Chapter 7: Refinement

Chapter 7: Refining

Restless spiritual energy began to converge in the room. Xue An uttered a soft command, and the once turbulent energy immediately became docile.

"Enter!"

The spiritual energy surged like a tidal wave into the sphere floating in mid-air, and the dark brown liquid within gradually became clear and bright. A rich, medicinal fragrance permeated the air. Xue An knew the Peiyuan Pill was complete. Although the quality of the medicinal herbs was poor, relying on his own cultivation, he had still managed to refine a top-grade pill.

But it was not enough.

Xue An formed a sword seal with his fingers and slashed sharply across his brow. A drop of golden blood appeared in his hand, causing his complexion to turn slightly weary.

"Merge!"

The golden blood contained terrifying energy; the moment it touched the forming Peiyuan Pill, it seized control, rapidly dyeing the amber pill gold. An indescribable, delicate fragrance quickly filled the entire villa.

"What is that smell? It’s so fragrant!" Qin Yu, lying in her bed, caught the scent. "Is that guy up to something again? But this scent is simply heavenly!" She felt as if she were floating on air. Having long suffered from insomnia, she drifted into a deep sleep within moments.

At that moment, the Peiyuan Pill was finally finished. Looking at the two golden pills, Xue An let out a long breath. He had never been this tense, not even when refining Great Dao-grade pills in the past, especially since he had used his own essence blood.

But it was all worth it. These two pills were faintly imbued with destiny, having surpassed the Earth-grade to reach at least the Heaven-grade. If any expert in alchemy were here, they would likely curse Xue An for such extravagance. The Peiyuan Pill was merely a foundational pill for building one’s base, something even mortals could consume. An Earth-grade version would have been more than sufficient, yet Xue An had lavishly refined a Heaven-grade one.

However, for his daughters, everything was worth it.

Watching the two little girls sleeping soundly, Xue An smiled slightly and placed the two pills near their lips. As if possessing a life of their own, the pills dissolved into liquid and slipped into their mouths. Xue Xiang murmured and turned over in her sleep. Xue Nian smacked her lips and whispered, "So fragrant!"

Xue An smiled and gently patted Xue Nian. "Be good, go to sleep."

***

Xue Nian fell back into a deep slumber. Although the two little girls might not need one-hundredth of the pill's efficacy yet, the benefits for their future were boundless. After the refining was done, some blackish medicinal dregs remained. Xue An gathered them up and fused them into a common-grade Peiyuan Pill. To him, this was tasteless and not worth keeping, but he kept it anyway. Just in case it came in handy.

The next day, Qin Yu woke up, stretched languidly, and felt she had never had such a comfortable sleep in her life.

Eh? She suddenly noticed something strange outside the window. Hearing the servants whispering, she walked over and saw an astonishing sight. The garden, which had been stripped of leaves due to the bitter cold, had blossomed overnight. Even the ginkgo tree was covered in new green leaves.

What was going on? Qin Yu was puzzled. When she looked in the mirror while washing up, she froze. She had always been beautiful, but she had never been this radiant. She suddenly recalled the strange fragrance from the night before. Could this be related to that scent?

With this doubt, she went downstairs to the living room. Xue Xiang and Xue Nian were already up, watching Peppa Pig. Qin Yu paused, stunned. She realized the two little girls had suddenly become... so much more beautiful. They were already cute yesterday, but compared to today, that paled in comparison. Not to mention anything else, the faint, clean fragrance radiating from the two little girls made one want to get close to them. They seemed to have become even purer, like porcelain dolls without a single impurity.

"Little girls, which one of you is the older sister and which is the younger?" Qin Yu could not help but ask.

Xue Xiang looked up at Qin Yu and wrinkled her little nose. "Sister, you shouldn't talk to us while we're watching TV!"

Qin Yu felt awkward. Had she just been lectured by a child?

At this moment, Xue An walked into the living room and said coolly, "Xiangxiang, remember to call older women 'Auntie' in the future, not 'Sister'!"

Qin Yu was incensed. "Who are you calling old?"

Xue An looked at her. "If you still want to save your grandfather, remember to use polite language when speaking to me."

"You..." Qin Yu’s eyebrows arched in anger, her heart grinding with teeth-clenching hatred. *Let’s see how arrogant you can be. Just wait... hmph! I’ll make you regret this!*

Just then, Qin Yuan came downstairs, looking agitated. He said to Xue An, "Mr. Xue, the grass outside is..."

Xue An replied indifferently, "I did it."

"I knew it! Mr. Xue is truly a divine man! To make a hundred flowers bloom overnight—such methods are unheard of!"

Qin Yu muttered discontentedly on the side, "Everything is his doing; is there any proof?"

Xue An frowned. This woman was truly brainless.

"Yu'er, don't be rude! Mr. Xue, please don't take offense! Yu'er grew up abroad and acts impulsively..."

Xue An waved his hand. "If I took offense, she wouldn't be standing here right now. Speak, what price are you willing to pay to buy your life?"

Before Qin Yuan could speak, footsteps were heard from outside, and an old man sneered, "I’d like to see what kind of 'divine doctor' has such a big mouth—buying a life with money?"

A group of people walked in. Leading them was a pale-faced, gloomy-looking old man with white hair, followed by several young men and women who all looked arrogant.

Seeing the old man, Qin Yu smiled and walked up to him. "Master Hua, you're here!"

Master Hua Xingyu was a highly renowned medical saint in Beijiang. While not quite on par with the great doctors of Zhongdu, he was still formidable. A beautiful woman in elegant attire behind the old man smiled and said, "Grandpa, this is my best friend, Qin Yu!"

Hua Tingting—Qin Yu's best friend and Hua Xingyu's granddaughter. Qin Yu’s reliance stemmed from this connection. She glanced at Xue An triumphantly, thinking, *You’re done for now! This is the most prestigious medical expert in Beijiang; your little tricks will be exposed immediately.*

But Xue An just sat there quietly, his expression indifferent, as if none of this had anything to do with him.

Qin Yuan’s expression turned sour, but since Hua Xingyu was a top-tier figure in Beijiang, he stood up and cupped his hands. "So it is Elder Hua! Please, sit!"

Hua Xingyu returned the gesture. "Old Master Qin, it’s been a while, yet you still look quite robust!" After sitting down, he cast a gloomy glance at Xue An and finally asked, "I wonder, who is this?"

Xue An replied calmly, "My name is Xue An."