Stepping on the demon door, the witch becomes the strongest

Chapter 799: Strengthening the Body and Reinforcing the Essence

At this stage, cultivators in the Lu Kingdom still need the assistance of elixirs to practice breathing exercises and refining their qi.

Aside from cultivation, there are also various elixirs for restoring true energy, healing injuries, and neutralizing poisons. For example, the Annamite military's research department is specifically working on an antidote for the miasma left behind after the death of the Southern Border Demon, in order to buy more time for border relocation and the treatment of poisoned people should the miasma ever spread northward.

In addition, there are elixirs that help ordinary people achieve beauty, health, and longevity; it's unclear who specifically needs them. These are custom-made, so most are developed by secret departments, and the projects and budgets are not disclosed to the public.

One of the secret projects was designed specifically for Yan Yu and Li Minghu, and is currently named the "Strengthening the Foundation and Nourishing the Essence Pill".

Li Minghu suffers from a chronic illness, specifically heart and lung dysfunction, which severely hinders her cultivation. Fortunately, Yan Yu obtained elixirs from a secret realm, providing a solution for a research institution under the Jingye faction. A series of research projects were subsequently launched, primarily focusing on identifying and researching similar types of elixirs and formulas collected from the existing secret realms that could treat Li Minghu's ailment.

Since its inception, the organization has developed over one hundred formulas for the "Strengthening the Foundation and Nourishing the Vitality Pill," and is continuously developing more new drugs. Thanks to these updated pills, Li Minghu, while not completely cured of his chronic illness, has temporarily escaped the trouble and inconvenience of frequent coughing.

If Li Minghu has an essential need for the Strengthening and Nourishing Pill, then Yan Yu's situation is more complicated.

He had repeatedly requested samples of the latest elixirs through Liu Longtao's connections. Initially, the research department didn't know what they were for, but later they heard he was living with many female cultivators… oh, I see.

In any case, a cultivator's personal affairs are not something we mortals can casually comment on; everyone should just focus on providing the final product.

Recently, this channel was temporarily suspended because Master Jing went deep behind enemy lines in Sakura Empire. Not long after, another person came knocking – it was Su Yunjin's assistant, Xiao Shi.

Comrade Shi, despite his young age, has already earned a doctorate in botany and is currently leading research on the cultivation of medicinal herbs. He is an academic colleague in the same field as the research department, and they have a very good relationship.

This time, they came to ask for pills for their master, Su Yunjin, and the quantity was not small—200 pills, which would almost empty the laboratory's inventory.

After much haggling, the two sides finally reduced the price to 120 pieces.

Su Yunjin received the pill, but after studying it for a long time, she still couldn't figure it out. If it were a plant-like spiritual herb, she could guess and analyze its characteristics based on the shape of its flowers and leaves and the type of soil, but pharmacology was far beyond her knowledge.

But it's alright, experiments are the best teachers. Since the captain asked me to help him get the medicine, he'll probably be willing to study its properties with me.

Pulling Yan Yu into her room, Su Yunjin piled all the pills on the table and asked with a smile:

"I brought so much, how long will it last you?"

Yan Yu was also dumbfounded. You know, they used to give them out by the bottle, with only about eight or nine pills per bottle... Did you rob their warehouse?

"I'll take one a week or so," he said after careful consideration. "If you're going to live a life of abstinence for a long time, you can take one every two or three weeks. It mainly depends on how much of a deficit you need to make up."

"How do you take it?" Su Yunjin began taking notes. "Should it be swallowed with water?"

“Yes.” Yan Yu took one pill, drank some water, and felt the medicine slowly dissolve in his stomach.

The earliest version of the pill caused an unbearable burning sensation and intense itching throughout the body, to the point that even someone with Li Minghu's exceptional willpower couldn't withstand it. Yan Yu had to help her infuse her entire body with true energy to counteract the effects of the medicine.

As the research department gradually improves the formula, the medicinal properties are becoming milder and milder. Now, after taking the medicine, one only feels warm and comfortable, as if someone who has been tired for many days has had a good long sleep, and feels a refreshing feeling of fatigue disappearing.

"How long does it take for the medicine to take effect?" Su Yunjin continued to ask.

"About half an hour," Yan Yu replied. "After half an hour, I can basically refine more than 80%, and my essence, energy, and spirit will be restored to the same level as usual."

"I see." Su Yunjin nodded. "Besides strengthening the body's foundation and nourishing its vital energy, does it have any other effects?"

"Why would the Strengthening and Nourishing Pill have effects other than strengthening the body and nourishing the vital energy?" Yan Yu looked at her, puzzled. "Do you expect it to prolong your life and increase your endurance?"

"I was just asking out of curiosity," Su Yunjin said with a smile. "Logically speaking, since it's a tonic for that kind of thing, I think it should have some other complementary effects. It's like when you go to a store to buy stationery, pencils always come with erasers, right?"

“What you said does make some sense,” Yan Yu said. “However, modern elixirs are very similar to traditional Chinese medicine; it’s like opening a blind box. You can’t just get whatever effect you want. I’ve heard that they basically add all sorts of ingredients to the original formula and then test it directly on living subjects, using exhaustive methods to record and statistically analyze all possible effects…”

The two chatted casually. Yan Yu, having taken the pill, felt increasingly energetic and relaxed.

