41:

“Are you sure this is an egg?” Lianhua asked for the second time in the span of a few minutes, as she took in the small, misshapen lump of what appeared to be black stone, the whorls texturing its surface the only aspect that differentiated it from being completely unremarkable.

“Yes,” Xiao Feng replied, his expression a bit concerned. “Just don’t touch it and I’ll prove it to you,” He advised.

“Why?” Lianhua asked, her tone tinged with curiosity.

“Well,” Xiao Feng's right hand ran across his black hair as he considered the question. “The first time I tried to touch it, it sapped away a quarter of my Qi reserves.”

Fear flickered across Lianhua’s expression as she hurriedly sat up and stepped away from the egg that had been placed on Xiao Feng’s study table.

“Don’t worry,” Xiao Feng hurriedly added. “It hasn’t happened again, not since I’ve been feeding the egg.”

“Feeding the egg?” Lianhua repeated, her tone sounding a little dazed. “What do you mean?”

“Give me a moment,” Xiao Feng replied, as he walked over to his wardrobe and pulled out a vial of bi-horn milk. He unstoppered it and to Lianhua’s clear surprise, poured the liquid that was easily worth two silver taels over the egg.

A sizzling sound echoed out, as the stream of milk seemed to evaporate as soon as it made contact with the egg.

“That’s…,” Lianhua stepped back even further, her expression a confusion that was very unlike her.

“What?” Xiao Feng asked.

“It’s not supposed to be… I’ve never heard of an egg that can siphon Qi. And while I haven’t worked in the bestiary extensively, knowledge of spiritual beasts and their reproductive means becomes essential once you are acknowledged as an alchemist designate. The byproducts of spiritual beasts, such as their blood extracts, bone marrow and rarely, crushed fangs or claws, become more and more common ingredients as the potency of spiritual pills increase,” Lianhua revealed the source of her knowledge, carrying forth a growing sense of unease through her tone.

“Have you ever seen an egg that resembles this one?” Xiao Feng asked, not nearly as startled by Lianhua’s observations as she was. It was clear to him, whatever the egg may be, it was uncommon enough to escape the attention of one or even multiple alchemist designates that regularly dealt with alchemic ingredients.

“No,” Lianhua replied. “Those whorls are too distinctive for me to come across in my studies and not remember. Its shape…. Xiao Feng, how did you find out that this was an egg?” Lianhua’s tone was sharp and incisive as she turned her gaze to face his own.

“Instinct,” Xiao Feng replied with conviction, already having expected Lianhua to ask that particular question. He only felt a little guilty, because his answer was pretty close to the truth— the only difference being that his instincts were supported by esoteric essence cultivation art.

As much as he appreciated how Lianhua had stood up for him, Xiao Feng’s greatest secret was powerful enough for other cultivators to kill for. Telling her was not worth the danger it would place her in.

“Where exactly,” Lianhua began, her tone sounding far from convinced, “was this egg kept before you found it?” She asked, her eyebrows raised as she took him in a new light.

“The alchemist designate I spoke to, called it the trash heap,” Xiao Feng replied, unable to keep a slight hint of amusement out of his tone.

“The one in charge of the Alchemist’s Haven is Alchemist Yuan Bai. I can assure you, there is a very strong reason why he has been chosen for the crucial task of filtering through the multitude of spiritual herbs and beast materials we get from our friends in the Martial Division. For your instinct to surpass his and…,” Lianhua trailed off, as uncertainty flickered across her expression. “.... even mine in this specific case, would be quite extraordinary.”

Xiao Feng’s pulse rate picked up as he found his flimsy excuse being torn to shreds.

Just from a single revelation, she’s on the verge of uncovering my predecessor’s— no, my greatest secret. Senior Alchemists are terrifying, Xiao Feng thought, before considering how exactly he was going to turn Lianhua’s suspicions elsewhere.

“Your Qi sensitivity must be very high,” Lianhua deduced, her tone sounding convincing.

“Pardon?” Xiao Feng asked, a bit flummoxed by the conclusion she had reached.

“You are quite the skilled combatant, are you not?” Lianhua asked.

“Well, yes,” He replied.

She pointed at the egg, before asking, “Do you sense Qi within that egg?”

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“I… do,” Xiao Feng replied, his tone even more confused. “Don’t you?” He asked. There was no way Lianhua didn’t, considering that while the qi contained within the egg was faint, it would definitely not escape the senses of a Foundation Establishment cultivator.

“I can, but to me it is weak and stagnant. I suspect that the shell is insulating the Qi contained within it, maybe to avoid attracting the gaze of other predators. The pulse of a spiritual beast egg is normally strong and virile, cycling Qi across its membrane with every beat. I sense none of that here, making it no different to me than a spiritual plant that is separated from the earth,” Lianhua explained, finally revealing to him what the brightening and dimming cycles he was observing visually meant.

Of course she’s not going to accuse you of using an ocular cultivation art that no one except you knows to even exist, He chided himself, having let his own anxiety get the better of him.

