Chapter 84

"Have you heard of the 'Spring and Autumn of the Song Family'?"

"Of course, it's the great work of Songzi, the great sage of the Holy Lion Empire."

"This line of poetry is from the 'Spring and Autumn of the Song Family.'"

"No way, I've read the 'Spring and Autumn of the Song Family' several times, and there's no such line of poetry. You must be making it up."

"The 'Spring and Autumn of the Song Family'—I wrote the 'Spring and Autumn,' I decide." Song Li recited with a serious expression.

The beautiful girl was taken aback for a moment, then pointed at Song Li and laughed uncontrollably. "So, you wrote this line of poetry. You even dare to compare yourself to Songzi... Such a shameless person... Haha..."

This girl was sharp and intelligent, naturally knowing that Song Li was flattering her beauty through this poem. But which young girl in her prime would refuse such romantic flattery? She felt that she had never been this happy in her life.

Song Li secretly gloated, damn, why am I so talented? Even flattering a beauty is so skillful... "Beauty, don't show your smile, when you smile, the mountains and rivers turn cold..." Damn, this flattery is so damn elegant! Even in a different world, Song Li's charm cannot be contained!

"Why are you so happy? I don't feel happy at all." Song Li pretended to be deep and serious, with a melancholy look in his eyes, and a sparse beard... Okay, he didn't have a beard.

The beautiful girl's attention was indeed successfully drawn. She asked in surprise, "What's wrong with you? Why aren't you happy?"

"Is there anything more tragic in this world than meeting a beautiful woman and not knowing her name?" Song Li howled, "Who could be more miserable than me..."

"Alright, stop howling!" The beautiful girl finally understood that this person was waiting for her, deliberately acting like this to ask her name. She gave Song Li a dirty look and scolded, "You're not a good person... I'm telling you, my name is Cui Lushu. You're not allowed to tell anyone, or I'll never speak to you again!"

Look, she says I'm not a good person, but she still told me her name... Women, your name is hypocrisy. It seems that indeed, bad boys are more popular.

"Cui Lushu, what a graceful name, just like you." Song Li sincerely praised.

"Your mouth is as sweet as honey. Do you say this to every girl?" Cui Lushu was flattered, but she said this.

"Look into my eyes." Song Li said solemnly.

Cui Lushu leaned in and carefully examined Song Li's eyes. Up close, her skin was as white and smooth as sheep's milk, her large eyes like two pools of spring water, rippling in Song Li's eyes, making his heart ripple as well...

"Your eyes are very beautiful..." After a long look, Cui Lushu came to this conclusion.

Song Li thought to himself, what a waste, my mother is a famous beauty, and my father is a handsome old man. With such excellent genes, how could I be any worse? He opened his eyes wide and said seriously, "Didn't you see my noble soul in these eyes? Am I the kind of person who flatters every girl I see? By saying this, you not only underestimate me but also yourself. In this world, most people are庸脂俗粉 (ordinary and vulgar). A beauty like Sister Lushu, who is beautiful on the outside and virtuous on the inside, I have only met two in my life."

"Two? Who is the other one?" Song Li realized that once a girl's curiosity is ignited, it burns longer than the Olympic flame and is not easily extinguished.

"Of course, it's my mother." Song Li smiled. He naturally wouldn't tell Cui Lushu about Long Qiqi. Would you tell a beautiful girl about your ambiguous relationship with another beautiful girl in front of her? Such a foolish act, anyone who wants to do it can do it, but not Song Li.

Cui Lushu smiled in understanding. It had to be said that Song Li was indeed skilled at flattering girls, with his roundabout and witty way, like a comedian delivering a punchline. Cui Lushu found it very interesting, knowing that Song Li was teasing her, even with a slight hint of flirtation, but she didn't feel offended.

"Hey, you told me your name, but you haven't told me yours yet." Cui Lushu, dazed by Song Li's flattery, almost forgot this.

"My name is Song Li." Song Li smiled.

"Oh, Song Li." Cui Lushu just repeated it, without any unusual expression.

Song Li didn't find this surprising. Although he was famous, it didn't mean everyone in the capital had heard of him. In fact, he was right. Cui Lushu was a small alchemy enthusiast, buried in alchemy all day, basically oblivious to the outside world, and naturally wouldn't care about the conflicts among the capital's young nobles. It was understandable that she hadn't heard of Song Li.

