Early the next morning, Xie Cheng arrived at her doorstep bearing gifts.
The stone door of the cave dwelling swung open. Upon seeing Shi Yu, Xie Cheng said with deep emotion, “It truly is you, my young friend.”
“Long time no see.” Shi Yu stepped aside slightly to welcome him in, then raised an eyebrow and teased, using the title she had heard from the auction house manager, “Third Master Xie?”
Xie Cheng cupped his hands and let out a hearty laugh, walking in alongside her.
It had been several months since their hurried parting last time. Shi Yu noticed that Xie Cheng looked somewhat worn and haggard, lacking his former vigor. Although a smile rested on his face, it could not hide the deep worry in his eyes.
The two sat down in the pavilion, exchanged pleasantries, and began to reminisce.
“Back in the Fulong Mountain Range, it was all thanks to your Spirit Wandering Talisman that my servant and I were teleported two hundred miles away, holding off those villains for a long time.” Recalling that day, he still felt a lingering sense of apprehension. “The Detoxification Pills you gave us were exceptionally effective as well. By the time the pursuers caught up, the poison was mostly purged. After half a day of battling, we managed to turn the tables and kill them both, escaping danger.”
He spoke understatedly, but it was easy to imagine just how perilous that situation had been.
Shi Yu poured two cups of tea and pushed one toward him. “It's good that you are safe.”
Xie Cheng picked up the teacup and took a small sip. “I knew early on that you were no ordinary person, my young friend, but I never expected you to be the very alchemist who has been making such a splash lately.”
When the manager came to report the news, Xie Cheng had been immensely astonished. Yet, remembering how casually Shi Yu had discussed the properties of spiritual plants in the Fulong Mountain Range, he realized it was only natural.
With that, Xie Cheng produced the gift he had specifically brought along. “After our hasty parting in the mountain range that day, I only now have the chance to offer you a proper token of gratitude.”
With a warm smile, he handed the item over to Shi Yu.
It was a long, slender jade box. Shi Yu accepted it and opened the lid, revealing a translucent orchid that looked as though it had been sculpted from crystal. Its petals were clear and colorless, save for the delicate blush of pink at their tips, giving it a remarkably tender and charming appearance.
She raised an eyebrow, recognizing it at a glance. “Nutmeg Orchid.”
Once a cultivator reached the Foundation Establishment Realm, the aging process would slow significantly, but only upon achieving the Golden Core Realm would their appearance freeze entirely, halting aging altogether.
However, attaining a Golden Core was exceedingly difficult. The vast majority of cultivators remained stuck in the Qi Refining or Foundation Establishment Realms for their entire lives, so their physical appearances would inevitably wither with time.
Yet, there was an item capable of altering this fate: the Youth-Preserving Pill.
Ingesting a Youth-Preserving Pill could freeze one's appearance at their prime. A low-grade Youth-Preserving Pill could preserve one's youth for ten years, while a high-grade one could extend it to thirty years.
As cultivators seeking the Grand Dao of longevity, many found it unbearable to watch themselves grow old. Female cultivators who cherished their beauty were especially eager to spend substantial amounts of spirit stones to procure a single Youth-Preserving Pill. Consequently, whenever one appeared, it inevitably sparked fierce bidding wars.
And this Nutmeg Orchid was precisely the primary ingredient for concocting Youth-Preserving Pills.
Knowing Shi Yu was a woman, Xie Cheng had tailored his gift to her preferences, presenting a spiritual flower of no small value. His generosity was commendable.
“Then I shall accept it.” Shi Yu did not bother with polite refusals or empty pleasantries, storing it straightforwardly into her Fate-Tapping Bell.
Xie Cheng let out a soft laugh, though a look of hesitation soon surfaced on his face. “There is... one more matter...”
Shi Yu looked up at him, having already guessed a portion of it. “Does it concern Xie Zhixun?”
Xie Cheng gave a bitter smile. “You are sharp, my young friend.”
It wasn't difficult to guess. When they first met, Shi Yu had felt something was amiss with Xie Zhixun. Though in his early twenties, his intellect was like that of a young child.
