Refining the Mountains and Rivers

The next day when Qin Yu opened the courtyard doors, the first sight he saw was Zeng Mo’er. When he looked beside her he stiffened, but after a moment of shock he quickly hid his surprise and greeted her. He cupped his hands together and said, “And this fairy maiden is?”

For some reason, Zeng Mo’er felt angry upon seeing Qin Yu properly greet her. She said with irritation, “That has nothing to do with you! Big Sister Ning, you must be especially careful, there are some shameless people in this world!”

Qin Yu was left helpless. Including today, the two of them had only met each other three times and had exchanged less than 20 sentences, so how could she just call him shameless?

Ning Ling’s eyes flashed. Without answering the question she said, “I seem to have seen fellow daoist yesterday?”

Qin Yu immediately began to emit a cold sweat. But, he kept his expression neutral. “Really? I don’t seem to recall anything.”

Ning Ling observed his expression. She faintly smiled after several breaths of time. “My name is Ning Ling.”

Qin Yu was perturbed. He cupped his hands across his chest and said, “Qin Yu.”

Zeng Mo’er whined, “Big Sister Ning, why would you tell him your name? I’m telling you, you must be careful!”

Qin Yu coughed. “Miss Zeng, I believe that I haven’t treated you with the least bit of disrespect. If you continue to impugn my reputation again and again, then I will have no choice but to…fulfill your wishes.”

Zeng Mo’er was startled. Then, she understood his meaning. Her eyes popped wide open, “You dare!?”

Ning Ling blocked her. She lightly said, “Fellow daoist Qin Yu, I heard that a Grandmaster stays here so I asked Mo’er to bring me to request a pill.”

As she spoke, she flicked her hand and a jade chest appeared.

Storage bag!

This woman definitely had a considerable background.

Qin Yu was intimidated. He firmed his heart that he absolutely could not reveal the slightest mistake in his words.

“There are materials for three Enduring Glamour Pills in this jade chest; this is all I have. I was wondering if Grandmaster could refine one for me so that I may gift it to one of my Elders as a congratulatory birthday present. Of course, even if all attempts fail, I still won’t complain.”

An Enduring Glamour Pill affected one’s face. Depending on one’s individual physique, by swallowing one they could maintain their current appearance for 20-30 year without change. This was a particularly precious pill, especially for women. It was a Foundation Establishment level pill, but in terms of the difficulty of refining one, it was nearly equal to a Golden Core level pill. The failure rate was horrendous!

Qin Yu frowned. He originally wanted to refuse, but when he faced Ning Ling’s deep, pool-like pupils he found himself unexpectedly nodding. After coming to an agreement, the two women no longer dallied. They agreed to come back in two days to take the pill, and then left together.

Watching those two leave, Qin Yu slapped his head and revealed a bitter smile. Beautiful women were like jade. Although they were pleasant to the eyes, they still disturbed the mind! He secretly warned himself to not do this again in the future, and then stepped back into the courtyard and went straight to his alchemy room.

An Enduring Glamour Pill. If he didn’t have the little blue lamp then he would have simply given up. And even though he had the little blue lamp, he still couldn’t be careless. After all, he still had to maintain his reputation as an alchemy Grandmaster. While an Enduring Glamour Pill was hard to refine, he should be able to manage it as long as he tried!

Bang –

Bang –

Muffled ringing sounds constantly emitted from the alchemy room. Although Qin Yu had already expected this, the difficulty of refining an Enduring Glamour Pill had far surpassed his imagination.

The three sets of materials were all used up in failure. At night, he took advantage of the little blue lamp to extract the materials and then continued. After two days and two nights, Qin Yu made at least 30 attempts. Luckily, during the second night, he managed to somehow refine a pill.

Of course, this pill might not even possess a third of the effect of an ordinary Enduring Glamour Pill. If any other alchemist were to judge this pill, they would consider it completely useless.

Fortunately, he had the little blue lamp!

He ignored the fact that the pill in his hands was half the size of a normal pill and placed it in the foot-wide range of sea-blue light. There was still some time until dawn arrived, so he hoped he could succeed.

After finishing this, he yawned. A deep sense of weariness rose up all over him. As he stretched his body, his bones cracked all over. He sat down cross-legged, took out some Essence Soul Pills, Essence Augmenting Pills, Body Forging Pills, and swallowed them down as he meditated.

Essence Soul Pills enhanced the divine sense, Essence Augmenting Pills increased one’s magic power, and Body Forging Pills tempered the body; they were all upgraded versions of Energy Refining realm pills.

As for why he swallowed all three types at once, if he had pills, didn’t that mean he could do whatever he wanted with them?

What? Others said that absorbing them like this meant that the effects wouldn’t be as good? Well, if he had to look at it from another perspective…those with plenty of pills could be so capricious!

