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Chapter 161 Mid-Grade Elixir Completed and Refined for Nourishment; The Secret Story of Princess Shouxian's Illustrations [Part Two]

After a quick comparison of the medicinal properties, Tang Hao immediately breathed a sigh of relief: 'Medium grade, acceptable.'

It's fortunate that it has the special effects of the [Purple Gold Fiery Cloud Treasure Furnace], which, combined with the wondrous effects of the [Eight Primordial Scenery True Scripture], makes it a great asset.

Otherwise, given his true talent and skill in alchemy, this batch of pills would undoubtedly be a waste.

He looked at Helian Chengyu with a smile and handed him the pill bottle: "Ninth Brother, I have succeeded in my mission!"

"Xianzhi, I knew I hadn't misjudged you. You're amazing! You succeeded in refining the Golden Elixir Jade Rejuvenation Pill on your first try, and you even got six pills."

Helian Chengyu looked excited and grabbed Tang Hao's shoulder, patting him hard.

"Alas, it's a pity I still lack experience; the quality is only mid-grade." Tang Hao said modestly, but then a thought struck him as he considered the function of the treasure furnace in nurturing elixirs.

He glanced at the still somewhat dazed old woman and quietly asked in a whisper, "When does Ninth Brother plan to go into seclusion to break through?"

"In another two or three days, I'll tell. I've been calculating the time to arrange for the substitute to warm up and get used to it. I still have some things to take care of," Helian Chengyu replied telepathically.

At the same time, he took out a bottle of pills, put three pills inside, and stuffed them back into Tang Hao's hand: "This is Xianzhi's half."

"This is?"

"Your payment."

Noticing Tang Hao's puzzled expression, Helian Chengyu smiled and said, "That's right. With your status, how could you help people refine pills? It's normal that you don't know the market."

"Generally speaking, when hiring someone to refine pills, the payment is either agreed upon in advance and paid in spirit stones, or the cost is split equally between the two parties after the pill is completed," he explained the market rates.

Finally, a word of advice: "If anyone asks for your help in the future, just charge them according to this standard. It just so happens that Xianzhi is not far from reaching the Core Formation stage. Keep it safe and don't refuse!"

Tang Hao played with the elixir bottle, and without any pretense, accepted it as instructed.

To be honest, he didn't really know much about this. When he asked Lu Xiu to refine the Foundation Establishment Pill together, the group hadn't discussed these things beforehand, so it seemed they had tacitly agreed to split the profits equally.

The thought flashed through his mind, and he continued the previous topic: "In that case, Ninth Brother can leave the pills with me first, and come back to pick them up when you need them."

"Oh?" Helian Chengyu asked, puzzled, and gestured for him to continue.

Smiling, Tang Hao patted the purple-gold alchemy furnace and explained, "This furnace can nurture pills. Perhaps if you prepare for these few days, you can further enhance the efficacy of the [Golden Liquid Jade Return Pill]."

"really?"

Upon hearing this, Helian Chengyu's face lit up with joy. He subconsciously asked a question, but without hesitation, he returned the still-warm pill bottle to his hands.

"necessary!"

Tang Hao put the six [Golden Liquid Jade Rejuvenation Pills] back into the alchemy furnace and made another hand seal.

He then raised an eyebrow at him, giving him a look that said, "You can rest assured I can handle things."

"Although I just got this furnace recently and this is the first time I've used this function, I wouldn't dare guarantee that it will upgrade the quality to the top grade, but I think that increasing the efficacy by half or even ten percent should not be a problem."

Hearing him say this, Helian Chengyu was naturally overjoyed.

All subsequent communication between the two was conducted via telepathy.

Helian Rui, who was standing to the side, snapped out of her daze and saw them whispering. She still looked a little confused, as if she had not fully recovered from the shock she had just experienced.

'Is this what a genius in alchemy is? His insights from just one alchemy session are equivalent to what this old woman gains from several, even ten, sessions. How laughable that I secretly compared myself to him; I was truly overestimating myself.'

