Translator: CinderTL
Song Wen's face beamed with delight. Overwhelmed with excitement, his voice trembled slightly as he bowed deeply.
"Thank you for this generous gift, Demon Sovereign. This humble subordinate will never forget your benevolence."
With a wave of his hand, Ye Hua sent the Corpse-Nourishing Coffin soaring through the air toward Song Wen.
"Stow the coffin away for now."
"Yes!"
After Song Wen secured the Corpse-Nourishing Coffin, Ye Hua produced a jade slip and tossed it to him.
"A few days ago, the Liangyi Sect sent word that the Demon Race has been frequently sighted in the Central Region, raising fears of a renewed Human-Demon War. They advise us to prepare for battle as soon as possible. With war imminent, medicinal pills are indispensable. I entrust this matter entirely to you. Here is a list of the pills I require. Add any omissions as you see fit. You may command half the personnel of the Alchemy Hall at your discretion. Obtain the necessary Spirit Herbs from the Zhenbao Hall."
Song Wen accepted the jade slip with solemn reverence.
"This subordinate humbly accepts the Demon Sovereign's command. Rest assured, I will not fail your trust."
Since joining the Wu Ji Sect, Song Wen had held the title of Vice Hall Master of the Alchemy Hall, but in truth, he wielded little real authority.
Ye Hua's arrangement undoubtedly granted Song Wen considerable authority.
Ye Hua nodded. "You may leave."
Song Wen and Meng Lengyu bowed and departed.
"Ye Hua, you seem to place great trust in this newcomer," Yin Shuo remarked.
"He's reasonably loyal," Ye Hua replied. "We must offer him some rewards; otherwise, why would he risk his life for us?"
"Your point is valid, but his origins remain unclear," Yin Shuo cautioned. "We should still exercise some vigilance."
"Rest assured, Fellow Daoist," Ye Hua said. "Within the Wu Ji Sect, a mere Golden Core cultivator can hardly stir up any trouble."
Yin Shuo fell silent for a moment before changing the subject. "Hand over the Corpse Fiend Essence. I need to refine my Corpse Puppets and enhance my strength quickly in preparation for the Human-Demon War."
Ye Hua retrieved the stone flask containing the Corpse Fiend Essence, a hint of resignation flickering in his eyes.
He and Cui Xuanjing had originally agreed on ten strands of the essence, enough to elevate Yin Shuo's Fourth-Tier Late Stage Corpse Puppet to Fourth-Tier Peak, and his Fourth-Tier Mid Stage puppet to Fourth-Tier Late Stage, with perhaps a little to spare.
Now, with only five strands remaining, there was barely enough for a single person's needs.
Song Wen returned to his cultivation cave on West Cloud Peak.
He retrieved the Corpse Coffin bestowed upon him by Ye Hua, opened its lid, and revealed a towering Corpse Puppet standing over seven feet tall.
Song Wen's brow furrowed sharply.
He detected a faint Spirit Sense imprint on the Corpse Puppet—left by Ye Hua!
If Song Wen were truly a Late Golden Core cultivator, he would likely never have noticed this hidden mark, even after refining the puppet.
It seems Ye Hua remains wary of outsiders like me, Song Wen mused. With this imprint, he can track my every move.
He closed the Corpse Coffin and casually tossed it into a corner of his cultivation cave.
To avoid arousing Ye Hua's suspicion, the imprint couldn't be removed. Moreover, the Corpse Puppet needed to be refined eventually, though there was no immediate urgency. After all, even a Late Golden Core cultivator would face considerable difficulty refining a Third-Tier Peak Corpse Puppet.
Song Wen resolved to leave the puppet in his cave for any future clandestine activities.
He then retrieved the jade slip Ye Hua had provided.
The slip contained recipes for over twenty types of medicinal pills, ranging from First-Tier to Third-Tier, in staggeringly large quantities.
Song Wen estimated that refining all these pills would require at least tens of millions of low-grade Spirit Stones.
To prevent excessive consumption of resources, the jade slip meticulously detailed the rewards and success rates for refining each type of medicinal pill.
