Lin Mu was impressed by the man's determination to say the least.
"Very well, I'll look forward to it." Lin Mu said.
"You don't have to worry. I'll do my very best in finishing this project." Alchemist Ruoxian replied.
Lin mu nodded his head, but a few thoughts were there in his mind.
"How long will it take you though?" Lin Mu questioned.
"It will certainly take long." Alchemist Ruoxian scratched his beard. "I'm expecting at least a year or so. Since I'll need to do some trials and tests before going for the actual refinement." He explained.
"That long huh…" Lin Mu was a little disappointed, but also understood that pill refinement of that level was a difficult task.
He had heard of alchemical pills that took a hundred or even a thousand years of refinement before they were made. And for a pill like the Hundred Vicissitudes Immortal Pill, just year was quite a short time.
'I have plenty of time anyways…' Lin Mu thought to himself.
"Alright, a year it is then." Lin Mu replied. "But since I'm giving you three, what will the output be?" he asked.
"I can assure you at least one pill per stalactite." Alchemist Ruoxian said with confidence. "Any less than that, and I vow to compensate for the difference."
"Thats a tall promise. The worth of a Hundred Year old Essence Spring Stalactite is something you know well." Lin Mu replied calmly.
"Of course. If I do fail to keep my promise, I'll simply serve you for a hundred years in exchange." Alchemist Ruoxian stated.
Lin Mu could tell that the man was going to stay true to his words.
'No… it is more the fact that he needs this more than I do. I can progress in my cultivation even without the pills, but he absolutely needs them to progress in his work.' Lin Mu thought.
As long as Alchemist Ruoxian desired to succeed, Lin Mu knew he didn't have to worry.
"I'll wait for the news of your success then." Lin Mu said with a smile. "Though I don't think you'll be able to begin your work here, will you?" he asked next.
"Nope. Not at all." Alchemist Ruoxian replied. "I won't take the risk of refining something as sensitive as the Hundred Vicissitudes Immortal pill here." He clarified.
"Then how will you do it with the mission of the Grand Sky Pavilion keeping you here?" Lin Mu questioned.
"I don't think I'll be here for that long. The main reason for us alchemists being brought here was to help with the gathering of materials as well as the manufacture of any pills that might be needed in an emergency.
But with the disappearance of the Violet Mystic Life Tree, we basically lost our main goal. Even if the Grand Sky Pavilion is going to stay here, they don't necessarily need us here. In fact, keeping us here will only incur them losses.
We are a lot more useful back at the city after all, where we can continue to manufacture pills without any issues." Alchemist Ruoxian answered.
"That's good then. How long will it take you to leave?" Lin Mu replied.
"Shouldn't be long. I'm expecting a week or two at most. They'll get most of their answers by then and send us back." Alchemist Ruoxian guessed.
"I see… that's not that long." Lin Mu said before sensing something.
His brows furrowed and his Immortal Sense went past the isolation array.
"Looks like someone is approaching." Lin Mu said.
"Who?" Alchemist Ruoxian narrowed his eyes and spread his immortal sense too.
But a second later, his expression turned bad.
"Shit… it's that elder." Alchemist Ruoxian cursed.
"He's got problems with you?" Lin Mu guessed.
"Plenty… He'll be a pain if he sees you here. His questions won't stop and he isn't above extortion either." Alchemist Ruoxian replied.
"I see… I'll leave then." Lin Mu stated.
"It's too late, he's already nearby, he'll see you." Alchemist Ruoxian said nervously.
"You don't need to worry about that. I got my methods…" Lin Mu said before disappearing in front of Alchemist Ruoxian's eyes.
The man was surprised and wondered if Lin Mu had used some illusionary technique.
'Let's hope this works…' Alchemist Ruoxian thought as he walked out of the building.
"Alchemist Ruoxian! Might I ask why you left your post?" The elder who had appeared asked.
He had a mole on his cheek and had thin long eyebrows. Looking at his robes, one could tell that he was actually a high ranked alchemist.
"I just had business with an associate." Alchemist Ruoxian replied.
"Oh? An associate? Might I see them? I can't help but wonder who managed to reach here, at this time." The elder's eyes narrowed.
"I'm afraid that's not possible." Alchemist Ruoxian denied. "My associate has already left."
"Is that so?" The elder didn't seem convinced.
~SHUA~
A moment later, a wave of Immortal Qi spread from his body and covered the building behind Alchemist Ruoxian. It scanned the building and checked for anyone inside it.
"Looks like it is so…" The elder said with a hint of annoyance and turned around. "I hope you stay within your limits, Alchemist Ruoxian. If you cannot progress, it's best to keep your head down and do as you're told." He said before leaving.
Alchemist Ruoxian frowned but didn't reply to the elder.
"Wretched donkey, I'll show you…" Alchemist Ruoxian muttered to himself before returning to the large tent.
Unknown to both of them, Lin Mu had noticed the entire exchange between the two. He was actually right under their feet and was listening to it.
'At least the elder didn't give any trouble to Alchemist Ruoxian. It would have been bad if he asked to see what Alchemist Ruoxian had.' Lin Mu thought.
While Alchemist Ruoxian had stored away the stalactites, Lin Mu didn't trust others to forcefully take a look. It was a common incidence for the elders to suppress their juniors in many places after all.