The old woman was truly convinced this time: 'Just observing from the sidelines was more effective than me trying it myself!'

The image of the prince refining pills flashed through her mind, and she suddenly felt that her own alchemy skills seemed to have taken another step forward.

Even... by sensing the changes in the five elements around the alchemy furnace, the bottleneck that had been blocking her for so long began to loosen slightly.

'Perhaps I have a chance to break through to the late Foundation Establishment stage?'

Helian Rui immediately took his leave, intending to return home and engage in some seclusion.

In her haste, she only glanced at Tang Hao's act of putting the pill into the furnace a couple of times.

Normally, she would have asked for advice carefully, no matter how high or low the position was.

"It seems that this court alchemist has been completely won over by you, Xianzhi," Helian Chengyu said with a smile as he watched the old woman leave.

Tang Hao smiled in response, seemingly unconcerned, and then asked, "By the way, Ninth Brother, is the Grand Princess still in seclusion? I need to see her."

"To see my great-aunt?"

With a slightly surprised expression, Helian Chengyu took out a communication jade token: "Let me ask for you what business Xianzhi has with his great-aunt?"

Because the other party was going to focus on breaking through in seclusion, Tang Hao did not reveal the truth to avoid worrying him, and used the same excuse as his senior sister to get by.

"Oh? Your senior sister is your great-aunt's close friend?"

Helian Chengyu paused, his expression somewhat taken aback. He hadn't expected there to be this connection; the generations were all mixed up!

Knowing what he was thinking, Tang Hao laughed twice: "It's okay, let's each talk our own thing."

This was, of course, just a joke. The Tang family and the Helian royal family were related by marriage, so naturally they wouldn't call each other "sister" like Bai Jue did.

"You!" He shook his head helplessly, made a few messages, and then said to Tang Hao, "My great-aunt is free right now, she can go over now."

"That's fine."

Just as Tang Hao was about to take his leave, he heard him say, "Let's go together. With the [Golden Elixir Jade Rejuvenation Pill], we should also report to her about the arrangements for Core Formation."

“Perfect timing. Since you’ve never been to the palace before, I’ll take you there to familiarize yourself with the place.”

Seeing that Tang Hao had no objection, Helian Chengyu immediately summoned Xuan Ying and the others, and the team set off.

On the way to the palace, Tang Hao keenly sensed that quite a few people were indeed secretly watching them.

Before coming out, he had already activated the [Mysterious Turtle Hidden Breath Technique] to adjust his cultivation to the peak of Qi Refining, appearing completely unaware of anything, and chatting and laughing with Helian Chengyu all the way.

However, his peak Qi Refining cultivation level, coupled with his attire as an inner disciple of the Qinghua Sect, certainly changed the public's perception of him.

"Hey, isn't that Tang Hao, the heir of the Duke of Rong, standing next to the Ninth Prince?"

"He's taller and much stronger now, and his face definitely looks like his."

"Hiss, wasn't he supposed to be doing odd jobs at the Qinghua Sect? How did he become an inner disciple?"

"It seems that the claim that Prince Tang has poor talent is just a rumor."

"The General's Mansion must be regretting it terribly! Will they turn around and try to arrange a marriage with the Duke of Rong's Mansion?"

"Tch, if I were the heir apparent, I'd better regret it and see if I even bother with you!"

As they entered the palace, Helian Chengyu smiled and said to Tang Hao, "Xianzhi has finally proven himself. Congratulations!"

Listening to the conversations of the people of Shengjing along the way, he felt quite gratified, knowing that his brother's hard times were finally over.

"In this way, it will also be of great help to the stand-in plan." Tang Hao smiled upon hearing this.

Back when he was in the Qi Refining stage, he had prepared quite a few flesh puppets for the nine women, and he planned to make one that looked like himself.

When the two brothers go out together, the effect of attracting attention will be maximum.

