Rebirth as a Wind Cultivator-Chapter 94: Pills

Dawn barely touched the horizon when Xiulan arrived at the small herb garden behind the alchemy hall. Mist clung to the ground, wrapping around rows of neatly arranged plants. The air smelled of damp earth and something sharper—the medicinal tang of cultivation herbs.

Su Yin leaned against a stone wall, tossing a small vial between her hands. Tao Jun sat cross-legged on a wooden stool, sketching diagrams in a worn notebook.

“You made it,” Su Yin remarked, catching the vial mid-toss.

Xiulan adjusted her satchel. “We aren’t locked out are we?”

“I told you—I have access.” Su Yin pushed away from the wall and approached the locked gate. She produced a small key from her sleeve and twisted it in the lock. The gate swung open with a creak. “Elder Wang’s great-granddaughter has certain privileges.”

Tao Jun closed his notebook. “Which you abuse regularly.”

“It’s not abuse if I’m actually learning something.” Su Yin led them into the garden. “Besides, Elder Wang knows. She pretends not to notice because I maintain the rarer specimens on weekends.”

Xiulan followed without commenting. She had never expected nepotism to be absent in the Pavilion.

The garden opened into a series of circular beds, each containing plants grouped by element affinity. Fire-natured herbs glowed faintly in the dim morning light—cinnabar grass with its red-tipped leaves, spirit moss dried to a golden hue, and tiny flame crystals growing like ruby clusters on black stems.

“These are exactly the ones we need,” Xiulan murmured, crouching to examine the flame crystals.

Su Yin puffed up visibly. “I cultivated those myself. Three months of precise temperature control and daily qi infusions.”

Tao Jun rolled his eyes. “And you’ll never us forget it?”

“Because it’s impressive!” Su Yin protested.

Xiulan moved to the earth-element section where stone marrow plants pushed up through rich soil, their tuberous roots partially exposed. Beetle shells had been ground and worked into the soil around amber sap trees, creating a balanced ecosystem. ƒreewebɳovel.com

“So,” Su Yin clapped her hands, “shall we practice? I’ve got permission to harvest small amounts for study purposes.”

Tao Jun produced three small mortar and pestle sets from his bag. “I brought these. They’re not as good as the ones in the alchemy hall, but—”

“They’ll work fine,” Xiulan assured him.

Su Yin retrieved a small knife with a bone handle from her belt. “I’ll harvest. You two set up the work area.”

While Tao Jun arranged the tools on a flat stone table at the garden’s center, Xiulan prepared three sets of measurement scales. In her previous life, precision had been crucial in gaming alchemy—a lesson that transferred perfectly to real cultivation.

Su Yin returned with carefully selected samples: three flame crystal clusters, several sprigs of cinnabar grass, a handful of sun-dried spirit moss, two chunks of stone marrow, a dozen beetle shells, and a small vial of amber sap.

“Watch closely,” Su Yin instructed, separating the ingredients into three equal portions. “The Fire Essence pill requires care. Grind the flame crystals first, but not too fine—you want particles about the size of salt grains.”

Xiulan took her portion of flame crystals and began grinding, applying steady pressure. The crystals resisted at first, then suddenly yielded with a flash of heat that warmed her fingers.

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“Good,” Su Yin nodded approvingly. “Now add the cinnabar grass and continue grinding. The heat from the crystals will activate the grass’s properties.”

Tao Jun worked methodically beside them, his movements precise but slower. “How long have you been doing this?” he asked Su Yin.

“Since I was eight,” Su Yin replied without looking up from her mortar. “Elder Wang started me on basic herb identification before I could even write properly.”

“That explains a lot,” Xiulan murmured.

Su Yin glanced up sharply. “What’s that supposed to mean?”

“Just that you clearly have experience,” Xiulan clarified. “It shows in your technique.”

Su Yin’s expression softened slightly. “Well... yes. I should hope so after all this time.” She added the spirit moss to her mixture. “This is the tricky part. You need to fold the moss in without crushing it completely. Three clockwise turns with the pestle, then two counterclockwise.”

Xiulan followed the instructions precisely, watching as her mixture began to glow with a faint orange light. The scent changed—spicier, with undertones of something like cinnamon.

