Chapter 20: A Shortcut to Gathering the Secret Medicine

If not for that mechanical voice that followed, Li Yu would likely have turned to flee or fought back against the maid's sudden assault.

In the instant he was tackled, his mind was still filled with doubt and contemplation:

"Re-registering ownership?"

"And it needs to collect fingerprints, iris scans, and bodily fluids? The first two are easy to understand, but what is the protocol for bodily fluids?"

The answer to this question appeared in the blink of an eye.

As Hongdou tackled Li Yu, a red light suddenly surged. Amidst a clattering sound, the original human girl's shell transformed in a flash into a brightly colored, exquisitely crafted mechanical fox with a red mole on its brow, scrambling and stepping on Li Yu's chest.

One must know that in his past life, Li Yu was also a pet owner.

This movement triggered his instincts; his hands subconsciously hugged it, and as he lifted it up, he leaned his head back to avoid the tongue the mechanical fox was poking out.

Caught off guard, they made eye contact, and at the same time, a certain finger felt a slight sting.

Subsequently, a mechanical voice sounded in sequence:

"Fingerprint collection complete!"

"Iris scan complete!"

"Bodily fluid collection complete!"

"Shameless, that puppet maker named Yun Dongjun."

"And blood is blood, what the hell is 'bodily fluid'?"

Li Yu, whose information had been collected in the blink of an eye, still held the mechanical fox, unable to let go, while he couldn't help but mutter his complaints.

Just as he continued to speak, he saw Hongdou tilt her mechanical fox head in a rather lively and cute manner, staring at Li Yu as she continued:

"Ownership re-registration complete... New master is a sixteen-year-old human male. Body state abnormal, suspected to be parasitized by an Evil God's strange egg. Commencing search for solutions."

"Starting Spirit Medicine module... Startup failed."

"Starting Bounty module... Startup fai... Startup successful. Due to unknown reasons, permissions cannot be fully opened, and the Heavenly Craft internal network cannot be accessed. The posted bounty can only cover a radius of five hundred zhang."

"Based on the master's physical health and the extraordinary commodity prices within the Heavenly Craft Sect, it is recommended that the master provide a strange object capable of enticing a [Sequence 6] or higher sequence practitioner, or a secret medicine formula of equivalent value. Otherwise, even if posted, it will likely become an invalid bounty."

"As a Spirit-Exquisite Puppet, Hongdou possesses secondary permissions and can post one bounty per day."

"Master, shall I post the relevant bounty?"

These sentences made Li Yu feel first disappointment, then surprise, and immediately after, disappointment again.

The surprise lay in the fact that Hongdou was truly partially repaired, and some functional modules had been restored.

Even her last sentence carried a tone.

Clearly, she was much more intelligent than before.

The disappointment was that it still sounded like his problem could not be solved.

"Forget about Sequence 6, I don't even have a strange object that could move a Sequence 8 practitioner."

"And the coverage is only a few hundred zhang; wouldn't that mean I can't even leave the Heavenly Mystery Workshop?"

"This function is a bit of a white elephant."

"Cancel, cancel, don't post it for now."

While Li Yu vetoed the bounty, he continued to explore and develop Hongdou.

A barrage of questions was thrown out by him.

"Besides the bounty module, what else have you restored?"

"Combat module restored by thirty percent, can use all cold weapons within the chassis, and have awakened part of the 'Chainsaw Sword Art'... Spirit Medicine module one percent, can perform wound dressing for the master... Spirit Plant module ten percent, can plant non-extraordinary crops... Memory module five percent, awakened some extraordinary knowledge..."

"Hmm? Memory module?"

Hearing the keyword, Li Yu swallowed the words he was about to use to complain about the Chainsaw Sword Art.

Seemingly thinking of something, his eyes couldn't help but light up.

This Spirit-Exquisite Puppet had once been held in high hopes and cultivated as a growth-type extraordinary assistant.

Since that was the case, the creator must have made her master a great deal of secret knowledge.

Without a hint of hesitation, Li Yu asked in succession:

"Do you remember how you were destroyed?"

"I... I don't know."

"How can I fully repair you?"

"I... I don't know."

"In your awakened memories, is there anything related to paths to godhood, extraordinary sequences, or secret medicine formulas?"

"Searching... Replying to master, Hongdou knows some sequences of the Heavenly Craft Sect, as well as formulas."

"Tell me!"

"...Sorry, this question has touched upon core confidentiality clauses. The master is not a practitioner of the Heavenly Craft Sect, and Hongdou does not have the permission to disclose this."

It seemed because she had refused Li Yu.

On Hongdou's fox face, a rare look of sadness appeared.

This vividness and spirituality made Li Yu feel it was quite rare.

He had struck gold; there was no doubt about it.

Although he didn't get the secrets he wanted, Li Yu wasn't discouraged and abruptly asked again:

"Do you know what kind of deity the Spirit Venerable is? And what are Fire Essences?"

"Replying to master! The Spirit Venerable was an ancient deity, suspected to have fallen during the War of the Gods..."

"Fire Essence is a type of special life form widely existing in places rich in fire Qi. Although it cannot move and has no intelligence, the spirituality contained in Fire Essence makes this life form a decent extraordinary material, which all major sects mine and sell."

