Upon hearing this, Xu Shangao immediately got angry, "Brother Hao, when I refine pills for you, naturally, there should be rewards. Are you trying to bully me?"
With an embarrassed and somewhat exasperated expression, Hao Rulong said, "I already told you that I forgot today, I will definitely make it up to you tomorrow."
Xu Shangao blocked Hao Rulong's way, refusing to let him leave his courtyard.
"Brother Hao, it has always been mutually beneficial for us, disciples of the Pill Sect, to refine pills for the Martial Sect disciples. What you did today seems to be breaking the established rules. I, Xu Shangao, will not accept it, and I don't think the Pill Sect disciples would either." Xu Shangao stared at Hao Rulong and said coldly.
Hao Rulong was annoyed. Under normal circumstances, if Xu Shangao dared to speak to him in such a manner, he would have slapped him.
But at present, Hao Rulong was in the wrong. Taking the refined pill without offering a reward was against the rules. If he were to strike Xu Shangao in retaliation, it would escalate the situation.
The mutual benefit rule had been established for a very long time and was widely accepted. No Martial Sect disciple would take the pills refined by Pill Sect disciples without giving a reward. If someone actually did that, they would be blacklisted by all Pill Sect disciples and no one would refine pills for them anymore.
Hao Rulong didn't dare to become the first exception. If the matter were to escalate, he wouldn't be able to request other Pill Sect disciples to refine pills for him afterward.
Faced with Xu Shangao's relentless demands, Hao Rulong was at a loss. In a desperate tone, he said: "What do you want me to do? I won't take the pill."
Xu Shangao got even more furious, "Brother Hao, are you joking with me? I worked hard to refine this pill for you without sleeping for three days, and you're just going to give up on it? Let's go, we are going to justify this matter to the elder."
Saying this, he made a move to take Hao Rulong away.
Fearing Xu Shangao, Hao Rulong quickly shook his hand off, gave Xu Shangao a threatening look and demanded, "What exactly do you want?"
Xu Shangao frowned and then proposed, "Here's what I suggest. Take the pill but you should write me an IOU. If you don't come with the reward tomorrow, I'll take the IOU to the elder, and then seek justice from your Martial Sect."
Hao Rulong was so furious with Xu Shangao that he itched to give him a good beating.
"Brother, what are you trying to do? Are you trying to hit me? I'm warning you, if you hit me, I will go straight to the elder." Seeing Hao Rulong's livid face, Xu Shangao took a few steps back while saying this nervously.
Hao Rulong had a great deal of anger with no outlet. The more he looked at Xu Shangao, the more he wanted to hit him. He yelled, "Alright, I'll write! Bring me a paper and pen!"
Xu Shangao didn't move but kept his eyes on Hao Rulong, "I'm afraid you will run away the moment I turn around. You follow me inside."
"..."
With no other option, Hao Rulong followed Xu Shangao into the house and wrote an IOU.
"The IOU is written. I'm leaving now." Hao Rulong didn't want to stay any longer. He quickly took his pill and left Xu Shangao's courtyard.
Without preventing him, Xu Shangao happily kept the IOU.
The very next day, Hao Rulong really did return and brought a delicately made green dagger, as the reward for the Qi Nurturing Pill.
Xu Shangao fiddled with the green dagger, his face was a mix of satisfaction and dissatisfaction.
Hao Rulong quickly lost his patience, "This is a dagger honed from Aquatic Gold, it's worth a bottle of Qi Nurturing Pill."
Upon hearing that the dagger was honed from Aquatic Gold, Xu Shangao was instantly overjoyed and happily tucked the dagger into his bosom.
"Give me the IOU." Hao Rulong extended his hand.
Xu Shangao gave him the IOU as he was asked. Hao Rulong tore it into pieces, then turned around and left.
"Xu, it wasn't easy to get this dagger." As he was about to leave the courtyard, Hao Rulong looked back and said in a cold tone.
Xu Shangao's heart tightened. He knew that Hao Rulong would not let this go and would probably come to bother him again.
After Hao Rulong left, Xu Shangao took out the Aquatic Gold dagger and admired it. He liked it more and more.
Although Pill Refiners don't have too much need for this kind of weapon, this Aquatic Gold dagger is quite valuable. Furthermore, it is so sharp that when it punctures the human body, it doesn't initially cause any pain. However, soon blood starts to gush out unstoppably, and even ordinary methods struggle to stem the flow.
