Mountain and River Festival

Chapter 180 Who Says Pills Can't Be Love Letters?

Once one person utters a sentence, the relationship changes.

Although this kind of mentor is different from the usual apprenticeship, it is a true "insider," surpassing the intimacy of a typical teacher.

For Ye Tinglan, this can be considered an unofficial disciple. Well... once her identity is revealed, she will be an official disciple, and you won't need to call her Miss Dugu anymore; you can call her Senior Sister.

For Lu Xingzhou, this is the same as a modern doctoral supervisor.

Once the relationship becomes closer, one can ask for a favor: "I heard that you are acquainted with the Imperial Advisor, so I would like to trouble you to pass this elixir on to Miss Dugu."

Ye Tinglan asked curiously, "Why don't you give it to her yourself?"

Lu Xingzhou was somewhat embarrassed: "To be honest, Miss Dugu is too taciturn... Although I am familiar with her, I don't even know where she lives since she came to the capital."

He genuinely didn't know where Dugu Qingli lived, but he figured it must be at the Imperial Preceptor's Temple. However, he couldn't very well openly go to the temple to find her; what would he say if the Imperial Preceptor asked what their relationship was? Would an ordinary friend just come knocking on his door to deliver medicine like that?

These words pleased Ye Tinglan even more. Sure enough, his disciple and he were completely innocent. So he happily accepted the pill: "Okay, I'll pass it on for you."

He paused, then asked, "The first pill you refined was for Dugu Qingli, what about your own?"

"I originally wanted to refine three more to help me break through to the fourth rank, and now that I've already done it. I still need to refine three more. A'Nuo's goes without saying, and the other two are for Sheng Yuanyao and Pei..."

"Sheng Yuanyao fought alongside you, so it's understandable that you refined pills for her. But what about Pei Chuyun?"

"Well..." Lu Xingzhou said shamelessly, "Didn't the master know? He even scolded me for not doing my job properly before."

"Not acting anymore?"

"My own teacher..."

Other people's teachers even help their students pursue other people.

Ye Tinglan couldn't hold back any longer. Taking on a disciple and then having to help you pick up girls?
"Get lost." Ye Tinglan picked up her teacup. "Go back and refine it yourself. Give it to whomever you want; it's none of my business. Don't expect me to help you anymore."

Ah Nuo pointed to her nose, as if to say something.

No, you're already seeing us off? Why did you say "Lu Nuonuo is coming too" before? I didn't hear you say a word to me from beginning to end. So, am I considered your disciple now?

Ye Tinglan glanced at her, then suddenly leaned over and pinched A Nuo's cheeks with one hand. Seeing A Nuo's pouty lips from the pinch, a smile finally appeared in her eyes.

Ah Nuo: “?”

Lu Xingzhou quickly picked her up and took her away, saying, "I'll come and bother you again tomorrow, sir."

Ye Tinglan hummed in agreement and leisurely sipped her tea.

Lu Xingzhou carried A Nuo away in a flash. A Nuo looked back at the office, still in a daze: "So, is she considered my mentor now?"

“Of course you are too.” Lu Xingzhou carried A Nuo back to the cave. “In fact, purely in terms of alchemy skills, she would prefer you as her disciple, not me. There are other considerations for taking me in, among which the Yama Palace plays a significant role, and my relationship with the Huo family is probably also a factor. You are the disciple that these masters want most, young and talented.”

"Then why didn't she say a single word to me?"

"You called her an old woman before, saying she wouldn't change her allegiance. Of course, such a proud and aloof old woman would want to save face and wouldn't say it voluntarily. In reality, taking me in is the same as taking you in; it's an unspoken understanding."

You really understand older women, so am I part of your master-disciple game?

Ah Nuo swallowed back what she wanted to say, and reached out to pinch Lu Xingzhou's face: "Master, you're like a sycophant to my face, but behind my back you're an arrogant and aloof old woman?"

"You don't know, that business suit, red-soled high heels, frameless glasses... In this context, the description of an arrogant and aloof old woman is a compliment, a compliment indeed."

"What are you saying, Master?"

"Oh, it's nothing. What do you think she looks like under her veil?"

"I don't know. That's a gentleman. Does it matter whether it's good-looking or not?"

"Come to think of it, she's not as pretty as Anuo." Lu Xingzhou kissed the child on the cheek and carried her all the way back to the cave.

Ah Nuo suddenly felt quite happy.

