I Treated You Like Brothers

Dong Hongyan and the others were quite shocked by the speed of Qin Dongcheng's progress.

They almost felt as if they had been away for a year or more rather than just a month; otherwise, how could Qin Dongcheng have improved so rapidly?

It seemed that this sixth brother's aptitude for alchemy and medicine was even more impressive than they had imagined. Even if his innate talent was a bit lacking, his ability in this field alone ensured that his future prospects would not be poor.

Who didn't know that among the various secondary professions, alchemists were the most lucrative, far surpassing Artifact Refiners and Formation Masters, and they could also effectively promote one's own cultivation.

Possessing the strength of an Official Alchemist, he could even refine the Sun Flame Liquid that the sect was currently in dire need of. Naturally, they no longer had to worry about being sent out to slay demons, so their previous concerns had been for nothing.

However, their perception of Qin Dongcheng had improved significantly, and during this recent demon-slaying mission, the Soul Bewildering Pill had helped them a great deal.

Now, with a rare treasure like the Sun Flame Liquid, Qin Dongcheng, who had originally been a non-entity among the six of them, had inexplicably become the number two figure, second only to the eldest sister.

Some of the sisters who hadn't thought much of Qin Dongcheng before now had different ideas in their minds.

With a good personality, good looks, and such astonishing alchemy skills, if one were to marry him, they would likely live a comfortable life in the future, far better than becoming a concubine in some wealthy household.

However, after leaving Qin Dongcheng's place and learning that many marriage proposals had been rejected during this period—including those from people whose looks and family backgrounds were superior to their own—a few of the sisters fell silent. They secretly thought that it was fortunate they had inquired first; otherwise, if they had rashly expressed their affection, it would have been embarrassing to be rejected.

It seemed this sixth brother was a dedicated ascetic with no intention of marrying. It was better to maintain their current relationship for now, lest they lose even the existing bond of siblings.

Though they called it a sibling relationship, they all knew that apart from Dong Hongyan, who had a relatively good relationship with Qin Dongcheng, the rest of them were merely basking in Dong Hongyan's reflected glory.

This so-called sibling relationship only counted if Qin Dongcheng was willing to acknowledge it; if he wasn't, it meant nothing.

Moreover, even in Dong Hongyan's case, she owed Qin Dongcheng quite a lot. If not for Qin Dongcheng's intervention, Dong Hongyan would have died long ago.

Under these circumstances, Qin Dongcheng's status among them was quite transcendent, even though they were all quite attractive themselves.

However, in the face of a big shot who would likely advance to an Intermediate Alchemist or even higher, looks really didn't count for much.

The status and position of an Intermediate Alchemist already surpassed those at the Fifth Martial Realm and Sixth Martial Realm. Within the Five Elements Sect, such an individual would be at the level of an Inner Sect Elder.

If he could go a step further and become an Advanced Alchemist, Qin Dongcheng would be a top-tier powerhouse even within the entire Five Elements Sect.

Looking across the vast Luo Cloud Prefecture, the number of Advanced Alchemists could be counted on one's fingers, and each one was an incredibly noble existence.

After turning in their mission and heading back, Dong Hongyan and Dong Hongyu naturally traveled together.

As they neared home, Dong Hongyan patted her younger sister's shoulder: "Hongyu, what do you think of our sixth brother now?"

"This..." Dong Hongyu was somewhat silent.

Although she preferred Martial Artists who could charge into battle, she was also moved by an alchemist with such astonishing potential like Qin Dongcheng.

Moreover, they understood Qin Dongcheng's character; aside from being a bit timid, he was good in other respects—at least far more reliable than the family-arranged marriages she was expected to follow.

A future Intermediate Alchemist was someone even their Dong Family had to value.

Previously, when Qin Dongcheng was just an Alchemy Apprentice who didn't even dare to slay demons, she had found him timid and cowardly, and had looked down on him.

But seeing him again now, in such a short time, Qin Dongcheng had actually become an Official Alchemist. After their recent interactions, she felt that aside from being a bit timid, he was quite decent in other aspects.

To say she looked down on him now would feel excessive. With Qin Dongcheng's current strength and talent, he was absolutely worthy of her.

Seeing Dong Hongyu's silence, Dong Hongyan pinched her delicate little face: "Some opportunities are lost forever if you miss them. With the current power of our Dong Family, combined with your talent and strength, you and our sixth brother are a perfect match."

"If you wait until he becomes an Intermediate Alchemist or has other options, it will be too late to seek this opportunity. You should think it over, lest you end up in a family-arranged marriage later, wed to someone you don't like."

After speaking, Dong Hongyan strode back home. Dong Hongyu remained silent for a long time before following, her delicate face full of hesitation, lost in thought.

Qin Dongcheng did not know that because of the portion of strength he had revealed, the sisters Dong Hongyan and Dong Hongyu had developed other ideas.

Even if he did know, he wouldn't take it to heart. Although Dong Hongyu could be called a beauty of the highest order—a woman who would score over ninety-nine points in his previous life—for Qin Dongcheng, who was single-mindedly pursuing the Dao, this bit of temptation was nothing.

Having seen so many beauties enhanced by filters in his past life, his resistance to this kind of thing was quite high.

Without sufficient strength, he had no intention of spending his time and energy on such meaningless matters.

After returning home, Dong Hongyan immediately asked the servants about the progress of finding the second half of the Hundred Poisons Medical Canon.

Yes, knowing that Qin Dongcheng had studied the Hundred Poisons Medical Canon and only possessed the first half, Dong Hongyan had ordered her servants to keep an eye out for the second half, intending to give Qin Dongcheng a surprise later.

However, the servants had made no progress. After some consideration, Dong Hongyan decided to head to the Dong Family to leverage their power to search for the second half of the Hundred Poisons Medical Canon.

Previously, Qin Dongcheng was just an Alchemy Apprentice, and she couldn't convince her father and the family elders to expend great effort to find the book. But now, Qin Dongcheng was a Low-level Alchemist who could even refine Sun Flame Liquid, with the potential to become an Intermediate Alchemist.

This made it worth the Dong Family's significant investment to help find the second half of the book. Even if they couldn't recruit Qin Dongcheng in the future, they would at least gain a valuable ally.

An Intermediate Alchemist was barely qualified to be an ally of the Dong Family.

After resting for a few days, Dong Hongyan took her sisters out again to complete demon-slaying missions, while also taking on various commissions from alchemists, Artifact Refiners, and Formation Masters.

With the Sun Flame Liquid provided by Qin Dongcheng, they felt much more at ease, and they decided that if they had any future gains, they would definitely share a portion with Qin Dongcheng.

They had already shared a portion of the spoils from the demons they hunted with the help of the Soul Bewildering Pill last month, and coupled with that Green Snake Leather Armor, Qin Dongcheng had made a small profit.

Even without considering the benefits, in terms of personal favors, Dong Hongyan and the others treated Qin Dongcheng quite well.

If not for this, Qin Dongcheng would not have tacitly remained in their little team and would have found an excuse to quit long ago.