Xu Shangao carefully wrapped the dagger in cloth and placed it at his waist before he delved back into the Pill Refining Room to study the ancient book and Jade Slip given to him by Fang Lin.
For seven consecutive days, Fang Lin did not step out of his room once. Xu Shangao was initially worried and wanted to check on him. However, he was afraid that his sudden entrance might disturb Fang Lin, so he did not dare to act rashly.
It wasn't until the evening of the tenth day of Fang Lin's closed-door training that the door to Fang Lin's room opened. A radiant and rejuvenated Fang Lin emerged, his complexion glowing, his breaths long and steady.
"Fang, you finally came out!" Upon hearing the movement, Xu Shangao dashed out of the Pill Refining Room. Upon seeing Fang Lin, he exclaimed with joy.
Fang Lin nodded with a smile on his face, saying, "I had good fortune. I've advanced to the third level of Human Origin."
Xu Shangao examined Fang Lin from head to toe. Although Fang Lin had only advanced one minor level, he seemed much more invigorated.
"Congratulations, Fang," Xu Shangao remarked with a smile.
Fang Lin waved his hand dismissively, saying, "It's just the third level of Human Origin. Among Pill Apprentices, it's not even considered mid-tier."
Xu Shangao seriously replied, "We can't say that. After all, you've only just started but have already made breakthroughs. This is a good start. Besides, with your pill refining knowledge, it's only a matter of time before your realm advances."
After a brief exchange, Fang Lin and Xu Shangao entered the Pill Refining Room together and Fang Lin began to teach Xu Shangao the art of pill refining.
In Fang Lin's eyes, Xu Shangao's aptitude for pill refining could barely even be considered average.
To put it bluntly, Xu Shangao's talent was absolutely pathetic, not even equal to the doorman of Fang Lin's former Pill Saint Palace.
Throughout the coaching process, Fang Lin had to constantly suppress his urge to swear at Xu Shangao for his incompetence. He hadn't seen someone as stupid as him before.
Luckily, Fang Lin realized his former standing as a Pill Sovereign meant he was used to dealing with experts and prodigies in Alchemy Tao. Xu Shangao, in contrast, was beneath his notice.
"Watch the flame. Pill Refining Heat Control is essential; every single detail matters!"
"Don't mix up the order of the herbs. One wrong sequence, all the herbs will be wasted."
"Can you read the Pill Formula carefully? Is this how the herbs should be proportioned?"
···
For a whole month, Fang Lin tirelessly counseled Xu Shangao. Although, initially, Fang Lin scolded Xu Shangao harshly, the latter did make progress after a month. Nowadays, his success rate with pills which were previously difficult for him to make is nearly ninety percent.
Under Fang Lin's tutelage, Xu Shangao also started to attempt Qi Nurturing Pill refining. However, the success rate was extremely low. He was fortunate if one out of ten attempts was successful, and the resulting pill's quality was very poor, barely reaching the lowest grade quality.
Nevertheless, for Xu Shangao, being able to refine a Qi Nurturing Pill, which even many intermediate disciples failed to do, was an exhilarating achievement.
According to Fang Lin, what Xu Shangao managed to produce couldn't be called a pill at all. It was merely round-shaped pill dregs.
While instructing Xu Shangao, a number of Martial Sect disciples came seeking Xu Shangao's pill refining service.
In the past, Xu Shangao would have found this strange because he was just a junior disciple. The Martial Sect disciples needing pill refinement wouldn't normally come to him.
Xu Shangao could guess, however, that the majority of these people were likely sent by Lin Xu and Hao Rulong to intentionally embarrass him. If he could not create the pills they needed, they would broadcast it far and wide, reducing Xu Shangao to the laughingstock of the Pill Sect.
Previously, Xu Shangao would have been unable to handle this, but now, with Fang Lin's assistance, he was confident and welcomed all requests.
Within a few short months, Xu Shangao had fulfilled numerous pill refining assignments for Martial Sect disciples, acquiring significant renown. Many Martial Sect disciples heard of a low-ranking full disciple in the Pill Sect who could refine numerous types of pills with excellent quality.
Lin Xu and Hao Rulong certainly did not envision that their initial intention to vex Xu Shangao would unexpectedly lead to his increased popularity, attracting more disciples to seek his pill refining service.