The Steward Demonic Emperor

and took out a gourd from his ring, “Elder Yan, here are the favorite worms of the red tail ice fox.
Bait it with this and catch it quickly.”

 

Yan Song’s eyes lit up, catching his meaning, and nodded.

 

“Wait!”

 

Li Jingtian felt something was off, “What is this? Let me see!”

 

Yan Song hesitated but Zhuo Fan nodded.

 

Li Jingtian took the ice-cold gourd and opened it.
A blood-colored worm wiggled its way out.

 

Li Jingtian looked at it with a critical eye but found nothing unusual.
He gave it back to Vicious Pill King, “This fox eats worms?”

 

“Ha-ha-ha, who else but us alchemists know the habits of every spiritual beast?” Zhuo Fan laughed.

 

When Li Jingtian found Vicious Pill King had gone ten meters away, he shouted, “Yan Song, you have one day to bring a third level spiritual beast.
Be late and we won’t wait for you.”

 

Yan Song staggered in his flight looking back at Zhuo Fan and nodded.

 

Zhuo Fan sneered inside.
Li Jingtian was quite cautious, leaving no stone unturned.
Even though he let Yan Song go, he gave him a deadline.

 

Now, it wouldn’t matter even if he got help, since these two would be long gone.

 

[Humph, getting hounded in his younger days worked wonders for his prudence it seems.
But despite all this caution, it only sends him deeper into my trap.]

 

Zhuo Fan grinned.

 

Around twelve hours later, Vicious Pill King carried a snow-white fox’s body.
Its tail was a vibrant red.

 

Vicious Pill King placed the body down and returned the gourd to Zhuo Fan with a slight nod.

 

Zhuo Fan smiled, “Now, we can refine.”

 

“Wait!”

 

Li Jingtian again butted in, his eyes flashing eerily.
A flick of his finger cut the fox in two.

 

Li Jingtian stooped and squeezed the parts until a red worm came out.

 

“Now you can begin!” Li Jingtian squashed the worm to a paste.

 

Vicious Pill King was startled yet found Zhuo Fan calm as a well.

 

“So now I will refine a body pill for Elder Yan to prove my words!” Zhuo Fan took a deep breath and used his Yuan Qi flame.

 

But Li Jingtian barked, “Wait.
I want ten.
The more you have, the better.”

 

“But you can only take it once in your life! Taking any more would be useless!” Zhuo Fan furrowed his brows.

 

Laughing, Li Jingtian’s eyes were sharp, “If I say you make ten, then that’s what you’ll do.
Unless you two don’t want your heads on your shoulders!”

 

For lack of a better option, Zhuo Fan started refining.
When the pills were just about done, he added the ice fox’s blood.

 

With a hum, ten pills radiating cool air and colored red flew into Zhuo Fan’s palm.

 

Li Jingtian cried in shock, “Why are they so cold yet came out of a Yuan Qi fire?”

 

“Elder Li may not know that this 3rd-grade pill, Freezing Body Pill, is a clan secret.
Refined with a yin yang flame, it is hot inside and cold on the surface.
Once ingested, hot and cold will travel through the body hundreds of times, tempering it.” Zhuo Fan explained.

 

Li Jingtian reached over, “Give me one!”

 

Zhuo Fan nodded, acquiescing his demand.

 

“Wait!”

 

Li Jingtian had a sly smile, “Give me the other nine!”

 

Zhuo Fan frowned but complied.
Li Jingtian then pointed at the one Zhuo Fan was holding and said with a cold smile, “Kid, eat it.”

 

“I told you, this pill only works once!” Zhuo Fan frowned,

 

Laughing, Li Jingtian’s eyes bore into him, “I know of course.
But it won’t matter if you take one more.
If you don’t eat it, that this pill must have a defect and I will kill you.”

 

Zhuo Fan ate it in the end.

 

Seeing him fine, Li Jingtian’s eyes roamed around in thought, “Kid, pick one from these nine.”

 

Zhuo Fan sighed and took one.

 

“Give it to me!” Li Jingtian said.

 

Zhuo Fan complied, yet Li Jingtian shouted again, just before he ate it, “Hold on.
You eat it, Yan Song.”

 

“Me?” Yan Song stammered but was forced to eat it either way.

 

In this way, Li Jingtian made Zhuo Fan pick again and again, until only three were left.
He picked one himself then checked the two’s faces before eating it.

 

Li Jingtian felt a chill seep into him, then a warmth.
It was so gentle and cozy.

 

Zhuo Fan raised an eyebrow then snickered.

 

[This guy is paranoid, but he took the bait anyway, he-he-he…]