144: Chapter 144 If she can't refine it, I will!

"Deal."

As those two words fell, the atmosphere inside the Cloud Top Medicine Pavilion became somewhat flirtatious.

Liu Hanyan's hand was enveloped by Xu Chen's large hand, and the warmth from his palm caused her Dao heart, which had been silent for many years, to slightly lose its rhythm.

Her eyelids drooped, and her long eyelashes trembled slightly, like a little girl caught doing something wrong. Where was there even a trace of the Dan Tower Master's majesty?

Xu Chen looked at the peerless, top-tier mature beauty before him, a satisfied curve tugging at the corners of his mouth.

"Since we're on the same side now, shouldn't Tower Master Liu change how she addresses me?"

Xu Chen leaned forward slightly, his other hand naturally tucking a stray lock of hair behind her ear. The movement was so intimate it was as if the two were already an old married couple.

"Calling me 'Young Master' is too formal. Why not call me..."

Bang—!!!

A deafening roar instantly interrupted the flirtation Xu Chen was about to voice, shattering the room's ambiguous pink bubbles.

The two thick, precious red sandalwood doors were kicked open from the outside. Amidst the flying wood chips, there were even several distinct charred footprints.

"Liu Hanyan! Have you no shame?!"

Accompanied by a sharp cry, a fiery red figure burst in, bringing with it rolling waves of heat.

The newcomer was Xiao Yu, who had been snubbed at the door earlier.

She had changed into a more capable-looking set of crimson alchemist robes that perfectly outlined her fiery figure. Her red hair was tied up high, and she held a dark red alchemy cauldron in her hand, clearly having stormed back in a rage.

When she saw the scene inside the room, she instantly exploded.

Xu Chen and Liu Hanyan were standing extremely close, their hands tightly clasped together in an intimate posture.

"I knew it! I knew you two wouldn't be up to any good hiding here alone together!"

Xiao Yu rushed forward in a few steps, pointing at Liu Hanyan's nose. Her beautiful almond eyes were filled with disbelief and frustration—and, more than that, a hint of jealousy she hadn't even noticed herself.

"Senior Sister, you usually act like a fairy who doesn't eat the food of mortals, lecturing me about how 'the path of alchemy is supreme, and love is empty.' And the result? How long has it been? Just for a pretty boy you just met, you've even thrown away the Dan Tower's dignity?"

Liu Hanyan's face, originally shy from the confrontation, instantly darkened.

Although she was a gentle woman in front of Xu Chen, she was a long-established, authoritative senior sister to Xiao Yu.

"Xiao Yu, shut your mouth."

Liu Hanyan calmly withdrew her hand from Xu Chen's grasp and straightened her collar, her cold and aloof aura returning.

"Young Master Xu possesses the long-lost recipe for the Nine Revolutions Replenishing Heaven Pill. To restore this divine pill and for the glory of the Dan Tower, I have reached a cooperation with him. What is wrong with that? What does a little girl like you, who only knows how to be competitive all day, know about the greater good?"

"Bah! What greater good? I think you just lust after his body!"

Xiao Yu spat unceremoniously, then slammed the alchemy cauldron onto the floor with a loud thud. With her hands on her hips, she completely ignored Liu Hanyan's murderous gaze and turned to look at Xu Chen, her chin held high like a proud little peacock.

"Hey! You, surnamed Xu!"

"Don't you just want to refine that Replenishing Heaven Pill? Why look for her? Her skills are long outdated!"

Xiao Yu pointed a thumb at herself, her face full of confidence.

"She possesses the Wood Spirit Body; her temperament is too mild. Refining pills with her is like embroidery—slow and tedious. An ancient divine pill like the Nine Revolutions Replenishing Heaven Pill has extremely fierce medicinal properties. With her gentle fire, she wouldn't be able to refine it in a hundred years!"

As she spoke, she opened her palm.

Boom!

A cluster of purple-black flames instantly rose from her palm.

The flame was shaped like a dragon. As soon as it appeared, the surrounding space was scorched and distorted, and a wild, destructive aura instantly filled the entire hall.

"See this? This is the 'Three Thousand Blazing Flames,' ranked ninth on the Heavenly Flame Ranking! It is an undying fire that counters all things in the world!"

Xiao Yu looked at Xu Chen triumphantly, waving the flame in front of him. Her eyes held a hint of provocation and a trace of expectation.

"Well? Is this lady's fire hot enough?"

"Give me the recipe! I'll refine it for you! And I guarantee the refining speed will be faster than hers, and the success rate will be higher!"

At this point, she seemed to feel that talking only about business was a bit too stiff, so she awkwardly added:

"As long as you agree to let me refine it... I'll be magnanimous and won't hold it against you for bullying me on the street earlier!"

Looking at this "Little Chili" who had suddenly barged in to intercept the deal, Xu Chen couldn't help but laugh out loud.

