Chapter 120: The Snail Beauty (Please Subscribe)

Inside the alchemy chamber, Lu Qian entered with his arms crossed. After ten days of recuperation, half of his body had finally returned to its original state.

“Greetings, sir.”

“Hello, sir.”

“Good to see you, sir.”

Respectful glances came from the stewards and attendants nearby. As he stepped further into the warehouse, the others bowed respectfully, wary not to offend him.

The alchemical garden was perpetually gloomy, shrouded in mist. On a massive tree thick enough to be embraced by five men, countless “beauty heads” hung from its branches.

Upon closer inspection, these were not real heads but snails.

Soft-bodied and boneless, these snails took refuge inside the heads of beauties. The heads seemed almost alive, blinking their eyes as someone approached. The scene was unsettling and eerie.

This creature was called the Beauty Snail, a species crafted from the heads of beauties. It matured every ten years, prized for alchemy or raw consumption, both beneficial to body and yin spirit.

For some reason, Lu Qian felt a deep unease when he saw these creatures—not due to gore, as there were far bloodier things elsewhere, like the flowers growing on living humans that screamed daily—but because of an indescribable, surreal discordance.

“Sir, any instructions?” asked Yang Xing cautiously, recently promoted to deputy alchemy steward on Lu Qian’s recommendation. Yang Xing carefully observed Lu Qian’s expression, fully aware who his benefactor was, and thus, his loyalty was unwavering.

“Are the Beauty Snails nearly mature? Get me two for my abode,” Lu Qian said with a faint glance at Yang Xing. Despite his discomfort, Lu Qian never hesitated when it came to things beneficial to himself or his cultivation.

“No problem, sir,” Yang Xing replied with a smile, knowing well to seize such opportunities.

There was a monthly quota for material losses, and within that allowance, items could be requisitioned without issue.

At his dwelling, Lu Qian opened a box by the alchemy furnace, and a Beauty Snail slowly crawled out. He conjured a nearly invisible bone-thin needle between his fingers.

Sss!

The needle pierced through the beauty’s head; the snail died instantly.

Since the Bone Needle of Calamity absorbed condensed malice and the essence blood of several cultivators, it had entered a small breakthrough stage, becoming more vicious and poisonous.

He tossed the corpse into the alchemy furnace.

Flames roared fiercely; the beauty’s head twisted into a grotesque visage, its hateful gaze fixed on Lu Qian. In less than a second, it turned to ash.

With Lu Qian’s current level as a two-portal alchemist, refining such materials was effortless. After some time, once his proficiency reached mastery, he planned to attempt forging a spiritual-grade three-portal golden pill.

Improving his alchemy skills would greatly aid his progress into condensed malice.

Soon, Lu Qian mixed the Beauty Snail with several other ingredients, forming a potion which he swallowed in one gulp.

The moment the elixir touched his tongue, a chilling wave of ice and fire swept through his limbs and bones. Blue smoke rose from his sensory apertures—eyes, ears, mouth, nose—forming a terrifying, twisted human face hovering above his head.

Lu Qian quickly fortified his spirit platform, silently reciting the Tranquil Heart Mantra.

The Nine Heavens Moonlight Body Refinement technique’s scale slowly increased, while the Fish-Dragon Moonlight Blood Seed continuously absorbed heat. The coldness was absorbed by the yin spirit, transforming into a protective luminous membrane.

He then opened his Mystic Gold Sword pouch, releasing a cold, azure smoke. His yin spirit slowly absorbed the mysterious frost malice.

The translucent, ghostly green spirit body became covered in malice runes. Once fully enveloped, the yin spirit would be possessed by the malice energy, enabling it to fly freely without needing a physical host.

Even if the body perished, the yin spirit could survive independently.

Legend spoke of a transmission method during the condensed malice stage, where one abandoned the flesh to focus solely on the soul—a technique called Corpse Liberation.

Over the next three days, Lu Qian spent all his time cultivating—refining qi by day and practicing dual cultivation by night.

He left a paper figure to hone the Mystic Gold Sword pouch, and assigned Mo Chou to train corpse techniques.

Nurtured by pills and dual cultivation, Mo Chou broke through to mid-stage qi refinement. She could now assist with alchemy and artifact crafting.

