People Can't, or at Least Shouldn't...

Qin Yu looked down into her bright, sparkling eyes and remained silent for a moment.

"But I don't have any medicinal herbs on hand right now, and besides..."

"I do!"

Before Qin Yu could finish speaking, Zi Yan magically produced several medicinal herbs from her sleeve and handed them to Qin Yu.

Um...

How did they manage to get the medicinal herbs from this little girl so quickly?

It seems I'll have to swallow back all the "justifications" I prepared.

"These two medicinal herbs aren't low-grade, but they taste terrible. Could you refine them into small pills for me? I want them sweet."

Qin Yu glanced at the two medicinal herbs and couldn't help but chuckle.

A Earth Mother Coptis; a Profound Rock Spirit Fruit.

One is extremely bitter, and the other is extremely hard; how could they not be unpalatable?

"I'll come back to collect it from you tomorrow. If you like it, I'll return the flower to you."

"Okay, come find me at this time tomorrow."

Qin Yu took the two medicinal herbs and had a general idea of what was going on.

It's basically the same as the small poison pills he made for Xiao Yi Xian, except this time, he's not making those poisons.

"Okay, but I need to know where you live first?"

Qin Yu gave her the address, Zi Yan nodded, then put the Yin-Yang Twin-Life Flower back into her sleeve, which made Qin Yu very curious.

The ability of the Ancient Void Dragon Clan to manipulate space seems to be innate, possessed from childhood to adulthood.

"Then it's settled."

"If you dare to lie to me... I'll eat you up!"

Zi Yan stood with her hands on her hips, her expression both cute and fierce, yet an invisible pressure emanated from her.

Qin Yu could sense that Zi Yan had definitely reached the level of Dou Wang.

Moreover, she was still suppressing this aura and hadn't fully released it.

I'm not lying to you.

"That's good."

Zi Yan withdrew her oppressive aura and smiled again.

She turned around and skipped towards the back door of the Medicinal Materials Vault, then turned back after taking a couple of steps.

"By the way, my name is Zi Yan."

Qin Yu nodded, and after finding the last medicinal herb he needed, he went to the entrance to register.

"You... came here to buy goods?"

When the person in charge saw the medicinal herbs Qin Yu was about to take, he was speechless, but still registered the batch of herbs for Qin Yu.

Back in his dormitory, after greeting Xiao Yi Xian, Qin Yu went straight into the room that had been specially prepared for alchemy.

All the preliminary procedures have been completed; now it's time to refine the medicine!

"Phew... last one, that's it."

When the last pill flew out of the cauldron and was put into a jade bottle by Qin Yu, it was already dawn outside the window, and the next morning had arrived.

Qin Yu stretched his somewhat stiff body and laid the five jade bottles out in a row on the table.

Without the restriction of medicinal herbs, Qin Yu was able to test his skills.

As expected, his Alchemy had already reached the fifth rank, and the five Fifth-Rank Pill in front of him were the best proof.

He completed the task in just one night, even Elder Huo gave him a week.

However, he doesn't plan to send it now; it's too early. It would be more appropriate to send it in two or three days.

Qin Yu put the jade bottle into his Storage Ring and then took out the two medicinal herbs that Zi Yan had given him.

These two things are indeed difficult to swallow if eaten alone.

but...

Qin Yu took out several ordinary medicinal herbs from his Storage Ring.

Honeyheart Grass has a sweet taste and is often used to neutralize the bitterness in elixirs.

The juice extracted from the Fragrance-Gathering Flower after processing is quite viscous and produces a rich aroma.

There were also a few more ordinary plants, which weren't even considered high-grade.

Qin Yu put them all into the cauldron, controlled the heat, and slowly refined them.

This time, he wasn't pursuing the medicinal effects, but rather the taste and flavor.

In less than half an hour, a rich, sweet aroma wafted from the cauldron.

Qin Yu extinguished the fire, and a dozen round little pills floated quietly in the cauldron, their bodies amber in color and their surfaces gleaming with a warm luster.

As for the specific taste, that's for Zi Yan to judge; he can't just eat this stuff casually.

After all, he was human, unlike Zi Yan, who possessed a resilient Magical Beast body.

Just as he was about to bottle the pills, he heard a commotion downstairs.

"Qin Yu! Qin Yu! Are you there?!"

A clear, childlike voice came from the courtyard. Qin Yu walked to the window and looked down.

Zi Yan stood in the courtyard, head tilted back, her big eyes looking around.

"Hey! You haven't forgotten about yesterday, have you?!"

As Qin Yu came downstairs, Zi Yan rushed over in three steps.

"Of course, let's give it a try and see how it goes."

Qin Yu handed her the freshly made pills.

"It smells so good!"

The rich, sweet aroma instantly whetted Zi Yan's appetite. She took the pill, popped it into her mouth, chewed it a couple of times, and then froze.

In just a few seconds, that chubby little face put on a complete face-changing act.

"Tasty!!"

Then she asked for another one and popped it into her mouth.

Then came the third, the fourth...

"Eat slowly, no one's going to take it from you."

Looking at her starving expression, Qin Yu couldn't help but offer a word of advice.

Zi Yan ignored him and ate five or six pieces in one go before finally stopping. As if she had obtained some rare treasure, she couldn't suppress the smile on her face, and even a few tears rolled down her cheeks.

Sweet, but not cloying.

Soft and chewy, but not sticky.

The medicinal properties of the herbs have been perfectly preserved, but the bitterness and astringency have completely disappeared.

She's finally made it through! What a miserable life she's been through!

"Qin Yu, you're amazing!"

She looked up at Qin Yu, her eyes filled with admiration.

"This tastes a million times better than eating medicinal herbs directly!"

Qin Yu smiled and then extended his hand to Zi Yan.

"Shouldn't you give the flowers back to me?"

"Flower?"

Zi Yan was stunned for a moment, then slapped her forehead.

"Oh! Yes, yes, yes! Flowers!"

She took the Yin-Yang Twin-Life Flower out of her sleeve, handed it to Qin Yu, and then continued to put the small pills into her mouth.

Qin Yu put the flowers into his Storage Ring, Zi Yan spoke indistinctly:

"Qin Yu, from today onwards, you are my personal Alchemist!"

As she spoke, Zi Yan tried to pat Qin Yu's shoulder, but even if she jumped up, she could only reach Qin Yu's chest.

"From now on, if any fool in the Inner Academy dares to cause you trouble, I'll personally deal with them!"

Qin Yu couldn't help but laugh when he saw her cute yet fierce expression.

This little gadget is quite interesting. Who researched it?

"But I still need to cultivate. I haven't been to the Sky Burning Qi Refining Tower yet."

"It's alright, just make me a batch every now and then."

What else is there to say? This little guy is just as adorable as Qing Lin.

However, Qing Lin evokes a protective instinct in people, while Zi Yan is lively, cute, and very eye-catching.

"Okay, it's settled then."

"Yay! (•̀ω•́)y!"