Lily White's eyes widened and she froze in place, seemingly frightened by the other's actions.

Three quarters before midnight, David Thompson brought Lily White to the pill room, and at this moment, Daniel Thompson had just arrived as well.

When he saw that David Thompson had brought the medicinal guide ahead of time without being told, a trace of satisfaction appeared on Daniel Thompson's face, and he looked at his youngest disciple with a bit more approval.

"Heh, good disciple, come here." With a casual beckon from Daniel Thompson, Lily White flew straight over, her neck grabbed and thrown into the stone vat meant for one person.

Seeing this, David Thompson's heart pounded wildly, his hands clenched tightly.

Just as the several-hundred-jin pestle was about to smash down, Daniel Thompson suddenly stopped.

"Ah, why did she have to start bleeding at this moment? Now the medicinal properties are all changed." Daniel Thompson frowned slightly as he looked at Lily White's pants, which were stained with blood.

Seeing this, David Thompson immediately breathed a sigh of relief—his plan had succeeded.

After David Thompson understood how alchemy worked in this world, he found a way to break the situation.

Since the properties of other mineral and herbal medicines were so variable, then the human medicinal guide would also have changes.

Moreover, in his impression, in Daoist tradition, a woman's first blood was considered something unclean, so having Lily White pretend to be on her period was his countermeasure.

And to avoid suspicion, this kind of thing couldn't be told by someone else; it had to be discovered by Daniel Thompson himself.

Now it seemed his goal was achieved, and Lily White's life was saved.

With a sweep of his wide Daoist robe, Daniel Thompson sent Lily White flying out of the stone vat, and she landed heavily on the ground.

The fall was hard, and it took Lily White a long time to get up, clutching her knee, but David Thompson couldn't help her—he could only watch coldly from the side.

"Xuanyang, take this medicinal guide back." Hearing Daniel Thompson say this, David Thompson finally relaxed completely, respectfully saluting Daniel Thompson, "Yes, Master."

When Lily White walked to his side, David Thompson noticed that her head seemed to have been cut, with bright red blood streaming down her cheek.

Even so, Lily White still cast a grateful look at David Thompson. In the face of death, suffering a little pain was nothing.

"Anyway, we've managed to muddle through this round. Next time it's Lily White's turn will probably be a long time from now." David Thompson led Lily White toward the door.

But just as they were about to walk out from under the huge shadow of the pill furnace, Daniel Thompson's light voice sounded from behind.

"Xuanyang, since this medicinal guide won't do, go bring another one. I remember there's another of this kind of white medicinal guide. Hurry and come back, don't miss the timing."

These words made David Thompson's body tremble slightly. He immediately turned and respectfully saluted Daniel Thompson again. "Yes, Master."

David Thompson didn't even know how he made it to the storeroom. He could only numbly walk up to another man with albinism, grab his hand, and lead him out.

The man cried out in despair, kneeling and kowtowing for mercy. But David Thompson could do nothing. He could only personally send this man to the alchemy room.

Trembling, David Thompson turned to leave, but Daniel Thompson called out to him, "Don't you aspire to the Dao of alchemy? Come, take a good look. Such a complex and rare pill refining process can't be seen elsewhere."

David Thompson walked over, carefully observing and listening as Daniel Thompson explained when to add which ingredient and how much to increase the fire. Like a studious child, he watched the entire alchemy process.

When the flames under the furnace died out and the alchemy furnace was opened, seven fully formed black pills lined up before Daniel Thompson.

"Not bad, not bad, you have real talent. The other disciples aren't nearly as eager to learn as you. Here, your master rewards you." Daniel Thompson took one pill from his palm.

"Thank you for the pill, Master!" David Thompson solemnly bowed deeply to Daniel Thompson, his hands trembling as he held the pill.

Chapter 14: A Helper

As soon as he swallowed the pill, David Thompson felt as if a ball of fire was warming his dantian, and the fire seemed to be burning ever stronger.

The burning was so intense that he couldn't even care about the nausea and disgust welling up inside.

"Xuanyang, go back and rest. This medicine is very potent; it'll take some time to fully absorb."

"Yes, Master."

Stumbling back to his quarters, David Thompson clung to the doorframe and retched dryly, but could only vomit up some clear water. The entire pill had already been completely absorbed.

"Crack, crack." David Thompson's joints creaked all over, his body twitching uncontrollably.

At this moment, the fire in his dantian had already spread through his meridians to his limbs. Now, he felt as if he were wearing a thick cotton coat in the height of summer, his whole body feeling as if it were being boiled.

The heat made his mind groggy. Lying on the bed, David Thompson stared at the ceiling spinning above him, recalling everything that had just happened, and the looks of terror and despair from everyone in the storeroom.

He had become Daniel Thompson's disgusting accomplice, forcing onto others what had been done to him.