Genius Alchemist

Ya Fei took out the silk handkerchief still warm with her body heat and carefully wiped the sweat from Lu Heng's forehead and neck.

The woman's delicate fragrance mingled with the scent of herbs in the alchemy room and drifted into Lu Heng's nose.

Leaning against Ya Fei's soft embrace, he could feel the rise and fall of her chest and her undisguised concern.

"Big Sister Ya Fei, I'm fine."

Lu Heng smiled weakly, savoring this moment of tenderness.

"I'm just a little exhausted."

Ya Fei glared at him, but her hands moved even more gently.

"What do you mean, you're fine? Your face is white as paper. If you wear yourself out, who am I supposed to count on in the future?"

As she spoke, she took a bottle of Qi Recovery Pills from her Storage Ring, poured one out, and slipped it into Lu Heng's mouth.

Gu Ni held the freshly refined Blood Coagulation Pill and watched the touching scene between the two siblings, feeling rather superfluous.

"Um..."

Gu Ni coughed and waved the pill in his hand.

"Miss, this pill..."

Only then did Ya Fei raise her head, her usual shrewd expression returning, though the arm around Lu Heng had yet to loosen.

"Uncle Gu Ni, how much could this pill sell for at the current market price?"

"Ordinary low-grade Blood Coagulation Powder sells for somewhere between several dozen and a hundred gold coins, but this has already formed into a pill, and its quality is exceptional. Its medicinal effect is at least twice that of an ordinary one."

Gu Ni pondered for a moment.

"It should be worth around two hundred gold coins."

Leaning in Ya Fei's arms, Lu Heng was quite satisfied when he heard that figure.

Two hundred gold coins.

It was an enormous sum for ordinary people, but it was still far from enough for Lu Heng's upcoming plans.

Still, it was decent enough for now.

After all, first-grade Blood Coagulation Powder was not particularly rare among first-grade medicines.

But his mind contained far more than the known pill formulas of the Dou Qi Continent. It also held formulas that did not exist on the Dou Qi Continent!

For example, Yuan-Nurturing Powder, which could accelerate cultivation during the Dou Qi stage; the Yuan-Gathering Pill, which could directly raise a Dou Zhe's strength by one star without side effects; and the Yuan-Coagulating Pill, which could help a Dou Master achieve a breakthrough.

These medicines did not exist on the Dou Qi Continent. That was the true power of Lu Heng's Pharmacopoeia of Ten Thousand Worlds.

But a man was innocent; it was the jade he carried that brought disaster.

The current Lu Heng was far too weak.

Even with Ya Fei protecting him, the Miteer Auction House was not an absolutely safe haven.

A moment later, Lu Heng straightened up from Ya Fei's embrace.

"Big Sister Ya Fei, count this pill as one hundred gold coins and sell it to the auction house. Deduct the cost of that pile of herbs from it."

Ya Fei froze for a moment, surprise flashing through her beautiful eyes.

This brat certainly knew how to keep accounts clear.

"Even a little gift from your sister has to be calculated so carefully?"

Pretending to be angry, Ya Fei gently poked his forehead.

"Are you afraid your sister can't afford that pile of Purple Blue Leaves?"

Lu Heng did not dodge and simply let her poke him, smiling all the while.

"Big Sister Ya Fei has always been helping me. Now that I've been fortunate enough to become an alchemist, I want to repay you as well."

Gu Ni, standing nearby, nodded repeatedly.

This kid knew what he was doing!

"Since Lu Heng has such intentions, Miss, you should accept it."

Gu Ni placed the pill into a jade bottle and carefully sealed it.

"This Blood Coagulation Pill is of exceptional quality. If Lu Heng can refine more in the future, we'll buy them from him regularly. The price will definitely be fair."

Ya Fei looked at Lu Heng's slightly pale yet exceptionally earnest little face, and warmth stirred in her heart.

She had seen too many family members turn against one another over profit, and too many faces that only knew how to take.

Lu Heng's careful effort to preserve their relationship made her feel that her three years of devotion had not been wasted.

"Fine, we'll do as you say."

Ya Fei was not one to be coy, and she readily agreed.

"This pill will count as one hundred gold coins. After deducting the cost of the herbs, I'll have the remainder deposited into your Crystal Card. But..."

Ya Fei changed the subject and looked at Lu Heng with a bright smile.

"Now that you're an alchemist, knowing only how to refine Blood Coagulation Pills won't do. Since you need practice, why not take a few more formulas?"

That was precisely what Lu Heng wanted.

His alchemy skills were still far more theoretical than practical.

Although the Pharmacopoeia of Ten Thousand Worlds in his mind was formidable, actual pill refinement still required him to improve his techniques and Dou Qi cultivation.

The current Lu Heng simply could not refine those medicines recorded in the Pharmacopoeia of Ten Thousand Worlds.

"I'll have to trouble Master Gu Ni again."

Lu Heng turned toward Gu Ni and cupped his hands.

"I would like to ask for several first-grade pill formulas.

Rejuvenation Powder, Hemostasis Pills, Qi Boosting Powder... The more basic, the better. The more varieties, the better."

Gu Ni tugged at his beard as he listened.

"You brat, don't you know that biting off more than you can chew will only choke you?"

Gu Ni glared at him.

"Ordinary apprentices need more than half a year of practice with Blood Coagulation Powder alone before they can ensure a decent success rate. You want so many at once—aren't you afraid of overstuffing yourself?"

Though he said that, Gu Ni still turned and walked toward the bookshelf nearby.

After rummaging through it, he pulled out several slightly yellowed parchment scrolls and casually tossed them onto the stone platform.

"These are all common goods. You can buy them at any apothecary outside, so they aren't worth much. Since you have talent, it won't hurt to use them for practice."

Gu Ni patted the dust from his hands.

"But let me warn you first: the greatest taboo in alchemy is impatience and rashness. If you pursue quantity while neglecting quality and end up producing a pile of junk, don't blame this old man for refusing to buy your pills."

Lu Heng picked up the parchment scrolls and glanced over them casually.

As expected, they were all the most basic formulas.

The Hemostasis Pill formula used Red Sun Grass, while the main ingredient of Qi Boosting Powder was Ten-Year Spirit Fruit.

These formulas had circulated throughout the Dou Qi Continent for hundreds of years. Though stable, they were extremely inefficient.

Within the Pharmacopoeia of Ten Thousand Worlds in Lu Heng's mind, there were no fewer than ten improved formulas for Hemostasis Pills alone.

He only needed to replace a single auxiliary ingredient or alter the order of extraction slightly for the medicinal effect to double.

But that was exactly what Lu Heng needed.

He would use these most basic formulas to conceal the formulas he was about to bring out.

"Thank you, Master Gu Ni."

Lu Heng solemnly put away the parchment scrolls.

Gu Ni wore a kindly smile and waved his hand lightly.

"Enough, enough. Hurry back and get some rest. Look how pale your little face is. If you faint in my alchemy room, Miss will come after me for my life."

Ya Fei covered her mouth and chuckled.

"Then we'll be going first. We won't disturb Uncle Gu Ni any longer."

Ya Fei linked her arm through Lu Heng's, leaning half her weight against him as though supporting a wounded man, yet also as though acting spoiled.

"Come on, my great alchemist. Your sister will walk you back to your room."

The two left the alchemy room, and the heavy stone door slowly closed behind them.

Gu Ni remained where he was, looking at the empty doorway before glancing at the jade bottle containing the top-grade Blood Coagulation Pill in his hand. He let out a long sigh.

"Nine years old, and already a first-grade alchemist." Gu Ni shook his head and muttered to himself with a bitter smile. "The world is truly about to change."