel to him, a boy from the countryside, and he could never get enough of it.
Unlike Wei Shuqing's aimless wandering, Zou Yun had a clear goal and headed straight for the market.
Upon entering the market, Wei Shuqing's eyes were already overwhelmed with sights.
The bustling metropolis of Xianyang left the country boy speechless with astonishment.
Zou Yun slowly walked through the crowd towards the grain store area. When he passed a familiar rice store, he deliberately slowed down and glanced inside.
The lean grain merchant was gone, replaced by a plump man with a kind face.
At this moment, people were coming and going to buy grain at the entrance of this rice shop, and business was booming.
Seeing this, Zou Yun smiled and said, "Luckily that guy ran fast, otherwise I would definitely have given him a taste of his own medicine."
After that, Zou Yun stopped looking in that direction.
Instead, he sat in the queue, intently searching for the steamed bun stall.
"Master, what are you looking for? I can help." Wei Shuqing asked, looking at the stall he had passed three times already.
"An old friend, who was also the teacher someone found for you."
"An old friend? A teacher?"
Wei Shuqing blinked.
"Um."
Zou Yun nodded, but his brows furrowed slightly. "However, I searched back and forth several times, but I still couldn't find him."
"Never mind, let's ask someone else."
With a sigh, Zou Yun stopped and shook his head, walking straight to a row of seats.
He vaguely remembered that the man had previously set up a stall next to the old man, so perhaps that man knew something.