Seeing Xie Cheng look so haggard, it was most likely related to this young master he cherished so dearly.
“Speak freely, Third Master Xie.”
Xie Cheng paused for a moment before speaking slowly: “When the young master was a child, he was afflicted by a rare, insidious poison. Composed of nine distinct toxins, it is extraordinarily tyrannical. The nine toxins exist in a delicate balance; it does not take his life, but it utterly destroys his future. The young master was originally gifted with high natural talent—a High-grade Two-fractions Spiritual Meridian. Yet after falling victim to this poison, he was not only unable to cultivate, but his body stopped growing altogether.”
“Over ten years ago, I brought him away from the main city to live in an ice chamber near the Yuxu Sect, using the Mystic Ice Bed inside to suppress the toxins so that he could grow up. However... he remains unable to cultivate, and his intellect stays trapped in his youth.”
After listening, Shi Yu spoke up: “Tell me about the poison in greater detail.”
Xie Cheng nodded and continued: “Some of the nine toxins counteract each other, while others nurture each other, forming a stable equilibrium. The toxic properties remain dormant, so it won't kill him. Consequently, when attempting to cure it, all nine toxins must be purged simultaneously. If that balance is broken in the slightest, the poison will erupt violently, taking the young master's life.”
Shi Yu frowned slightly upon hearing this.
This meant the poison could not be cured piecemeal; the detoxifying ingredients had to be refined together at the same time. Yet the properties of various detoxifying ingredients would inevitably interfere with or conflict with one another... It was by no means an easy task.
As she pondered, a thought struck her, and she asked, “Since you were suppressing the poison with the Mystic Ice Bed all along, why did you return to the main city now?”
Xie Cheng let out another bitter smile at her question. “A cultivator specializing in poison arts claimed he could cure it, so I brought the young master back.”
Shi Yu rested her chin on her hand and asked, “And then...?”
“The Clan Head treated him as an honored guest, but upon seeing the young master, that cultivator demanded our Xie Clan's secret inheritance technique as his reward,” Xie Cheng said, his eyes darkening with anger. “Our secret technique is a guarded heritage, meant to be practiced solely by successive Clan Heads. How could we ever hand it over to an outsider!”
“I see.” Shi Yu nodded in understanding.
Xie Cheng's expression was filled with gloom. He had turned to Shi Yu out of desperation. After all, the Clan Head had invited all the alchemists from the Alchemist Association, including President Song, a Tier-4 alchemist, yet none of them had a solution for the poison.
He sighed softly. “Regardless of success or failure, any alchemist who attempts to cure him will be granted one thousand spirit stones so that their trip is not in vain. If someone actually cures the young master's poison, the Xie Clan will present them with a grand reward! I wonder if you, my young friend...”
Shi Yu thought of Xie Zhixun, the foolish yet pure and innocent youth. After a moment's contemplation, she nodded. “I shall go and give it a try.”
Xie Cheng nodded, forcing a grateful smile.
In truth, he didn't expect Shi Yu to actually cure the poison either; he was simply clinging to any ray of hope like a drowning man grasping at straws.
“Then let us arrange for seven days from now. Please pay us a visit then, my young friend. Over the past few days, the young master has drawn a lot of poisonous blood for everyone to study, leaving his body rather weak.”
Shi Yu nodded and agreed to the arrangement.
...
Over the next few days, Qingzhou ran errands outside, purchasing a large quantity of high-quality spiritual plants and materials.
Perhaps because he possessed spirit beast bloodline power and was naturally more sensitive to spiritual Qi, he could discern quality on his own without Shi Yu having to instruct him. He was never cheated during purchases, always selecting the finest items, which saved Shi Yu a great deal of trouble.
Now equipped with abundant supplies, Shi Yu let loose and began preparing goods for opening her shop.
As long as she had sufficient spiritual Qi and divine sense, she worked almost around the clock, drawing talismans and refining pills without rest. Her divine sense and spiritual Qi were depleted repeatedly and restored, becoming tempered through this continuous cycle, subtly accelerating her cultivation speed.
On this particular day, Shi Yu stepped out of the main room, only to see two Qingzhous standing before her, startling her greatly.
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