“Now for the Earth Foundation pill,” Su Yin continued, setting aside her Fire Essence mixture. “The principle is similar, but reversed. Earth requires stability rather than activation.”

She demonstrated crushing the beetle shells into fine powder. “The shells provide structure while the stone marrow adds density. The amber sap binds everything together.”

Tao Jun struggled with his beetle shells, which kept slipping under his pestle. “These are harder than they look.”

“Try applying pressure from the center outward,” Xiulan suggested.

Su Yin raised an eyebrow. “That’s... actually correct. Where did you learn that?”

Xiulan shrugged. “Just figured it out.”

Su Yin didn’t look convinced but continued her demonstration. “The Earth Foundation mixture should feel heavy in the mortar—like wet sand.”

As they worked, Su Yin grew increasingly animated, explaining variations and shortcuts with obvious pride. “Elder Wang’s class will be simple if you follow these steps.”

“You seem very confident,” Tao Jun noted.

“Because I know what I’m doing.” Su Yin measured amber sap with practiced precision. “Elder Wang’s practical exam is always the same—she gives you ingredients and expects you to produce a basic pill. If you’ve practiced properly, it’s straightforward.”

Xiulan watched Su Yin’s movements carefully, noting how her wrist flicked at specific moments to distribute ingredients evenly. There was genuine skill there, regardless of Su Yin’s attitude.

“There,” Su Yin announced, holding up her completed mixtures. “Perfect proportions for both pills. Elder Wang will have nothing to criticize.”

Tao Jun examined his own work critically. “Mine’s a bit lumpy.”

“You rushed the beetle shell grinding,” Su Yin pointed out. “But it’s salvageable. Add a tiny bit more amber sap—just a drop—and work it through again.”

Xiulan held her mixtures up to the strengthening morning light. The Fire Essence glowed orange-red, while the Earth Foundation had a solid, matte appearance with flecks of iridescence from the beetle shells.

“These look right,” she said, pleased with the results.

Su Yin leaned over to inspect Xiulan’s work. Her eyebrows rose slightly. “Not bad for a first attempt. Your Fire Essence has good color.” She hesitated, then added, “You have steady hands. That helps with alchemy.”

“Are we ready to form these into pills now?” Tao Jun asked, finally satisfied with his mixtures.

“Of course,” Su Yin replied with a mischievous grin. She reached behind a large ceramic pot and produced a small bronze pill furnace, its surface etched with flowing patterns of clouds and flames. “I borrowed this from the alchemy pavilion.”

“Borrowed?” Tao Jun’s eyes widened. “Or took without permission?”

Su Yin waved dismissively. “Elder Wang lets me practice with the smaller furnaces. She says I have potential.” She placed the furnace between them and began arranging kindling beneath it. “Now, watch carefully. The temperature has to be perfect.”

Xiulan observed as Su Yin guided them through the process, explaining how to channel qi into the furnace to maintain precise heat levels. The herbs began to transform, releasing fragrant steam as they condensed into small, glistening spheres.

“You need to circulate your qi like this,” Su Yin demonstrated, her fingers tracing delicate patterns above the furnace. “Too much and the pills crack, too little and they won’t form properly.”

Xiulan attempted to mimic the movements, feeling her qi respond as it flowed from her dantian through her meridians and into the furnace. The mixture inside began to glow faintly.

Tao Jun leaned forward, his face illuminated by the furnace’s warm light. “I think it’s working!”

The sun had fully risen now, burning away the morning mist and illuminating the herb garden in golden light. Xiulan glanced up at the sun’s position and suddenly jumped to her feet, leaving her half-formed pills simmering in the furnace.

“I’m going to be late!”

“Late for what?” Su Yin asked, suddenly interested. “We’re just getting to the good part!”

“A meeting.”

“What kind of meeting?” Su Yin pressed, following Xiulan as she gathered her belongings.

“It’s... private.”

Su Yin’s face scrunched into a pout.

“It’s about cooking,” Xiulan relented with a small laugh. “Relax, it’s not secret herbs or anything.” She paused dramatically. “Or maybe it will be?”