Guan Zhong great man?
Still twenty?
A familiar melody involuntarily rang in Master Longbrow’s mind: “Chrysanthemums wither, scattered across the ground…”
“You little rascal, you’re disgusting.” Master Longbrow snorted angrily, turned, and walked away.
Ye Qiu smiled and chased after him.
Soon, a black car stopped in front of them. The driver’s window rolled down, revealing a familiar face.
Xiao Zhan!
Since Ye Qiu and Master Longbrow left the capital, Xiao Zhan had returned to Jiangzhou at the first opportunity.
“Brother-in-law, get in!” Xiao Zhan called out.
Ye Qiu and Master Longbrow got into the car.
“Brother-in-law, where to?” Xiao Zhan asked.
“To the villa,” Ye Qiu said. “For the time being, the old man will stay in Jiangzhou. Arrange his food, clothing, and accommodation.”
“Yes,” Xiao Zhan replied, driving off quickly.
Back at the villa.
Ye Qiu instructed Xiao Zhan: “I’ll stay here tonight. Go find me a few alchemy furnaces and deliver them tomorrow morning.”
“Oh, and find me a large piece of imperial green jade. I need it urgently.”
“Alright,” Xiao Zhan nodded, then added, “Boss, my sister wants to invite you for dinner at home. When are you free?”
Ye Qiu thought for a moment and said, “I’ll visit your sister after I’m done with alchemy.”
That night, Ye Qiu stayed at the villa.
The next morning, while Ye Qiu and Master Longbrow were having breakfast, Xiao Zhan arrived, carrying two bronze alchemy furnaces.
“Brother-in-law, will these furnaces do? If not, I can find others,” Xiao Zhan said.
Ye Qiu glanced at them and nodded. “They’ll do.”
“Also, I contacted Cao Qingcheng about the jade you wanted. She has a top-quality piece of imperial green. It was sent to Jiangzhou overnight and is in the car. I’ll bring it for you to see.”
Xiao Zhan went out, opened the back of the car, and brought in a wooden box.
When the box was opened, a stunning piece of imperial green jade appeared before the three of them.
Xiao Zhan said, “Cao Qingcheng said this jade weighs five jin and is extremely valuable.”
Master Longbrow’s eyes lit up. He asked, “Little rascal, did you know I like jade and prepare this piece for me?”
“We’re good friends, no need to be so polite.”
“But since you insist, I won’t refuse. I’ll take it!”
As he spoke, Master Longbrow reached out to grab the wooden box.
“Smack!”
Ye Qiu swiftly slapped Master Longbrow’s hands away and said, “Don’t get any ideas about this jade. I need it.”
“Hmph, who cares,” Master Longbrow muttered, awkwardly retracting his hands.
“Old man, give me some flame talismans,” Ye Qiu said.
Master Longbrow immediately understood Ye Qiu’s intention and asked, “Little rascal, are you planning to use flame talismans for alchemy?”
“What, light a fire myself?” Ye Qiu replied. “Lighting a fire is too slow, and the heat is hard to control. Flame talismans are different. They ignite instantly, burn for a long time, and have even heat, perfect for alchemy.”
Master Longbrow was reluctant and said, “I’m out of flame talismans.”
Ye Qiu said coldly, “Don’t waste my time. Hand them over, or don’t blame me for getting rough.”
“Little rascal, what’s that supposed to mean? You want to play tough? You think I’m scared of you…” Before Master Longbrow could finish, Ye Qiu pulled out the God-Beating Whip. Instantly deflated, Master Longbrow chuckled, “Hahaha, I was just joking, don’t take it seriously.”
“You’re refining pills, so naturally, I’ll help you out.”
“Flame talismans, right? Here you go.”
Master Longbrow pulled dozens of flame talismans from his robe sleeve and handed them to Ye Qiu, saying, “One talisman burns for half an hour. As you said, the heat is even, perfect for alchemy.”
Ye Qiu grabbed the talismans, picked up the box with the imperial green jade, and headed upstairs, saying as he walked, “I’ll be refining pills for the next few days. Don’t disturb me.”
Soon, his figure disappeared into the stairwell.
The smile on Master Longbrow’s face vanished. He grumbled angrily, “At my age, that little rascal dares to scare me with the God-Beating Whip. Utterly heartless.”
Xiao Zhan snickered nearby.
“What’s so funny?” Master Longbrow glared at Xiao Zhan and said, “Let me tell you, even with the God-Beating Whip, I’m not afraid of him. I’m just giving him face.”
“If we really fought, believe me, I’d slap him dead.”
“Who are you slapping dead?” Suddenly, Ye Qiu’s voice echoed from the stairwell.
Master Longbrow quickly slapped the air and said with a forced smile, “There was a mosquito buzzing around me, annoying as hell. I swatted it dead.”
He raised his palm, revealing a dead mosquito in it.
“Old man, while I’m refining pills, you better behave. Don’t go to any shady places.”
“Otherwise, I’ll break your legs.”
“The third one!”
Master Longbrow instinctively covered his crotch, his old face flushing red.
…
Ye Qiu went to his room, set up an alchemy furnace, and began refining the Beauty-Fixing Pill.
Strictly speaking, this was his first time refining a pill.
The recipe came from the inheritance of the Ye family’s ancestor. Ye Qiu followed the steps, first taking out a thousand-year-old He Shou Wu root.
To be cautious, he used only half of it to test his skills.
Ye Qiu ground the half root into powder, placed it in the furnace, added some pure water, and stirred. Then he began burning a flame talisman under the furnace.
Gradually, the liquid started to boil.
Time passed minute by minute.
After a full two hours, Ye Qiu released a stream of dragon qi to envelop the furnace, using it to refine the mixture.
Another two hours passed.
The essence of the liquid was extracted. Under the flame talisman’s heat, it began to condense, forming into a pill.
However, just as the pill was about to take shape, there was a loud “boom,” and the furnace shattered.
The pill broke into pieces.
“Failed?”
Ye Qiu picked up a fragment of the pill, sniffed it, then put it in his mouth to taste carefully.
He found that the broken pill had no medicinal effect, not even the original potency of the thousand-year-old herb.
“How could this happen?”
“I followed the recipe exactly.”
“Try again!”
Ye Qiu set up the second furnace, ground the remaining half of the He Shou Wu, and threw it in, following the recipe’s steps to continue refining.
Hours passed.
The pill gradually took shape, even emitting a rich, fragrant aroma that was invigorating.
“It looks like it should work this time.”
Ye Qiu let out a sigh of relief, but then, with another “boom,” the furnace shattered again.