Before, there was no wheelchair to push, and after so many years of losing the habit, it felt empty. But now, I suddenly realize it might not be so bad. My master can stand up openly now, so he can hold Ah Nuo every day like a father holding a baby, which is even better than before!

"Um, Master, is it heavy?" Anuo asked a little nervously, "Have I gained weight again?"

"Master is already at the fourth rank, you can get a little fatter."

Ah Nuo cupped her face in her hands, looking somewhat worried: "I can't get any fatter... otherwise Master won't look like he's holding a baby, he'll look like he's carrying a pig."

Lu Xingzhou laughed out loud: "Let's go back and refine your pills."

This time the harvest was plentiful; combined with the medicinal herbs he already possessed, he could refine many beneficial pills. Since breaking through to the fourth rank with the Dragon Elephant Mighty Pill last time, A'nuo hadn't made much progress. This was because the energy required for the fourth rank was far greater. Previously, low-rank pills could be eaten as food; who had the money to eat fourth-rank pills as food?
But refining some third-grade pills this time can replenish the energy of a bunch of fourth-grade pills, at least making it easy to get Anuo to the middle stage of fourth grade.

This child is harder to raise than any other child in the world... Lu Xingzhou is currently having a headache about what to do if A Nuo breaks through to the third rank in the future. If he has to eat the pills of the third rank as food in the future, he can even bankrupt the Tianyao Holy Land.

…………

Dugu Qingli was sitting on the star-gazing platform, meditating with her eyes closed, when suddenly a thought struck her and she opened her eyes.

Ye Tinglan ascended the steps from below the stage, tossing a pill in her hand, her posture inexplicably exuding a girlish charm, which made Dugu Qingli stare intently: "Master, are you in a good mood?"

"How could I not be happy to have gotten a high-quality Grade 3 Breakthrough Pill for free?" Ye Tinglan sat down beside her with a smile: "How's your cultivation going?"

Dugu Qingli didn't know what a big deal it was for her master to find a Grade 3 Breakthrough Pill for free. What was the difference between this and a wealthy man finding a copper coin on the street? But she was too lazy to dwell on it and simply replied, "I feel like I'm about to break through, but there's always an obstacle that I'm not very confident about."

"The third level is a major hurdle, requiring a certain level of insight, but it's not all about absorbing insights. Your insights are already sufficient, and you still feel some obstacles, which is more likely due to a lack of understanding."

What does it mean to lose companionship?

"Yin alone cannot produce life, and excessive strength is easily broken. Your breakthrough needs a certain amount of yang energy to support it, otherwise it's easy for things to go wrong. Your sword heart warned you, so you naturally feel that your breakthrough is still lacking something." Ye Tinglan was also a little puzzled when she said this, because Qingli's fourth-grade process was particularly fast, and she had already achieved the third-grade enlightenment ahead of time. Could it be that she had experienced the harmony of yin and yang in advance?

That seems unlikely. It's probably because the apprentice is exceptionally talented and had his own insights.

He continued, "Seeing your condition today, I considered refining a targeted breakthrough pill for you, with suitable fire element to nourish it. However, suitable materials might not be available for a while, and I was planning to send someone back to the sect to look for them... But then someone delivered it to my door. It's tailor-made and perfectly suitable, so of course I'm in a good mood."

Dugu Qingli asked curiously, "Who can tailor-make a grade three pill for me? Which senior uncle or master?"

"It's my junior brother..." Ye Tinglan didn't want to reveal that she had used an alias to take Lu Xingzhou as her disciple, so she said, "You don't know which of your friends has such alchemy skills? Of course it's Lu Xingzhou."

Dugu Qingli silently accepted the pill without saying a word.

If it were Lu Xingzhou, he wouldn't be refining such pills solely for the purpose of breaking through to the next level.

He had long worried that the higher his breakthrough level, the more he would turn into an ice block and refuse to kiss him... well, he still wouldn't now.

Therefore, his refining of such a pill containing fire element was tantamount to placing unspeakable expectations on it, as if saying, "Don't be so cold even after you break through."

It's practically like a love letter.

Master knew nothing about it and was quite happy to have gotten a tailor-made Grade 3 pill for free. He might even reward Lu Xingzhou.

Dugu Qingli felt a strange thrill, like she was having an affair right in front of him. She gripped the pill tightly, her face expressionless.

Regardless of what she was thinking, she basically had no expression, and Ye Tinglan couldn't tell anything. Who the hell would think that giving someone a pill could have some unspeakable meaning?

