A Hard Nut to Crack

Sweat slid down Lu Heng's forehead, evaporating into white vapor before it could drip onto his clothes.

Who knew how much time passed.

When the first rooster crow sounded outside the window, Lu Heng abruptly opened his eyes.

Two sharp glints flashed through his gaze and vanished.

Naturally, Lu Heng could not possibly break through to the two-star level in a single night, but he could feel that the Dou Qi in his body had become more condensed.

"The Dou Qi of a one-star Dou Zhe is still far too lacking." A trace of helplessness flashed through Lu Heng's black eyes.

Although the Five Spirits Chaos Art granted him a recovery speed far beyond ordinary people, and the Azure Wood Body gave him monstrous self-healing abilities, the continuous consumption of Dou Qi during alchemy was simply too great.

"At this rate, refining three batches of pills a day will already be the limit."

Lu Heng sighed and rubbed his brow.

"The Five Spirits Chaos Art combined with the Azure Wood Body... this recovery ability is downright absurd."

Lu Heng rolled his neck, producing a string of crisp crackles from his joints.

He walked to the water vat, scooped up a ladle of cool water, and splashed it over his face. The icy sensation thoroughly woke him up.

As he wiped his face, he mentally planned out the rest of his schedule.

He was still only a one-star Dou Zhe. Though he now had an alchemist's means, if he encountered real danger, he would still have to settle it with his fists.

"Mornings will be for refining pills to make money, afternoons for a short nap to restore my mental energy, and nights for cultivating Dou Qi and Dou Techniques."

Lu Heng hung up the towel and looked at his reflection in the water. His youthful face bore a calmness that did not match his age.

"As for actual combat... this body is still too fragile. I'll have to wait until I'm a five- or six-star Dou Zhe and have mastered those Xuan-rank Dou Techniques before heading to the Magical Beast Mountain Range to practice on a few second-tier magical beasts. I have to stay cautious!"

Lu Heng silently mapped it all out in his mind.

"Knock, knock, knock."

Just then, a gentle knock sounded from outside the courtyard gate.

It was followed by a deliberately lowered voice that still could not conceal its seductive charm.

"Little brother Lu Heng, are you up yet? Big sister brought you something good to nourish your body~"

Lu Heng's mouth twitched.

Nourish his body?

Sister Ya Fei really was... such a temptress.

He pushed open the door, and the morning chill rushed over him, refreshing his spirits.

In the courtyard, Ya Fei sat on a stone bench in a loose, light-purple gauze house dress. It lacked some of the sharp allure she usually displayed at the auction house, replacing it with the gentle grace of a woman at home.

Morning sunlight fell across Ya Fei's profile, making the fine down on her skin clearly visible. She held an ivory comb in her hand and absentmindedly combed her smooth, flowing hair.

Breakfast had already been laid out on the stone table, and a rich aroma of meat drifted into his nose.

"You're awake?"

Ya Fei set down her comb and looked at Lu Heng, her eyes brimming with amusement.

"Come eat. It'll get cold soon."

Lu Heng walked over and sat down. Looking at the feast spread across the table, he could not help clicking his tongue.

"Sister Ya Fei, isn't this a little too lavish? Eating something this nourishing so early in the morning?"

"You're still growing, and you're cultivating and refining pills all day. How can you not eat properly?"

Ya Fei picked up a small bowl, personally ladled him a bowl of meat soup, and pushed it in front of Lu Heng.

"This is the tenderloin of a first-tier magical beast, a Crimson Blood Pig. I had someone specifically acquire it, then stewed it with century-old ginseng. It's excellent for replenishing your blood and Qi. Drink it while it's hot."

Looking at the chunks of meat that had been stewed until they were nearly falling apart, warmth surged through Lu Heng's heart.

In this world, magical beast meat was already expensive, let alone the meat of a first-tier magical beast specially used for nourishment. This breakfast must have cost quite a bit.

Lu Heng lifted the bowl and took a sip. The scalding soup slid down his throat, and his stomach immediately grew warm.

"It smells amazing," Lu Heng praised sincerely.

"Then eat more."

Resting her chin on one hand, Ya Fei watched Lu Heng wolf down his food, and a trace of tenderness rose in her heart.

With a steamed dumpling stuffed in his mouth, Lu Heng said indistinctly,

"Sister Ya Fei, I'm cultivating, so I'm not tired. Besides, if I don't work hard now, how will I support you in the future?"

Ya Fei chuckled and poked his forehead with a slender finger.

"You're so young, yet your words are awfully big. Do you think big sister needs you to support her?"

Though Ya Fei said that, she could not hide the smile on her face.

Lu Heng swallowed the food in his mouth, raised his head, and looked at Ya Fei with a serious expression.

"Of course. I'll definitely work hard and become someone Sister Ya Fei can rely on!"

"All right, all right."

Ya Fei laughed so hard her body trembled, warmth filling her heart. He truly was her little brother Lu Heng.

The fullness of her chest trembled slightly with her laughter, making Lu Heng's cheeks flush red.

"But..."

Ya Fei put away her smile, and her tone became serious.

"Making money isn't something that needs to be rushed.

"Though you're talented, you're still young. Don't wear out your body. If you're tired, get some rest."

"Got it."

Lu Heng set down his bowl and let out a satisfied burp.

Being kept by a rich woman... ah, no, being doted on by an older sister really did make it easy to lose one's drive.

This soft life was really sweet!

After breakfast, Ya Fei tidied up and headed to the front hall.

Recently, because of the matter involving that genius youth from the Xiao Family, the situation in Wutan City had become somewhat delicate. The auction house's business had also been affected, so she needed to keep an eye on it.

Lu Heng watched the graceful purple figure disappear at the end of the corridor, and the smile on his face gradually faded.

He turned and returned to his room, locking the door tightly behind him.

"Time to get to work."

Lu Heng took the dark-red, double-mouthed medicinal cauldron from his Storage Ring and placed it in the middle of the room.

This time, he intended to refine a first-grade medicinal pill recorded in the Pharmacopoeia of Ten Thousand Worlds: the Beast Power Pill.

This pill might not have been anything rare in other worlds, but on the Dou Qi Continent, it was absolutely the kind of pill that would make mercenaries at the Dou Zhe and Dou Master levels fight over it desperately.

Its effect was simple and brutal: for the duration of one incense stick, it would greatly increase the user's strength and make them insensitive to pain to a certain extent.

For mercenaries who lived with their lives on the line, this was not merely a trump card—it was a lifesaver.

The only difficulty lay in the ingredients.

The main medicinal ingredient of the Beast Power Pill was a plant called Ironwood Root.

This thing was not expensive; it could even be called cheap, since it grew all over the mountains. However, its texture was as hard as iron, making its medicinal liquid exceptionally difficult to extract.

Lu Heng sat down cross-legged, took a deep breath, and pressed both hands against the fire ports of the medicinal cauldron.

Boom!

Crimson flames surged to life within the cauldron.

Lu Heng did not immediately add the ingredients. Instead, he controlled the flames as they traveled around the inside of the cauldron. Only after it had been fully preheated did he grab a pitch-black section of root and toss it inside.

Sizzle!

Upon coming into contact with the flames, the hard Ironwood Root did not wither and melt like ordinary medicinal ingredients. After its outer skin was scorched by the fire, it even faintly gleamed with a metallic luster.

"It really is a hard nut to crack." Lu Heng frowned slightly.

Extracting the medicinal liquid from Ironwood Root was truly more trouble than it was worth for first- and even second-grade alchemists.