"Really?"
"Of course!"
The cultivator of the Third Realm drained his wine bowl, wine dripping onto his mustache, and chuckled, "They say this Zhen Yuan Pill has miraculous effects in assisting breakthroughs. Those who have been stuck at the bottleneck for years are fortunate. The Medicine King Valley is now vigorously promoting it, dedicating half of their dozens of alchemy rooms to refining Zhen Yuan Pills. Many renowned sects will likely head to the Medicine King Valley to seek the medicine in the coming days. As a result, the Medicine King Valley's status in the human realm grows ever higher~~~"
Beside him, Xu Ming'an listened with a furrowed brow, his heart churning with turmoil. Since the Medicine King Valley publicly claimed to be able to refine Zhen Yuan Pills, it couldn't be a lie. Otherwise, the Medicine King Valley would find itself in an untenable situation. As for the origin of the Zhen Yuan Pill's formula, Xu Ming'an truly couldn't comprehend it.
Carrying his bamboo basket, he lost all interest in browsing the shops in the small town. After buying some rice and flour, he returned to the mountain.
...
Evening, Medicine King Valley.
In a rather splendid guesthouse, Lü Shaoyan, clad in a dark blue short shirt, sat in the courtyard, drinking tea with Mr. Shen Wu, while Hu Qi, a Tian Yuan Realm attendant, sat on the courtyard wall.
"Patriarch arrives!"
Outside the courtyard gate, a young servant called out softly.
Lü Shaoyan and Shen Wu rose. Sun Tingxuan entered the courtyard with Su Zhe. Upon seeing everyone, Sun Tingxuan's face broke into a smile. He clasped his fist and said, "The formula was not easily obtained. Thank you to the Lü Clan Merchant Guild!"
"Patriarch, there's no need for such politeness."
Lü Shaoyan raised an eyebrow and smiled, "After all, we had an agreement. The Lü Clan of Yunzhou helped the Medicine King Valley obtain the formula. Once the Medicine King Valley produces the pills, they will cooperate preferentially with the Lü Clan Merchant Guild, holding auctions in Tian Ji City to sell the first batches of Zhen Yuan Pills at a high price. As for the profits, our two families will split them equally. Neither of us loses out."
Sun Tingxuan nodded with a smile, "That is only natural."
"Patriarch Sun, have the pills been produced?" Shen Wu asked.
"They have."
Sun Tingxuan flicked his sleeve, and a box emitting a medicinal fragrance appeared before everyone.
"It truly is the legendary Zhen Yuan Pill..."
Lü Shaoyan's eyes were filled with greed. Although he didn't need it currently, in another decade, when the foundation of a Sea-Crossing Realm martial artist was sufficiently accumulated, if he still couldn't break through, he would indeed need Zhen Yuan Pills to assist him. Therefore, today's cooperation was not only for the Lü Clan of Yunzhou but also for himself.
"Alright."
Sun Tingxuan put away the pills and smiled, "The cooperation between our two families is long-term. It's a steady stream. Regarding the acquisition of the formula, I implore everyone to keep it strictly confidential. Do not leak any information. Simply state that the Medicine King Valley deduced the formula ourselves and it has nothing to do with others, to avoid any unnecessary trouble for both parties."
"Understood."
Attendant Hu Qi floated down from the wall and joked, "Patriarch, my actions... although a bit heavy-handed, were in accordance with your orders. If the act were too fake, it wouldn't have fooled that stubborn Xu Ming'an. Please forgive me, Patriarch."
"Not at all, not at all."
Sun Tingxuan smiled, "On my end, I must thank Steward Hu for his decisive action. It made the act convincing. Otherwise, there would have been no excuse to stay overnight at the Taoist temple. Steward Hu's precision in his strikes was simply superb!"
"You flatter me!"
Hu Qi clasped his fist and chuckled, "Patriarch Sun staying overnight at the Taoist temple, gaining the formula from Xu Ming'an without bloodshed or a trace, that is truly a divine technique!"