Tang Hao followed Helian Chengyu deeper into the palace.

As Ninth Brother introduced the place, his gaze occasionally swept over the magnificent palaces and halls.

'As expected of a world of cultivation, the Eastern Mausoleum Palace is many times larger than the Forbidden City, its area probably comparable to some towns in my previous life.'

Seeing such a large palace complex for the first time, he was filled with awe.

Somewhat puzzled, he couldn't help but ask in a whisper, "In such a vast place, wouldn't it be easy for Ninth Brother to find a secluded cultivation spot?"

On the way, the two seemed to be chatting and laughing, but in reality, they secretly exchanged many things. Among them, it was mentioned that Helian Chengyu was preparing to leave Shengjing and find a remote place to break through his cultivation.

“There are arrays in the imperial city that monitor the spiritual energy. Once they detect a surge in spiritual energy caused by a breakthrough in a major realm, the eyes and ears planted by various forces will send out the news. At that time, before the heavenly tribulation arrives, the human tribulation may arrive first.”

Helian Chengyu shook his head to explain.

From the time one reaches the Core Formation stage onwards, each breakthrough in a major realm not only triggers a surge of spiritual energy but also brings down tribulations from the Heavenly Dao. A slight misstep can lead to utter annihilation.

"Moreover, the royal family has long stipulated that no one may trigger a heavenly tribulation within the palace, which is something that the major sects and forces cannot compare with."

When he said this, Tang Hao could clearly feel a hint of envy in the other person's eyes.

In sects like the Qinghua Sect, regardless of whether you are at the Core Formation or Nascent Soul stage, there are corresponding venues within the sect where disciples can use formations to resist the might of heaven.

While it can't completely negate the power of the lightning tribulation, it can certainly increase a cultivator's chances of survival.

'It seems that Ninth Brother doesn't not want to join a sect, but as a member of the royal family, he bears the fate of the royal family, and this responsibility forces him to make sacrifices.' Tang Hao disagreed, but could understand.

Arriving at the heart of the imperial city, there stands a palace within a palace, the abode of the royal guardian deity.

When they arrived, palace maids were already waiting there, leading the group into the palace walls.

Upon entering, Tang Hao's heart stirred. The "Eight Primordial Scenery True Scripture" sensed a peculiar energy fluctuation: "The spiritual energy here seems extraordinary."

"Huh? You can actually sense the presence of dragon energy? It seems that the cultivation technique Xianzhi practices is quite miraculous." Helian Chengyu looked surprised.

He clicked his tongue in amazement and said, "This dragon energy is not natural spiritual energy, but is derived from the fortune of the Dongling Kingdom. Generally speaking, only the direct descendants of the Helian clan can sense it."

Just as Tang Hao was about to speak, a voice, both dignified and melodious, yet as clear and pleasant as a young girl's, rang out.

"Can you sense the dragon's aura? Is the young master cultivating the 'Supreme Sun and Moon Primordial Scripture'?"

Looking in the direction of the sound, he noticed that the group had somehow arrived at a small lake.

Inside the pavilion in the lake, a beautiful woman dressed in palace attire is smiling and looking this way.

The others remained by the lake, while Tang Hao and Helian Chengyu walked along the winding bridge to the woman in palace attire and bowed to her.

"Greetings, Great-Grandmother!"

"Tang Hao greets the Grand Princess and wishes Your Highness good health!" Tang Hao hadn't expected this beforehand, and for a moment he didn't know what etiquette to use.

"Pfft!"

The Grand Princess found it amusing and couldn't help but laugh out loud: "Alright, no need for formalities. The Crown Prince is now the True Emperor's personal disciple, and his status is even higher than mine. There's no need for any subject's etiquette."

Helian Chengyu glanced at his brother with a strange look in his eyes. It was the first time he had ever seen his great-aunt treat her juniors so gently and casually.