Like this, the capricious Qin Yu meditated until sunrise. It was then that he heard a rapid knocking on his door, waking him up. He lifted his tired head and opened the courtyard doors to receive his guests.

The one knocking on the door was indeed Zeng Mo’er. This little girl seemed to know that the ‘Grandmaster’ wouldn’t bother with someone on such a low level as her, thus her actions became increasingly rampant.

Before Ning Ling could open her mouth, Zeng Mo’er immediately spoke up. “It’s time; where is the Enduring Glamour Pill? The Grandmaster’s reputation has spread out so far and wide, so don’t tell me you completely failed!”

Qin Yu ignored her. He looked at Ning Ling and said, “Wait a moment. I’ll bring it out now.”

He turned around and left, leaving the courtyard doors wide open. Zeng Mo’er fumed and stamped her feet, but she actually didn’t dare to take a single step inwards. To show a little bit of her temper and to go against the will of the Grandmaster, these were crimes on completely different levels. She even suspected that Qin Yu had deliberately left the door open in order to trick her. This despicable fellow!

“He hasn’t come out? Why would it take so long to bring out a pill?” Zeng Mo’er grit her teeth.

Ning Ling also frowned.

After another period of time, Qin Yu appeared in their sight once more. Without waiting for Zeng Mo’er to shout, he respectfully said, “Two misses, please follow me into the courtyard.”

Ning Ling was faintly astonished. She glanced deeply into the courtyard.

Qin Yu nodded. “This is the Grandmaster’s will.”

Ning Ling prevented Zeng Mo’er from saying any more disdainful words and pulled her into the small courtyard. The courtyard was messy and the ground was littered with dead leaves. It was evident that this place hadn’t been cleaned in a long time.

Qin Yu closed the courtyard doors and said. “It’s a bit chaotic here, so please don’t mind.” He took a deep breath and brought out a jade bottle from his chest.

When no one answered, Ning Ling frowned. Beside her, Zeng Mo’er smirked, as if she had finally caught him in his act.

Qin Yu laughed and shook his head. He placed the jade bottle on the table behind him and then drew several steps back. “Miss Ning Ling, please take a look.”

Ning Ling hesitated for a moment, then picked up the jade bottle and opened it. With a light gasp she watched as a small deep blue pill peacefully rolled into her palm. Its size was only half that of a normal pill, but at this time no one cared about that. Her eyes were glued onto it.

A rich medicinal fragrance spread through the air. It was only after a long time that the deathly silence was broken by a trembling voice. “Big Sister Ning…this…this is…”

Zeng Mo’er stuttered, her small and shocked face beginning to blush red.

Ning Ling took a deep breath. “Fellow daoist Qin Yu?”

Qin Yu’s expression was filled with praise. “This is a top grade Enduring Glamour Pill! Miss Ning need not ask, because I also don’t know the reason. This is all the intention of the Grandmaster. However, I must ask that Miss Ning keep this a secret and not reveal it to anyone else.”

Ning Ling turned and bowed towards the depths of the courtyard. “This pill is called the Enduring Glamour Pill, and after swallowing one, it will guarantee that one’s appearance will remain unchanged for their remaining lifetime. Ning Ling thanks the Grandmaster for such a generous gift.”

She put the Enduring Glamour Pill away. Then, with a wave of her hand she took out a jade pendant from her storage bag. This jade pendant was the size of a knuckle and shined with a crystalline light. Its surface shimmered with layers of strange light.

“The value of an Enduring Glamour Pill is unmatched; this junior naturally must show some measure of gratitude. This aura restraining pendant might not be as valuable as this pill, but I ask Grandmaster to accept it.”

The moment Qin Yu received the jade pendant, a piece of information appeared in his mind. Then, he was left speechless.

Aura restraining pendant. After refining, one could conceal their own aura, even against the divine sense of a Golden Core master.

This jade pendant was something he desperately needed.

Maintaining a calm expression, Qin Yu turned and bowed. “Grandmaster, junior here favors this jade pendant. What do you think?”

There was only silence in response.

Qin Yu smiled happily. “It’s accepted. Thank you very much, Miss Ning!”

Ning Ling looked at him and shook her head. “No, I must be the one thanking fellow daoist Qin. If I were to accept such a pill without giving anything in return, it would be hard to find peace of mind.” She bowed once more. “Then I won’t disturb Grandmaster any longer. Junior bids her farewells.”

Zeng Mo’er was clearly somewhat distracted. She fluttered close behind Ning Ling.

Qin Yu sent off the two people and returned to his alchemy room. He immediately frowned. He didn’t understand what had happened. In just half a night, the grade of the Enduring Glamour Pill rose all the way to the highest level.

He didn’t know whether this incident would cause great waves to rise up in the future. Qin Yu frowned and lost himself in thought. After a long time, he let out a deep breath. Although a top grade Enduring Glamour Pill was amazing, it shouldn’t be beyond the range of an alchemy Grandmaster. As long as he remained careful and didn’t give away other top grade pills in the future, this matter would soon blow over.

