Seeing someone was willing to help, Qin Xiu’s eyes lit up. “Then I’ll trouble you, Uncle Jiang. I need materials to refine Qi Gathering Liquid.”
“That’s no problem. There are still some left in the shop. I’ll take you to get them.”
From a storage room covered in dust, Uncle Jiang pulled out a full bundle of herbs. He didn’t think much about Qin Xiu refining medicine; he was more worried about Qin Xiu’s safety.
“Young Master Qin, let me give you some advice—leave this troubled place as soon as you can. In a few more days, when the elders from the Heavenly Profound Sect arrive, you might not even be able to leave if you want to.”
Qin Xiu was someone he’d watched grow up. The title “Uncle Jiang” couldn’t be called in vain. His words came from genuine concern.
“Uncle Jiang, thank you for your kindness.” Qin Xiu didn’t explain much. He knew the entire city was waiting to see him crushed under Gao Yang’s feet.
“But Uncle Jiang, I might have to trouble you with one more thing.” As he accepted the herbs, Qin Xiu suddenly remembered—if no one would sell to him, then naturally, no one would buy from him either. Especially something like the Dragon Saliva Fruit. Even if someone had it, it would only be in the hands of families like the Zhou family.
“Would you be willing to help me sell something later?”
He understood Uncle Jiang’s position, so he added, “Don’t worry, Uncle Jiang. Once it’s done, I’ll make sure you’re well rewarded.”
Whether the Heavenly Profound Sect would side with Gao Yang was not certain. Only Qin Xiu knew that Gao Yang was a fraud. He hadn’t exposed him yet because, first, no one would believe him, and even if they did, wouldn’t someone try to eliminate him to keep it quiet?
Ever since being betrayed by his fiancée, he had become much more cautious.
Hearing that it was only about selling something, Uncle Jiang sighed in relief. “That’s not difficult. But young master, I really hope you’ll think seriously about what I said earlier.”
“Mm, alright.” Qin Xiu pretended to agree and took a small pill furnace before leaving.
Back in his small house, Qin Xiu laid out the herbs and was eager to begin. “Zhou Yuntao may be a sycophant, but he wasn’t wrong.”
“Without strength, even begging gets you bullied.”
Time to act.
Following the formula’s records, he placed three herbs into the furnace, ignited the flame, and began using his spiritual will to control the heat.
It was his first time refining medicine. At first, controlling his spiritual will was clumsy, but he gradually became more skilled. That was the benefit of increased soul strength. Many problems that often plagued alchemy apprentices didn’t trouble Qin Xiu at all. His process was smooth and natural, giving him the sense that he was easily outperforming those below him.
Moments later, the room was filled with the scent of medicine.
“My first try… and I succeeded? Seems like I have some talent for alchemy.”
Delighted, Qin Xiu reached for an empty bottle, and the liquid that poured out of the furnace was crystal clear and pure, without a single trace of impurity.
“This clarity… is this high grade?”
“No… a few days ago, Gao Yang got his hands on a bottle of high-grade Qi Gathering Liquid and bragged about it. But that one still had visible impurities.”
Qin Xiu held the bottle up, shook it, and carefully examined it—he couldn’t find the slightest impurity.
Surprised, he was thrilled.
Whether pill or liquid, quality was categorized: low grade, medium grade, high grade, and supreme grade. The quality determined the potency of the medicine. The lower the quality, the more impurities it had.
When consumed, those impurities would enter the cultivator’s body along with the medicine. Over time, they could clog the meridians and dantian, seriously affecting cultivation.
Because of this, the value between different grades could vary by several times or even tenfold.
In Lingqu City, most pharmacies only had low-grade Qi Gathering Liquid. Before Yun Xuerong awakened her spirit body, she usually only used medium-grade liquid. A single bottle of high-grade medicine had been enough for Gao Yang to show off everywhere—not because he was vain, but because it really was precious.
“As for supreme-grade Qi Gathering Liquid without a trace of impurity, only the guest alchemist of the City Lord’s Mansion is capable of refining it.”