Three days later, Lu Qian awoke from his bed with clear eyes. Beside him lay a flawless body, gleaming pure white under sunlight like a jade statue.

A crimson stain marked the blanket—residue from the dual cultivation pill and brain-nourishing elixir.

The pills his subordinates provided were not for eating but for application. During practice, their medicinal power accelerated qi flow, enhancing training efficiency.

Lu Qian covered the exhausted woman with the blanket and rose.

Standing before the mirror, he saw a pale-faced man with smooth muscular lines and eyes as dark as lacquer.

He smiled wryly, feeling somewhat like a villain in a story—one who plundered the people’s wealth, extorted his subordinates, and preyed upon innocent maidens.

Mounting his step-wave beast, he headed toward the Lingbo Pavilion.

Passing the empty city walls, the crowd’s chatter caught his attention.

“The bounty list was updated again; the top ten has a new face.”

“How did Lu Qian climb so fast?”

“You don’t know? Not long ago, this guy raided the Lingbo Pavilion.”

“You don’t want to mess with him.”

Lu Qian stepped closer and saw several names on the list.

Godly Hate had surged into the top ten with a bounty of one million five hundred sixty thousand magic coins. Those alongside him were nearly all foundational experts, making this person’s abilities truly inscrutable.

Lu Qian ranked twenty-second with a bounty valued at five hundred thousand magic coins, leaping over twenty spots—making him the fastest riser this period.

Most of the money was from Lingbo Pavilion, revealing Fu Bo’s deep grudge against him.

Besides accusations of betraying his master and clan, several new deeds were listed: killing condensed malice cultivators, breaking magic formations, and plundering treasure ships.

Had Lu Qian not launched a surprise attack and destroyed the formation, others would have struggled to seize anything.

Scanning the list, Lu Qian recognized a few familiar names: Red Ghost was likely a stall owner; Smoke Woman and Earth Malice Yin Snake were probably the other two.

Arriving at the cold, shadowed fifth floor of Lingbo Pavilion, Fu Bo sat in the main seat, his sinister fish-like eyes glaring at the assembly.

Liu Ding, Cui Shan, and transportation steward Ji Yan, among others, dared not breathe loudly.

“Well, you’ve truly surprised me. Not only did you fail to find him, but you even let your house be ransacked right under your nose,” Fu Bo said slowly, his expression furious, his true and human forms shifting rapidly, revealing the depth of his rage.

“It’s all that idiot Lu Tai’s fault—he didn’t even realize his people were possessed by Lu Qian,” Liu Ding cursed bitterly.

Based on surviving testimonies, Lu Tai bore significant responsibility for this fiasco.

He was thoroughly outmaneuvered, gaining nothing while losing everything.

When the Fish-Dragon approached, Fu Bo did not unleash his fury upon him.

After all, Fish-Dragon was a victim too; had Lu Tai’s scheme succeeded, he would have been severely harmed if not killed.

With this in mind, Fu Bo looked at Fish-Dragon and said, “Since you’ve been promoted to steward, your待遇 (benefits) will increase accordingly. You may claim a mount and a dwelling free of charge; if you don’t want them, you can exchange them for magic coins. Also, every month, you may select certain materials from the Sea Garden and Grass Garden.”

“Sea Garden and Grass Garden? What kind of place is that?” Fish-Dragon asked.

“That’s Lingbo Pavilion’s breeding ground for strange beasts and spiritual herbs. You didn’t think Lingbo Pavilion just had the alchemy garden alone, did you?” Steward Cui Shan chuckled.

Everyone laughed good-naturedly, shifting attention onto Lu Qian to avoid further rebuke.

“I see. I must admit my ignorance,” Lu Qian said with a bow and a smile.

He hadn’t expected Lingbo Pavilion to be so prosperous. Suddenly, he felt a renewed urge to exploit their resources.

But then he reconsidered—losing more stuff now would be unwise.

If Fu Bo didn’t suspect him already, that would mean he was truly foolish.

“Lu Qian is truly my greatest enemy at Lingbo Pavilion,” the topic returned to him as Fu Bo glared at the crowd. “Liu Ding, contact Tong You. See if you can join forces to find this man. Once we catch him, I will tear him to pieces.”