The instant he saw her, Meng Hao sighed at his bad luck, then immediately turned and entered his Immortal’s Cave.
“Fang Mu!!”
The instant her voice echoed out, the door of the Immortal’s Cave shut and sealed. Then, Meng Hao’s voice could be heard:
“Fang Mu isn’t home.”
Chu Yuyan’s eyes blazed with killing intent. Her veins bulged as she stood outside the Immortal’s cave, gnashing her teeth. She had come to call on Meng Hao on multiple occasions during the past year, but he always seemed to be away, and never inside the cave. For him to act like this, as if he had just caught sight of some kind of devilish fiend, caused fury to burn within her.
Teeth clenched, she said, “Fang Mu, are you hiding from me because you have some secret you don’t want people to know about!?” Every time she came here and found the door shut, she would say something like this.
She was more and more certain that Fang Mu was harboring some secret. For him to act like this every time she came really set her on fire. Whenever anyone said his name, the irritated feeling would fill her and she would feel like doing something to him.
Meng Hao’s voice drifted out of the Immortal’s cave: “What you can’t see, can’t annoy you.”
Chu Yuyan’s stared with wide eyes. She banged her fist onto the door. A boom echoed out. The door rattled a bit, but wasn’t damaged in any way.
“Get out here!”
“I’m concocting pills.”
“Are you coming out or not?”
“Aiii. Elder Sister Chu, I’m concocting pills, really!”
“Who the hell said I’m your Elder Sister? I’m a Furnace Lord. You’re just a master alchemist. If you don’t come out here right now, we’ll see how long you can stay there in your Immortal’s Cave.”
“Fine, Fellow Daoist Chu. You know, last time, you camped out next to my Immortal’s Cave for seven days. Later, a lot of slanderous rumors spread throughout the Sect. It’s really not a good thing. Don’t you agree?”
“You….”
“I, Fang Mu, am not married to any beloved, and am very concerned with my reputation. Such rumors are really intolerable. Fellow Daoist Chu, please refrain from harming my reputation in this way. Take your leave, quickly.” Meng Hao sighed. Actually, Chu Yuyan’s intuition frightened him. He had been avoiding her for years now, because he had the strong feeling that if he had any interaction with her, she might begin to pick up some clues.
If she somehow realized that he was Meng Hao… well, he didn’t dare to think of how horrific the consequences might be.
Chu Yuyan gnashed her teeth and stamped her foot angrily. Then she turned and left.
Sensing that she’d gone, Meng Hao sighed in relief. A wry smile appeared on his face. Everything about the East Pill Division was good except for Chu Yuyan. With her here, he didn’t feel secure.
“If she keeps causing problems for me, I might have to think of some other method to deal with her….” His eyes shined with a cold light, but his face’s usual calm expression returned. He stopped thinking about Chu Yuyan. With the wave of a hand, the earthly fire within his Immortal’s Cave sprang to life. A pill furnace appeared to hover directly over the fire.
This particular furnace of Meng Hao’s had three cranes carved onto its surface. As the furnace began to glow red from the heat, the three cranes turned the color of blood. They looked like they might fly out from the surface of the furnace at any moment. It was a cowing sight.
Meng Hao had traded a large collection of medicinal pills and plants with a veteran master alchemist to acquire this Blood Crane furnace. Having used it for some time, he was very familiar with it.
The furnace quickly became bright red, but Meng Hao stood off to the side, paying it no attention. A thoughtful look appeared in his eyes.