The difficulty of refining each pill varied, so the rewards and success rates for pills of the same tier were not uniform.
Generally speaking, each First-Tier pill yielded a reward of approximately one Spirit Stone, with a success rate of around 60%.
Each Second-Tier pill offered a reward of approximately ten Spirit Stones, with a success rate of around 50%.
Each Third-Tier pill granted a reward of approximately two hundred Spirit Stones, with a success rate of around 40%.
After a moment of contemplation, Song Wen rose and headed to Le Liang's Cultivation Cave.
Less than an hour later, he emerged from Le Liang's cave.
Following their discussion, Le Liang had agreed to transfer half of the Alchemy Hall's personnel to Song Wen's command, including two Third-Tier Alchemists.
Next, Song Wen went to the Alchemy Hall, removed the names of the two Third-Tier Alchemists from the list of pill refiners he had obtained from Le Liang, and posted the revised list prominently in the hall. He instructed all Alchemy Hall staff to spread the word: everyone on the list must report to the Alchemy Hall within an hour.
An hour later, hundreds of people gathered in the Alchemy Hall's main hall.
"Fellow cultivators," Song Wen announced, "by order of Demon Sovereign Ye Hua, you will all be working under my command for the next few years, refining medicinal pills for the sect."
As Song Wen spoke, a jade slip materialized in his right hand, while wisps of black Corpse Qi emanated from his left.
The Corpse Qi coiled and twisted in the air, coalescing into small, dark characters that mirrored the information contained within the jade slip: details about the types and quantities of medicinal pills to be refined, the rewards for completion, and the expected success rates.
"This sect-wide mission involves refining a vast array of medicinal pills in immense quantities. I urge you all to work diligently and collaboratively to complete it swiftly."
"Starting tomorrow, you may collect your assignments and the necessary Spirit Herbs from Shu Niang. All refined pills must be submitted to her. On the first day of each ten-day period, Shu Niang will distribute your rewards based on the quantity of pills you have refined."
Standing behind Song Wen, Shu Niang straightened her back and lifted her chin, a hint of barely concealed pride surfacing on her face. She understood that immense authority was about to be vested in her.
However, not everyone was pleased. Among them were the First-Tier Alchemists who had previously refined pills for the Cui Clan. They knew all too well that Shu Niang would inevitably shortchange them on Spirit Grass again.
"I have summoned you here to announce this matter. You may now disperse," Song Wen concluded, turning and striding toward the Grade A Alchemy Chamber at the rear of the Great Hall.
As Song Wen passed Shu Niang, he murmured, "Follow me."
Upon arriving at his usual Alchemy Chamber, Song Wen casually tossed a meditation cushion onto the floor in front of her. "Sit!"
Shu Niang hesitated, eyeing the cushion. Song Wen had never treated her with such courtesy before; she had always stood when addressing him, never presuming to sit.
"Vice Hall Master, please give your orders," she said, bowing slightly with a flattering smile. "Shu Niang will obey them without question." She remained standing.
Song Wen retrieved another cushion for himself and sat down. "I told you to sit! Now sit!"
"Yes!"
Noticing Song Wen's growing impatience, Shu Niang quickly settled onto the cushion.
"Today, go to the Zhenbao Hall and collect the Spirit Herbs. Tomorrow, when you distribute them, deduct ten percent from each person's share. Do the same when you distribute the rewards," Song Wen instructed.
Worry clouded Shu Niang's face. "Vice Hall Master, this mission involves a large number of people. I fear that withholding Spirit Herbs and rewards might incite widespread resentment."
"It's simple," Song Wen replied. "Distribute the herbs and rewards privately, one person at a time. As long as they don't gather and discuss it, they won't dare to cause trouble."
Yet Shu Niang's unease remained.
"But... they're bound to discuss this in private. Eventually, everyone will find out."
Song Wen replied calmly, "That's not a problem. As long as they don't cause a public scene, we'll be fine."
(End of the Chapter)
---
📖Read (RDC) on Pa.treon@CinderTL - c1084. [+2]
🔑Early Access at $5.
✍Translated (6) Series, (4.1K+) Chapters, (5.8M+) Words.