It Was Just a Ploy of Self-Inflicted Suffering

Buzz, buzz, buzz~

Suddenly, Xue Mei stood still, her Dou Qi radiating outwards, dazzling in all directions. Her eyes lit up. "Breakthrough... I've actually broken through!"

This sudden accident was unexpected and gave her a big surprise.

Buzz, buzz, buzz~

Xue Mei sat down, and another change occurred within her body, radiating light, proving that she had broken through again.

Seeing this, Qian Ye withdrew his Dou Qi and sat back down, watching her retreating figure. "Well, at least my efforts weren't wasted. If you're not in Life danger, I'll create Life for you. That solves the problem. At least even if I go too far, it's better than the enemy."

About half an hour later, Xue Mei finally opened her eyes, looked into the distance, and then looked at the sky. The sun was still there, and it would be dark in about an hour or two.

Huh?

She looked around, then turned and saw Qian Ye sitting there. She immediately went over to him, leaned forward, and said, "Thank you!"

"What are you thanking me for? Weren't you just yelling that you wanted to kill me and die with me?" Qian Ye teased.

I...

Xue Mei didn't know what to say for a moment, her face flushed, and she sat down beside him. "Just now I didn't know how kind the Grand Preceptor was to me, and I thought you wanted to do that... Now I know, your good intentions were to create a sense of crisis for me, to break through and then rebuild, to make me feel like my life was hanging by a thread, and to make me seriously injured, so as to bring out the wonderful effects of the Yin Yang Profound Dragon Pill, so that I could successfully break through at the critical moment. [6][9][s][h][u][x][.][c][o][m]"

"Now, I have continuously improved from Three-Star Dou Ling to Nine-Star Dou Ling, and I have one foot in the Dou Wang level."

"You know that's good! I wonder who it was just now, so fierce. If it weren't for my strong defense, I probably would have been torn to shreds by now, right?" Qian Ye teased again.

"You... you're so mean, you're going to kill me! You scared me like that?" Xue Mei said irritably, "I didn't know you were going to help me beforehand. If I had known, I wouldn't be angry, wouldn't risk my life for you!"

"However, on the other hand, if you had told me, I wouldn't have been able to sense the danger, and naturally, the elixir wouldn't have been able to take effect. So, thank you for your good intentions. I'll do anything for you from now on. Please forgive me, Grand Preceptor!"

Qian Ye: "..."

Xue Mei: "..."

"Miss Xue, please don't tell Lin Fei about this for now, because I won't be of much help to her if I do."

Xue Mei nodded. "I understand. I promise to keep it a secret. After all, you're helping her, not harming her. As her best friend, I naturally hope she can move forward like me."

"Very good." Qian Ye patted Xue Mei's head. "It seems you've already broken through to the Fourth-Tier Apothecary level?"

"Really?" Xue Mei hadn't noticed yet, but after sensing it, she was suddenly overjoyed. It was indeed already at the fourth rank! She became even happier, excitedly waving her arms and legs. →

"I've reached the fourth rank! I've reached the fourth rank..."

Seeing Xue Mei so happy, Qian Ye shook his head. This is nothing. With his help, leveling up is as easy as drinking water.

Now that the matter is settled, it's time to send her away.

"Let's go." Qian Ye stood up and called to her.

But at that moment, Qian Ye felt a tightening around his waist, and a pair of hands reached out from behind and wrapped around his waist. He knew that the person behind him was Xue Mei, so he reached out and grabbed her hands, turning around to look at her.

Xue Mei raised her head and closed her eyes. "Can I call you Brother Qian Ye?"

Qian Ye: "Of course."

Xue Mei slowly brought her red lips closer to him, and then their lips met, and they embraced and kissed...

As darkness fell, Qian Ye released Xue Mei and they left the Small Forest together. "Miss Xue," Chiba said, "It's getting dark. Would you like to have dinner together tonight?"

Xue Mei nodded. "Of course, but I might not be able to go back. After all, it's not safe for me to travel alone late at night."

"It's alright, my Imperial Preceptor's residence is so large, you can stay as long as you want."

"Alright, I'll stay here then. Also, Brother Qian Ye, please don't call me Miss Xue anymore, it sounds too formal. Just call me Mei Mei."

"Mei Mei."

"Um."

Another day, in the afternoon.

"Sir, a young lady named Lin Fei wishes to see you. Would you like to meet her?"

Qian Ye was admiring the flowers in the back garden when she suddenly heard Ning'er's voice behind her. After thinking for a moment, she thought, "Lin Fei has arrived so quickly." She said, "Alright, then let her come to see me. Bring her here directly?"

"Yes." Ning'er immediately turned and left.

Soon, Ning'er brought Lin Fei up behind him. "My lord, he's here."

"Hmm," Qian Ye simply replied, without turning her head.

Ning'er then went off to attend to her business, leaving Lin Fei standing there alone, unsure how to greet Qian Ye.

Upon seeing him, Lin Fei felt incredibly nervous and unable to relax at all.

Qian Ye didn't look back, and kept walking until she reached the Small Forest behind her, where she stopped and sat down under a tree.

Lin Fei didn't dare to go forward and could only stand half a meter away from him.

Qian Ye: "Miss Lin Fei, what can I do for you?"

"Um... I... I just wanted to ask you some questions about alchemy. After all, you're already Seventh-Tier Apothecary, so you're my senior. Naturally, I should learn from you. Would you be willing to teach me?" Lin Fei asked, slightly out of breath.

It wasn't that she had a lung problem or tuberculosis; it was just that her breathing was uneven due to nervousness.

"It's not impossible, but I have conditions. Whether you accept them or not is up to you," Qian Ye deliberately kept everyone in suspense.

"What conditions are required, as long as I can meet them?"

Lin Fei knew in her heart that since the other party had already softened their stance and offered conditions, there must be a chance.

I just don't know what their conditions are.

"It's simple. If you can hold out against me for half an hour without giving up, I'll definitely teach you the art of alchemy properly. What do you say?"

"This..." Lin Fei hesitated. Half an hour, but an hour! She was only a Nine-Star Da Dou Shi. How could she possibly last half an hour against a powerful expert, one who was many times stronger than her?

"Um... Your Excellency, what is your current strength?"

"Nine-Star Dou Zong, is there a problem?" Qian Ye increased his strength a bit more. The next step might be to raise it even higher, but it's not time yet.

"Nine... Nine-Star Dou Zong, one foot already in the Dou Zun level, how could I possibly be a match for you, sir? Let alone half an hour, even half a second, I'd probably be annihilated by you, wouldn't I?" Lin Fei said with a bitter expression. It wasn't that she was afraid, but that she had no chance of winning.

"Of course, I won't hit you hard. You can't take a beating, so I'll go easy on you and let you last for half an hour, I think that's fine," Qian Ye assured him confidently.

"Of course, you have legs and a head, and I'm not forcing you to fight me. So, you can't just go back to where you came from. Come back when you've thought it through."