Su Yunjin recently tied her hair up, and her clothes have changed from the original refreshing and natural style to a more homely and ladylike style. While shedding three parts of her innocence, she has added seven parts of charm, as if a hard peach has turned into a soft and juicy peach, making her look more mature and tempting.

During their conversation, she would usually rest her chin on her hand, her eyes following his gaze. After Yan Yu finished speaking, she would pause for a moment, then reveal a gentle smile, every smile and gesture seeming to say "yes," "um," or "I think so too," giving him a comfortable and pleasant feeling.

Thinking back to when they first met, Yun Jin was the kind of person who appeared polite, proper, and well-mannered on the surface, but was actually incredibly proactive, skilled in gravity magic, and whose smiles could make people break out in a cold sweat. It's truly remarkable how much she's changed. Real pure love can indeed transform a person, turning the ordinary into the extraordinary. Long live pure love!

Su Yunjin stretched and turned to look at her phone on the table:
"It's been half an hour."

"Ah."

"Has the medicinal power been almost completely refined?"

“Yes.” Yan Yu also stood up. “I should probably go now. You have a business trip this afternoon, so I won’t disturb your preparations any longer…”

Before he could finish speaking, Su Yunjin grasped his hands.

She gently pulled Yan Yu's hand to her cheeks, then revealed a beautiful smile and said:

"Whether your vital energy has been fully restored or not, it's definitely not accurate to rely solely on your physical sensations. You should actually test it to see."

"Uh." Yan Yu suddenly felt something was wrong. He wanted to find an excuse to leave, but found that the soles of his feet seemed to be pressed down by gravity, rooted to the ground, and he could not move at all - it turned out that Yun Jin's feet had kicked off their slippers at some point, and the soft white cotton socks gently pressed down on the insteps of his feet.

"Testing isn't always necessary..."

“Of course it’s necessary.” Su Yunjin gently interrupted him. “You were tormented by them for so long last night. If you haven’t recovered by now, I’ll be very worried. I’m going on a mission this afternoon. Does the captain want me to leave with these concerns?”

"It can't be that exaggerated..."

“I get distracted during the battle.” Su Yunjin’s amber eyes suddenly welled up with tears, carrying a pitiful and soft feeling that made people’s hearts soften. “When I think about how the captain might still be lying in bed, feeling listless, not eating or sleeping well, I can’t help but feel sorry for him and start having all sorts of wild thoughts. Then I won’t be able to concentrate on fighting the snake-like monster.”

"The captain wouldn't bear to see me worrying about you, right?"

Yan Yu turned his head with difficulty and saw that the bed in the room had been changed with brand new sheets and duvet covers. He knew that he was probably doomed again this time.

But honestly, her true nature hasn't changed at all! She's just repackaged her unpleasantly aggressive attitude into a sweeter, more sugary approach.

No problem! If you want to wear the crown, you must bear its weight! As the number one cultivator in the Lu Kingdom and a role model among cultivators, I have a duty to win over the hearts of the people for the Privy Council of the Lu Kingdom!

This is the necessary price to pay!
With that in mind, Yan Yu no longer hesitated.

In his previous life, as an ordinary martial artist, even when facing dangers and life-or-death situations, he rarely hesitated for long. This time was no exception. He simply picked up Su Yunjin around the waist and resolutely stepped onto the battlefield to fight for his country.

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In the afternoon, Su Yunjin and Zhou Hongyu set off.

Yan Yu was still in good spirits, proving that the quality of domestically produced pills in this area was reliable. While Zhao Yuanzhen and Xie Ruoxi were taking a nap, he casually lay on the sofa playing on his phone, enjoying the undisturbed afternoon.

"Are you free?" Chen Lingyun asked casually as she came down from the second floor and looked at her boyfriend on the sofa.

"Stealing half a day of leisure," Yan Yu said without looking up. "The serpentine monster in the Bohai Sea has a gravity field that is too effective against flying swords. The Yin-Yang Micro Dust Sword Formation probably can't reach that far either. Anyway, this time it's none of my business."

"How come you're not involved?" Chen Lingyun sat down beside him. "You promised to help me rebuild the Underworld, didn't you ask them?"

Yan Yu was taken aback upon hearing this: Hmm, I seem to have forgotten.

Of course, he would never admit it to Chen Lingyun. His eyes darted around, and he immediately came up with a perfunctory excuse, saying seriously:
"The first gate of hell in the underworld needs Ye Yun to set up the restrictions, right? She hasn't formed her core yet, so she can't meet your requirements for now. We'll talk about it later!"

“Ye Yun won’t do, what about Sister Zhao?” Chen Lingyun continued, “She’s always eating and drinking or hanging out with you. She hasn’t gone on a single mission since she formed her core, has she? Let her help me refine treasures, at least to rebuild the Naihe Bridge over the River of Oblivion.”

"What if some serpentine monster appears somewhere during this time and we need to use her power?" Yan Yu was still subconsciously making excuses, "Let's wait until the international situation stabilizes and things calm down before we talk about it."

Chen Lingyun narrowed her eyes, realizing that Yan Yu was deliberately trying to make things difficult for her, so she put on an extremely sweet, fake smile and said:
"Yan Yu, you don't want everyone to know that you already have enough Strengthening and Nourishing Pills, right?"

Yan Yu: ? ? ? !!!

(End of this chapter)