Chapter 17

"What... what's going on?"

"I don't know, but it looks like these two are getting along pretty well." In the meeting hall, many people were discussing.

Liu Mu smiled faintly: "Nothing, I just wanted to test his resolve to marry Qingcheng. If he had chosen to hide or break off the engagement out of fear for his life, I might have really killed him. I would never let Qingcheng marry him, no matter what the cost. But he didn't, which proves that he truly wants to marry her."

Hearing Liu Mu's words, everyone breathed a sigh of relief, but Liu Tianfeng still had a stern face: "Liu Mu, don't do this again. If you hurt Chu Yan, even if you are the pride of the Liu family, I won't let you off."

"Don't worry, Uncle. As long as he doesn't do anything to hurt Qingcheng, I won't harm him."

Liu Mu turned to look at Qingcheng and smiled: "Qingcheng, congratulations on finding someone you care about."

"Someone I care about?" Liu Qingcheng frowned.

"Yes, actually, just now, his life was in your hands as well. If you had chosen not to stop him and instead showed a hint of joy at his death, I would have killed him without hesitation. I don't want you to marry someone who will make you unhappy, and I won't let you be a bargaining chip for the Liu family's self-preservation."

Liu Mu paused: "But it seems that although you are unwilling to admit it, you have started to accept him in your heart."

"I have accepted him in my heart?"

Liu Qingcheng's eyes became complicated. How could this be?

But just now, when he was in danger, she was genuinely worried and didn't want him to die. Could it be... that what Liu Mu said is true?

Liu Qingcheng didn't dare to think deeper. She reminded herself that it must be because he saved her yesterday that she didn't want him to die.

"Anyway, I don't care what you think. I agree to this marriage. If anyone has objections, come to me, Liu Mu."

Liu Mu looked around the room with a domineering gaze and said to the outsiders and those who had been eyeing Liu Qingcheng, wanting to cause trouble at the wedding: "But don't blame me for saying this upfront. You can do what you want, but don't let me find out, or I'll be the first to deal with you."

This made those who had plans to disrupt the wedding lower their heads.

"Hehe, thank you, Brother Liu Mu. I thought you would be the most difficult to deal with, but it turns out you are quite fair," Chu Yan said with a smile.

"Don't laugh. Although I recognize you, if you ever hurt Qingcheng or cause her pain, I will personally hunt you down, no matter where you are or what background you have."

"If I can't protect Qingcheng, I'll come to you with my head on a platter," Chu Yan said seriously.

"That's more like it." Liu Mu nodded in satisfaction, and the strange atmosphere in the meeting hall dissipated.

"Chu Yan, Liu Mu just cares about Qingcheng. Don't take it to heart," Liu Tianfeng said with a bitter smile. He didn't know what Liu Mu had done, or he would have stopped him. He had heard about the Qin family being expelled from Tianyong City in one night, which made him more certain of Chu Yan's background.

"Don't worry, Uncle. Chu Yan won't harm the Liu family. Otherwise, I would have made a mistake in judgment," Liu Mu said with a smile.

Chu Yan pursed his lips but felt a bit of goodwill towards Liu Mu, sensing a free-spirited and friendly aura from him.

---

Because the wedding was imminent, the discussion in the meeting hall was all about the wedding arrangements. Chu Yan, who knew nothing about these matters, found the discussions of Liu Tianfeng and the elders to be like a group of crows squawking. He even fell asleep halfway through.

"Ah?" Liu Qingcheng pushed Chu Yan hard, and he sat up with a start.

But soon, Chu Yan's eyelids started to droop again. He genuinely felt that this was a kind of torture, even more so than when he was detoxifying Liu Qingcheng. Why not use this precious time to improve the Xuyuan Pill?

Chu Yan became increasingly angry and finally, taking advantage of everyone's inattention, quietly slipped out of the meeting hall.

Actually, he left right in front of everyone, but Liu Tianfeng didn't stop him.

Once out of the meeting hall, Chu Yan felt instantly refreshed, as if all his drowsiness had vanished.

"Tomorrow is the wedding, and time is tight. I need to hurry."

Chu Yan returned to his room, closed the door, and began to study the Xuyuan Pill on the table.

"The quality of this Xuyuan Pill is too poor. It will be difficult to modify it into a Poxing Pill."

