Chapter 19: Oh My God, Did the Furnace Actually Explode?

"Ye Junlin, how dare you? Do you presume to instruct Master Jingshan before everyone?"
"Does Master Jingshan need you to tell him what temperature is required for this batch of pills? Are you qualified to teach him?"
"Get out of here at once!"
Ye Yunxiao glared at Ye Junlin, his rebuke sharp and fierce.

Faced with the bewildered gazes of all present, Ye Junlin’s expression remained calm and composed.
Yet, those beside him—Ye Chuan and Ye Miaoran—began to panic.
"Brother Ye, let's go, let's go," Ye Chuan urged anxiously. "To disturb Master Jingshan while he’s refining pills is a grave offense."
"If Master Jingshan’s batch explodes today, we’ll be in real trouble!"
Ye Chuan, his face full of worry, took Ye Junlin by the arm, preparing to leave.

Bang—
Boom—

But just as Ye Chuan finished speaking, a piercing explosion sounded from the pill furnace before Fang Jingchun in the Pill Treasure Pavilion.
Disaster!
That blast made everyone’s heart skip a beat; all eyes swiftly turned toward the furnace.
A thick plume of black smoke poured out, filling the air with a scorched, acrid stench that spread rapidly through the hall.
"Heavens! The furnace has exploded! Has Master Jingshan’s batch of Rejuvenation Pills really failed?"
In that instant, shock swept through the crowd.
"It’s over for that Ye Junlin boy—Master Jingshan has spent ten years perfecting this recipe!"
"Ye Junlin ruined everything; all his efforts are wasted."
Everyone looked at Ye Junlin with pity in their eyes.
Ye Chuan, stricken and pale as death, braced himself for the worst, ready to follow Ye Junlin into the afterlife.

As expected, Ye Yunxiao drew his sword and blocked Ye Junlin, Ye Chuan, and Ye Miaoran’s path.
"Hmph! Ye Junlin, you think you can escape after causing such calamity?"
"Prepare to lose your head."
Ye Yunxiao pointed his sword at Ye Junlin, his tone vicious and menacing as he shouted.

After the explosion, Fang Jingshan, his face covered in ash, stared in astonishment at Ye Junlin, who was still in his teens.
Without hesitation, Fang Jingchun strode quickly toward Ye Junlin.

"Heh, today Ye Junlin is doomed,"
Ye Muchen and Ye Jingyue exchanged glances and chuckled quietly.
"Master Jingshan, how will you deal with this reckless brat Ye Junlin?"
"Will you make him kneel and confess, or simply execute him?"
Ye Yunxiao, eager to please, turned to Fang Jingshan with a sycophantic smile.

All eyes were on him as Fang Jingshan’s expression suddenly darkened.
Slap—
Fang Jingshan raised his hand and struck Ye Yunxiao across the face with a resounding slap.
"Master Jingshan, you—why did you hit me?"
"Did you mistake me for someone else? Ye Junlin is right over there!"
The blow left Ye Yunxiao stunned, his mind buzzing as he struggled to comprehend.
Everyone present looked on in confusion.
For a moment, Ye Yunxiao wondered if Fang Jingshan had lost his senses.

But Fang Jingshan, ignoring Ye Yunxiao’s bewilderment, walked straight to Ye Junlin, his face breaking into a warm smile.
He showed no sign of anger at being interrupted during his pill refinement.
On the contrary, he treated Ye Junlin with surprising courtesy.
"Young Master Ye, how did you know the temperature during my pill refinement was too high?"
Fang Jingshan asked earnestly, his gaze fixed on Ye Junlin.

"What? Is it possible? Could the explosion really have been caused by the temperature?"
Fang Jingshan’s words left Ye Yunxiao and everyone else dumbfounded.
Hearts raced; all eyes turned to Ye Junlin, eager to hear his answer.

"Why? Isn’t it obvious?"
"I relied on my years of experience in pill refinement," Ye Junlin replied, shrugging nonchalantly.
His answer nearly made the crowd cough up blood in disbelief.
"Years of experience? How old are you—did you begin refining pills in your mother’s womb?"
"This is nonsense," the crowd muttered inwardly, incredulous.

Seeing their skepticism, Ye Junlin deliberately cast a deep, contemplative look at the smoke-shrouded furnace within the Pill Treasure Pavilion.
"Fang Jingshan, if I’m not mistaken, the batch you were refining was Rejuvenation Pills, correct?"
"I’m not sure where you got your recipe for Rejuvenation Pills, whether the issue lies with the recipe itself or your skill."
"You cobbled it together, forcing a balance in the refinement process."
"You even replaced the two most crucial ingredients—Red Silkwood and Azure Moon Clay—with Phoenix Blood Paste and Myriad Wheel Flower."
"By doing so, you made the ingredients more precious and increased the production cost, yet the efficacy of the pills is greatly reduced."
"That’s a lose-lose situation, isn’t it?"
Ye Junlin stared at Fang Jingshan, criticizing him bluntly and without reservation.

His direct reproach made the entire crowd hold their breath.
Only Fang Jingshan, upon hearing Ye Junlin’s remarks, felt a storm of shock within.
Previously, Fang Jingshan had wondered if Ye Junlin’s warning about the temperature was merely a coincidence.
But now, Ye Junlin had described with uncanny precision the ingredients he’d used for the Rejuvenation Pills,
even identifying which substitutions had been made and the flaws they introduced.
This was a recipe lost for generations, the famed Rejuvenation Pill.
If Ye Junlin merely knew the ingredients, Fang Jingshan might not have been so astonished.
Perhaps Ye Junlin had stumbled upon the complete recipe by chance.
But to know exactly which ingredients had been substituted, and to explain the severe drawbacks so clearly—
How could he possibly know such things?
"Young Master Ye, how did you know all this?"
Fang Jingshan stared at Ye Junlin in utter shock, his breathing quickening with urgency, desperate to understand the reason.