Tantalization! . . .
After Cha Eun Xiao's sigh, Ling, Wan, and Xiu watched him with keen interest, as if there were a treasure to be revealed on his face. The question he was about to answer was of immense importance.
Cha Eun Xiao appeared troubled as he began to speak, which heightened the anticipation of the three listeners.
"Why?" Ling Wuxie inquired, his anxiety palpable. ["Why did he sigh? Is something amiss? Has there been no progress? The situation has changed significantly; we are now pressed for time with only half a year remaining. We were already in a hurry, but now every day counts. The goal is to produce fifty Heaven Seizing Dan beads within six months. There's not much time left."]
"The process of creating these dan beads is incredibly challenging," Cha Eun Xiao lamented. "I've diligently followed my master's teachings, studying countless books and scrolls, and I believe I have a deep understanding of the composition of these dan beads. However, I..."
And so, he launched into a lengthy monologue that spanned tens of thousands of words, touching upon various subjects, but failing to provide any information about the Heaven Seizing Supreme Dan.
An entire hour passed as he continued to speak, and not a word about the dan they sought was uttered.
All the three listeners gleaned from this extended discourse was the profound difficulty associated with producing the dan beads.
What was particularly perplexing was that Cha Eun Xiao showed no intention of concluding his oration, as he seemed entirely engrossed in his narrative.
In an attempt to bring him back to the primary topic, Ling Wuxie interjected with, "The dan..."
Cha Eun Xiao cut him off, his irritation evident. "Can you be patient? You should be aware that the last thing we should do when creating dan beads is to rush. I'm getting to the point shortly. Please exercise patience."
Ling Wuxie struggled to withhold his annoyance and thought, ["This guy is infuriating. What does he mean, 'the last thing we should do is to hurry'? Do regular people not rush when pressed for time?"]
["Is he toying with me about his dan-making skills? Just wait until he finishes producing those dan beads... Hmmm. I can't do anything to him even then. He's the only dan master to have appeared in tens of thousands of years. We may require his services in the future. I'll have to endure it. Damn it!"]
"It's worth mentioning that the thousand portions of materials Master Bai provided were of excellent quality, which I greatly appreciated. After conducting three hundred tests, I finally grasped the relationships between these materials. Another three hundred tests allowed me to understand the conflicts and interactions between them, and after the final three hundred tests, I was prepared to properly combine the medical materials..." Cha Eun Xiao continued.
Ling Wuxie, Wan-Er, and Xiu-Er displayed pale, exasperated expressions, thoughts racing through their minds.
["What a waste... Nine hundred portions gone to ruin..."]
["Wasn't it a thousand in total? Why squander nine hundred of them like that?"]
["Please, just don't squander it all."]
"After that, I naturally began my attempts to produce the dan beads," Cha Eun Xiao proceeded to recount.
By this point, Ling Wuxie was feeling a headache coming on, and he couldn't help himself from interrupting with, "Please, just tell us when you succeeded."
Cha Eun Xiao huffed and responded with annoyance, "It's always such a chore conversing with individuals like you. If Master Bai were here, he'd likely respond in the same manner. Don't you recognize the vast disparity between these matters? Do you understand how challenging it is to create supreme dan beads? I am..."
And he continued to expound, beginning with first, second, third, fourth... and so on.
Ling Wuxie's headache intensified. "Just please tell us when you succeeded!"
Cha Eun Xiao retaliated, "Can you please be patient? Do you know that the last thing we should do is rush when creating dan beads? I'm about to get to that part very soon. Please practice patience!"
Ling Wuxie struggled to contain his exasperation, reflecting, ["God damn it, you jackass! I should never have started this. I'm the one who fired the first shot by interrupting him. Now, I have to endure this verbal deluge."]
["Why did you compare me to Bai Chen? I'm just an amateur compared to him. What do you mean by 'the vast disparity'? Can't you just say that I'm far inferior to Bai Chen?"]
["Why did I ever become Bai Chen's close friend in the first place? And why did I involve myself with this guy because of Bai Chen?"]
["God, please just strike me with lightning and end it all."]
Cha Eun Xiao continued, "The thousand portions of medical materials... In the end..."
Wan-Er, despite her reservations, attempted to interject, "Is that all..."
Cha Eun Xiao heaved a sigh, his demeanor suggesting that there had been no positive developments.
All three of his listeners exchanged glances and their expressions revealed their disappointment.
["So, it's all been for naught. We haven't made any progress."]
["Oh well, that's not surprising. Producing the Heaven Seizing Dan is no simple feat."]
["If it were easy, there wouldn't only be one bead in history!"]
Wan-Er, noticing Feng Monarch's despondent demeanor, attempted to console him gently. "That's okay. We can always find more materials. Please don't lose hope, Feng Monarch. You've already begun the dan-making process, and that's a significant step forward."
Feng Monarch, previously Cha Eun Xiao, heaved a gloomy sigh and spoke in a somber tone. ["Indeed, they've all been wasted."]
The three of them couldn't help but sigh as well.
"What a pity. From the last stove down to the very last portion of materials, and..."
"Oh..." Their sighs coincided as they realized that the last portion had gone to waste.
"I only managed to produce two beads... I overestimated myself. I thought this dan would be simple. That was my mistake," Feng Monarch confessed, his tone tinged with regret.
"It's okay, just stay calm. It's fine. I believe that one day... Wait... What did you just say? What was that?" Ling Wuxie was trying to console Feng Monarch, but suddenly, something caught his attention, and he halted in shock.
["What was it he said earlier?"]
Ling Wuxie turned to Wan-Er and Xiu-Er, who were now looking at Feng Monarch intently.
"What did I say? Well, I overestimated myself, and I thought this dan was easy. It's my fault," Feng Monarch replied, his gloom deepening.
"No, no, no... Before that! Two beads of what?" Wan and Xiu asked in a hurry.
Their desire for the dan far outweighed that of Ling Wuxie's.
"Heaven Seizing Dan. I only managed to make two," Feng Monarch nonchalantly replied. "It's a shame. I feel truly embarrassed about the number."
"You made... two?"
Finally, Ling Wuxie snapped out of his stupor. He turned to Ye Xiao with a look as if he were in a delightful dream.
["What the hell! Did I hear it incorrectly?"]
["No, impossible. Could we all have misheard it simultaneously?"]