Paying Another Visit to Seek Guidance on Alchemy

That night, Xiao Wujiu looked at Ya Fei beside him and felt completely content.

Her eyes were closed as if she were resting. There were still faint tear tracks on her face, several red marks faintly visible across her snow-white body, and a spot of crimson on the bed, all bearing witness to the madness from earlier.

Judging from her breathing, she was not asleep. He gently placed a hand on Ya Fei's body.

"Don't... Wujiu, let your sister rest for a while, okay? Your sister really can't go on."

Ya Fei's delicate body trembled. Knowing she could no longer pretend, she hurriedly opened her eyes and begged for mercy. Those captivating, water-rippled eyes of hers now looked pitifully pleading.

"What's this? Weren't you teasing me just now? Why can't you do it now? I remember Sister Ya Fei was quite proactive at first, wasn't she?"

Xiao Wujiu moved his face close to Ya Fei's. His warm breath brushed against her already rosy earlobe, and his gentle teasing slipped into her ears like fine threads.

"Who knew you would... Anyway, I can't anymore. Next time, okay? Next time, your sister will do whatever you say."

Ya Fei no longer had her usual demeanor. There was only the sweetness of a little bird leaning on its mate and a coquettish tone in her voice. From the moment she had made up her mind, she had given both her body and heart to Xiao Wujiu.

"Alright, I actually wanted to give you this." Xiao Wujiu took out a pill from his Storage Ring. "This is a third-grade Recovery Pill. Taking it will heal your 'injuries.'"

"I don't want it. A third-grade pill shouldn't be used like this. I'll be fine in a few days."

She shook her head and refused Xiao Wujiu. In Wutan City, a third-grade pill was something that could draw bids from numerous clans. Using it to treat... this was simply too wasteful.

"Does your man lack such things?" After saying that, Xiao Wujiu held the pill between his lips and fed it to Ya Fei. "Alright, get some proper rest. I need to return to the Xiao Clan tonight and prepare a few things for you. Then stay obediently in the Imperial Capital and wait for me to come find you."

Seeing Ya Fei's flushed, peach-blossom expression after she swallowed the pill, he lowered his head and gently kissed her red lips.

That kiss gradually calmed Ya Fei's heart from its initial panic. It was very light, not like the entanglement born of surging passion, yet it seemed to carry an even more special meaning.

"No matter what happens in the future, I'll be here."

After returning to the Xiao Clan, he also learned from Ya Fei that the clan had held an assessment a month ago. She had likewise been invited to attend the Xiao Clan's coming-of-age ceremony a few days later.

He did not hurry back to his room. Instead, under cover of night, he headed toward Xiao Yan's courtyard.

Xiao Yan's small courtyard.

Xiao Yan was currently sitting cross-legged in a wooden tub filled with Foundation Establishment Spirit Liquid, cultivating diligently as he strove to break through to the ninth stage of Dou Qi.

The color of the Foundation Establishment Spirit Liquid in the tub gradually faded. Only after it had completely turned into a pool of clear water did he stop cultivating and exhale a breath of turbid air.

Looking at the clear water that had lost its medicinal efficacy, he finally stood and put on his clothes.

"My cultivation has recovered to the eighth stage of Dou Qi. In a little while, I'll reach the ninth stage. Then, once I take the Qi Gathering Powder Cousin Wujiu gave me, I'll return to the Dou Zhe realm!"

Xiao Yan clenched his fists. Everything was happening so quickly that it felt unreal. In just one year, he had truly risen by five stages of Dou Qi!

"This is what you deserve. Even with abundant resources, without unwavering conviction, you would never have persevered."

Old Yao's voice sounded in Xiao Yan's heart, affirming his efforts.

"Teacher, where do you think Cousin Wujiu went? I haven't seen him for so long. He didn't even come to last month's assessment."

"I don't know that. Your teacher isn't capable enough to know everything. But with his strength, even traveling through the Jia Ma Empire would be enough for him to protect himself. Besides, he carries no shortage of secrets. Don't worry about him."

"Oh? You don't need to worry anymore, kid. Your cousin has returned, and he's heading this way."

"Talk to him first and see what he wants."

After Yao Chen spoke, he fell silent.

Just then, someone knocked on Xiao Yan's courtyard gate, and Xiao Wujiu's voice rang out.

"Cousin Xiao Yan, are you there?"

"Cousin Wujiu, I'm here!"

Xiao Yan immediately sprang up and went outside, opening the courtyard gate for Xiao Wujiu. He then saw that familiar smiling face.

Xiao Wujiu looked Xiao Yan over and smiled faintly. "You're already at the eighth stage of Dou Qi. It seems you've really worked hard lately."

He patted Xiao Yan's shoulder, then hooked an arm around it and led him back into the courtyard.

"Cousin Wujiu, where have you been all this time? You didn't even come to the assessment."

With his shoulder hooked, Xiao Yan was led into the courtyard. He asked curiously. Aside from Xuner, Xiao Wujiu was the relative of his generation with whom he was closest, so he did not mind such an intimate gesture.

But why did Cousin Wujiu have such a distinctive perfume scent on him? It smelled so familiar...

After hearing the question, Xiao Wujiu sat down with Xiao Yan and merely took out a jade box from his Storage Ring, gesturing for Xiao Yan to open it.

"Take a look at the medicinal ingredient inside."

Although Xiao Yan did not know what it was for, he did as instructed. The moment he opened it, he sensed a dense energy fluctuation emanating from within.

When he saw it clearly, he found a golden melon inside, its skin resembling scales.

"Cousin Wujiu, this is?"

Xiao Yan examined it repeatedly and found that he did not recognize this medicinal ingredient at all. Yet the energy fluctuations it emitted gave him a sense that it was extremely extraordinary.

"I found this peculiar medicinal ingredient in a secret realm. It's called an Earth Dragon Golden Melon. It contains a trace of Dragon Clan bloodline and is a mild medicinal ingredient that can be consumed directly."

Xiao Wujiu explained it to Xiao Yan. The Douqi Continent was full of wonders, so there was nothing wrong with what he said.

As for whether the Earth Dragon Golden Melon was truly mild? Compared to the ingredients he needed for alchemy, an ingredient that could be consumed directly naturally counted as mild.

"Then what do you mean, Cousin Wujiu?"

Xiao Yan was startled by the explanation. He had never expected the Earth Dragon Golden Melon to contain a trace of Dragon Clan bloodline. Didn't that mean this medicinal ingredient was at least sixth-tier?

He had read the Poison Pill Method. The seventh-tier Magic Core it required came from the Heaven Scorpion Poison Dragon Beast, yet even that magical beast only possessed a small amount of Dragon Clan bloodline!

"For this medicinal ingredient, I searched through all the records, but I couldn't find a suitable pill formula to refine it."

"Moreover, I have quite a few such ingredients. So I want to ask your teacher whether there's a way to find suitable methods based on the differing properties of these ingredients and maximize their effects?"

Xiao Wujiu revealed his true purpose for coming. After all, he currently had limited pill formulas. If he truly wanted to maximize the medicinal potency, he had to seek out Old Yao.