"Alright."
Sun Tingxuan clasped his fists towards everyone and smiled, "I still need to go to the alchemy rooms to oversee various important matters. Over a hundred top alchemists have entered the alchemy rooms. The speed and quantity of pill production will be extremely high from now on. Please await the good news. I will have Xing Chun deliver dinner later. Ting Xuan will not be able to personally entertain you all."
"You're too kind!"
...
A short while later, Sun Xingchun, dressed in a dark blue long dress, stepped into the courtyard, followed by a group of servants and maids carrying food boxes. The moment this clear-eyed, beautiful, and elegant Nascent Soul fairy entered the courtyard, Lü Shaoyan and Hu Qi's gazes were completely captivated. They had long heard that the Medicine King Valley possessed two unique qualities: one was its alchemy prowess, and the other was the beauty of the twin granddaughters of the Medicine King, Sun Qinghe. They had never had the chance to meet them, but now they finally did. Lü Shaoyan stared intently, wishing he could immediately take this stunning beauty into his possession.
"Everyone."
Sun Xingchun said respectfully with a smile, "I am Sun Xingchun, the eldest daughter of the Medicine King Valley. My uncle asked me to bring wine and food. Please enjoy."
"Thank you."
Hu Qi grinned, his gaze constantly roving over Sun Xingchun. This Sun Xingchun truly deserved the title of "enchantress." More importantly, she had an identical twin sister, Sun Yunnuan, which made her even more alluring. Hu Qi frowned, a wicked thought arising in his mind. If he weren't the chief retainer of the Lü Clan of Yunzhou, and still that rogue cultivator from before, he would likely do something here at the Medicine King Valley. Honestly, Sun Tingxuan's strength was only average. Su Zhe was also at the Tian Yuan Realm. One-on-one, he wouldn't be afraid. If he simply snatched one of the girls and left, they might not be able to stop him. In fact, if his methods were clever enough, he could even take both of these cherished jewels of the Medicine King Valley for himself!
Hu Qi was relatively restrained.
Lü Shaoyan's eyes, however, blazed with heat, completely unmasked. He stepped forward, clasped his fist, and said, "Miss Xingchun, I am Lü Shaoyan, the young master of the Lü Clan of Yunzhou. I have long admired your name. Now that I see you, you are indeed as beautiful as a celestial being. To be blunt, I, Lü Shaoyan, have seen many fairies on the mountains, but rarely have I encountered someone like Miss Xingchun."
Girls generally enjoyed praise.
Sun Xingchun was no exception. But her joy lasted only a moment before she developed a sense of disgust towards this Lü Shaoyan. True gentlemen in the world were reserved, poised, humble, and courteous. This Lü Shaoyan was clearly not. Given his glib tongue, who knew how many naive girls he had spoken such words to? Moreover, Sun Xingchun's heart had already been captured by the figure on the stone bridge. He was her destined one. From that day on, no other man could enter Sun Xingchun's eyes.
"Please enjoy your meal."
Sun Xingchun smiled and nodded at Lü Shaoyan, then led her attendants away.
"..."
Lü Shaoyan frowned. After Sun Xingchun and her group left, veins throbbed on his forehead. Sun Xingchun had treated his compliments as if they were nothing. Such utter disregard!
"Hmph~~~"
Hu Qi crossed his arms and chuckled, "Sun Xingchun is the eldest daughter. Although her father died early, her grandfather, the Medicine King Sun Qinghe, dotes on Sun Xingchun and Sun Yunnuan like his own flesh and blood. The young ladies of the Medicine King Valley are accustomed to being pampered, so naturally, they wouldn't give our Lü Clan of Yunzhou much regard. Young Master, if you fancy Sun Xingchun, I would advise you to give up. You won't be able to get a woman like her."
"Is that so?"
Lü Shaoyan's expression became extremely twisted. He grinned sinisterly at Hu Qi and said, "What if I insist on having her?"