Although the incident today had seemed calm and casual, the truth was that he had been walking on a steel wire the entire time. A single mistake and he would have fallen beyond redemption!

Careful.

He had to be careful!

….

The carriage was incomparably quiet.

Ning Ling was deep in thought. Across from her, Zeng Mo’er tried to speak up several times but hesitated.

Finally, she couldn’t hold herself back any longer. She asked in a soft voice. “Big Sister Ning, do you know this Grandmaster?”

Ning Ling thought for a moment. “It should be because of my family.”

Zeng Mo’er nodded. She had already heard the old ancestor mention that Ning Ling’s identity was out of the ordinary, and there was a tremendous background hiding behind her. Today’s matters had verified this. She gathered her courage and asked, “Big Sister Ning, if I were to ask Grandmaster for a pill, do you think he would agree?”

Ning Ling was silent for several moments. “Mo’er, if this Grandmaster can recognize my origins, he must inevitably be some impressive person. When it comes to such an existence, you can make a request, but you cannot resent him and you cannot even form the tiniest bit of disrespect in your heart. Do you understand what I am trying to say?”

Zeng Mo’er smiled. She wryly smiled. “Big Sister Ning need not worry; I know just what my weight is. Even so, I still must try.”

She leaned back in the carriage and closed her eyes, no longer speaking.

Ning Ling sighed. She knew the reason why Zeng Mo’er would request a pill, but obtaining an Enduring Glamour Pill today was already a tremendous favor; it wasn’t something that a single magic tool could compare with. It was best if she didn’t speak too much about this matter.

Hopefully, the Grandmaster would show compassion.

The Zeng Family’s old ancestor Zeng Chingming came again to pay a visit. This time, his following was even grander than before. He brought all sorts of gifts, so many that they piled up into a small hill.

After seeing all of this, Qin Yu’s complexion turned ugly. He glanced at Zeng Mo’er, his voice deep as he said, “Senior Zeng, what is the meaning of this? Could it be that you want to force Grandmaster to refine pills for your Zeng Family!?”

Zeng Chingming sighed. “Little friend, please don’t think that. Within the entire Zeng Family there is no one who would dare disrespect the Grandmaster. But, I really have no choice in this matter so I earnestly request the lord for help. This old man would be deeply grateful!”

Qin Yu directly refused. “Miss Ning’s Enduring Glamour Pill already cost the Grandmaster a considerable amount of effort and energy to make. Senior Zeng needs to understand that it is impossible for the Grandmaster to help at this moment. I ask that you take the gifts back with you.”

Zeng Chingming’s heart trembled. He already guessed that the Grandmaster was gathering his body, energy, and soul to break into the Nascent Soul realm. Now Qin Yu’s words had proven this beyond a doubt. If so, then it was completely impossible for him to ask for a pill right now.

His complexion immediately dimmed and he seemed to grow much older in that moment. He rose up and said, “It was just the momentary rashness of an old man. I will take my leave.”

“Great Grandfather!” Zeng Mo’er cried out. She fell to her knees. “Grandmaster, I ask you to rescue my uncle! He’s going to die! He’s really going to die!”

As she cried, Qin Yu finally understood why Zeng Mo’er would have such an intense reaction. The Zeng Family had a son named Zeng Zhongxiu. He was a heaven-gifted genius who had reached the tenth level of Energy Refining by 16 years of age, and in terms of alchemy, he possessed an even greater level of talent.

The junior of a large family who also possessed such a high degree of talent should have had an incomparably bright future awaiting him. However, his youthful heart and brashness had been his own undoing. He tried to break through Energy Refining and reach Foundation Establishment on his own, but in that critical moment, his cultivation had been broken by Zeng Mo’er who had suddenly rushed in. Not only had his breakthrough failed but he suffered a backlash as a result. From that point on, his cultivation no longer advanced and he fell ill in bed with sickness. No matter how deep the background of the Zeng Family was, they had no way of preventing his life draining out of him, and now he verged on the border of death.

Zeng Mo’er’s tears fell like rain. She turned and bowed. “Big Brother Qin, I know that I offended you with my youthful ignorance, but I beg that you don’t quarrel with someone as low as me, and please ask Grandmaster for me. As long as he can bestow us a single top grade Foundation Establishment Pill, I can agree with any condition you like.”

Zeng Chingming painfully closed his eyes. But when he opened them, they had returned to tranquility. “Mo’er, shut up!” he cupped his hands together and faced the courtyard, “This little girl doesn’t mean anything. Grandmaster, please don’t mind her. I will bring her away first.”

Zeng Mo’er rose up, her entire body wooden and stiff. As she followed behind her grandfather, she seemed to have lost her soul, without any of her previous rambunctiousness.

Qin Yu coughed. “So you want a Foundation Establishment Pill…?”