Chapter Eighteen: A Private Conversation

Pharmacist Shen smiled, her enchanting face shrouded in a faint mist. “Please, tell me, who is the alchemist here?”

Li Mu followed her smile. “Pharmacist Shen, you certainly speak directly. But in this situation, I can’t explain in detail. All I can say is, the person is a friend of mine.”

“Is that really so?” Her bright eyes lingered on Li Mu's face for a long while before she nodded. “Very well, I’ll trust you. But I truly wish to meet him.”

“Even so, that alchemist does not wish to see anyone right now,” Li Mu didn’t back down on this point; after all, few were ever granted an audience.

“In that case,” Pharmacist Shen’s expression turned genuinely earnest, “I sincerely wish only to ask your friend about matters of alchemy. There is no ill intent.”

Li Mu nodded knowingly. “If the circumstances change, I’ll do what I can to let him know.”

She laughed softly, her eyes flashing with a hint of disdain. “Forgive me if I seem impolite. Perhaps you truly cannot reveal more.”

Slightly stung by her scorn, Li Mu could only smile wryly. He had no real understanding of alchemy, and could do little but accept her words.

“Next time,” Pharmacist Shen fell silent. “Next time, I hope I can meet him. Is that possible?”

The final word was emphasized, carrying an unmistakable note of dissatisfaction, as if she fully expected to be heard.

Was this coercion?

Though she seemed earnest, seeking only knowledge of alchemy with no malice, Li Mu still felt uneasy.

But he had no choice but to address it.

Li Mu’s thoughts shifted. “Regarding the Pan Pill, is there anything you wish to know, Pharmacist Shen?”

She smiled confidently. “I have also refined the Pan Pill, but its effects are rather unstable. Some of the auxiliary herbs are flawed, but I can figure that out myself—I’m not sure what else there is to know.”

“Sea Bed Shell, Nine Heart Flower, Dragon Emperor Flower, Seven-Stamen Stone Flower, Dragon Emperor Grass...”

Li Mu spoke almost to himself, watching her expression closely.

At the mention of Dragon Emperor Grass, her face suddenly changed. “What? Dragon Emperor Grass?”

“Yes, Dragon Emperor Grass.” Li Mu thought to himself that he might be onto something.

Hidden behind the veil, her lips parted slightly as she pondered aloud. “The Dragon Emperor Flower is the main herb, but why use Dragon Emperor Grass as an auxiliary? The effects are similar—couldn’t that be excessive... Wait, I see! That’s it! The Dragon Emperor Flower paired with Dragon Emperor Grass—each enhances the other, strengthening the effect while also compressing it, making it more stable! As for the other two auxiliary herbs, I’ll have to consider them more carefully.”

Upon hearing all this, Li Mu was somewhat perplexed, but he realized that Pharmacist Shen had likely grasped the key.

Even if she now understood the main auxiliary herb and managed to produce a stable Pan Pill, it wouldn’t cause much trouble. As far as he knew, Pharmacist Shen only refined pills for the Flower Grove Sect—rarely for sale outside. His business would not be greatly affected. Besides, the main herbs for the Pan Pill came from Pharmacist Shen herself; he had purchased them from her, and so it all came full circle.

A faint blush now colored her cheeks, an intent gleam in her gaze, making her look quite lovely.

“Shopkeeper Li, your friend is truly a prodigy. I have learned so much today—I must thank him.”

Li Mu chuckled quietly. A prodigy? Hardly. He had simply thrown all the herbs haphazardly into the Spirit Tower; the true alchemist would never have paired the Dragon Emperor Flower with Dragon Emperor Grass. He had merely been lucky.

Hearing her change the way she addressed him, Li Mu was momentarily taken aback. “Oh? So you still want to meet him?”

A playful glint shone in her eyes. “Of course I’d like to, but there’s no rush. When the time comes, I’ll see him.”

He thought to himself, “You’ve already seen him, you just don’t believe it.”

But he nodded earnestly. “Pharmacist Shen is right. When fate allows, you will meet.”