Hu Qi gave him a thumbs-up and said with a laugh, "Then I, Hu Qi, will salute you, Young Master, as a true hero!"
"Hmph!"
Lü Shaoyan sat down and laughed, "Alright, alright. This matter still requires careful planning. If our Lü Clan Merchant Guild's business with the Medicine King Valley grows larger and larger, and the two families become so close that a marriage alliance is necessary, then Sun Xingchun will have no choice. Whether she wants to or not, she will obediently become my bedside companion! Come, let's drink. Don't overthink it."
The group all sat down, drinking heartily and eating heartily.
...
Night fell.
Danxia Mountain, the Taoist temple.
Xiaoman and Xiaohan, two children, were reciting cultivation techniques under the oil lamp in the Taoist temple. The young Taoist Xu Ming'an sat on the threshold of the temple gate, looking frail.
Just then, a figure approached from the direction of the mountainside. It was Lin Zhao, carrying a sack of rice in one hand and dragging a wild boar weighing at least a hundred jin in the other. The spiritual rice was brought from the mountain peak villa, and the wild boar was "borrowed" along the way in the area of Mùlín Forest. Although wild boars were fierce, they were no match for Lin Zhao, a Nascent Soul sword cultivator skilled in offensive techniques.
As for Xu Ming'an, his realm was actually built on spiritual energy and a tranquil state of mind. The only skills he had learned were related to exorcism, demon-slaying, and rites of passage. His swordsmanship was clumsy, and he had few offensive techniques. He was a man of great virtue but limited combat power. He could catch river fish using some Taoist methods, but hunting large, fierce animals like wild boars with immense strength was out of the question. Therefore, although wild boars roamed the nearby forests, Xu Ming'an dared not attempt to capture one, for fear of being unable to defeat it and losing his life.
"Lin Zhao!"
Seeing Lin Zhao arrive, Xu Ming'an's eyes lit up. When he saw the wild boar in his hand, his eyes shone even brighter. This wild boar was plump and would last for a long time. The two children were at an age where they needed to grow. This wild boar was like a gift of charcoal in the snow for Danxia Mountain.
Lin Zhao threw down the wild boar and said with a smile, "Came to see you. This is spiritual rice, very precious. Give the two children two bowls of spiritual rice porridge every day; it will greatly benefit their cultivation!"
"Hmm, got it!"
Xu Ming'an accepted the spiritual rice without any pretense. After all, he considered Lin Zhao his only friend, so there was no need for formality.
"Boil water, process the wild boar. Dry what needs drying, smoke what needs smoking, and preserve it."
"Alright!"
Xu Ming'an was overjoyed and immediately began boiling water.
Outside, the two children were pointing and chattering around the wild boar. In the kitchen, Xu Ming'an was stoking the fire, and Lin Zhao sat beside him. He could sense something unusual from Xu Ming'an's expression. Moreover, there were traces of a struggle in the vegetable garden and the forest outside. The meticulous Lin Zhao couldn't possibly fail to notice. He frowned, "Something happened?"
"Hmm."
Xu Ming'an recounted the whole story and then drooped his face, saying, "I don't know if that formula was leaked from me. If it was, I have truly disappointed my master. Master taught me the Danxia Manual, yet I leaked the formula recorded in it. Alas..."
"It's okay."
Lin Zhao smiled and said, "I think Old Daoist Wang will understand. After all, you lack experience in the martial world and can't deal with so many deceitful people. That formula must have been stolen from you by Sun Tingxuan. It's even possible that the Lü Clan of Yunzhou is in league with the Medicine King Valley. How could such a coincidence happen? The people from the Lü Clan Merchant Guild leave, and then the Medicine King Valley arrives. The Medicine King Valley arrives, and then the Lü Clan Merchant Guild makes a surprise return? Frankly, they colluded to stage a bitter trick, using your kindness to steal the formula from you."
"..."
Xu Ming'an's face became even more pained. "Lin Zhao, do you think I'm useless?"