Chu Yan was speechless. At this moment, he really wanted to grab the person who made this Xuyuan Pill and beat him up. He used high-quality herbs but produced such a subpar pill. How could he even have the nerve to present it? Isn't that embarrassing?

"Baor, take my token, go to the accounting office to get some money, and then buy some herbs for me."

"Yes, Young Master."

Baor took Chu Yan's token and the list of herbs he had written. But when he saw the herbs, he couldn't help but exclaim: "Tianxing Grass? Jiegu Wood? Son-in-law, aren't these just weeds? Why are you buying so many weeds?"

"Just go and buy them. Don't ask so many questions."

Chu Yan smiled wickedly. Weeds? How could that be? These are the most precious herbs in the world, but only a skilled alchemist can make use of them. In this small Tianyong City, no one recognizes these treasures.

Baor nodded reluctantly and soon returned with all the herbs Chu Yan needed, placing them neatly on the table.

Smelling the simple herbal fragrance, Chu Yan couldn't help but smile. It had been so long since he had smelled this scent.

Chu Yan still remembered vividly how, when he was young, he spent every day with his mother, surrounded by these herbs, and how he used to feel like vomiting from the dry herbal smell. But now, smelling it again, he felt a sense of simple purity.

"Now I can start alchemy." Chu Yan took a deep breath. Although he considered himself to have exceptional medical skills and was very knowledgeable about herbs and pills, this was his first time actually alchemizing. He had only watched Qin Ruomeng alchemize in secret before. So, trying it himself was quite challenging.

But Chu Yan had anticipated this and had Baor prepare three sets of the same herbs.

"Following the order my mother used to alchemize, I need to remove the impurities from the herbs and extract their essence. Let me try."

Chu Yan began to work. As for the alchemy furnace, he always carried the one Qin Mengyao used, a small palm-sized tripod furnace with a mother tripod on each corner, a golden dragon coiling around the top, and the character 'Qin' carved in the center.

This was the only thing Qin Mengyao left for Chu Yan.

Chu Yan closed his eyes, and his yuan qi flew out from his fingertips, forming small glowing points. These points were very lively, and Chu Yan followed his memory, mimicking Qin Mengyao's actions.

Sensing the five elements and the great way, he transformed his yuan qi into fire.

Chu Yan pushed his palm forward, and a ball of crimson flames leaped out of his palm.

The flames instantly illuminated the room with intense heat, and Chu Yan was startled but then showed a look of wild joy: "The first step is successful! I have condensed the alchemy fire. I am indeed a genius!"

When the alchemy fire appeared, Chu Yan opened his palm, and the flames, like a small fire spirit, leaped into the furnace's fire mouth.

The furnace's inner walls were hollow, allowing it to store the flames and maintain a consistent temperature, making the extracted herbs more pure.

After the furnace was fully preheated, Chu Yan nodded and began to throw the herbs into the furnace. Next, he needed to use the high temperature to remove impurities and extract the essence, and finally, condense the pill. Chu Yan thought this and couldn't help but smile with satisfaction.

This alchemy seems easier than I thought?

"Bang!"

But just as Chu Yan was thinking, the temperature in the furnace suddenly changed. His face turned awkward, and the flames slipped out of his control, becoming wild and devouring the herbs inside the furnace.

"Boom!"

Soon, a loud explosion echoed in the room, and Chu Yan was thrown back, crashing into the wall and spitting out several mouthfuls of blood.

When he came to, the room was filled with black smoke. He rushed forward to check the furnace, but when he opened the lid, he found only a pile of charred waste inside.

"How could this happen?"

Chu Yan's face darkened. He couldn't understand why it had turned out this way when he followed his mother's methods.

Chu Yan refused to believe it and tried again, but the results were unsatisfactory. Soon, another explosion echoed in the room, and the herbs in the furnace turned to ashes, leaving nothing behind. Most importantly, after two failed attempts, Chu Yan was exhausted, his yuan qi depleted, and he sat on the bed in a daze.

"Mother... am I not your biological son?"

Chu Yan looked bewildered. He even began to doubt his identity. His mother was the greatest alchemist in the world, so how could he not be able to alchemize? Was he just fooling around?

"No, I have to try again!"

Chu Yan got up again, but this time he didn't dare to directly alchemize the herbs. He only had one set of herbs left, and if they were destroyed, everything would be over. So, he started by practicing fire control. The reason for the furnace explosions was usually unstable flames. As long as he could control the flames, the rest wouldn't be a problem.