With a graceful hand, she adjusted her veil, which had nearly slipped. “My senior brother is rather narrow-minded. In the coming days, Shopkeeper Li, please do not leave the city.”

“I understand. Thank you for your concern.” Li Mu responded with a smile.

Leave the city? Now that he’d reached the Foundation Spirit stage and could ride flying artifacts, there was little reason to venture outside the city.

“In that case, next time. It won’t be long.”

With rippling steps, Pharmacist Shen left the isolation array. Before exiting, she cast Li Mu a meaningful glance.

Wang Qi, who had been waiting outside, saw her emerge and spoke with obvious irritation. “Junior sister, what were you discussing in there to make you so happy?”

Upon seeing him, a faint mist seemed to settle over her face. “Senior brother Wang, we were talking about pills—it’s over now. We can go.”

Wang Qi shot Li Mu a fierce glare. He was always displeased when others spoke with his junior sister, and now that Li Mu had spoken with her for so long, jealousy was plain on his face.

Li Mu merely smiled faintly, unconcerned.

He surmised that Wang Qi’s cultivation was around the mid-stage of Foundation Spirit—not particularly remarkable. In less than a year, Li Mu would be able to avenge Sun Sanjiu.

But that parting remark from Pharmacist Shen—“until next time”—weighed on his mind.

This woman was truly difficult to deal with. It seemed their contest was far from over.

It wasn’t as though he could reveal his secrets; if he had to pay some price, so be it. As long as the pill business continued and his cultivation progressed, there was little else to worry about.

“Sun Qi, close the doors. Today, let’s have something good for dinner.”

Sun Qi hurried out from the backyard, looking at Li Mu with deep respect. “Understood.”

He didn’t know exactly what had happened, but he’d heard Wang Qi’s great displeasure, and yet Li Mu had easily seen off both guests. Sun Qi felt his master’s abilities were growing ever greater.

Li Mu gathered Sun Qi, along with Li Ying and Sun Sanjiu, to enjoy a meal of spiritual grain.

Not long after the shop was closed, two Foundation Spirit cultivators in black robes quietly emerged from the shadows and hurried straight to the City Lord’s mansion.

Inside the mansion—

Qian Yudi looked at the two black-clad cultivators before him. “Did you see clearly?”

“We did. Though she was heavily veiled and used disorienting spells, it was unmistakably Pharmacist Shen from the Flower Grove Sect,” one replied respectfully.

Qian Yudi nodded slightly. “Then that explains it.”

Beside him, Jade Scholar Yu nodded, a trace of mockery on his face. “So all those pills were refined by Pharmacist Shen of the Flower Grove Sect. Ha! She always claims to be above material things, uninterested in spirit crystals or alchemy for profit. She turns down high-paying commissions, yet here she is, conducting shady deals in secret.”

“It’s not a big deal—just a few dozen Pan Pills. Most of her clients are our men from the Jade Iron Sect. Let them be,” Qian Yudi instructed. “You two, no need to keep watch every day—just check in a few times a month.”

The two black-clad cultivators bowed in acknowledgment and withdrew.

Jade Scholar Yu looked at Qian Yudi. “This Li Mu—he’s from the Flower Grove Sect as well?”

“I don’t know, and it doesn’t matter. He’s only at the Qi Condensation stage. Even with triple the talent, he’s nothing to be concerned about.” Qian Yudi’s face showed a hint of disdain. “That Li Si you recruited—how is he progressing?”

“He’s got four rings of talent and is advancing rapidly—already reached mid-stage Qi Condensation. What I value most is his hunger for vengeance. When that transforms into killing intent, he’ll be very useful to us,” Jade Scholar Yu chuckled. “In a few days, it’ll be time to send him out for his first trial.”

“Oh, just keep an eye on him—don’t let him go astray. Our Jade Iron Sect needs such prodigies,” Qian Yudi said as he slowly walked away.

“Astray? Ha, don’t worry.” Jade Scholar Yu laughed with satisfaction.