Chapter 31: The Alchemist Realm

“Alchemist… Alchemist…”

Dai Longmei sat astride his horse, contemplating the territory ahead where they were headed.

The "Alchemist Realm" and the grand "Jade Seal Realm" both shared the suffix “realm.”

Yet, in comparison, they might as well be heaven and earth apart.

The so-called "Alchemist Realm" was merely the relic left behind by the Alchemist Alliance that had flourished under the Jade Legacy for over three centuries.

More than two hundred years ago, the Jade People’s use of refined jade was not limited to architectural decoration.

They placed it into alchemical furnaces, combining it with other minerals to forge jade pills known as "Jade Elixirs."

These elixirs nourished the body, strengthened muscles and bones, and even enabled one to cultivate what was called "true energy."

Thanks to these jade elixirs that bestowed extraordinary power, alchemists earned the reverence of the Kings of the Two Paths and the nobility of the capital.

From the sacrifice of a Shadow Gold being, Dai Longmei learned that refined jade chunks could serve as vessels to contain ethereal energy.

It stood to reason that jade elixirs, crafted through special containers, could also hold this energy.

Thus, the alchemists of old had enabled the Jade People—whom the Jade God claimed could not possess ethereal energy—to cultivate energy from their core, emanating from the heart.

But why had these once widespread alchemists vanished from the Jade realm?

“A bunch of charlatan pill sellers—deserved to be exterminated,” Lily murmured, still perched on Dai Longmei’s shoulder like a scarf, now quite accustomed to her fox form.

“Ethereal energy, according to the old man’s explanation and my own years of practice, requires that your Dantian acupoint truly contains a ‘Dantian,’” she added.

“Miss Lily, then what’s the point of a Dantian acupoint if there’s no Dantian inside?” Dai Longmei asked, glancing at Long Zhu, who looked fierce but often appeared rather simple-minded.

Sighing, Lily explained, “The Dantian acupoint and the Dantian itself are close but not identical.”

“The Dantian acupoint is an old medical point used by our Jade doctors for healing.”

“But the Dantian, which absorbs and produces ethereal energy, is more like an organ growing within the body—like a spleen or one of the internal organs.”

“Heh, Fifth Master, so that means we all have one of those inside us! Ha, we really are chosen by the Jade God,” Long Zhu chuckled with his usual cheerfulness.

Dai Longmei smiled softly and shook his head.

Although the Jade God had planned every step, the enemy always seemed to counter every move.

What sort of adversary was his teacher truly facing?

“So, the alchemists once bestowed ethereal energy upon many Jade People through their jade elixirs.”

“But without a true Dantian, relying solely on refined jade chunks as a makeshift organ, the ethereal energy would eventually backfire on those who ingested the elixirs.”

Lily’s words sparked a sudden recollection for Dai Longmei.

Historical records mentioned that when alchemists mass-produced jade elixirs, both commoners and officials consumed them eagerly.

The result was a drastic shortening of the Jade People’s lifespans, with many young adults suffering fatal hemorrhages from their seven orifices.

Enraged, the Kings of Long and Jin dispatched armies to capture the alchemists, ultimately besieging and wiping out the Alchemist Alliance headquarters beside the Western Wasteland.

That battle—

The entire alliance headquarters, home to over a hundred thousand, was slaughtered.

Legend said the blood so soaked the sands and stones of the Western Wasteland that it turned them crimson.

“No wonder the two Kings sought to annihilate the alchemists back then…”

“It’s a pity, though. Had the Jade People been able to cultivate ethereal energy at that time…”

“We wouldn’t be struggling so much against these star beings now…”

“Ah, such is fate and destiny.”

“Even the old Jade God probably never imagined that most of our Jade People lack a true Dantian.”

As they spoke, Dai Longmei’s group came upon a towering rock face concealed within the wasteland.

It was a lone mountain rising from the moss-covered plains, atop which faint remnants of dilapidated dwellings and palaces were visible.

“But the alchemists did leave behind some valuable things,” Lily licked her lips and said.

“For example, the jade liquid technique that this lady here is skilled in.”

“Using an alchemical furnace repurposed as a teapot to simmer refined jade, combined with ingredients like rock sugar and longan fruit…”

“Ta-da! A delicious jade liquid is born.”