“And even then, the price is always sky-high. Qi Refining Pills are unaffordable, so supreme-grade liquid has become the top goal for all major families.”
Qin Xiu never expected that his first attempt at medicine refinement could rival the work of the City Lord’s Mansion’s guest alchemist.
“Ten bottles of supreme-grade Qi Gathering Liquid should be enough to exchange for a Dragon Saliva Fruit, right?”
Before nightfall, Qin Xiu found Uncle Jiang again.
When he brought out the medicine, Uncle Jiang was stunned. “Young Master Qin, this is something your father left behind…?”
His first reaction was that Qin Xiu was trying to sell off his father’s legacy.
But then he realized—if that were the case, why didn’t he just hand it over earlier?
And then he remembered that Qin Xiu had just taken the ingredients for Qi Gathering Liquid.
Uncle Jiang was dumbfounded. “Y-Young Master Qin, don’t tell me… you made these yourself?”
“Yes, I did.”
Uncle Jiang picked up a bottle and studied it—instantly overjoyed. “Supreme-grade! This is supreme-grade liquid!”
He had followed Qin Xiu’s father for many years and was himself an alchemy apprentice, so he clearly understood what this meant.
After the initial joy, though, his first suspicion returned—maybe Qin Xiu really was trying to sell his father’s assets but just felt too ashamed to say so directly.
But Qin Xiu didn’t seem like that kind of person…
“Young Master, with such talent in alchemy, why didn’t you say so earlier?”
Qin Xiu scratched his nose. Honestly, this was his first day. He had just learned the formula and techniques.
Uncle Jiang was happy for him, but then sighed deeply. “With your talent, in time, you’ll surely become an alchemist. If it were any ordinary spirit body, no one would dare look down on you. In fact, they’d come begging for your help. But the problem is…”
The problem was that Gao Yang’s spirit body was far too overpowering.
Uncle Jiang felt a deep sense of regret. Young Master Qin wasn’t useless at all—his alchemy skills were exceptional. But against Gao Yang, it still didn’t seem enough.
Of course, Uncle Jiang wrongly assumed that Qin Xiu had studied alchemy since childhood under his father’s guidance. He couldn’t imagine that Qin Xiu had read the formula and refined a supreme-grade product all in one day.
Qin Xiu didn’t know whether to laugh or cry—was that supposed to be praise or an insult?
“Alright, Uncle Jiang. Use these to trade for a Dragon Saliva Fruit.”
He also handed over two banknotes. “If that’s not enough, add this. Keep whatever is left.”
“It’s enough! More than enough!” Uncle Jiang waved his hands frantically. This was supreme-grade medicine—a true treasure in Lingqu City. Ten bottles were more than plenty.
That evening, Uncle Jiang finally returned in a rush.
“Ugh, it wasn’t easy to get. I had to ask a contact in the Zhou family.” He took out a ruby-red, translucent fruit. He tried to return the banknotes, but Qin Xiu pushed them back.
“Uncle Jiang, I still have things to do. Please take care of yourself. Once I finish this matter, I’ll reopen the pharmacy.”
Watching Qin Xiu’s departing figure, Uncle Jiang sighed quietly. He could only hope the young master would endure this crisis. The wealth and status of an alchemist must not be destroyed by a moment of rashness.
Meanwhile, Qin Xiu’s mind was entirely focused on the medicinal bath for condensing dragon Qi. Back in his room, he heated a large wooden tub.
Gurgle… Gurgle…
As he tossed in rare and precious ingredients one after another, the medicinal fragrance grew thicker and more intense.
When the Dragon Saliva Fruit dropped in, the steam turned vibrant red, and a pure, forceful mist filled the tub.
The air took on a faintly bloody scent, laced with an overbearing and savage aura.
As Qin Xiu stepped in with one bare leg, he immediately felt the water boiling like molten lava, as if a furious dragon had wrapped itself around his ankle.