"Your friend is quite loyal. You should continue your cultivation, and I will protect you." Ye Tinglan patted her shoulder kindly. "The Rising Star Ranking has never been something you should be looking at. It's time to compete with the heroes. After this breakthrough, I will arrange a demon-slaying mission for you. Your fame will spread throughout the world, and that will be the time."

…………

Sheng Yuanyao also secluded herself at home to cultivate.

She's been out of the Demon-Slaying Domain for two days, and she's locked herself in her house for both days.

One reason is that they simply can't face the gossiping looks from their subordinates, so they might as well play ostrich and wait for the storm to pass before making a decision.
Another reason is that this trip to the Demon-Slaying Domain made Sheng Yuanyao feel that she was somewhat of a hindrance in front of the Lu family master and disciples, which made her lose face.

Although Gua Mei is a good young woman with ideals, she still has some spoiled traits. Her enthusiasm for practicing martial arts is not as high as those perverts who even practice while riding in a carriage.

She may never have felt such an urgent desire to cultivate herself in her entire life.

Fortunately, this time they found an extremely suitable cultivation treasure: the magic crystal left behind by the Iron Demon.

According to Lu Xingzhou, it is extremely suitable for introducing metal elements to temper the body, currently allowing for rapid growth in cultivation, and will continue to aid in bone tempering until the later third-grade hurdle. As an alchemist, Lu Xingzhou's judgment on the effects of the treasure is clearly accurate.

Previously, Sheng Yuanyao was at the mid-level of the fifth rank, almost the same as Lu Xingzhou before her, who also broke through to the upper-level of the fifth rank through dual cultivation.

Sure enough, after cultivating in seclusion with this magic crystal for two days, his newly broken-through fifth-grade upper level was almost filled, directly reaching a perfect state, and he could now try to break through to the fourth grade.

Whether or not one possesses treasures or good fortune makes a world of difference in the efficiency of cultivation.

Unfortunately, this magic crystal is ultimately just a pure energy substance, which is beneficial for increasing cultivation but not very helpful for breaking through barriers.

For breakthrough assistance, it's more reliable to use items like Breakthrough Pills.

Sheng Yuanyao let out a long sigh, intending to exit her seclusion and go to her father to ask for a few Rank 4 Breakthrough Pills to test their effects.

Just then, her mother's voice came from outside the door: "Yao'er, a guest is looking for you."

Sheng Yuanyao was taken aback: "Who is it?"

"Your favorite person."

Sheng Yuanyao's mind immediately conjured up Lu Xingzhou's handsome face, and her cheeks flushed red. She said shyly, "Mother, why do you say that? He and I have never met..."

Before she could finish speaking, the door to the quiet room was pushed open, revealing Ah Nuo's round face.

The mother's voice said, "Aren't you and Anuo the best of friends?"

Sheng Yuanyao's expression froze on her face, but she quickly forced a smile and rushed forward: "Yes, of course! Anuo~ I missed you so much..."

Ah Nuo: “…”

"What are you doing here?" Sheng Yuanyao whispered in her ear, "You almost gave me away."

"You're the fool. Your mother is testing you." A'nuo glanced at her disdainfully. "I've come to bring you medicine."

Sheng Yuanyao was taken aback: "I don't need medicine."

"Really?" A'nuo took out a fourth-grade breakthrough pill: "My master said you need it. If you don't want it, I'll eat it like candy."

Sheng Yuanyao snatched it away, her voice barely able to contain itself: "You dare!"

Ah Nuo's gaze was as if she were looking at a roadside tree.

Sheng Yuanyao's face burned as she whispered, "Why does this pill have a different aura than the breakthrough pills I usually see?"

"Tailor-made... Ordinary breakthrough pills might increase a person's success rate by 20-30% at most, but this pill will increase your chances by at least 60-70%." A'Nuo thought that being able to tailor a pill to this extent was quite something; just how well-versed in the other person's physical condition did they have to be to customize it to this degree...

But Sheng Yuanyao didn't sense any lewdness from him; she only felt unparalleled understanding and concern.

This isn't a elixir, it's a love letter.

Seeing her blushing face, Ah Nuo could roughly guess what she was thinking, and sighed with her hands clasped in her hands.

There are two more similar custom-made pills. One has already been given to Madam Ye to deliver, and the other... guess where my master is now?
(End of this chapter)