CHAPTER 997: CHAPTER 994: BEGINNING ALCHEMY

"Brother Lin, let me be your assistant. I used to search for herbs for my grandfather, so I can recognize those herbs too," Yun Xiaotian volunteered.

"Merely recognizing herbs isn’t enough. You must have a deeper understanding of them, which you’re not fit for," Lin Tian shook his head and refused.

"Have you already chosen someone, Brother Lin? I can help you find them," Yun Xiaotian, though disappointed, still offered his help proactively.

Lin Tian thought for a moment and said, "Actually, Elder Jiang would be the most suitable choice, but he’s getting on in years, and making him work at night would be too tiring. Besides, it’s a bit awkward for a junior to boss around a senior. Senior Sister Zi Yan would be a good choice, though. She’s Elder Jiang’s apprentice, and while she’s not a pharmacist, she has some understanding of alchemy and is knowledgeable about medicine and pharmacology."

"Then we should waste no time. Let’s go tell Sister Zi Yan now," Yun Xiaotian said eagerly.

Lin Tian glanced outside the garden with a smile and said, "There’s no need for us to go."

Just as Yun Xiaotian was puzzled, a person walked into the garden—a beautiful woman with a graceful waist and charming smile. It was none other than Zi Yan, the one they were talking about.

"Oh, Brother Lin, how did Sister Zi Yan know you came out of seclusion? Did you notify her in advance?" Yun Xiaotian asked curiously.

Lin Tian smiled slightly and said, "I’ve been in seclusion refining medicine lately. Though Zi Yan hasn’t disturbed me, she must have been keeping an eye on the happenings at Yunxiang Inn. When you brought the medicine cauldron over with such commotion, Senior Sister would definitely have received the news, so she knows I came out of seclusion."

"Junior brother guessed correctly. When I heard Yunxiang Inn had a medicine cauldron delivered, I knew junior brother had come out of seclusion, so I came specifically to check things out," Zi Yan had already walked in, and with a radiant smile, she said this after hearing Lin Tian’s words.

"Senior sister, you’re just in time. I’m planning to refine medicine at midnight tonight and need you as my assistant. You won’t refuse, will you?" Lin Tian went straight to the point and asked.

Zi Yan’s eyes lit up, and a flash of joy crossed her face. She had been very curious about how Lin Tian refined medicine so quickly and how he managed to produce elixirs of such high quality. The opportunity had suddenly arrived.

Moreover, observing a pharmacist’s alchemy isn’t an opportunity that comes along often. It would be greatly beneficial for her medical skills, especially in pharmacology.

Nonetheless, Zi Yan played it cool and said, "Senior sister’s appearance fee is very expensive. Can you afford it?"

Yun Xiaotian was about to say he would cover the appearance fee, but Lin Tian stopped him: "Senior sister, I don’t have money, but I do have quite a few Top Grade Shaoyang Pills. How about offering one Shaoyang Pill as a reward? If that’s not enough, then two."

"Top Grade Shaoyang Pill, junior brother, you really are generous!" Zi Yan’s previously calm expression showed a bit of surprise, but she still shook her head slightly: "Forget it, I was just joking with you. I don’t need your reward, just remember senior sister’s kindness."

"Of course, senior sister has always been good to me. I, as your junior, have nothing to repay you with but my hand in marriage," Lin Tian grinned, knowing full well that Zi Yan was just joking. Back then, she could give away such a precious golden thread, so she wouldn’t care much about the reward.

"Your hand in marriage, you said it. From now on, you belong to senior sister, so remember not to flirt around because you’re wholly senior sister’s, inside and out. When senior sister needs a man to live with one day, I’ll come to claim you," Zi Yan raised her beautiful eyebrows and smiled charmingly at Lin Tian, without any regard for Yun Xiaotian’s presence.

"Alright, I need to go prepare. See you at midnight," Zi Yan threw a coquettish glance and turned to leave elegantly, saying no more than five sentences.

Indeed, a senior sister is a senior sister; her teasing is consistently enchanting. Lin Tian smiled wryly, suddenly remembering he hadn’t mentioned the location and quickly shouted at Zi Yan’s retreating figure, "The location is Yun Family Sea Eye."

Zi Yan didn’t reply, only waved her hand backwards, then completely left Yunxiang Inn.

Turning back, Lin Tian saw Yun Xiaotian looking embarrassed and blushing, and he couldn’t help but ask curiously, "Xiao Tian, why are you blushing?"

The originally handsome and delicate boy looked even more like a girl with his flushed face, making Lin Tian’s imagination run wild.

Yun Xiaotian hesitated for a moment, then said softly, "Does Sister Zi Yan... always talk like that with Brother Lin?"

"Yes, senior sister often teases me, but there’s nothing I can do. Who told me to be more honest?" Lin Tian said shamelessly.

"Oh, I see. Then have a good rest, Brother Lin. I’ll go back first," Yun Xiaotian said vaguely and left Yunxiang Inn.

Lin Tian was even more puzzled than him. Although Zi Yan’s words were direct, you’re a grown man, yet you blush like this, as if you were a little girl.

He raised his head again to look at the sky. The sun hadn’t reached noon, and there was still a long time before the evening rest. Completely baffled, Lin Tian scratched his head.

Unable to figure it out, Lin Tian decided not to waste his brain cells. He carried the medicine cauldron back to his study. The new cauldron was about the same height and size as the old one, but it had two more air passages, making it a four-air-passage cauldron, allowing for more precise control of the fire, though it also increased the difficulty.

The lid still had a dragon and a tiger, facing each other as if exchanging breaths, yet also as if confronting each other.

Though the control difficulty of the four-air-passage cauldron was a bit higher, Lin Tian was already highly skilled with the dual-air-passage, so the additional passages didn’t trouble him. Now, he needed to use the new cauldron to refine a Shaoyang Pill to become familiar with fire control.

Skillfully feeding in the herbs and lighting the carbon crystal, Lin Tian began exploring the new cauldron. As expected, Lin Tian found fire control much more precise with the new cauldron, even though it required more spiritual power.

After refining twice in succession, both resulted in top-grade elixirs. Lin Tian was very satisfied with the outcome. If Miss knew he had refined two more Top Grade Shaoyang Pills, Lin Tian was sure she would be astonished.

However, after this period of alchemy, the Yun Family’s Shaoyang Pill herb stock was almost exhausted by Lin Tian.

Having familiarized himself with the new cauldron, Lin Tian closed his eyes to cultivate again. For him, cultivation meant restoring spiritual power. With his preparation completed for the night’s alchemy, he awaited midnight.

For Lin Tian, who was immersed in cultivation, time passed swiftly. Come ten at night, Lin Tian unexpectedly opened his eyes.

Midnight was from eleven at night to one in the morning, but Lin Tian could start heading out.

He carried a medicine box and a carbon crystal in one hand and a cauldron in the other. The cumbersome cauldron felt light as a feather in his hand, while his pocket safeguarded the most important Yin Yang Life Fruit.

"Mr. Lin, do you need help carrying the medicine box?" In the living room, An Xiaoru, who hadn’t yet gone to bed, asked.

"No need. You should go to bed early and don’t wait for me to return," Lin Tian replied.

Their words sounded like those of a small couple, and An Xiaoru’s pretty face turned a bit red.

Lin Tian arrived at the entrance of the restricted area and saw a group of people already waiting outside the door.