Urban Extraordinary Immortal Doctor
Chapter 1416: Borrowing Your Auspicious Words

Chapter 1416: Chapter 1416: Borrowing Your Auspicious Words

(PS: I went to line up for buying a house late last night, leaving me physically and mentally exhausted, so there was no update! Normal updates resume today!)

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"Nonsense!"

Watching Fang Bai suspect she was related to Sun Li, Sun Jing raised her eyebrows and said with annoyance, "There are countless people with the surname Sun in this world, do you think they’re all related to me?"

As she spoke, she remembered Sun Li’s unfriendly attitude towards Fang Bai earlier and couldn’t help but laugh. She asked, "Do you know why Sun Li is so hostile toward you?"

Fang Bai thought for a moment and uncertainly said, "Could it be... he’s worried I’m here to take his job?"

Sun Jing said, "You actually guessed it right!"

It has been said since ancient times that those in the same trade are rivals.

According to Sun Jing, the pill room’s attendant had always been Sun Li. Fang Bai’s sudden appearance made Sun Li feel threatened, thinking that Fang Bai was here to replace him and steal his job.

Although attendants in Lingxu Palace are of similar status to menial servants, being an attendant has one unique advantage: they can obtain the discarded spirit pills and spiritual medicines from Sun Jing’s pill refining process.

After all, Sun Jing was a high-rank Foundation Establishment Expert, and her discarded spirit pills and medicines were priceless treasures in the eyes of someone like Sun Li, a menial servant disciple.

Sun Li had relied on collecting the discarded pills and medicines from Sun Jing’s pill refining over the years, which significantly improved his cultivation level.

He originally planned to spend another two or three years advancing his cultivation to the Half-Step Foundation Establishment Realm before challenging an external courtyard disciple to shed his menial servant status and achieve a "rise from the ashes."

However, Fang Bai’s arrival created a strong sense of crisis within Sun Li.

Although Elder Sun had stated that Fang Bai was only temporarily assigned, Sun Li was well aware of the small mistakes he’d made previously, which had earned him some dissatisfaction from Elder Sun. If this temporary "attendant" managed to gain a foothold, where would that leave him?

Thus, it was no surprise Sun Li showed no friendliness toward Fang Bai.

"Sun Li doesn’t know you’re an external courtyard disciple. Otherwise, he wouldn’t harbor such hostility toward you. After all, under normal circumstances, no external courtyard disciple would willingly work in a pill room as an attendant."

Sun Jing said with a smile.

Fang Bai chuckled bitterly, "So, I’m abnormal in this case?"

Sun Jing held back her laughter, put on a stern expression, and said, "Why? Do you feel wronged working here as my attendant?"

Having already figured out Sun Jing’s personality, Fang Bai knew she wasn’t the rigid, inflexible type. He laughed and said, "Not at all! I feel incredibly honored!"

Sun Jing tapped Fang Bai on the forehead and said, "You little brat, full of insincerity!"

Fang Bai laughed nervously and then turned to look at the pill furnace placed at the center of the alchemy room.

The pill furnace stood about the height of a person, emanating an aura of ancient and heavy simplicity, clearly showing its many years of history.

With just one glance, Fang Bai could tell that the pill furnace was forged from several unique materials, including Fine Gold and Fiery Meteorite Stone, making it a Holy Grade high-rank Spiritual Artifact.

What surprised Fang Bai was that the furnace contained a wisp of Spiritual Fire, though it was so weak that ordinary Martial Artists couldn’t sense it.

When refining pills with this furnace, that faint Spiritual Fire could generate flames a hundred or even a thousand times stronger, instantly melting the spiritual herbs placed inside the furnace.

However, since Sun Jing didn’t possess the Innate Wood Spirit Root and her cultivation level was only at the Foundation Establishment Realm, she couldn’t harmonize with the fire’s energy. Thus, she could only refine Holy Grade low-rank elixirs.

In Fang Bai’s eyes, the pill furnace in Sun Jing’s possession was wholly underutilized—almost a waste of such an extraordinary artifact.

But Fang Bai didn’t covet the furnace. After all, his Five Elements Origin Qi Cauldron outclassed this pill furnace in every possible way.

"Well? My pill furnace isn’t inferior to yours, is it?"

Seeing Fang Bai’s bright gaze fixed on her furnace, Sun Jing smiled, somewhat showing off.

Fang Bai curled his lips but didn’t comment.

Sun Jing raised her left hand, and with a flash of light from the spatial ring on her finger, four sets of medicinal herbs appeared on the ground in front of her. Each set contained dozens of specimens of Holy Grade medium-rank spiritual herbs that were about 7,000 years old.

These four sets of herbs were prepared for refining the Marrow Cleansing Pills to heal her granddaughter, Sun Lin.

The herbs were incredibly valuable. Except for one set that Sun Jing had fortuitously picked during an adventure, the other three were exchanged for her lifetime accumulation of various cultivation resources.

"I consulted several Pill Masters in the nearby major cities, and they all said that to heal Lin’er’s injury, a bottle of Holy Grade medium-rank Marrow Cleansing Pills must be refined using 7,000-year-old Holy Grade medium-level herbs. But..."

Sun Jing showed an embarrassed expression and added with a bitter smile, "I’m not a true Pill Master. I occasionally manage to refine low-rank Holy Grade elixirs, but even that depends largely on luck. As for higher-grade elixirs, it’s as difficult as climbing the heavens for me—nearly impossible."

She paused, gazed solemnly at the four sets of herbs in front of her, and continued, "I previously approached several renowned Pill Masters in the Spirit Martial Realm and begged them to help refine the Marrow Cleansing Pills, but the price they asked was far beyond what I could afford. My only option now is to try refining them myself. There are four sets of herbs here. If I can succeed with even one set and produce a bottle of medium-rank Marrow Cleansing Pills, it’ll be a blessing from the heavens."

Thinking of the frail, pale-complexioned girl, Fang Bai felt a bit of pity in his heart. He nodded and said, "Elder Sun, I will give you my full support. I also believe you will succeed in refining the medium-rank Marrow Cleansing Pills and cure Senior Sister Sun’s affliction."

Although Sun Lin was now unable to cultivate the Martial Dao and considered crippled, as an external courtyard disciple, she was still addressed as "Senior Sister" by those who entered Lingxu Palace later than she did, out of respect for Elder Sun.

"I’ll take your good wishes!"

Sun Jing’s spirits lifted, and a smile returned to her face. She said, "You have the Innate Fire Spirit Root and are highly attuned to Fire Spirit Energy. With you assisting me and this pill furnace, the two of us working together might actually succeed in refining the Marrow Cleansing Pills that Lin’er needs!"

She stepped up to the pill furnace, pressing her left palm onto a rune etched on the furnace body. With a roaring sound, flames ignited inside the furnace, filling it completely in an instant.

While the furnace walls ensured that the flames didn’t spill outward, the flickering yellowish-red firelight hinted at its unfathomable searing heat.

After letting the fire burn for a while, Sun Jing picked up one set of herbs, slicing them neatly with her palm as though it were a blade. Then she lifted the furnace’s lid and threw the herbs inside.

Fang Bai also approached the furnace, sitting cross-legged beside it. He directed his Divine Sense into the furnace to monitor the interaction between the flames and herbs inside.

Seeing this, Sun Jing smiled approvingly, thinking that although this young man sometimes lacked proper respect and dared to joke around with her, he was serious and focused when it came to doing his work.

In this regard, he was far superior to Sun Li.