Even if he came by himself normally, my great-aunt wouldn't be this easygoing.
Tang Hao winked at her and agreed, then quickly took out a purse from his pocket and respectfully handed it over: "This is something my senior sister asked me to bring for Your Highness."

The Grand Princess took it with a gleam in her eyes.

"Don't stand there, sit down!" she called out, eagerly imprinting her divine sense mark into her storage pouch.

'Could it be that my senior sister put something good inside?'

Seeing this, Tang Hao felt a pang of regret, inwardly cursing himself: 'Having been living too comfortably, have I? What happened to the promise of taking advantage of every passing goose?'

Originally, the excuse Yun Bisheng made to deliver the gifts was just a random pretext to get him to see the Grand Princess.

Therefore, Tang Hao naturally assumed that they were probably mostly women's private items and certainly not any treasures.

He was also worried about seeing things he shouldn't have, which would only cause him embarrassment.

But the Grand Princess's current behavior clearly revealed something that greatly appealed to this Nascent Soul cultivator: 'What a huge loss!'

As Tang Hao was thinking this, he noticed that the other party first took out a jade slip from it, quickly glanced through it, and then gave him a cryptic look.

Then he started rummaging through it again, seemingly with a specific goal in mind.

Suddenly, the Grand Princess's eyes lit up again, and a bright smile appeared on her face. With a flick of her wrist, she took out a wooden box about a foot square.

Tang Hao and Helian Chengyu exchanged a glance, both looking at each other expectantly, eager to see what kind of treasure it was.

Then she opened the wooden box without any hesitation.

From among them, a stack of books was taken out.

They both clearly saw the name on the top book, but they still couldn't quite believe it.

Rub your eyes and look again.

The title remains unchanged—"The Grand Princess Arrives, My Husband Spoils Me to the Heavens."

On the cover, there was a portrait of a woman in a wedding dress. Judging from her appearance, she looked at Princess Shouxian with a striking resemblance, if not identical.

"Holy crap, a storybook?" Tang Hao stared, speechless, his lips twitching. "And judging by this, it's based on the Grand Princess."

The Grand Princess seemed to have forgotten their existence, picked up the storybook, and began to read it with great interest.

The newly revealed book still had a somewhat shocking title for them—"Oh no, Her Highness the Grand Princess is surrounded by her husband."

They exchanged another glance. With a Nascent Soul cultivator right in front of them, the two dared not make any ineffective attempts to communicate, and immediately exchanged a few words with their eyes.

Tang Hao: What's going on?
Helian Chengyu: You're asking me about something your senior sister gave you?

Tang Hao: We're not going to be silenced, are we?
Helian Chengyu: No.

Tang Hao: That's alright.

Helian Chengyu: At most, I'll get a good beating.

Tang Hao: ...

Tang Hao: How about we sneak away quietly?
Helian Chengyu: You try walking away.

Helpless, the two could only sit there and wait with their heads bowed.

Despite it being early spring, the weather felt surprisingly hot and dry.

Stealing a glance at the Grand Princess, and seeing her focused expression, Tang Hao licked his dry lips and couldn't help but pick up his teacup and take a sip of tea.

As a result, he glanced over casually and happened to see the other person turn a page.

On the page, two tiny figures were playing an online game, their expressions incredibly lifelike.

"puff!"

He couldn't hold back, and the tea in his mouth turned into a cloud of steam.

'This isn't a storybook, it's clearly a picture book!'

Helian Chengyu stared at him with a resentful look.

Tang Hao gave an awkward smirk: "It's all my fault. Why did I have to be so sharp-eyed at a time like this?"

Princess Shouxian, who was engrossed in drawing in her notebook, was finally awakened by the noise.

She frowned and looked up at the two of them.

He seemed extremely unhappy about being disturbed.

Tang Hao and Helian Chengyu couldn't help but swallow hard, curling up like quails in their chairs.

A faint voice drifted over: "Can you see it?"

(End of this chapter)