Complete one practice method every day

Chen Yuqing did not refuse immediately. She did have several family heirloom manuals, which were precious items that her branch of the family had brought with them when they fled. Naturally, she would not give them away easily.

As a prominent family in Youlin County, the Chen family's main branch must possess a considerable collection of various martial arts manuals. If one were truly interested, obtaining one or two manuals, even if they weren't top-tier, wouldn't be entirely impossible.

The key question is whether it's worth it.

"Did you take the secret manual?" Chen Yuqing finally spoke again, her voice devoid of emotion, "and you agreed to take thirty Blood-Activating Pills every day?"

"Thirty pills are far too many. With my current abilities, even with a slow training pace, I can only guarantee a maximum of twenty-three pills per day. That's my limit," Chen Yue said, shaking his head.

"Twenty-three isn't enough," Chen Yuqing immediately rejected, her tone leaving no room for argument. "At least twenty-five."

Chen Yue didn't speak; he simply looked calmly at Chen Yuqing.

Chen Yuqing's eyes turned slightly cold. She disliked this feeling of being out of control, especially when the person in question was Chen Yue, an alchemist who should have been firmly under her control.

But Chen Yue's determination, and the current situation of the pharmacy, forced her to have some reservations.

If pushed too hard, the boy seems likely to quit or secretly slack off.

Chen Yuqing didn't say anything more, but just looked at Chen Yue deeply. Then, without lingering, she lifted her skirt slightly and walked straight out of the courtyard.

Xiao Cui quickly followed, and as she passed Chen Yue, she glared at him fiercely. Her lips moved as if she wanted to say something, but in the end she didn't dare to be presumptuous behind Chen Yuqing's back. She could only show her frustration and anger on her face.

Chen Yue stood there, watching the two figures disappear outside the door.

"If I can really get them... refining a few more wouldn't be a loss." Chen Yue thought to himself, then turned and walked back to the alchemy room.

……

After leaving the alchemy courtyard for a while and making sure no one was around, Xiao Cui finally couldn't hold back anymore, her voice filled with resentment: "Miss! That Chen Yue is too ungrateful. We asked him to do more for the pharmacy, but he made excuses and even dared to make demands!"

He even dared to tell me to shut up! Does he even respect you, Miss?

Chen Yuqing continued walking, his expression still cold. Upon hearing this, he simply said, "It's just a rare commodity. Now the pharmacy only has him and Master Lin left as alchemists. He has this skill, so naturally he has the confidence to act arrogantly."

Xiao Cui was even angrier upon hearing this: "But aren't we all doing this for the good of the pharmacy? It's not like we won't give him a share of the profits from the pills! Why is he acting so arrogant? Miss, we can't let him continue like this! Otherwise, if the other apprentices and guards follow suit, how will we manage them?"

Chen Yuqing didn't reply immediately, but a clear hint of coldness and displeasure flashed in her eyes. Xiao Cui's words had somewhat captured her current state of mind.

Chen Yue's attitude today did indeed challenge her authority and made her realize that her control over this young alchemist was not as firm as she had imagined.

Xiao Cui, observing the situation and seeing that her words had had an effect, quickly pressed her advantage:

"Moreover, that brat is actually delusional, dreaming of practicing some better martial art! He's truly ignorant of his own limitations! If he's going to refine pills, he should just focus on refining pills. Is practicing martial arts such an easy thing? Doesn't he even know what kind of talent he has?"

Chen Yuqing paused slightly, glanced sideways at the indignant Xiao Cui, then turned back to look straight ahead: "Wanting to practice martial arts is not wrong in itself. In this world, it's always good to have more self-defense capabilities."

She paused, her voice lowering, as if speaking to herself, or perhaps admonishing Xiao Cui, "But martial arts training is not something that can be achieved in a short time. It requires talent, hard work, and even more so, proper guidance and resources. Having ideas alone is far from enough."

Xiao Cui seemed to understand but not quite, but seeing that her mistress seemed to have her own plans, she didn't dare to say anything more. She just followed behind, still fuming, cursing Chen Yue a thousand times in her heart.

After Chen Yuqing and his servant left, the alchemy courtyard returned to silence. Chen Yue did not take the verbal exchange just now to heart.

He quickly regained his composure and returned to his cultivation.

The next day, around noon, Chen Yue went to the front hall to hand over the refined Blood-Activating Pills. He happened to see Chen Yuqing and Li Lie walking out of the steward's room one after the other, about to leave the pharmacy.

Li Lie was dressed in a more streamlined outfit today, and his chest injury seemed to have healed considerably; his breathing was more focused than before. Chen Yuqing, on the other hand, remained in her usual simple attire.

The two stopped at the door and exchanged a few words in hushed tones. Chen Yuqing caught a glimpse of Chen Yue walking out of the side corridor out of the corner of her eye. She paused slightly, then gestured to Li Lie before turning and walking towards Chen Yue.

Li Lie stood still, his gaze following Chen Yuqing to Chen Yue. His sharp eyes revealed no emotion, lingering on Chen Yue for only a moment before looking away.

Chen Yuqing stopped a few steps away from Chen Yue, looking at him with a cold gaze: "Today I will go to the main family with Guard Li. I will mention your request from yesterday to the family head. But whether it succeeds or not, and what kind of secret manual we can obtain, depends on the family head's will. I cannot guarantee anything."

She paused, then raised her voice: "If you truly possess the secret manual, you must keep your promise and take twenty-five Blood Activating Pills daily. You cannot go back on your word."

After saying that, she didn't give Chen Yue any chance to respond or bargain. She turned around and nodded slightly to Li Lie, who was waiting. The two of them walked out of the pharmacy door one after the other, and their figures quickly disappeared around the corner.

Chen Lin also came out from the front hall at this moment. Seeing Chen Yue standing at the door looking in the direction Chen Yuqing had left, he walked over and patted him on the shoulder with a peacemaker's smile on his face.

"Chen Yue, Miss Yu Qing is also thinking of the pharmacy, and she's under a lot of pressure. If possible, it would be good to refine more pills."

Chen Yue withdrew his gaze, smiled at Chen Lin, and said in a calm tone, "Don't worry, Manager Chen, I will do my best. However, my abilities are limited, and I can only do what I can."

"Yes, it's good that you know what I mean." Chen Lin nodded and didn't say anything more.

Chen Yue turned and returned to her small courtyard. Chen Yuqing's last words were less of an instruction and more of a gesture. She was willing to try, but she had clearly set the conditions.

Chen Yue was neither surprised nor bothered by this. It would be better if it were there, but if not, he would proceed at his own pace.

Back in the courtyard, Chen Yue continued his daily, unwavering cultivation practice.

More than an hour passed, the sun began to set in the west, and twilight began to paint the sky.

Chen Yue finished another round of Tiger Roar Golden Bell Shield training and felt slightly tired, so he returned to his room. With the last rays of sunlight, he picked up the formula for the Poison Avoidance Pill again and quietly deduced the subtle balance of the dosage of several medicinal ingredients in his mind.

The room was quiet, with only the occasional soft sound of him turning the pages and his own steady, long breathing.

Suddenly, a series of hurried and disordered footsteps approached rapidly from afar, heading towards his alchemy room, located at the innermost part of the courtyard. The footsteps were heavy and forceful, far from the unsteady running of ordinary apprentices in a medicine shop, and there was more than one person!

Chen Yue jerked his head up; this voice...something's wrong!