91: Chapter 91 Is this person some kind of fraud?

Ye Changge took a deep breath, calming his mind.

First, he took out several jade boxes from his Storage Pouch and arranged them neatly on the stone platform to the side.

The most important among them was a jade box carefully preserved with a Talisman,

inside which was the very "nourishing dew immortal ganoderma" that Su Xiaotang had gifted him.

It was one of the core main ingredients for refining the foundation establishment pill.

"The Family seems prosperous now, but its Foundation is actually still shallow."

"Old Ancestor Ye Fan is getting on in years and plagued by old injuries. If an effective longevity-extending spiritual item or treatment method isn't found, I'm afraid..."

Ye Changge looked at the nourishing dew immortal ganoderma, his eyes narrowing slightly,

"I must plan ahead. If I can successfully refine the foundation establishment pill, even if the Old Ancestor truly cannot be saved, the Family will have a new Foundation Establishment seed to carry on. Moreover, with a foundation establishment pill in hand, if I encounter a longevity treasure in the future, I'll have a valuable currency to trade with."

Having made up his mind, Ye Changge no longer hesitated.

He first familiarized himself with the various facilities in the Earth Fire Chamber, adjusted the earth fire to the appropriate temperature, then washed his hands and focused his mind, bringing himself to his peak state.

He handled the other auxiliary herbs first, slicing, grinding, or extracting juices; his movements were skilled and fluid, like flowing water.

The skills of a Second-Rank Alchemist were displayed to the fullest in his hands.

The heat, timing, and intensity of spiritual power penetration for each herb were handled perfectly.

Finally, he solemnly peeled off the Seal Talisman and opened the jade box containing the nourishing dew immortal ganoderma.

A crisp, refreshing medicinal fragrance, containing boundless vitality and pure water Spiritual Qi, instantly filled the air,

even temporarily overpowering the dry heat of the Earth Fire Chamber itself.

The immortal ganoderma was like jade throughout, with several drops of spiritual liquid resembling morning dew condensed on its cap, glowing with inner radiance.

Ye Changge carefully used a jade knife to take the required amount, preserving the roots and stem in case they could be cultivated in the future.

Then, he took all the prepared herbs and, following a specific order and technique,

tossed them one by one into the crimson Pill Furnace.

The furnace lid closed, and Ye Changge sat cross-legged before it, his hands forming incantations,

his Divine Sense, like the most precise tentacles, probed into the Pill Furnace,

closely monitoring every minute change in the Fusion of medicinal liquids, the refinement of Impurities, and the convergence of spiritual power.

Under his precise control, the earth fire constantly shifted, sometimes simmering like a gentle flame, sometimes attacking fiercely like a martial flame...

While Ye Changge was fully focused on Alchemy, in the front hall of the Hundred Herbs Pavilion, the shop door was pushed open gently once again.

A woman dressed in an elegant palace-style long dress walked in.

She had a slender and graceful figure with exquisite curves. Her hair was loosely styled, with a few strands falling by her cheeks, making her originally bright and moving face look somewhat weary.

It was the proprietor of the Hundred Herbs Pavilion, Xiao Yurou.

She seemed to have just returned from a long journey, travel-worn, with a hint of sorrow locked between her brows.

Half a month ago, she had obtained a clue that a certain secluded Great Master Alchemist thousands of miles away might possess a Pill Formula called the "Mystic Yin Vein-Nourishing Pill," which could effectively suppress Yang Qi.

She went full of hope, and as it turned out, the other party did have the Pill Formula,

but the conditions offered made her feel deeply humiliated.

In addition to an astronomical price in Spirit Stones, he even hinted that she should spend a night with him!

Xiao Yurou was soft on the outside but firm on the inside; how could she accept such an insult?

She immediately refused in no uncertain terms and left in anger.

However, with her hopes shattered, her mood on the return journey was inevitably low.

