142: Chapter 142 First Meeting with the Tower Master: Her Married Woman Vibe is Absolutely Amazing

The Cloud Top Medicine Pavilion lived up to its name.

Not only was the spiritual energy here thick enough to form mist, but even the floorboards were made of "Agarwood" that could calm the mind and soothe the spirit. The windows all around were wide open, and the sea of clouds surged outside, looking as if one could pluck a cloud just by reaching out.

But at this moment, Xu Chen's gaze didn't linger for even half a second on that magnificent scenery of the sea of clouds.

His attention was completely captured by the figure slowly turning around in front of the writing desk.

As Liu Hanyan turned, her loose and elegant moon-white alchemist robes swayed. However, because the fabric had an excellent drape, it instead clung more closely to her mature and curvaceous figure.

Although her waist wasn't as slender as a young girl's—looking as if it might break at a touch—it possessed a rounded and supple beauty. It tapered at the waist before extending downward into a breathtakingly full curve.

This was a fully ripened honey peach.

That was the first adjective that popped into Xu Chen's mind.

When he clearly saw her face, Xu Chen felt his breath hitch slightly.

She wore no makeup, and even her hair was casually pinned up with a simple, ancient wooden hairpin. But on that oval face, her features were so soft they lacked any hint of aggression. Her brows and eyes exuded a scholarly air and the gentle temperament of someone long immersed in pharmacology.

Especially those eyes; they weren't cold like Su Qingge's, nor were they charming like Luo Hongyi's. Instead, they held a water-like tenderness that seemed to embrace all things.

Even though she was currently frowning slightly at this uninvited guest, it was impossible to feel any repulsion. Instead, it made one want to dive into her arms and call her "Big Sister."

If Xiao Yu was a ball of violent fire, then Liu Hanyan was a pool of the gentlest spring water.

This naturally-born "top-tier housewife vibe" was practically nuclear-level lethal to a man like Xu Chen, who was used to seeing all kinds of peerless geniuses.

"System."

On the surface, Xu Chen remained calm, but his fingers behind his back twitched slightly as he called out in his mind.

[Ding! Target detected to meet the rating criteria!]

[Name: Liu Hanyan]

[Identity: Current Tower Master of the Dan Tower (Central State's Number One Alchemist)]

[Constitution: Wood Spirit Body (Naturally attuned to all medicines, a walking humanoid divine medicine)]

[Cultivation: Mid-stage Saint Realm]

[Height: 168cm]

[Measurements: 92/62/94 (Curvaceous type, excellent to the touch)]

[Overall Rating: 94 points]

[Core Tags: Alchemy Nut, Gentle, Protective, Top-tier Housewife Vibe (Though unmarried)]

[Conquest Suggestion: The target is completely uninterested in power, force, or wealth. Her only weakness is a pathological obsession with "lost pill formulas" and "top-tier medicinal ingredients." It is suggested to cater to her interests and conquer her using academic knowledge (as bait).]

"94 points..."

Xu Chen looked at the bright red number on the system panel and nodded inwardly.

This score was very fair. Although she might not match someone like Luo Hongyi in terms of sheer, kingdom-toppling beauty, this unique temperament bonus definitely deserved a "five-star review."

"Young Master Xu."

Liu Hanyan put down the ancient book in her hand, her autumn-water eyes quietly gazing at Xu Chen. Her voice was pleasant, soft and waxy with a hint of huskiness, like a feather lightly brushing against the heart.

"If the elders sent you here, then please leave."

She didn't show the slightest fear or flattery because of Xu Chen's prominent Imperial Clan background; her attitude was as calm as if she were treating an ordinary visitor.

"The Dan Tower has its rules, and I have long since sworn an oath to dedicate this life only to the Dao of Alchemy and not to bow to the powerful. Even if you are the son of The Longevity Emperor, I will not make an exception to open the furnace for you."

After speaking, she prepared to turn back and continue reading, clearly issuing an eviction notice.

This was the pride of an "Alchemy Nut." In her world, everything else was a passing cloud compared to pharmacology and pill formulas.

Seeing her cold and distant manner, Xu Chen wasn't angry; instead, he appreciated her even more.

If she were easily persuaded, she wouldn't be the famous Tower Master Liu.

"Tower Master Liu misunderstands."

Xu Chen smiled slightly and sat down in a guest chair of his own accord. His movements were smooth and fluid, as if he were at home.

"I didn't come today to command you as the Young Master of the Imperial Clan, but as a seeker of medicine, to talk business with you."

Liu Hanyan paused, turned her head slightly, and frowned, seemingly a bit helpless against this thick-skinned young man.

"Young Master Xu, the Dan Tower does not lack money or resources. In this world, there is no business that can move me."

There was a faint hint of distance in her tone. As the woman who controlled the lifeline of medicinal pills in the Central State, she had seen many scions of noble families who thought they could buy anything with money.

"Is that so?"

Xu Chen lightly tapped the table with his finger, looking her straight in the eye as he slowly uttered five words:

"Nine Revolutions Replenishing Heaven Pill."

Upon hearing those five words, a violent ripple instantly flashed through Liu Hanyan's eyes, which were originally as calm as water.

She spun around abruptly and stared intently at Xu Chen. Her gentle temperament instantly became sharp, and her breathing quickened.

"How do you know of this pill?"

The Nine Revolutions Replenishing Heaven Pill was a divine pill from ancient legends, said to have the power to seize the creation of heaven and earth and reverse life and death. For every alchemist, it was the ultimate dream that existed only in ancient texts.

"To save my wife."

Xu Chen pulled back his smile, and his expression became solemn.

"She suffers from the affliction of the Nine Aperture Exquisite Heart, and only this pill can save her. I heard that Tower Master Liu's alchemy skills are divine, so I specially crossed domains to seek a pill."

Hearing it was to save his wife, the sharpness in Liu Hanyan's eyes dissipated a bit, replaced by a hint of sympathy, which then turned into a deeper regret.

She sighed softly and shook her head, her curvaceous figure rising and falling slightly with the sigh.

"Young Master Xu, you are a man of deep feeling. But I cannot do this business."

"Why?" Xu Chen asked, knowing the answer.

"Because there is no formula."

Liu Hanyan gave a bitter smile, walked to the window, and looked at the sea of clouds, her tone desolate.

The formula for the Nine Revolutions Replenishing Heaven Pill was lost long ago in the Desolate Ancient era. I spent a hundred years scouring all the ancient texts in the Dan Tower and even searching deep within various secret realms, yet I only managed to piece together less than thirty percent of the remnants."

"Even the cleverest housewife cannot cook without rice. Without a complete formula, let alone me, even if the Medicine Emperor were reborn, he could not refine this heaven-defying divine pill."

At this point, she turned to look at Xu Chen, her eyes filled with apology and the helplessness of an alchemist.

"So, Young Master Xu, please leave. Do not waste your time here."

Seeing her resigned look, Xu Chen laughed inwardly.

The fish has taken the bait, hasn't it?

The more hopeless she said it was, the deeper her obsession with the formula.

"Tower Master Liu."

Xu Chen stood up and walked toward Liu Hanyan step by step.

As he approached, Liu Hanyan subconsciously wanted to retreat, but the windowsill was behind her; there was nowhere to go.

The distance between them shortened to inches. Xu Chen could even smell the pleasant medicinal fragrance on her, mixed with a faint body scent, which was intoxicating.

Xu Chen looked at that gentle face so close at hand, the corner of his mouth curling into an extremely confident arc.

"What if I said..."

"...that I have the formula?"

Liu Hanyan's pupils constricted violently, and she stood there frozen as if struck by lightning.