第39章 美梦

"Teacher, how was my alchemy?" Xiao Yan asked excitedly.

"Average! You actually wasted so many medicinal ingredients before succeeding. Keep practicing!" Medicine Elder looked at Xiao Yan, who had been refining medicine for so long without blushing or even breathing hard, and felt speechless at how energetic he was.

Xiao Yan curled his lips and took out a large wine jar from his Storage Ring, casually tossing the huge lump of red paste in his hand into it. That lump of red paste should originally have been divided into a hundred portions and stored in small jade bottles, but Xiao Yan could not be bothered with the trouble and simply used the wine jar instead.

With a wave of his hand, white flames appeared in Xiao Yan's palm once more, and he casually tossed them into the medicine cauldron. He then took out a Blood-Coagulating Grass, a Vitality Fruit, and two poppy flowers from his Storage Ring and threw them in. Before long, another lump of dark-red paste appeared in the cauldron. After tossing it into the wine jar, Xiao Yan began operating like a machine, working rapidly.

As the number of refinements increased, Xiao Yan's techniques grew more and more skillful, and his speed naturally became faster as well. However, he gradually began to find alchemy boring, no longer filled with the same freshness he had felt at the beginning. Still, because he had worked in a factory for several months and had experience being used like a machine, he did not feel much aversion toward such repetitive and tedious work.

Alchemy consumed a great deal of soul power. After fighting through an entire day and night, Xiao Yan felt a trace of exhaustion—not physical fatigue, but mental weariness. No wonder alchemists needed powerful soul perception. Refining high-grade pills took several days, sometimes even more than ten, and there could not be the slightest mistake during that time.

After sealing the jar and placing it in his ring, Xiao Yan stretched and loosened his muscles before descending the mountain and returning to his room. He first put the Blood-Coagulating Powder beneath his bed, took a hot bath, and grabbed something from the kitchen to eat. Not long after finishing, he lay on his bed and drifted into sleep.

In his dream, Xiao Yan lay on a soft jade bed with three beautiful women attending him. One massaged his shoulders, one pounded his legs, and the last held a plate of pastries while waiting nearby.

The woman massaging his legs wore a tight golden brocade robe. Her long black hair was arranged in the shape of a crying phoenix, faintly revealing an indescribable nobility. Her face was serene and beautiful, like a clear spring hidden in the mountains. Though her lofty status inspired reverence, it also made one unable to resist entertaining improper thoughts.

The woman holding the pastries wore a green dress. Her temperament was cool and indifferent, like a green lotus untouched by the mundane world. Her slender waist was as narrow as a willow leaf, seeming as though it could be held in one hand, while her long black hair was casually tied with a pale-purple ribbon.

The final woman was so beautiful that she was almost enchantingly seductive. Her narrow pale-purple eyes carried an innate allure with every glance, enough to draw the gaze of nearly any man. She wore an elegant red brocade robe, beneath which her delicate body was plump and exquisitely curved, like a ripe peach exuding a faint charm.

Under the devoted care of these three peerless women, Xiao Yan felt as though he had reached the pinnacle of life. He was so happy he could burst, and drool kept flowing from the corner of his mouth.

What Xiao Yan did not know was that Xun'er came looking for him not long after he fell asleep. After entering his room and seeing him sleeping like a dead pig, Xun'er helplessly shook her head. She had no idea what Xiao Yan had done to exhaust himself so badly that he had fallen into deep sleep.

Those who had entered the Dou Zhe level were generally full of energy and rarely fell into deep sleep. Even the slightest disturbance would awaken them. Yet Xun'er had been there for quite some time, and Xiao Yan still showed no sign of waking.

How could Xiao Yan possibly be willing to wake at a time like this? He wished he could remain asleep forever! The dream was far too blissful.

The noblewoman in the dream looked very much like Xun'er, though she was far more mature. She reached out with a jade-like hand, picked up a piece of fruit from the platter, and placed it in her mouth. Then she gently moved close to Xiao Yan's face, lingered by his lips for a moment, and passed the fruit, filled with affection, into his mouth.

Xiao Yan gently chewed the fruit, a smile appearing on his lips. Just as the noblewoman was about to rise, he pulled her into his arms. The fruit was delicious, but the beauty's fragrant lips were even sweeter. Yet when Xiao Yan tried to embrace her, he suddenly felt resistance. Dreaming Xiao Yan did not care about such things. He simply used more force, pulled the beauty into his arms, and fiercely kissed her.

Xun'er had originally only wanted to take a closer look at her Brother Xiao Yan. She leaned closer, only to be pulled directly into his arms. Although she struggled free, Xiao Yan was simply too strong, like a magical beast. Still, being held was not so bad; Xun'er liked the feeling of being embraced by Xiao Yan. But then he directly kissed her. Her entire face flushed red with embarrassment, yet she slowly closed her eyes and enjoyed this rare tenderness.

Just as Xun'er was feeling sweet and happy, her body suddenly stiffened. Xiao Yan's hands had begun misbehaving. Xun'er instantly came to her senses and did not dare continue any further. If she stayed any longer, something would surely happen. She immediately pushed Xiao Yan away, rose to her feet without caring about her slightly disheveled clothes, and ran out.

Xiao Yan groggily opened his eyes and muttered, "What a wonderful dream! Why did I wake up? No, I need to go back to sleep. It's rare to have such a good dream—I have to continue it."

Xiao Yan pulled the blanket over his head and tried to fall asleep again. But then his nose caught a faint fragrance, and he immediately sat up and opened his eyes.

"It smells like Xun'er... Could she have come here just now? And did I... kiss her?" Xiao Yan's eyes widened.

"Damn! I'm such a beast! Xun'er is still underage!"

Xiao Yan slapped himself, threw off the blanket, and wanted to chase after Xun'er to apologize.

"Forget it! After that accident last time, Xun'er avoided me for half a year. This time is even more serious than before. She'll probably avoid me for a whole year, and that year will be perfect for going out to train." Xiao Yan helplessly shook his head. He no longer had any desire to sleep, so he climbed up the back mountain and continued refining medicine.

With Xiao Yan's unremitting efforts, the thousand portions of medicinal ingredients were finally all refined into healing medicine on the tenth day.

"Finally done! Teacher, can we set out to train now?" Xiao Yan let out a soft breath and spoke with considerable excitement.

Hearing this, Medicine Elder smiled and asked, "Training outside is nothing like staying at home. It is extremely difficult. Are you sure you want to go?"

"Of course. Training may be tough, but there are plenty of opportunities too! For example, running into some cave and finding cultivation techniques left behind by a predecessor, or falling off a cliff, surviving by luck, and discovering a treasure."

"Hehe! Most caves in the Warcraft Mountains are magical beast nests, filled with magical beast droppings. Even if there really is something good inside, it has probably already been looted by others. As for falling off a cliff and finding treasure? There are plenty of people in Wutan City with broken arms and legs. I advise you to abandon these ridiculous fantasies! Otherwise, when you truly begin training, you'll be disappointed beyond measure!" Medicine Elder rolled his eyes and said helplessly.

"What if I'm lucky enough? Right?" Xiao Yan was not discouraged by Medicine Elder's words. After all, he knew of one cave that held something valuable.

"I hope you do not give up halfway through! Of course, by then, even if you want to give up, you probably will not be able to." Medicine Elder cast Xiao Yan a sidelong glance before directly slipping into the ring.

Xiao Yan packed several changes of clothes and some daily necessities into his Storage Ring, then hurried toward his father's study.