**Chapter 17: The Scarlet Fox's Alchemy
Just as Ye Xinghe stepped into the backyard, a large number of cultivators started flocking into the shop.
They clamored to buy spirit pills, insisting that they would buy as many as were available.
This scene made Ye Xinghe even angrier, yet he couldn't afford to show his frustration at this moment. Among these cultivators, some were indeed shills, but there were also genuine customers.
The other three families that had set up this trap chose an opportune moment. With Taiyi Sect's conscription, most of the Ye family's top alchemists and artifact refiners had been called upon.
The remaining cultivators lacked the necessary expertise!
Moreover, the obstruction of access to the Earth Fire Chamber had severely hindered their alchemy process.
This situation was nearly a dead end, unless the Mo family, one of the Purple Mansion clans, would be willing to intervene.
But judging by the Xu family's actions, it was highly unlikely that the Mo family would offend the Xu family!
"Jinghao, go out and tell your Thirteenth Aunt that all spirit pills related to contracts are now subject to purchase limits. Additionally, during this time, I will continue to send messages to the clan and seek to buy more supplies from other families at a premium!" Ye Xinghe began issuing orders one by one.
At this point, he had no choice but to brace himself and handle the situation carefully.
"Jingyun, Jingcheng, and Jingli, I have a contact in the Mo family who can provide access to an Earth Fire Chamber. The three of you should take turns and do your best to refine pills!" Ye Xinghe instructed.
The one-month deadline was pressing, and his primary reliance was still on Ye Xingyu, so he reserved a chamber just for him!
The remaining chamber would have to be shared by the three of them, taking turns.
If they failed to produce the required pills, he wouldn't blame them, especially since only Ye Jingli was of an age (twenty-five) where he could be considered truly capable.
"As for other matters, I'll continue to negotiate with the Mo family!" Ye Xinghe said.
"Uncle, let Jingli and Jingyun take turns. I may not need the Earth Fire Chamber," Ye Jingcheng suddenly suggested.
Ye Xinghe's face still hadn't softened, but he wasn't one to discourage the younger generation. He looked at Ye Jingcheng with curiosity.
"Uncle, my spirit beast is a Scarlet Flame Fox, and it can spit fire. I've already tested it within the clan!" Ye Jingcheng explained.
With that, he released the Scarlet Flame Fox. In an instant, the courtyard was graced by a fiery red, wolf-like creature with sleek, smooth fur.
Its fur was exceptionally smooth, and it emanated a radiant spiritual energy.
On its forehead was a faint spiritual mark.
At Ye Jingcheng's command, the Scarlet Flame Fox opened its mouth, releasing a terrifyingly hot flame, instantly raising the room's temperature significantly!
[Translator: sauron]
Ye Xinghe was naturally both surprised and intrigued by this sight.
Even Ye Jingli, standing beside him, was stunned. Throughout the journey, he had been tempted several times to show off his Green-scaled Snake to Ye Jingcheng!
After all, his Green-scaled Snake was indeed large and impressive!
But now, compared to Ye Jingcheng's Scarlet Flame Fox, his snake seemed insignificant.
It looked almost like a toy. It was worth noting that back then, he had chosen before Ye Jingcheng.
At this moment, he felt a tinge of regret.
"Uncle, this Scarlet Flame Fox was seriously injured and believed to be beyond saving. The clan exchanged it with me, but it unexpectedly survived, recovered from its injuries, and grew rapidly!" Ye Jingcheng hurriedly explained, noticing Ye Xinghe's expression.
This time, he wasn't being reckless; he knew this was a hurdle he had to overcome. After all, he was here to refine pills, and he didn't want to rely on an Earth Fire Chamber. He preferred to refine freely, with both the flame and the furnace under his control.
Once he became more familiar with the market, he planned to purchase the spiritual herbs mentioned in an ancient recipe and refine a pill that would allow the Scarlet Flame Fox to grow a second tail.
This was something that would eventually come to light, so he felt this was an opportune moment to reveal it.
"Good, good, good! Jingcheng, as expected from someone of the Jing generation, capable of shouldering such responsibility. Your uncle will rely on you for this. If you need any spiritual herbs, just let me know!" Ye Xinghe said, repeating the word "good" three times.
With Ye Jingcheng not needing an Earth Fire Chamber, the Ye family now had three available chambers. While it wasn't four, it was much better than expected.
If they could complete this task, the ones to suffer would be the other three Foundation Establishment families. All the time they spent buying the Ye family's pills would end up being a wasted effort.
"Here are the pill recipe jade slips; each of you take one!" Ye Xinghe said, handing jade slips to Ye Jingyun and Ye Jingcheng.
Then, he hurriedly led Ye Jingyun and Ye Jingli towards the Mo family's Earth Fire Chamber within the market.
In this market, all the Earth Fire Chambers were controlled by the two major Purple Mansion families, and any other cultivators who wanted to refine pills or artifacts had to pay a fee.
They also needed to make a reservation in advance.
"Jingcheng, here are the spiritual herbs and a protective formation disk!" Nearby, Ye Xinghong handed Ye Jingcheng a storage pouch.
"Thank you, Thirteenth Aunt!" Ye Jingcheng nodded repeatedly in gratitude.
"Additionally, if you need any more spiritual herbs, you can inscribe them on a jade slip and give it to me. I'll either purchase them or request them from the clan!" Ye Xinghong added.
Ye Jingcheng nodded knowingly, understanding her intentions. This was exactly the outcome he had hoped for.
After receiving the spiritual herbs, Ye Jingcheng began examining the jade slip.
He had never tried using the Scarlet Flame Fox for alchemy before, but he felt it would be even better than using an Earth Fire Chamber.
He was in perfect sync with the Scarlet Flame Fox, able to control the flame's intensity without any effort. There was no need for him to manually adjust it.
All he had to do was manage the pill furnace and the spiritual patterns.
Over the past year, the Scarlet Flame Fox's most significant progress wasn't just its physical growth!
Ye Jingcheng took out the formation disk and began setting it up in the room.
This formation disk was a simple spirit isolation array.
It could block sound and spiritual sense.
The operation was also very straightforward.
Before long, the room's edges were covered with a faint layer of spiritual light, making it look quite mystical.
Ye Jingcheng then released the Scarlet Flame Fox once again and retrieved the three-eared pill furnace that Ye Jingli had exchanged for him.
He began wiping it down meticulously. This time, he even used the spring water he had obtained in the Taihang Mountains.
After all, this was his first pill furnace.
As he wiped it down repeatedly, the furnace began to emit a faint spiritual light, looking radiant and as good as new. If not for the missing ear that marred its appearance, this furnace could fetch a much higher price!
"Rrrr!" At Ye Jingcheng's signal, the Scarlet Flame Fox let out a low growl, and in the next moment, it spat out a burst of scarlet flames, which enveloped the pill furnace.
The furnace slowly began to heat up and glow red!
(End of the Chapter)