Cultivating Chai

29:

“So you like it then?” Xiao Feng beamed at her, his expression one of pure victory.

“Well…. Yes. But—,” Lianhua tried to explain, but Xiao Feng wasn’t willing to have any of it.

“Hey, you liked it,” Xiao Feng cut in, his expression joyous. “And as you said, you are a venerable Senior Alchemist. You liking it is a good enough proof of concept for me,” He said, his tone perhaps a bit too enthusiastic.

“I do,” She replied, as the blush coloring her cheeks deepened a little. “However, when we first met, you told me that you wished to sell this concoction of yours,” She pointed out, gesturing to the now empty teacup.

“Yeah,” Xiao Feng replied, his enthusiasm dampening a little.

“Well, it’s going to be tough to sell this if you raw materials alone cost you eight silver taels,” Lianhua guessed and Xiao Feng wasn’t particularly surprised that she had gotten it right. “Though I must say, diced humus root was quite the interesting touch. Really added subtle, earthy depth to your uh, what do you call it?” She asked, her tone not intending to offend.

“The name of the concoction itself is chai, but what I served you is a specific variation of it that’s called Masala Chai,” Xiao Feng explained.

“Your masala chai, then. Do you know what the full humus root is used for?” Lianhua asked, her tone a patient, supportive one that befitted an educator.

“Nope,” Xiao Feng replied.

“Though it can be used in a variety of different pills, its most important use is found in the Core Formation ranked Earth Infusion Pill,” Lianhua explained.

“An Earth Infusion Pill?” Xiao Feng asked, the question in his tone evident.

“As you are well aware, to reach the core formation stage a cultivator must let heavenly thunder destroy the foundation base they have painstakingly cultivated,” Lianhua said, referencing the elliptic construct of Qi that rested below Xiao Feng’s dantain.

“Yes,” Xiao Feng replied, nodding at Lianhua’s words. When he cultivated, cycling his qi was done with the intention of reinforcing that elliptic Qi construct. It was a painstakingly slow process that his predecessor had only enjoyed because cycling his Qi across his body did also strengthen his physical body along with his meridians.

“Once the foundation base is destroyed, your meridians are flooded with liquid qi that you have gathered across years and decades. Only a few moments are all you get to impress your command over that liquid qi and compress a core attuned to their element,” Lianhua explained.

“Not everyone succeeds,” Xiao Feng recalled. “Even those that do seldom achieve a perfect core,” he added, vaguely seeing where Lianhua was going with her explanation.

“Precisely,” Lianhua said. “Foundation Establishment cultivators who had their dantian attuned to the Earth element go on to become Core Formation cultivators with an Earth core. The Earth Infusion Pill repairs damage to the Earth Core of a Core Formation stage cultivator. It also nourishes it. While the humus root is only a supporting material, it is still valuable to its refinement.”

“I see why you called it a waste of precious ingredients now,” Xiao Feng replied, his tone a little guilty.

“Oh don’t feel down,” Lianhua hurriedly moved to reassure him. “That was not my intention. The odds of successfully refining an Earth Infusion Pill even at the Senior Alchemist level is only still one in five attempts. Us alchemists are notorious for wasting resources yet we are allowed to persist, for such is the value of our refined creations,” She offered him comforting words in a gentle tone.

“I guess I have a long way to go before I can sell my Masala Chai,” Xiao Feng replied, deciding to tamp down on his planned monthly expenditure on Chai. He’d feel terrible if his beverage was powered by magical ingredients required to heal someone’s core, after all.

“How about this,” Lianhua’s expression brightened up as the guilt she felt at putting a damper on Xiao Feng’s mood was overpowered by the novelty of an idea that had just struck her. “Today, I was planning on teaching you the common spiritual herbs used to refine pills at the Qi Gathering Stage. We’ll still be doing that, but, how about I point out much cheaper alternatives that are similar in taste to the Mystic Palm leaf you used as the essence of your Masala Chai?” She proposed.

Any and all trace of disappointment on Xiao Feng’s visage vanished as he gazed upon Lianhua with poorly concealed awe, before asking, “You’d do that for me?”

“Of course,” She replied softly, as she turned away from Xiao Feng’s intense gaze, a blush still coloring her cheeks.

“Well then, what are we waiting for? I’ve got herbs to learn about.”

The first impression Xiao Feng had of the Grand Library that was situated in the Cultivation Halls was that it didn’t quite live up to its name.

Compared to the multi-storey libraries he had visited back on earth, complete with hundreds of bookshelves that stretched as far as the eye could see, labeled according to genres and orders, designated reading areas with seating arrangements for hundreds of people, restrooms and sometimes even cafes or vending areas, the Grand Library was…. disappointing.

That perspective drastically changed when Xiao Feng realized that every book, every scroll and every tome shelved within the Grand Library contained knowledge that could be compounded to refine pills of a thousand different kinds, from ones that healed ailments and patched up even the deadliest of wounds to pills capable of granting a cultivator the strength to fight above his layer.

He was seated on a wooden table that came with attached benches, while Lianhua was sitting next to him, an open tome placed between them.

Xiao Feng tried not to think about the other alchemist designates seated in the study area that overlooked the array of bookshelves that were sneaking glances at him, or more specifically, at Lianhua every few minutes, as he listened to her lesson.