Translated by tracy
It’s been awhile since he last practiced alchemy, the effects of which were made painfully clear to You XiaoMo. At the moment, he was stuck at the cusp of progressing to level four, but occasionally practicing some alchemy might remedy that.
The most pressing concern at the moment, however, was that his supply of magic pills in the dimension was running rather low from Ling Xiao’s repeated usage. If there came a time where pills were required, all he would be able to do is pray for a miracle.
Speaking of level four magic pills, he hadn’t made any after progressing. Thankfully, his pre-progression habit of collecting magic herbs had finally come in handy. Inside the dimension, there were over ten shelves full of different magic herbs that were standing tall and healthy from being carefully looked after.
The main difference between level four and the lower level magic pills was that to create level four pills, one needed a larger variety of magic herbs. Another reason was that level four magic pills tended to undergo qualitative changes, so each step would need to be more precise and handled carefully. Without the recipe, creating pills is impossible regardless of the amount of herbs at one’s disposal.
You XiaoMo gathered his thoughts and tried to recall the level four pill recipes that he had copied from the library. Going through them leisurely, he settled on a magic pill named the YuanYang pill. [t/n 元阳 yuán yang (lit. origin sun)]
The YuanYang pill was of average difficulty within all level four pills and wasn’t extremely demanding to make. Upon consumption, the user’s inner powers are stimulated to strengthen; this pill would be best saved for an emergency.
You XiaoMo had originally wanted to make some more Stinky magic pills, but decided not to due to the fact that both the pill and its component herb exuded strong odours that would have nowhere to go in a closed cabin like this.
The YuanYang pill required eight types of magic herbs in total; five were major components, and three were there to aid in the process. There was generally slack cut for assistant herbs as sometimes it was possible to use another similar herb in its place. Some pill masters choose to use level two or three herbs in order to save time and cut down on costs.
The output would still undoubtedly be one of level four, but the effects are sometimes lacking in comparison to a complete magic pill. You XiaoMo, however, had plenty of herbs at his disposal and had no need to replace any ingredients. Outside of the five major component herbs, he decided to use level four herbs for the three assistant components as well. Only the best pills would fetch the best price, he decided, and their money might go down a lot faster than previously predicted.
After going through the motions of creating a YuanYang pill in his mind, You XiaoMo got down to work. Just as he threw some herbs into the cauldron, Ling Xiao opened his eyes from the bed.
The originally blank gaze was now directed on the person hard at work on the ground, eyes crinkling at the corners.
Not even letting a second go to waste, is he? To be honest though, a full month’s worth of time spent airborne could get kind of dull, and You XiaoMo didn’t look like the type of person to sit around and take it easy.
Ling Xiao’s body was splayed out horizontally across the bed, smiling eyes giving off an air of laziness. These sluggish gestures after returning to his normal appearance, especially with the light smile that graced his lips every now and again, made Ling Xiao seem more captivating than ever. His entire presence was radiant like the sun, too bright for people to stare at.
You XiaoMo absentmindedly raised his head and was instantly captured by the sight before him. Soon after, a tittering sound came from the cauldron, followed by the disappearance of the pill inside.
But he hadn’t noticed this, still dazedly staring at the sight of Ling Xiao, lazily lying on the bed. His dark, enchanting eyes, coupled with the long, silky black hair flowing down his slender body like water made his figure more seductive tenfold. Even on a bed his air of an elegant noble didn’t change; in fact, one could almost say that it only increased.
Under Ling Xiao’s amused gaze, You XiaoMo felt something warm dripping down from his nose, distractedly wiping at it. He looked down and- It was a nosebleed!
To say that You XiaoMo was shocked by this would be an understatement. Who knew he’d one day get a nosebleed from staring at a man? Evidently, not only had his view on the world changed since arriving here but also his tastes.
“Haha…” Ling Xiao finally couldn’t hold back anymore and let out a chuckle.
You XiaoMo just silently wiped the blood away. Oh god, this was by far the most embarrassing thing he’d done yet. He had no doubt that Ling Xiao was going to hold it against him for the rest of his life.
After that short intermission, You XiaoMo decided that it’d be best if he faced away from the perpetrator behind him from now on. He didn’t want to ‘accidentally’ catch a glance and have a repeat of the previous incident. He might have a lot of herbs, but that’s no reason to be wasteful.
