Chapter 81: Cut the Crap

Old Zhang narrowed his eyes for a moment and explained, "What you're holding is a Xuande censer, cast during the Xuande period for the imperial court."

"These censers were highly valued in their time and remained popular even into the Qing dynasty, so there are many imitations. Though many Xuande censers survive, genuine pieces are extremely rare. The one you own, sir, has a rather obvious chip at the base, which greatly diminishes its value."

"Oh?" Ye Fei gently turned the censer upside down and indeed found a rather conspicuous break at the bottom.

He frowned.

"Are you intending to collect it, display it at home for the sake of show, or do you plan to use it as a cooking vessel or for rituals?" Old Zhang asked curiously.

Ye Fei hesitated for a couple of seconds before replying, "I intend to use it for alchemy."

"Alchemy!? Pfft!"

No sooner had he spoken than a voice of mockery sounded from behind.

The three turned to look.

A young heir in an expensive suit stood there, cigar in hand, his face full of scorn as if he'd just heard the most ludicrous thing in the world.

Behind him stood a middle-aged man with only one eye, wearing a heavy military coat despite the sweltering heat, exuding an imposing presence.

"Isn't this Young Master Pan? Here to pick up your goods already?" Old Zhang greeted him with a respectful smile. "Your father already gave me instructions. I'll fetch it for you right away."

"Wait a minute—" The young heir curled his lip, pointing at Ye Fei. "Didn't this kid just claim he could refine elixirs with a bronze cauldron? Bring out my cauldron and let's see him try!"

Old Zhang was momentarily stunned.

"Why are you standing there? Go get it!" The young heir snapped when Old Zhang didn't move.

Old Zhang glanced back at Ye Fei, who responded with a subtle, smiling wink, and only then did Old Zhang head into a room across the hall. He soon emerged, cradling a bronze cauldron with the utmost care.

This cauldron was identical in size to the one in Ye Fei's hands, its body adorned with intricate taotie motifs, each corner supported by a mythical beast, and at the rim, a rhinoceros with its jaws agape. The only flaw was a slight imperfection on the body, which under sunlight made it appear less than exquisite.

Yet when Ye Fei laid eyes upon it, his heart gave a sudden jolt.

A faint, unusual blue flashed in his eyes—

He saw the sparse spiritual energy in the room being drawn into the mouth of the bronze rhinoceros, forming a strange, inverted vortex.

"Marvelous, simply marvelous," Ye Fei murmured.

He had seen such a scene before. Deep in the mountains, Sister Yan Yue had once held a cauldron in one hand, refining elixirs with the other, and the same phenomenon had occurred at the rim.

"Hey, kid, didn't you say you could refine elixirs? If you can show me something impressive today, I'll make sure you never want for food or drink!" The heir called Young Master Pan took a deep drag from his cigar, exhaled a cloud of smoke, and shouted, "Look at this cauldron—I spent fifty million getting it. It's a hundred times better than the junk in your hands!"

"Young Master Pan, this cauldron is of immense value for any collection. Displaying it at home can ward off evil and bring good fortune. To use it for... for alchemy would be a terrible waste!" Old Zhang interjected, his face etched with pain.

"Cut the crap!" Young Master Pan shot him a glare, stubbed out his cigar, and barked, "I paid for it, so it's mine. I'll use it however I damn well please. Who asked for your advice?"

Old Zhang's face grew even more worried, but in the end, he lowered his gaze and nodded, remaining silent.

"What's wrong with you? He's only reminding you out of kindness. You could at least be polite." Chen Yu, unable to stand it anymore, let out a cold snort from the side.

"Well now, pretty girl, not bad at all." Young Master Pan gave Chen Yu a sidelong glance, raised an eyebrow, and without warning, pulled out a golden card and tossed it her way. "I'll keep you for half a month. Come to the Minhao Grand Hotel tonight."

Caught off guard by his abrupt gesture, Chen Yu was left stunned.

Snap—

A crisp sound of breaking plastic echoed through the hall.

Ye Fei had snapped the golden card in half between two fingers, stepped protectively in front of Chen Yu, and smiled. "How about this: let's make a bet. If I really can refine an elixir with your bronze cauldron, you give it to me. What do you say?"

"Pfft—" Young Master Pan only laughed harder, waving his hand dismissively. "If you pull it off, I'll give you the cauldron and throw in ten women as a bonus. If you can't, your girl spends two weeks with me!"

Ye Fei glanced back at Chen Yu.

She smiled, her eyes curving like crescent moons.

"No problem," Ye Fei nodded slightly, then said to Old Zhang, "Sir, would you be so kind as to fetch a few medicinal herbs from the nearby pharmacy? Ten grams each of Sichuan aconite, wild aconite, cinnamon twig, chrysanthemum, and licorice, fifteen grams of tribulus, and twenty grams of skeleton-breaking herb."

Old Zhang bent low and assented, handing over the bronze cauldron to Ye Fei before hurrying off.

"Ha, now he's putting on airs?" Young Master Pan leaned lazily against the doorframe, patting the shoulder of the man behind him. "Uncle Qing, doesn't one of your relatives run a herbal shop? Tell me, what are those herbs for?"

"They're all common Chinese remedies for clearing the mind and detoxifying the liver. Combined, they won't amount to much," the one-eyed man replied without even opening his eyes.

Young Master Pan's sneer only deepened, and he shot Ye Fei a provocative glance.

Ye Fei simply bowed his head, examining the bronze cauldron and tracing every detail with his fingertips.

Its touch was icy, its weight perfectly balanced.

This was no ordinary artifact.

…

In the only two-story building in the courtyard, Xing Ge sat in a chair by the window, expressionless as he observed the events unfolding in the main hall through a narrow gap. He made no move to intervene.

…

Some ten minutes later, Old Zhang returned, carrying a half-basket of herbs.

Ye Fei took the lot, borrowed a lighter used for incense, and lit a fire. He arranged two bricks, set the cauldron on top, and began his work.

The sheer rusticity of the setup only made Young Master Pan's sneer more pronounced.

Ye Fei did not waste any spiritual energy to conjure up any miraculous spectacle; that would only invite unwanted trouble.

He tossed all the herbs into the cauldron, sat cross-legged, and pressed both hands upon the rhinoceros head at the rim, quietly channeling his spiritual energy within.

Back in the mountains, his master had refined elixirs in just this fashion. It had taken Ye Fei a long time to replicate, a method his master called "returning to simplicity."

As the small, palm-sized flame flickered beneath, the heat from the cauldron gradually spread, yet the rim remained as cold as ever—a most peculiar phenomenon.