Qin Dongcheng's rate of progress had astonished Dong Hongyan and the others.
They had almost thought they'd been gone not for a month, but for a year or more. Otherwise, how could Qin Dongcheng have improved so quickly?
It seemed that their sixth brother's aptitude for alchemy and medicine was even greater than they'd imagined. Even if his natural talent was a little lacking, his skill in this area alone promised him a bright future.
Everyone knew that among the many auxiliary professions, Alchemists made the most money, far more than Artifact Refiners and Formation Masters. Their work could also effectively accelerate their own cultivation.
With the strength of an Official Alchemist, Qin Dongcheng could refine the Sun Flame Liquid that the sect desperately needed. Naturally, there was no need to worry he'd be sent out to slay demons and eliminate evil. They'd been worried for nothing.
Still, their opinion of Qin Dongcheng had improved considerably. And during their recent demon-slaying missions, the Soul Bewildering Pills had helped them tremendously.
Now that he also had a rare treasure like Sun Flame Liquid, Qin Dongcheng—who'd originally been little more than a background figure among the six of them—had somehow become the second most important person after their eldest sister.
Even some of the sisters who hadn't thought much of Qin Dongcheng before began to look at him differently.
He had a good personality, a handsome face, and astonishing talent for Alchemy. If they could marry him, they might enjoy a comfortable life, far better than becoming concubines in some wealthy household.
But after leaving Qin Dongcheng's place, they learned that he'd rejected quite a few marriage proposals recently, including some from people better-looking and more well-born than they were.
The sisters fell silent, secretly relieved they'd looked into it first. If they'd rashly declared their feelings, being rejected would have been awkward.
It seemed their sixth brother was a dedicated cultivator with no intention of marrying. They'd better maintain their current relationship for now, lest they lose even the bond they already shared as siblings.
They called themselves siblings, but they all knew that, apart from Dong Hongyan, who was close to Qin Dongcheng, the rest of them were only benefiting from their connection to her.
This so-called sibling relationship only counted if Qin Dongcheng was willing to acknowledge it. If he wasn't, then it didn't count at all.
And even in Dong Hongyan's case, she owed Qin Dongcheng far more than he owed her. Without his intervention, she would have died long ago.
In these circumstances, Qin Dongcheng held a rather exceptional position among them, no matter how beautiful each of them was.
But in front of someone who was very likely to become an Intermediate Alchemist—or perhaps rise even higher—beauty really counted for very little.
An Intermediate Alchemist already outranked those in the Fifth and Sixth Martial Realms. Within the Five Elements Sect, someone of that stature would be on the level of an Inner Sect Elder.
If Qin Dongcheng advanced further and became an Advanced Alchemist, he would rank among the most influential figures in the entire Five Elements Sect.
Across the vast Luo Cloud Prefecture, Advanced Alchemists were few and far between. Every one of them was a figure of immense prestige.
After turning in their mission, Dong Hongyan and Dong Hongyu naturally headed home together.
When they were almost home, Dong Hongyan patted her younger sister on the shoulder. "Hong Yu, what do you think of our sixth brother now?"
"Well..." Dong Hongyu fell silent.
Though she preferred Martial Artists who could charge into battle, she couldn't help feeling tempted by an Alchemist with Qin Dongcheng's astonishing potential.
Besides, they knew what sort of person Qin Dongcheng was. He was a little timid, but otherwise he was quite decent—at least far more reliable than being ordered by her family to enter a political marriage.
Even the Dong Family would have to take a future Intermediate Alchemist seriously.
Before, Qin Dongcheng had only been an Alchemy Apprentice. He hadn't even dared to slay demons, and she'd thought him cowardly and weak, not worth her regard.
But now, after seeing him again, she found that in such a short time he'd become an Official Alchemist. After spending time with him recently, she'd come to think that, aside from being a little timid, he was quite good in every other way.
Dong Hongyu now felt it would be unfair to keep saying she looked down on him. With Qin Dongcheng's current abilities and talents, he was absolutely worthy of her.
Seeing Dong Hongyu fall silent, Dong Hongyan pinched her delicate cheek. "Some chances, once missed, never come again. With the strength of our Dong Family and your talent and abilities, you and our sixth brother would make a well-matched pair."
"If you wait until he becomes an Intermediate Alchemist, or until he finds someone else, it'll be too late to ask for this chance. Think it over. Otherwise, you might end up in a family-arranged marriage and married to someone you don't love."
With that, Dong Hongyan strode into the house. Dong Hongyu remained silent for a long while before following her. Her delicate face was full of hesitation, and no one knew what she was thinking.
Qin Dongcheng had no idea that the strength he'd revealed had given Dong Hongyan and Dong Hongyu other ideas.
Even if he had known, he wouldn't have cared. Dong Hongyu was certainly a peerless beauty—back in his previous life, she would've scored over ninety-nine out of a hundred—but for Qin Dongcheng, who was devoted to pursuing the Dao, that little temptation was nothing.
After scrolling past so many beauties enhanced by filters in his previous life, he'd built up quite a resistance in that department.
Until he had enough strength, he had no intention of spending his time and energy on such meaningless things.
After returning home, Dong Hongyan immediately asked the servants about their progress in searching for the second half of the Hundred Poisons Medical Canon.
That was right. Once she learned Qin Dongcheng had studied the Hundred Poisons Medical Canon and only possessed its first half, Dong Hongyan had instructed her servants to keep an eye out for news of the second half, planning to surprise Qin Dongcheng with it later.
But the servants had made no progress. After thinking it over, Dong Hongyan decided to go to the Dong Family and enlist their help in finding the second half of the Hundred Poisons Medical Canon.
Before, Qin Dongcheng had only been an Alchemy Apprentice. She couldn't persuade her father and the family elders to devote substantial resources to searching for the second half of the Hundred Poisons Medical Canon. But now Qin Dongcheng was a Low-level Alchemist, capable of refining Sun Flame Liquid, and had the potential to become an Intermediate Alchemist.
That made him worth a substantial investment from the Dong Family. They could help find the second half of the Hundred Poisons Medical Canon, and even if they couldn't recruit Qin Dongcheng in the future, they'd still gain a good ally.
An Intermediate Alchemist was just about qualified to become an ally of the Dong Family.
After resting for a few days, Dong Hongyan took her younger sisters out again to complete their demon-slaying missions. Along the way, they also accepted quite a few commissions for Alchemists, Artifact Refiners, Formation Masters, and others.
With the Sun Flame Liquid Qin Dongcheng had provided, they felt much more at ease. They also decided that if they gained anything else, they would be sure to share some with Qin Dongcheng.
Last month, they'd shared with Qin Dongcheng some of the spoils from the demons they'd hunted with the help of the Soul Bewildering Pills. Together with that Green Snake Leather Armor, Qin Dongcheng had made a tidy profit.
Even putting aside their mutual interests, Dong Hongyan and the others had treated Qin Dongcheng well.
Otherwise, Qin Dongcheng wouldn't have tacitly accepted his place in their little group. He would've found an excuse to leave long ago.
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