Ling Xiao propped his head up with one hand, disappointedly staring at figure facing away from him. This kid was as amusing as ever.
Steadfastly ignoring Ling Xiao, You XiaoMo finally succeeded in creating his first pill. The cost was a bit higher than he’d previously thought though. Mid-level pills were a lot more complicated than low-levelled pills as the ingredient herbs used have stronger medicinal effects, which are therefore harder to temper and also require a longer time to make due to the detailed steps one has to follow. It’s little wonder that the finished products contain greater amounts of spiritual energy.
Satisfied with his first level four pill, You XiaoMo went on to create his second.
By the time day two rolled around, he had already made a total of six YuanYang pills. This speed was quite impressive for a beginner who had just progressed, and his success rate so far was one hundred percent – that one time with Ling Xiao doesn’t count.
You XiaoMo gleefully stood up, showing off his six pills to Ling Xiao. “Hey, Ling Xiao, don’t these magic pills look pretty good?”
Ling Xiao took a big breath. “They smell good.”
You XiaoMo waved the pills in front of his face teasingly, knowing that Ling Xiao was insatiable when it came to eating these. Just as he was going to take it back, however, the bottle in his hand was suddenly thrown into the air. It took him a while to realise what had transpired, and by then Ling Xiao already had the bottle in hand, smiling, and downed all six pills in one go.
“They taste good too,” he said, chewing.
You XiaoMo: “…”
He walked back to his cauldron, defeated. Patting his chest in an attempt at reassurance, he told himself: only a day in this month had passed, he still has twenty-nine days. And so, in the following days, You XiaoMo threw himself into fervorous pill creation, with periodic breaks in-between as Ling Xiao tugs him onto the bed with actions that allow no room for protest.
In the end, he managed to make enough to distribute reserve pills for emergencies. A row of jade bottles were laid out, not only containing YuanYang pills and the like but also some Stinky pills that he had made.
But perhaps because the smell was really, truly terrible, its odour seeped outside of their cabin and into others’, causing many annoyed patrons to start swearing in the hallway. The perpetrator was never found, however, so all they could do was to stomp back to their rooms.
You XiaoMo was prepared for this, and put up lots of trinkets that helped to ward off the odour, throwing irritated pursuers off their trail.
A month passed by in a flash, and the Firebird finally touched down on the destination.
Yan City, an immensely large city that stood in the north. It was not just a normal city, because its surface area was five percent of the northern region. This five percent was not to be underestimated, however, as the entire southern region was only at most ten percent of the northern region, so a mere city dominating five percent of the north was both impressive and unheard of.
In order to reach Dao Xin Academy, one must pass through Yan City.
Yan city was the northern region’s central force, and at the same time the largest city in the entirety of Long Xiao Dalu. Due to its size, there were constantly many complicated power struggles occurring in the city at any given time. It may not be the central hub of Long Xiao Dalu, but Yan City undoubtedly has many, many high-levelled fighters, and there were also many accomplished fighters who hail from Yan City as their birthplace.
The Firebird’s landing place was especially made for its duty. Other than them, there were also many other people from all over the world arriving on the back of a Firebird as well, lightly touching down on flat ground.
But their landing place was not inside Yan City, but on the outskirts of the city. Strictly speaking, it’d take a couple of hours for them to walk to it.
Inhaling air that was somehow different to that of the south, You XiaoMo turned around to see a series of enormous structures – Yan City!
The silhouette of Yan City towered over them like a beast that had recently awakened from a thousand-year slumber; ready to unleash its wrath at any moment, yet brilliant and breathtaking at the same time. The people for whom this was their first contact with the city all found themselves unable to react to such sight.
You XiaoMo let out a shocked breath. If it already seemed so big from where they were standing, how big would it actually be once they went inside the city?
Ling Xiao waved his hand in front of You XiaoMo’s face. “Little Momo, it’s time to come back to earth.”
You XiaoMo startled and shot Ling Xiao a look of exasperation. All he got in response was a grin, followed by a tug on his arm towards the flow of the crowd. Almost everyone who sets foot in this place is here to enter the city.