"I must remind you, that Chen Shixiong earlier is the son of the current Chancellor Chen, Chen Gang. This time, he suffered a loss, so he won't let it go easily. You should be careful when you encounter him." Cui Lushu thought for a moment and told Song Li about Chen Shixiong's background. Although they were fellow disciples, she felt closer to Song Li.

"Can I interpret this as you caring about me?" Song Li smiled. "I don't care who his father is; a grandfather doesn't fear a grandson."

Cui Lushu gave him a disapproving look and scolded, "You're being silly again."

Seeing Song Li grinning without a word, Cui Lushu's expression turned serious. "I have a question for you. You bought so many herbs, are you going to refine a Foundation Establishment Pill? Are you an alchemist? Why haven't you registered with the Alchemists' Guild?"

"My mother is an alchemist." Song Li, following his parents' instructions, avoided revealing his secret as an alchemist, so he gave a vague answer. He thought, I said my mother is an alchemist, but I didn't say I'm not, so I'm not lying to you.

"Oh." Cui Lushu was clearly misled by Song Li's intentional ambiguity. She thought Song Li meant his mother was the alchemist, not him.

However, this answer clearly disappointed Cui Lushu. She really hoped Song Li was a highly skilled alchemy genius, though she didn't know why.

The onlookers, seeing Song Li and Cui Lushu chatting and laughing, found their intimacy impressive! Looking at the green-robed beauty's badge, she was a registered alchemist of the Alchemists' Guild. This young man, at such a young age, could make even a beautiful alchemist blush. Moreover, the green-robed beauty was clearly with the young nobleman earlier, and they had a conflict. Logically, she should have been hostile to the young man, but after a few words, they seemed to be close friends. The green-robed beauty's expression, a mix of anger and joy, clearly showed she had feelings for him. What a remarkable person! No one would believe this young man wasn't a master of seduction. Truly, talent is not limited by age, and lack of ambition is a waste of life. The crowd nodded and sighed, then dispersed.

Song Li and Cui Lushu didn't care what others thought. They continued chatting and buying the herbs they needed. Song Li had a keen eye, and Cui Lushu was no slouch. Wherever they went, they swept through the herb market, buying most of the high-quality herbs.

Although Cui Lushu found it interesting to be with Song Li, she had a mission to complete. After buying the herbs, she had to say goodbye and return to her duties. Song Li, of course, wanted to spend more time with this beautiful alchemist, but he was a man with great ambitions. His current priority was not to flirt but to refine the two types of pills. Besides, knowing that the beautiful alchemist was in the Alchemists' Guild, he could find her if he wanted to. Song Li felt that his connection with the Alchemists' Guild was just beginning, and he would definitely have more dealings with this organization in the future.

After parting ways with Cui Lushu, Song Li gathered the materials needed to refine the two types of pills and then headed to the wood section.

The wood here was not for building houses but for use as fuel for the fire.

The fire was just the source of flame energy, and to keep the flame burning during alchemy, wood was needed as fuel. Ordinary wood could not sustain a high-energy flame, so the wood used as fuel for the fire was also rare and precious, considered a treasure of heaven and earth.

The older the wood, the more energy it contained, and the more expensive it was. The wood that his mother Yun Lin often used was called "Century Green Lime Wood," a rare type of wood. Although not the best, it was a valuable fuel.

This time, Song Li was going to refine a mid-grade Earth Pill, which was no small matter. Not only did he need a good fire, but he also needed sufficient fuel. Any small detail could lead to failure, so he had to be well-prepared.

The wood section was not as bustling as the herb section. Wood was rarer than herbs, and only alchemists had a need for it. Song Li saw only about ten vendors, with a few buyers aimlessly wandering around, not even asking for prices. They probably just came to pass the time.

One vendor was even lying on the ground, sleeping soundly on a few mats. A few pieces of wood were sparsely arranged on his stall. With Song Li's keen eye, he could see that they were ordinary woods, useful for general alchemists but not for him. However, because the vendor's behavior was unusual, Song Li took a closer look. The vendor was a disheveled old man, wearing a wrinkled silk robe that looked quite comical. His silver hair was messy like a hedgehog, but his square face had a commanding presence, and his ruddy complexion made him look quite fortunate. His white beard was tangled, and it was hard to tell which strands were together. Normally, businessmen pay attention to their appearance, but Song Li rarely saw such a disheveled merchant, so he couldn't help but look a few more times.

The old man was lying in the middle of the market, snoring loudly, without any concern.

Although Song Li liked to meddle, his curiosity wasn't excessive. Despite finding the old man interesting, he wouldn't wake him up to chat. So, he just glanced a few times and then focused on the neighboring stall.