196: Chapter 194 Ebb and Flow

Yun Ming began Alchemy.

The first batch of Heavenly Dew Spirit Nourishing Pills failed; only a mess of black sludge remained at the bottom of the cauldron.

He didn't rush to start the second batch. He cleaned the cauldron thoroughly, went over the Pill Formula in his mind once more to ensure no operational errors, and then began refining the second batch.

This time it was successful, and it was even High Grade.

The pill fragrance was rich, the cloud patterns were dense, and the medicinal properties were so abundant that it didn't seem like a Pill Formula he had just learned.

For the remaining eight batches, not a single one failed.

Furthermore, they were all High Grade.

Out of ten sets of Materials, nine batches were successful.

A month's worth of Alchemy was finished in less than a day.

He stored the Medicinal Pills and then refined the three sets of Materials for the Xuan Ying Pills.

Out of the three sets, two batches were successful: one Medium Grade and one High Grade.

Including what he had refined before, he already had several Xuan Ying Pills in his possession.

He wasn't in a hurry to give them to Zhou Qian; after all, the day to collect the pills hadn't arrived yet.

He stored the Medicinal Pills in the map of mountains and rivers and then went about his usual business.

Cultivate, read the news, and snack on melon seeds.

The days passed one by one.

Every month, Zhou Qian came on time to collect the pills, deliver Materials on time, and settle the Spirit Stones on time.

Yun Ming's success rate remained stable at a high level: eight or nine out of ten batches for the Heavenly Dew Spirit Nourishing Pill, and two or three out of five for the Xuan Ying Pill.

Every time Zhou Qian came, he couldn't stop smiling, wishing he could treat Yun Ming like a deity.

When the news reached the Third Prince's ears, he was silent for a long time before saying, "I've picked up a treasure."

After seeing Yun Ming's success rate, the Third Prince wanted to hand over all the Medicinal Pills under his command for Yun Ming to refine.

But he didn't dare.

He was afraid of scaring Yun Ming away.

This person didn't even give him Face. He had previously thought about summoning Yun Ming directly to have him work as his personal Alchemist, performing Alchemy exclusively for him.

But Zhou Qian told him that Yun Ming once said, "I don't care about the Third Prince's situation."

In that case, let alone calling him over for Alchemy, if he really moved a mountain of Materials there, Yun Ming would probably throw them all out.

So he could only proceed slowly, increasing the quantity bit by bit.

Add a little this month, a little more next month, letting Yun Ming gradually get used to it and accept it.

At the same time, Zhou Qian also received rewards from the Third Prince.

The Third Prince granted him many Spirit Stones and Medicinal Pills, and even specifically allowed him to keep one Xuan Ying Pill for himself.

When Zhou Qian received that Xuan Ying Pill, his hands were trembling.

With this Xuan Ying Pill, there was hope for a Breakthrough to the Nascent Soul.

Holding the pill, he kowtowed three times in the direction of the Third Prince.

Tens of thousands of miles away, in the Second Prince's temporary Princely Mansion.

The Second Prince sat on the soft couch in his bedchamber, with a secret report that had just been delivered spread out before him.

His brow was furrowed tightly, and the wrinkles at the corners of his eyes were much deeper than they had been a few months ago.

He bore some resemblance to the Third Prince, both having an appearance that was handsome yet noble, but his expression held a bit more gloom and a bit less composure.

His cultivation was also at the Late Nascent Soul Stage, but his aura was slightly more restless than the Third Prince's, as if he hadn't rested well recently.

After reading the secret report, he crumpled the paper into a ball and threw it on the floor.

Then he leaned back into the chair, closed his eyes, and rubbed his temples.

Things were becoming more and more problematic.

When he and the Third Prince simultaneously raised their armies, their resources, military strength, and territory were all roughly equal.

The pressure from the Imperial Court was also similar for both of them.

He thought that as long as he proceeded steadily and encroached slowly, he would eventually gain the upper hand over the Third Prince.

But he didn't know when it started, the Third Prince began to surpass him in terms of resources.

Not just by a little, but by a very obvious margin.