"Does the Heavenly Craft Sect have them?"

"Of course they do. The largest known Fire Essence vein on the continent is located in the south of the Li Kingdom, and the Heavenly Craft Sect holds all the shares and is responsible for mining operations."

When Li Yu heard this.

It was unknown what he had actually thought of, but his expression was unreadable, and his eyes were full of interest.

Deep down, he began to ponder:

"The thirty-six types of highly toxic minerals needed for the Pill Disciple secret medicine, as well as the Fire Essence, and the alchemy furnace needed for the Pill-Forming Ritual—if I go to that [Taiping Market], I should be able to buy them all."

"The only problem is that I must transform into the appearance of the Son of the Forbidden God to have a chance of sneaking in, but that will be very eye-catching."

"And in that state, I am extremely unstable. If there happens to be any strange objects or high-sequence powerhouses related to the Forbidden God Sect at that market... I'm afraid I'll be finished."

=9+Book_Bar

Thinking of this, Li Yu suddenly recalled the warnings previously issued by the evil cultivator guests like Zhu Mei.

The Forbidden God Sect has corresponding recovery procedures for "Sons of the Forbidden God" who are wandering outside and in the midst of transformation.

Jiao Qing and Sun Sanniang were both registered members!

And that Forbidden God statue and sacrificial book, which were clearly also strange objects—if there were no accidents, this Jiao Family Meat Shop had long been marked by the Forbidden God Sect; it might even be one of their strongholds.

As the news of the couple's death continues to spread, I'm afraid it won't be long before the Forbidden God Sect comes knocking.

As these thoughts emerged, Li Yu's face immediately turned gloomy.

He had gradually adapted to Wanfu City!

Naturally, he understood the terror of the Forbidden God Sect.

"If there is no other way, I must take the risk and go to the Taiping Market."

"Advancing to [Pill Disciple] at the fastest speed is my only way to survive."

"But now, there seems to be a more convenient path?"

As this thought crossed his mind, Li Yu's burning gaze fell on Hongdou once again.

After pondering for a few breaths, Li Yu deliberated and asked:

"If I were to post a bounty, requiring Heavenly Craft Sect personnel nearby who receive the message to provide me with a Fire Essence and an alchemy furnace, what kind of reward would I need to offer?"

"Also, does this bounty function have a confidentiality agreement? Will it be known to the outside world?"

"Replying to master!"

"According to the extraordinary commodity prices known to Hongdou, the internal price for one Fire Essence is two hundred taels of silver, and a basic Heavenly Craft alchemy furnace with intelligent heating costs three hundred taels of silver."

"All bounties come with a confidentiality agreement; the recipient cannot disclose it, otherwise they will face expulsion from the Heavenly Craft Sect and have all their gains confiscated."

"If the master feels it is still not enough, you can choose a non-face-to-face transaction."

When Hongdou finished answering, Li Yu was already smiling.

He had decided!

Since a safe and effective shortcut had appeared before him, why would he need to take huge risks to go to the Taiping Grand Market?

The most critical Fire Essence and alchemy furnace can be bought here from the Heavenly Craft Sect.

And for those toxic minerals, he had also thought of a place to buy them.

"On the main street of the Heavenly Mystery Workshop, there are several [Smoke Qi Houses]."

"Inside, they sell all kinds of things that can make people addicted and experience infinite pleasure and floating sensations. Every day, a large number of commoners, and even low-level practitioners, are there puffing away."

"And the drug primer known as True Lead, as well as cinnabar, mica, sulfur... and other highly toxic minerals, happen to be among them. They can be consumed individually or combined and refined into some fierce Great Pills, which make people feel like they are becoming immortals after swallowing them, euphemistically called [Five Minerals Powder], [Carefree Pill], and so on."

"The formula is split into two, and with the confidentiality agreement on the side, I can even let Hongdou change her form and sneak out to buy these minerals."

"In this way, I can ensure nothing goes wrong."

"And the speed of gathering them will also be faster."

Thinking up to this point, Li Yu could be considered extremely cautious.

No longer hesitating, he said to Hongdou:

"Hongdou, follow what I said and post the bounty, adding two hundred taels to the price. Require the taker to gather the items and arrive as quickly as possible. There is no need to meet; just trade through the door."

"Understood, Master!"

"Bounty posting in progress...!"

As the mechanical voice faded, he saw red light immediately begin to flicker in Hongdou's charming fox-like eyes.

This sight made Li Yu feel both intrigued and puzzled.

"What is the principle behind this?"

"The internal network of the Heavenly Craft Sect? Radio?"

"I wonder if anyone will accept the bounty and come. Although there should be many sales representatives from the Heavenly Craft Sect in the territory of the Heavenly Mystery Workshop, such as that Meng Shenji, it can only transmit five hundred zhang; I fear I must rely on luck. If it truly is Meng Shenji who accepts it, then this 'no-meeting' trade would be a laughable act of burying one's head in the sand."

Just as Li Yu was muttering to himself.

In only a few breaths, a look of excitement appeared on Hongdou's fox face, and she shouted:

"The bounty has been accepted!"

"Heavenly Craft Sect sales representative Shi Dazhu is preparing the trade items and will arrive in half an incense stick's time. Please have the payment ready in advance."

(End of chapter)