The boiling tea water let out a sharp screech.
Steam forced the kettle lid open, snapping abruptly, before Zheng Chenggong took the kettle off the heat and poured the water into the cup.
"Is this the water the Immortal Master gave to Prince of the Nation?" Yang Ying's voice was subdued, her gaze fixed on the tea.
"Yes," Zheng Chenggong replied, setting down the kettle.
He was now drinking from a mountain spring and consuming Elixir Pills, all to prevent anyone from poisoning his food.
Though they had the "Antidote" in the form of a King Cobra, it still required tasting the poison and then biting the poisoned individual, which took time.
"Why doesn't Prince of the Nation ask the Immortal Master for more? With the Immortal Pill that sustains a person for seven days (ordinary people), we wouldn't have to worry about food and could bring more firearms," suggested Yang Ying.
Like {Yang Chaodong, Co-Director of Military Administration}, many soldiers were looking forward to and curious about Zheng Chenggong's response.
The Immortal Master had said that this water and the Immortal Pills did not prolong life, at best they could regulate the body, but like the 2022 lunar soil, the things of an Immortal were of great significance.
Zheng Chenggong gave a wry smile, for when he had been gifted the Immortal Pill, hadn't he pleaded with the other party?
The Immortal Master simply said, "For Prince Zheng to consume Elixir Pills, I'm already defying heaven, please don't make it difficult for me," and sent him away.
"All right, the Immortal Master has his own plans for these matters," Zheng Chenggong waved a hand, signaling everyone to refocus, "Let's discuss the assault on Treasure Island for tomorrow, He Bin."
"Present."
"Tomorrow, you'll lead the fleet from the vanguard, bypass the Dutch artillery, and force a landing."
"Yes!"
"Huang Zhao."
"Present!"
"Once I land on the island, the red-haired devils will surely send forces to block us. You lead five hundred men to meet them in battle. The red-haired devils are very conceited, and they'll certainly underestimate us, giving us the opportunity to annihilate their leading generals."
"Yes!"
"Yang Xiang, you take five hundred men with rattan shields to attack from the enemy's left flank."
"Yes!"
"Xiao Zhenchen."
"Present!"
...
In the corner of the cabin wrapped around a pillar was a King Cobra with black and golden patterns.
Its slender tail was hooked around an "Invisibility Lantern," its golden vertical pupils slightly narrowed. With its tongue flicking in and out, it constantly detected any toxins in the air, guarding Zheng Chenggong.
Suddenly, the cobra's gaze dropped to look at Zheng Chenggong's feet, where a cat yawned in the shadow.
◇
Jade Light danced, weaving a net of light inside the cabin.
With a light push from her fingers, Turquoise Pool sent a teacup flying off the table. The Jade Light suddenly retracted, wrapping around the teacup without letting it continue its trajectory or fall.
The teacup trembled slightly within the Jade Light, which eroded it into a fine powder that scattered gently.
"Bang!"
When only half of the teacup remained, it suddenly cracked and fell to the floor.
The Jade Light spiraled back into Li Changzhou's palm, lush and vibrant green, like a slithering snake the length of a little finger—it was the "Emerald Bee Sword."
"In just two hours, your Sword Control Technique has already surpassed 'Throughout the Four Seas who knows me? With a single sword, I've soared across the sky several times,'" praised Turquoise Pool.
She had also read the "Nine Heavens Sword Control" techniques detailed therein. For an ordinary person to reach Li Changzhou's level, it would take decades of hard practice.
"Lan Lan, how are you doing with your learning?" Li Qianxia turned to the other wielder of the Emerald Bee Sword.
"I'm not interested in martial arts or such skills," Yang Qinglan picked up her teacup.
"It seems you're not learning as fast as my older brother!" as if she was any faster.
Yang Qinglan put down her teacup and calmly looked at Li Qianxia, "Want to compare who's better at alchemy then? Natural skills, huh?"
"Humph, my brother is simply not interested, but if he wanted to, he would definitely be no worse than you."
"Don't talk nonsense, if I could learn, I would have learned it long ago." The Jade Light swirled back into Li Changzhou's sleeve.
Li Changzhou had looked at the Elixir recipe and its pharmacology, which started with things like: harmonizing the five organs, calming any unbalanced organ – this was the principle. Hence it's said, 'To be in peace is to thrive, to be cut off is to perish. When water is depleted, vitality disperses; when grain is consumed, the defensive energies perish...'
Then it mentioned: 'When water enters the channels, blood is formed; grain enters the stomach, the pathways are activated. Thus, blood must be nourished, the defenses kept warm. When the blood is warm and the defenses harmonious, the glory and the defenses flow, and one always abides by Heavenly Destiny.'
What is this stuff?
Is this really alchemy?
Nothing compared to the straightforwardness of punches and weapons clashing!
In the realm of martial prowess, Li Changzhou was more formidable than professional players who could top national gaming rankings within a month of play, never finding any of it difficult. Any challenge that arose, he could solve immediately with just a little thought.
If he were alone, he might have thought: Isn't everything supposed to be this simple?
But with people around to compare with, he realized just how difficult things actually were.
It's like some people who start playing video games out of interest, but ten years later due to work cannot continue playing, they remain eternally at the silver rank—he couldn't understand such people.
'Ah, if only the pharmacology of the Elixir recipe was as clear and straightforward as this analogy, explained in plain language with annotations, I definitely wouldn't be so awful at it,' Li Changzhou sighed inwardly, resembling a stubborn bronze player who had just failed to advance to silver.
"By the way, who wants to take this?" Turquoise Pool tossed out a Storage Bag.
"You don't want it anymore, Sister Turquoise Pool?"
"I only wanted what was inside, now that I've finished with it, why would I want a man's personal item that he's carried around?" Turquoise Pool smiled wryly, her tone disdainful.