Unlike Lü Jidao, who was serious and solemn, Ye Lanshan lazily took out the Divine Cauldron and the herbs, sorting them one by one and placing them neatly to the side. What was usually a tedious and boring process of alchemy became, in her hands, a work of art—so pleasing to the eye. The few youths who had previously dismissed her now watched her with admiration and fascination. It was too beautiful; none of them had ever seen anyone practice alchemy with such elegance.
Lü Jidao, using his peripheral vision to watch her graceful alchemy, felt his jealousy grow even stronger and threw himself into his own pill-making with greater fervor. A fragrance of medicine wafted out as the pill was completed. Lü Jidao smiled smugly; this batch was better than any he had made before, just a hair's breadth away from reaching the sixth grade.
Meanwhile, Ye Lanshan continued her unhurried practice. The pill she was refining this time was a more complex one, so it took longer to complete. Indeed, this pill was crafted for those who cultivated both spiritual and mystical energy. Not only was it absent here, but even in the cultivation world, such a pill did not exist. It could be said that she had entirely devised it herself.
To be honest, the pills she had truly researched were few, as even in the cultivation world, alchemy was not her forte. But now, cultivating both mystical and spiritual power, she naturally needed to develop a new pill that could quickly replenish both energies. Although it was her first time refining this pill, she remained completely unflustered, still calm and composed. Truly, a genius was a genius; even when crafting a new type of pill, she still managed to produce a divine-grade one.
Thunder rumbled as it gathered, and a bolt of lightning struck directly onto the Divine Cauldron. Yet the cauldron was utterly unafraid of the lightning; the bolt left not even a scratch on its surface. The fragrance of the pill filled the entire courtyard. It really was a divine pill. They had thought it was just a rumor, but it turned out to be true—she was truly a divine-grade alchemist.
"I win. Now it's time for you to fulfill your promise." Ye Lanshan stored this batch of pills in a bottle, put away the Divine Cauldron, stood up, brushed off the dust that shouldn't have been there, and stepped in front of Lü Jidao.
Lü Jidao's eyes flashed with disbelief. How could this be? How could she really have refined a divine pill? No matter how much he refused to believe it, the fact was undeniable, leaving him no room to argue.
"I..."
Lü Jidao now wanted to back out, but Ye Lanshan seemed to see through his intentions. Her indifferent eyes turned icy and oppressive as she fixed her gaze on him, not allowing him to utter a single word of refusal.
"A man of honor—you're not thinking of going back on your word, are you?" Atang had to admit he hit the mark. Though Lü Jidao thought it, he dared not say it aloud, especially with a fearsome presence like Sikong Feihe around. Even if he had ten times the courage, he wouldn't dare voice any excuse to renege.
He only muttered, "There's a lot of stuff in my room. Let me take a couple of days to sort it out. In two or three days, I'll hand over all my possessions to you."
"Mm. You're Zhou Zizhi, right? Keep an eye on him for me. If he tries to run or hide anything, just let me know."
"Ah..."
Zhou Zizhi, who had been called out, blushed and looked up, a bit startled, as if he hadn't expected Ye Lanshan to name him. Ye Lanshan repeated her words, and only then did Zhou Zizhi snap back to reality.
"Yeah, right, sure. You can leave this to me. I'll handle it perfectly and get all his property for you." He patted his chest repeatedly in assurance.
"You." Lü Jidao glared at him viciously. If not for the fearsome presence there, he would have already torn several pieces of flesh from Zhou Zizhi. Of course, Zhou Zizhi glared back without backing down.
"They've all left. Aren't you going?" Ye Lanshan glanced slightly irritably at Sikong Feihe, who was lounging comfortably against the doorframe.
"Why should I leave? Give me a reason I have to go." Sikong Feihe leaned against the doorframe, speaking teasingly.
"If you want to stay, then stay." Ye Lanshan pulled Atang into the house.
"You're saying Yun Di was ambushed in the Medicine Valley?" Ye Lanshan frowned tightly upon hearing the urgent matter Atang had wanted to tell her. Who wanted to kill them? The first wave of assassins had just been dealt with, and another came. After much thought, the biggest suspect was the Sikong family, but Sikong Cheng and his people couldn't possibly gather wave after wave of assassins to surround them in such a short time.
"Hey, do I look that scary? You won't even spare me a glance." Sikong Feihe was getting bored standing outside, but he was afraid that barging in would leave a bad impression on Ye Lanshan, so he could only call out from outside.
"If you don't speak, no one will think you're mute. And what does it matter to me whether you're good-looking or not?" Ye Lanshan stepped out and gave him a faint glance. Though she didn't show her inner agitation, Sikong Feihe could keenly sense her restlessness.
"What, something bothering you? Tell me about it. Maybe I can help." As he spoke, Sikong Feihe took off his mask. What kind of face lay hidden beneath it? So sinisterly handsome, with captivating peach-blossom eyes and a wicked smile that could indeed strike straight to the soul. One glance would etch it deeply into memory. That wickedness was different from Mo Ran's; Mo Ran was unrestrained and free as the wind, while he had struggled between light and darkness, stained by the purest black of this world yet retaining a trace of the purest white, as if the wickedness was just a protective shell.
"Sorry, I don't know you well." Ye Lanshan spoke with cold detachment. Though a flicker of admiration passed through her eyes, the face of Ye Yutian surfaced in her mind. She quickly shook her head—what was wrong with her? Why was she suddenly thinking of him?
"My name is Sikong Feihe."
Sikong Feihe was also from the Sikong family? What was his purpose in approaching her? To kill her, to recruit her, or to use her to track down Sikong Kuang? In an instant, various thoughts flooded Ye Lanshan's mind. The only thing she didn't consider was how much Sikong Feihe despised the Sikong family, nor did she think that he simply wanted to be her friend.
"Now we're acquainted. You can tell me what's going on."
Sikong Feihe seemed not to notice her wary gaze, raising his peach-blossom eyes with a hint of frivolity.
"We've only met once. Your eagerness only makes me doubt your intentions."
Ye Lanshan said this as if casually, her eyes appearing indifferent, but if one looked closely, they would see her scrutinizing the subtle changes in Sikong Feihe's expression. Unfortunately, Sikong Feihe was also someone who didn't show his emotions; his face remained utterly unchanged.