“Hey, I actually managed to snag a fine teapot from the Market of the Great Regions earlier,” Long Zhu said, quickly pulling out a delicate teapot from his pack.

It resembled the alchemical furnaces used by the old masters.

“Ha ha, that’s the one!” Lily’s tail wagged excitedly.

“When we reach the ruins, I’ll brew a fine pot of jade liquid using the refined jade in my plum ring.”

“You really know the jade liquid technique? Boiling refined jade improperly can be poisonous,” Dai Longmei warned.

“Heh, who do you think you’re talking to? The famed Tomb Raider Lily—this jade liquid technique is no challenge for me…”

“Let’s just hope we all survive after drinking it tonight,” Lily added with a mischievous grin, prompting Dai Longmei’s sarcastic smirk.

They soon crossed the gate of the Alchemist Alliance, now shattered by crossbow bolts.

Before them stood a grand palace complex clinging to the lone mountain.

The sky-palace, built along the cliffs, climbed upward like a soaring dragon.

Below, refined jade adorned the buildings, arranged in a checkerboard pattern.

Its grandeur surpassed even the palaces of the Kings of the Three Paths and rivaled the Heavenly Jade Imperial Palace in the capital.

Yet, to Dai Longmei and his companions, the alliance headquarters was a ruin.

Overgrown with wild grass and dilapidated, destroyed by centuries-old war.

The buildings that once symbolized the alliance’s glory were now broken, riddled with crossbow damage and scorched by flames.

They had become nests for crows, hares, and deer.

“Hey, brothers, looks like rabbit and deer meat for dinner tonight,” Long Zhu joked, eliciting laughter from the group.

“Be careful, Zhu, who knows what might lurk inside here,” Dai Longmei cautioned as he dismounted and drew his jade sword, advancing warily toward the main hall.

The main hall was the grandest building in the complex.

An imposing bronze alchemical furnace, over eighty meters tall, towered at the mountain’s base.

Despite two centuries passing, the intricate jade carvings on it still gleamed with exquisite beauty.

In the plaza before the hall stood a bronze alchemical furnace, battered by crossbow bolts and slightly tilted.

Faint reddish-brown bloodstains could still be seen upon it.

“The armies of Long and Jin must have slain countless people here,” Dai Longmei said, stepping forward to touch the dark red stains.

“Centuries later, the blood is still here.”

“Must have been a fierce battle…”

Lily gazed at the bloodstains, her head aching once more.

The memory of that day at Shenxibao overwhelmed her, floods of dried blood in her vision.

“What’s wrong, Lily?” Dai Longmei noticed her unusual expression.

“Hmm, nothing… just remembered something.”

“You’ve been riding too long, feeling uncomfortable? Not like us who are used to it…”

“Heh, Meizi, I think you’re more than just used to riding,” came a cheerful voice from within the main hall.

“Riding madly, from the Jin River border all the way to the Western Wasteland, ha ha!”

“Ah! Fifth Master, isn’t that—”

Long Zhu’s wolf ears perked up excitedly as Dai Longmei strode forward.

“It’s Uncle Yusheng!”

From the ruins and clumps of silk moss, servants rose cautiously.

They lowered their horn bows upon seeing the Fifth Master and Lord Long Zhu.

“Ha ha! Missed you, Meizi!” Dai Longmei and Dai Yusheng embraced tightly.

“You’re a good lad! After receiving your raven message, I brought the White Step brothers here right away!”

“Zhu, I brought some men for you!”

“Uncle Yusheng, looks like only two squads arrived,” Dai Longmei observed.

“Heh, that’s pretty good for you this time—one hundred White Step brothers.”

“We got your letter. Brother Song has made a decision.”

“A thirty-thousand-strong army is advancing along the Long Right Path.”

“First to strike the Drunken Fox, then head east to Liaodong to confront the star beings’ main force.”

“Of course, we need to leave some White Step brothers as scouts.”

Patting Dai Longmei’s shoulder, Dai Yusheng then noticed Lily, who had leapt down from Dai Longmei’s shoulder and was now leaning at his feet.

“Meizi, this little fox must be the one you mentioned in your letter…”

“Yes, that’s her…”

“Lily! Not a fox!”

Everyone burst into hearty laughter.