Refining the Mountains and Rivers

But soon, he was left puzzled. Why would someone like Grand Authority Ning help their Ning Family? In this world, love and hate didn’t exist without reason. If Ning Qin was helping them, then he had to have his own reason for it.

With Grand Authority Ning’s status, besides the treasure in their family, there was nothing that could move him. But Ning Qin never mentioned any reward at all from beginning to end. If so, then the chances that he came for the treasure were small.

Ning Yuntao thought long and hard about it. Then, his eyes brightened. He thought about a single possibility – Liangliang’s unparalleled beauty. If it weren’t for the fact that she had been weak since childhood and rarely went outside, she would already be a renowned beauty. He was absolutely confident in his niece’s looks!

Grand Authority Ning’s alchemy skills were unfathomable, but by listening to his voice and sensing his aura, he shouldn’t be too old. If so, then if his hypothesis was correct, that would truly be wonderful.

Thinking of this, Ning Yuntao couldn’t sit still any longer. He stood up; he needed to verify this with his niece.

Ning Liang was resting against her bed, her face dignified. As she looked at her uncle who had dismissed all the maids, she couldn’t help but feel anxious. “Uncle, is there some problem?”

Ning Yuntao waved his hand. “Liangliang, don’t be nervous, uncle just wants to ask you a question. But before that, look at the pills in this jade bottle first.”

Ning Liang relaxed a little. She took the jade bottle in her hand and opened it. “Water Mist Spirit Pills!” She shouted out loud, her face full of surprise. As the saying went, those that were ill for a long time eventually became doctors. Because of her bodily condition, Ning Liang hadn’t been able to cultivate for a long time, so she spent her free time looking through texts and studying alchemy. Naturally, she had placed a great deal of effort in this aspect. Although she hadn’t truly refined pills, she had an extremely high level of theoretical knowledge.

Ning Yuntao took out another jade bottle. “And look at these.”

Ning Liang looked at her uncle and his almost irrepressible smile. Although she was prepared inwardly, she was still frightened.

“Uncle, this…these are…Minor Marrow Nourishing Pills?”

“Hahaha! My family’s Liangliang is truly well learned!” Ning Yuntao laughed.

Ning Liang fell silent. “Uncle, I know that Grandmaster Ning wishes to make an attempt, but whether it will succeed or not, we have no idea. You must have spent a great deal purchasing these pills. I fear that once you return home you will be in trouble. In truth, with my body I’m fine with taking common pills. You didn’t need to purchase anything so precious.”

Ning Yuntao smiled. “I never said I was the one who bought these pills. Moreover, seventh-grade spirit pills aren’t something you can casually buy anywhere.” He leaned over. “Let me tell you something. These Water Mist Spirit Pills and Minor Narrow Nourishing Pills were just sent over by Ning Qin. He wants you to use them to restore your body’s origin energy.”

“Ah!” Ning Liang cried out in alarm, completely stunned.

Ning Yuntao’s heart leapt up in his chest. “Liangliang, do you know why Ning Qin would help us?”

Ning Liang shook her head at a loss.

Ning Yuntao coughed. “Ah…then think carefully, have you ever seen him before anywhere?”

Ning Liang closed her eyes, playing back all of her recent memories.

This was an inborn talent of hers – visual memory. She remembered everything she saw in exact detail and could recall it instantly.

But sifting through these memories was tiring for her mind, so because of this, her originally pale complexion lost all shades of red. Ning Yuntao began to regret asking her this, but soon she opened her eyes. Her memories had rewinded back to three days before, just outside the auction house.

Her uncle had been working hard to purchase Condensed Incensed Balls to no avail. He stood by her speedcar, comforting her. Not too far away, atop the high stairs, a black-robed figure was peacefully standing there for a long time. This black-robed figure was blurry in the hectic wind and snow, but as she recalled carefully, they were actually extremely similar to Grandmaster Ning. As she further thought about this, the two figures overlapped onto each other until they became one whole.

After a brief hesitation, Ning Liang said, “Uncle, I remember where I have seen Grandmaster Ning before.” She immediately described her memory.

Ning Yuntao was overjoyed. Although Ning Liang wasn’t absolutely sure, he was well aware of his niece’s visual memory. There was almost no chance she would make a mistake. If so, this could be explained.

On that snowy afternoon, the warm light of the speedcar had reflected against Ning Liang, adding a gentle touch to her delicate beauty. Hiding his status, a youth of mysterious origins stood on the high stair. His gaze passed through the glass and saw Ning Liang, whereupon he was immediately captivated by her rapturous beauty. Thus, the youth had inquired into the Ning Family’s condition and upon finding that they were in a difficult position, he bravely stepped forward to block the wind and rain for them.

One couldn’t help but acknowledge that the fantastical scenario Ning Yuntao came up with was warm and beautiful, and it was unexpectedly reasonable…in some ways, it even drew close to the truth.

Thus, Ning Yuntao completely believed in this. It wasn’t a rash decision, but besides this incident, he couldn’t think of any other reason why Ning Qin would help.

He thought about Ning Liang’s illness and how she would soon be cured, even finding such a perfect knight in shining armor. Even the entire Ning Family would benefit from this.

His face lifted in a smile as he told Ning Liang what his guess was. Then, the girl who normally put on a strong appearance suddenly turned fiery red.

She constantly told herself that her uncle’s guesses were too nonsensical. Moreover, Ning Qin had the strength to refine seventh-grade pills. With such heavenly talent, this person could chase anyone he wanted, so why would he choose a sick girl from an ordinary family like her?

