The heavenly physician handed the lists with the ingredients over to the God of Medicine and then stepped to the side.
"These are the lists of ingredients?" The God of Medicine sifted through the pages and furrowed his bushy brows.
Qiang Yan nodded and then patted the bag that he had tied to his belt. "Yes, I also have the ingredients here. There's more than one recipe but I think that we have the ingredients for all of them here. So whatever the God of Medicine deems best, I'd be happy if you could refine that one." He didn't care about the compensation he'd have to pay. If it would help Nie Huang acquire the spirit veins or make the process easier for her so that it wouldn't hurt as much, then he would definitely pay a higher price. This was nothing to him.
The God of Medicine nodded and continued to look through the lists. He didn't say a single word and just looked through one after the other, his brows furrowing further and further together.
Qiang Yan clenched his hands into fists and looked from the God of Medicine to the heavenly physician at the side. That guy hadn't been able to figure most of these out. So most likely, the level should be higher than he had thought. Don't tell him that it was too high that even the God of Medicine wouldn't be able to refine even a single one of them without the real recipe? Weren't these just pills used for human consumption? There shouldn't be anything too sophisticated about that! Finally, he couldn't take it any longer. He cleared his throat. "God of Medicine, these lists … Don't tell me you don't know how to refine them either?"
The heavenly physician at the side raised his brows. His own level wasn't too high so it was no wonder that he wasn't able to refine these pills without the real recipe. After all, he was only somebody that greeted the people coming to the temple and helped them with initially appraising their recipes. That wasn't anything that needed one to be too skillful.
But the God of Medicine was an entirely different thing! He was the person in the Nine Heavens that was best at refining medicine. That was how he had gotten this position. And with him being so old, it really was hard for anybody to catch up. If even he couldn't do this … Just what kind of recipe was this?
The God of Medicine glanced up at Qiang Yan and motioned at the chair on the other side of the table. "God of War, you haven't even sat down and are asking things like that? Why don't you have a seat first? Ah, I should also make us a cup of tea." He got up and walked over to the tea set standing to the side. He started to pour two cups but where the other two couldn't see it, his hands were actually trembling. "Xiao Lan, seeing that you've brought the God of War here, you can go back to your post. Who knows if other people won't come in in the meantime? I'll need some time to go through all these lists."
The heavenly physician's expression fell. Hadn't he waited close by so that he could be there when the pill was refined? How come he had to go now when it finally got to the important stage? Well, this person was still the God of Medicine. He could hardly just stay if the person had already told him to go back. He hung his head and nodded. "Alright then, I'll leave. God of Medicine, God of War." He bowed and then left the study with a dejected expression.
The God of Medicine carried the cups back to the table and then sat down, taking a deep breath while he looked at the list of ingredients.
Qiang Yan furrowed his brows. "Is something the matter with these lists?"
The God of Medicine looked up and raised his bushy brows. "Why don't you tell me what is up with them? Didn't you say they were from the human realm?"
Qiang Yan raised his hands. "For all I know, they are. Longjun is currently in the human realm and he was the one who provided them."
The God of Medicine sighed. "So Longjun was the one who supplied these. No wonder then." He picked the list up again, his hand still trembling a bit.
Qiang Yan couldn't help but lean forward, trying to take a look at the lists. He had seen them before but he hadn't noticed anything strange about them. Even now, the only thing he could see was beautiful handwriting. He wouldn't have thought that Qiu Ling was able to write like that but then again, that guy was full of surprises. Hadn't he seen enough of that in the ten years the dragon king spent to woo his nephew? The initial impression he made really wasn't all that was to him. "Might I ask just what is the problem with these lists?"
The God of Medicine put them down and hesitated for a moment. He really didn't know how to say what was going through his head. "Well, you also know that I'm fairly old."
Qiang Yan coughed but couldn't help but nod in the end. "Among the important gods in the capital, you're the one who is the oldest right after Yue Xia."
The God of Medicine nodded. "I started to work in this temple when I was young. I've seen a lot in all these years. There is something that despite how many years go by I will never forget about it." He picked up a list and showed it to Qiang Yan. "Regardless of how far I've gotten in all these years, there was always one person that was much more knowledgeable in these matters than I. That person was the previous Longjun, Jinde. Whatever we refined here in our Temple of Medicine, he was able to do so in only half the time. The recipe we couldn't figure out even after a week would only take him two or three days to make sense of.
"I do remember that sometimes when the Temple of Medicine was really lost on a matter they turned to him. The instructions that came back, they were always written in this type of beautiful calligraphy. It really is a pity …" He sighed and turned the scroll back around, looking at the pages with regret.
Yes, he would never forget that person. This man … He had really reached the peak in the refinement of pills. Most likely, whether it was in the mortal or immortal realms there wouldn't be anybody who could achieve more than he.
Unfortunately, such a talent had passed away in the war. It really was a shame. Up until this day, he still hadn't understood why the dragons would let this person go onto the battlefield. The hands that were able to write such beautiful characters and refine such excellent medicine, they shouldn't have been forced to hold a sword. No, that kind of person would have deserved to dedicate all of his time to his studies. Why sent him to fight?
The God of Medicine shook his head and sighed again. "Well, I do feel honored that the current Longjun would actually take out the list written by his predecessor to have these pills refined. I'm wondering … Would it be able to keep these lists? That alone would be more than enough compensation. In fact, we would likely owe even more."
Qiang Yan clenched his hands into fists below his sleeves and forced himself to smile. "I don't know but I can ask him. Let me step out and try if I can contact him. I'll only need a few minutes." He got up, nodded at the God of Medicine and then went out, rushing to a corner as soon as the door fell shut behind him and once again imbuing his spiritual energy into his transmission stone to contact Bai Mu. Don't kid him! As if this was a coincidence!