First, it was the Medicinal Pills.

His spies reported that the supply of pills on the Third Prince's side had been abundant recently, especially high-level Medicinal Pills like the Xuan Ying Pill and Heavenly Dew Spirit Nourishing Pill, which were being distributed to the generals in a steady stream.

What about his side? The stock of Xuan Ying Pills was nearly empty, and the Heavenly Dew Spirit Nourishing Pills were even more scarce.

Some generals on the front lines were already complaining, saying that the pressure from the Imperial Court was growing while the pills were decreasing, making the war impossible to fight.

He suppressed the complaints, but he could suppress them for a moment, not forever.

Then there were the Spirit Stones.

The Third Prince's side had been spending lavishly lately, recruiting troops and winning people over, showing confidence everywhere.

What about his side? The Spirit Stone warehouse was becoming emptier by the day, and even paying his subordinates required careful calculation.

He sent people to investigate whether the Third Prince had discovered a new Spiritual Vein, gained the support of a major merchant guild, or made some secret deal with the Imperial Court.

After much investigation, nothing was found.

The Third Prince had not discovered a new Spiritual Vein, nor had he gained the support of a major merchant guild, let alone made a deal with the Imperial Court.

His resources had simply increased suddenly.

It was as if three or four Fourth-Rank Alchemists had appeared out of thin air, continuously performing Alchemy for him in the background.

The Second Prince couldn't understand it.

He sat up straight, picked up the wine cup from the side table, and drained it in one gulp.

The wine was strong, making him cough twice. He put down the cup and rubbed his temples again.

A soft hand reached out from behind him, pressed against his temples, and gently massaged them.

That hand was very white and tender, with nails painted bright red.

The owner of the hand leaned in from behind, her body as soft as if she had no bones.

She wore only a layer of thin gauze, with nothing underneath, her exquisite curves faintly visible.

A pure white, flawless tail poked out from beneath the gauze, swaying gently, fluffy like a pile of snow.

Her name was Xue Ji, a transformed fox demon.

The Second Prince had encountered her during a tour and was captivated by her, which left his Divine Soul infatuated; he brought her back to the Princely Mansion despite his subordinates' objections.

She was indeed beautiful, so beautiful she didn't seem like an Immortal Master; her features were as delicate as a painting, her skin as white as jade, and her eyes were amber with slightly vertical pupils, exuding a strange, demonic charm.

Her voice was also very pleasant, soft and sweet as if coated in honey.

"Your Highness, what's wrong?" She rested her chin on the Second Prince's shoulder, her lips close to his ear as she breathed softly, "You look so troubled, who upset you?"

The Second Prince took her hand, squeezed it, and sighed.

"My third brother's side has somehow obtained a large quantity of Medicinal Pills recently. Xuan Ying Pills and Heavenly Dew Spirit Nourishing Pills are coming in a steady stream. My side is almost out of supplies."

Xue Ji blinked, her tail swaying even faster.

"Does Your Highness suspect that someone is secretly helping the Third Prince?"

The Second Prince nodded.

"I've investigated for a long time but found nothing. I don't know who it is, where they came from, or what methods they used. It's as if three or four Fourth-Rank Alchemists appeared out of thin air on my brother's side, performing Alchemy day and night."

Xue Ji laughed, her laughter clear and crisp like silver bells.

She moved in front of the Second Prince, squatted down, and looked up at him. The gauze slipped from her shoulder, revealing a section of snowy-white skin, but she didn't care.

"Your Highness, would you like me to go and investigate for you?"

The Second Prince looked down at her and remained silent for a moment. "You?"

"Yes." Xue Ji tilted her head, her tail swaying behind her. "I am a demon, so I won't attract attention. It shouldn't be difficult to sneak in and gather some information."

The Second Prince reached out to touch her Face, his fingertip sliding across her lips. "Aren't you afraid of the danger?"

Xue Ji stuck out her tongue and licked his finger. "For Your Highness, I am not afraid."

The Second Prince was about to speak when a voice suddenly came from outside the door.

"Your Highness, this subordinate has an important matter to report."