But Ning Yuntao’s words circled around in her heart. They seemed to contain some sort of demonic charm, one that was impossible to scatter…what if her uncle’s guesses were right? What should she do?

She lowered her head back against her bed, her heart beating faster and faster. She subconsciously gripped the jade bottles in her hand.

...

Chu Taidou sat between curtains formed from black jade bamboo, a cool mat beneath him. A wooden table lay in front of him with a pot of tea boiling atop it. Whether it was the lustrous sand-fired pot or the flawless teacup, all of it showed that he was a sophisticated man who knew how to enjoy the finer things in life.

The black jade bamboo, the teapot, the teacup – any of these items could be sold outside at a sky high price. Yet, in Chu Taidou’s hands, they were nothing but ordinary utensils used to boil tea. As an alchemy Grand Authority, he had accumulated not just personal connections over the years, but his wealth was far greater than could be imagined.

Qi Cheng quietly entered the pavilion. Wrapped in the light and fresh breeze all around him, he quietly waited in a corner. He was well aware of his master’s temper; he didn’t like to be disturbed while brewing tea.

Chu Taidou tasted a sip of the clear blue tea and then laid down the teacup. “What is the problem?”

Qi Cheng stepped forward and bowed. “Honorable master, this disciple has already verified that the Ning Family is indeed purchasing a massive amount of materials required to refine the Blazing Sun Integration Pill.”

Chu Taidou furrowed his eyebrows. “The list.”

Qi Cheng handed a jade slip over with both hands.

Chu Taidou searched it with his divine sense. After several breaths of time he opened his eyes. “It’s the minor pill; it has basically no use for the Ning Family miss’ cold poison.” He continued to furrow his eyebrows. The Ning Family didn’t have any decent alchemists; he knew this from the many years he had been treating Ning Liang for. And how could he not know she had consumed a considerable number of these pills before? Was this the last attempt of the sick or was there some other hidden secret behind it?

His eyes flashed. Chu Taidou said, “Have you investigated who it is that is helping the Ning Family refine pills?”

Qi Cheng said, “Reporting to honorable master, we have already investigated and found that the one who is helping the Ning Family is a guest also staying at the Western Mountain Inn. We still haven’t clarified this person’s motive for helping the Ning Family.”

Chi Taidou thought for a moment. “Pay attention to what the Ning Family’s movements are. If there is a need, go and contact that alchemist.”

“This disciple understands. I will not disturb honorable master’s rest anymore.” Qi Cheng turned and left. A cold light flashed in his eyes. In Four Seasons City, who didn’t know that his master was intentionally suppressing the Ning Family? To help the Ning Family refine pills was already the greatest show of disrespect.

Humph, if anyone wished to disrespect honorable master, they would have to be prepared to pay the price!

…

In a secluded chamber, Qin Yu didn’t know that his actions had already caused enmity with others. Even if he did, he wouldn’t necessarily care. He sat down and ate some pills, restoring himself to his peak condition. Then his eyes opened and a sharp light exploded from within them.

Eating further Condensed Incense Balls was useless; he only had her take one more as a stopgap measure. At most it would suppress the cold poison in her body for another ten days. This was the reason why Qin Yu had prepared ten each of the Water Mist Spirit Pill and Minor Marrow Nourishing Pill. To take two every day, she should finish in five days. Then, after allowing one extra day for her to absorb the medicinal efficacy, this would be the time when Ning Liang was in her best condition and also his prime opportunity to dispel the cold poison from her body.

So, this gave Qin Yu at most six days to refine the required pill.

The Blazing Sun Integration Pill. The minor pill was a fifth-grade pill and the major pill was a sixth-grade pill. However, because of the existence of the Deva Soul, the difficulty of refining the major pill was actually higher than that of most seventh-grade pills!

Qin Yu only had a single Deva Soul in his hands. Even if he had the little blue lamp, he needed to be extra, extra careful. Because if he failed the refinement process, things would become far more troublesome.

Qin Yu took a deep breath and flicked his sleeve. A pill furnace with cracks all over it and a piece missing from the lid suddenly appeared. This was the Ninth Province furnace.

“Ninth Province, I am refining pills to save someone this time. You will need to hold your greedy mouth for now. As compensation, I will give you some pills first.”

He took out several more jade bottles. As he raised his hand, Ninth Province popped open on its own. A burst of light rushed out and wrapped around the jade bottles before pulling them in.

There was a series of chewing sounds. The lid opened and closed; the clang was a response.

Alright!

Qin Yu smiled. This was a necessary step. Otherwise, if he managed to successfully refine the Blazing Sun Integration Pill and it was eaten by Ninth Province as a result, he would be left speechless.

It was time to begin!

In the blink of an eye, five days passed.

In her room, Ning Liang’s complexion was much better than before. With the Water Mist Spirit Pill and Minor Marrow Nourishing Pill coordinating together, they displayed an astonishing restorative effect. Her complexion was ruddy, her eyes were clear and bright, and her body had filled out much more than before. Of course…it had filled out in the correct areas.

“Hehe! Miss is so beautiful!”

“We are women and yet we can’t help but be moved! If it was some smelly man, I’m sure their eyes would fall out!”

“Humph! This is because our young miss is weak. Otherwise, no one could hope to match her!”

Ning Liang stood near the window, her hands propping up her chin. She mindlessly listened to the whispers of the maids behind her. They were people who had accompanied her since she was young, and with her gentle nature too, they weren’t afraid of speaking out at all.

“That’s enough, if others were to hear you, they wouldn't know whether to laugh or not!” Ning Liang couldn’t help it anymore. She turned back and glared at them.