“To me, I just sensed a sort of… familiarity from the egg as they reminded me of the spiritual beasts I had encountered on the battlefield. My senses are honed to detect danger, so maybe that’s why,” Xiao Feng offered, building an explanation out of thin air the best he could.

“That would not be surprising to me,” Lianhua conceded. “I’ve always admired the Qi sensitivity you martial cultivators manage to hone. We can practice as much as we like, but it’s impossible to replicate the adrenaline rush you would get in the midst of battle.”

“If that’s the case,” Xiao Feng mused aloud as a thought struck him. “Why is someone like Elder Haoyun not refining pills for himself? Surely his Qi sensitivity surpasses my own by many times.”

“Excellent question,” Lianhua praised, a warm smile curling on her lips. “Do you know why even my father would not try to ascend to the Nascent Soul stage?” She asked.

Xiao Feng only had to scour his predecessor’s memories for a moment before he had the answer on his lips.

“He would die,” He stated bluntly, knowing that cultivators did not like to mince words when it came to probabilities. Not even alchemists.

Lianhua nodded.

“The spike in difficulty from the Core Formation stage to Nascent Soul is horrifying, if I were to put it lightly. “Neither precious armor nor even the most priceless pills are enough to match even the weakest of tribulations the heavens have to offer. That makes your Elder Haoyun strong beyond my imagination,” She said, her words spoken with the due amount of respect.

“But,” Lianhua added, with a shake of her head. “He is a martial cultivator. To him, controlling his strength means limiting it, to, at most, his blade. The fluctuations, the intricate control required to not just control, but direct your pill furnace would be far beyond him. Not because he is weak or incompetent, but, the exact opposite.”

“Huh,” Xiao Feng muttered as he felt his horizons expand. He had believed from what he had inherited from his predecessor’s memories, that strength was everything in this realm. That notion seemed to fall short when confronted with the Dao of Alchemy.

“What if…,” He muttered, unsure if he should voice out this particular thought.

“Yes?” Lianhua asked, with the reflexes of an educator. She knew he had something to say.

“What if there was someone who could do both? Trained as an alchemist, yet also talented in the martial way?” He asked, struggling hard to make sure his tone came out neutral.

“Then,” She said. “That someone would be quite the force to be reckoned with,” Lianhua assessed, her gaze focused on his features.

“Well, I digress,” Xiao Feng decided to change the topic before it could lead to further conclusions that he might not like. “Do you think it’s possible that the egg is damaged?” He asked, his tone sounding hesitant.

If Lianhua asked why he considered that as a possibility, he would claim that it was because not even a Senior Alchemist knew what it was. But the truth was, he suspected it because he knew the egg was dying and had been making efforts to stymie it.

Lianhua’s eyes widened in surprise, her expression looking a bit vacant as her mind processed the possibility that had just been offered.

“That’s it!” She exclaimed with joy laden in her tone. “It shouldn’t matter how powerful the parent is, no egg should suck away Qi on contact. Because if that were to happen, then the spiritual beast that was giving birth to it would die. However, if the egg was damaged while life within it was close to being formed, then it is possible for it to instinctively seek out sources of Qi to repair itself to the original state,” She hurriedly explained with an infectious passion in her tone, her eyes dancing with excitement.

“Is there a way to save it?” Xiao Feng asked, caught up in her excitement.

“Mmm,” Lianhua hummed, her right cupping her chin before she gently bit on her lip, deep in thought. “Do you want to save it or do you want to tame it?” She asked.

“Uhh… both?” Xiao Feng asked.

“A spiritual beast egg that can repair itself… Xiao Feng, I do not think it is the kind of beast that can be tamed. Not unless you are willing to use…,” Lianhua trailed off, not even wanting to voice that possibility.

“Never,” Xiao Feng replied firmly, knowing that she was alluding to demonic path methods that no alchemist or cultivator belonging to the righteous path would ever touch.

Lianhua nodded and Xiao Feng’s gaze dimmed in disappointment.

“However,” She began, as her lips curled up into a slight smile. “Due to the unique nature of this egg, there is a way.”

“What is it?” He asked.

“Well, it is risky and very difficult. There is a pill, the beast-bonding pill. It requires the alchemist to imbue a significant amount of his own Qi while refining a pill that is packed full of nutrients that a newly hatched beast requires. If used correctly, the beast you feed this pill to will see you as its parent, due to the Qi signature it felt while taking in those nutrients.”

“But, it’s damaged. How do I feed it the pill if I can’t… Oh,” He gasped, amazed by the speed with which Lianhua had come up with such a brilliant plan.

“The beast-bonding pill contains huge reserves of Qi. It’s drawbacks are equally heavy. It is very expensive to refine and the failure rate… even full-fledged alchemists would only manage once in fifteen tries on average.I don’t think you’ll be able to learn how to refine it before the egg… ,” She trailed off, shaking her head.

“It may just be my gut,” Xiao Feng began. “But I think an egg, or the infant within… if it’s willing to go this far to survive, it can hold out just a bit longer. Oh and Lianhua,” He addressed her, as his lips curled upwards in a smile that could only be described as demonic.

“Yes?”

“Tell Alchemist Zhi that I know what pill we will be refining for the duel in four months from now.”