She sighed softly and rubbed her brow. She was about to call for Xiao Zhi when she heard the faint, characteristic spiritual power fluctuations of the Earth Fire Chamber coming from the backyard.

"Hmm? Is someone using my Earth Fire Chamber?"

At that moment, Xiao Zhi heard the commotion in the front hall and came skipping out. Seeing Xiao Yurou, her eyes instantly lit up, and she pounced over like a cheerful little bird.

"Master! You're back!"

She hugged Xiao Yurou's arm tightly, her small face full of the joy of reunion.

A warmth spread through Xiao Yurou's heart, and the fatigue from her journey and disappointment seemed to dissipate slightly.

She gently stroked her young disciple's soft hair, a faint smile appearing on her face.

"Yes, Master is back."

But soon, she noticed that the spiritual power fluctuations from the Earth Fire Chamber were continuous and stable, and her brows furrowed imperceptibly.

"Xiao Zhi," Xiao Yurou turned her gaze toward the backyard and asked softly, "Did you use the Alchemy room?"

"No, Master."

Xiao Zhi shook her head quickly, then remembered something. Her cheeks flushed slightly, and her voice lowered, tinged with embarrassment,

"It's... it's that Senior who came. He wanted to use the Alchemy room, so I... I lent it to him."

"Senior?" Xiao Yurou was startled, then recalled the Senior with an extraordinary bearing whom Xiao Zhi often rambled about in her ear.

She had originally thought it was just the naive admiration of a young girl and hadn't taken it to heart.

Hearing Xiao Zhi mention it now, the first thing that arose in her heart wasn't relief, but a trace of doubt and faint anxiety.

To an Alchemist, a Pill Furnace is like a Sword Cultivator's sword—it's the tool of their trade and almost never leaves their side.

It's understandable to go out once without it, but how could he not bring it every single time?

Why did he insist on renting the Earth Fire Chamber of her tiny Hundred Herbs Pavilion?

Xiao Yurou's gaze fell on Xiao Zhi's simple and trusting face,

and then she thought of her own Pill Furnace, which, though not of a high rank,

had been with her for many years and was now in the same room as that "Senior." Her heart grew tense.

Could the other party have ulterior motives?

Was approaching the simple-minded Xiao Zhi for the sake of this shop, or... for something else?

Once this thought arose, Xiao Yurou couldn't sit still.

She took Xiao Zhi's hand, wanting to go to the backyard's Earth Fire Chamber to see for herself and expose this potentially ill-intentioned "fraud" on the spot.

However, after taking only two steps, she suddenly stopped.

What if she was just overthinking it?

What if the other party really just... didn't like traveling with a heavy Pill Furnace?

Although this reason sounded extremely far-fetched to an Alchemist, it wasn't entirely impossible.

Perhaps he hadn't planned on performing Alchemy when he left this time, and a need had arisen unexpectedly?

More importantly,

Xiao Yurou's heart skipped a beat.

If, if he really was an Alchemist, and perhaps... a skilled one?

She had just returned in defeat, and that Pill Formula remained elusive.

Her own connections were limited, and the Alchemists she knew could be counted on one hand.

This "Senior" before her, who could make Xiao Zhi trust him so much and seemed to have some connection to the Ye Family—

could there be... a slight possibility that he knew some obscure Pill Formulas or had relevant connections?

If she were to barge in now and disturb his Alchemy, it would be a major taboo among Alchemists.

At best, a batch of Medicinal Pills would be ruined; at worst, it could trigger a backlash from the earth fire or even create a lasting grudge.

If the other party truly had skill, her action would be tantamount to cutting off a potential lifeline for herself.

Thinking of this, Xiao Yurou took a deep breath and forced herself to calm down.

She looked at the oblivious Xiao Zhi and tried to make her tone sound calm:

"Xiao Zhi, do you... do you know what kind of Medicinal Pill this Senior is refining inside? About... how much longer will it take?"