Although Xiao Yu had a bit of a temper, this Three Thousand Blazing Flames was indeed something.

"Oh?"

Xu Chen crossed his arms and looked at Xiao Yu leisurely, his gaze sweeping over her chest, which was heaving violently from excitement.

"You want to refine it too?"

"Naturally!" Xiao Yu raised her head. "In the entire Central Plains, besides that elusive Alchemy Emperor, whose fire control skills can surpass mine?"

"A pity..."

Xu Chen shook his head and extended a finger, gently pushing the flame Xiao Yu had brought close a bit further away, looking quite regretful.

"The fire is good, but the person... isn't quite up to it."

"Who are you calling not up to it?!" Xiao Yu instantly bristled like a cat whose tail had been stepped on.

"I'm talking about you."

Xu Chen reined in his smile and began to spout nonsense with a straight face:

"The Nine Revolutions Replenishing Heaven Pill emphasizes 'Yin-Yang harmony and gentle nourishment.' Your temperament is too dry, and your fire is too aggressive. If I let you refine it, I'm afraid the cauldron would explode before the pill even formed."

"And..."

Xu Chen turned his head to look at Liu Hanyan, who was standing quietly by his side, his eyes revealing unshielded admiration.

"My Tower Master Liu is as gentle as water, meticulous and considerate. Refining pills with her is an enjoyment; refining with you is risking my life."

"You! You have no taste!"

Xiao Yu stomped her feet in anger, and the Heavenly Flame at her fingertips almost spiraled out of control and singed Xu Chen's eyebrows.

"Who's dry? This lady is called passionate! Do you understand passion?!"

"Besides, what does alchemy need gentleness for? It needs strength! Strength!"

She was unwilling. Why? Why would this man rather choose an "old woman" like Liu Hanyan than take a second look at a young and beautiful Saintess like her?

"That's enough."

Liu Hanyan finally spoke. She stepped forward, her body emitting the pressure of a Saint Realm Mid-stage expert. Though gentle, it was indisputable.

"Xiao Yu, stop fooling around. The Nine Revolutions Replenishing Heaven Pill is no small matter; there's no room for error. Young Master Xu has already made his choice. Please leave."

"You're kicking me out?"

Xiao Yu's eyes widened. She looked at Liu Hanyan and then at Xu Chen, who stood beside her with a faint smile. She felt incredibly wronged.

This shameless couple! They were teaming up to bully her!

"Fine! Very well!"

Xiao Yu gritted her silver teeth, forcing back the tears in her eyes. Her finger pointing at Xu Chen was trembling.

"Since you two are so 'in love,' then this lady won't stay here to be an eyesore!"

"Liu Hanyan, you just wait! At this Alchemy Convention, I will definitely trample you under my feet in front of all the alchemists in the world! I will prove to everyone that I am the strongest alchemist in the Dan Tower!"

"And you! Surnamed Xu!"

She gave Xu Chen a fierce glare, her eyes looking as if she wanted to pounce on him and take a bite.

"You'll regret this! Sooner or later, you'll come crying to beg this lady to refine pills for you!"

After her harsh words, Xiao Yu violently flicked her sleeve, picked up the cauldron from the floor, and turned into a streak of red light, storming out of the Cloud Top Medicine Pavilion in a fit of rage.

Watching her disappearing figure, Xu Chen didn't stop her, but the smile at the corners of his mouth deepened.

This girl had set such a standard flag; it was practically written on her forehead: "Come and slap my face."

"I've made a fool of myself before Young Master Xu."

Liu Hanyan sighed softly and looked away. She also had a massive headache because of this junior sister; they had to argue every time they met.

"No matter. Young people having a bit of fire is a good thing."

Xu Chen waved his hand, then turned around, his eyes burning as he looked at Liu Hanyan.

"The nuisance is gone. Tower Master Liu, it's time we talk business."

"Refining this Nine Revolutions Replenishing Heaven Pill is not easy. Besides the recipe and ingredients, we need an absolutely quiet, undisturbed secret room. And... to ensure the success rate, we might need to 'cooperate deeply' for a period of time."

Hearing the words "cooperate deeply," Liu Hanyan's face, which had just returned to normal, became slightly flushed again.

She naturally knew what refining such a divine pill meant.

It wasn't just a physical drain, but a blending of souls. Even... to precisely control every step, physical contact between the two would be unavoidable.

"I understand."

Liu Hanyan lowered her gaze to hide her inner shyness. Her voice was soft but firm.

"I have a private forbidden land called the 'Medicine Spirit Abyss.' It has the Dan Tower's strongest Spirit Gathering Array and is also where I usually go for secluded cultivation. Aside from me, no man has ever set foot there."

She Raise your head， Looking at Xu Chen， He made an inviting gesture.。

"Young Master Xu, please follow me."