After accepting their lavish gift, Chen Fan gave a faint smile and cleared his throat.
"My friends, according to the unwritten rule, the surplus pills from alchemy usually belong to the Alchemist himself."
Before the three of them could process what he meant, Chen Fan suddenly waved a hand and smiled.
"However, these pills are of little consequence to me, and things are far from peaceful in town right now. You might as well divide up the excess among yourselves."
Naturally, wealth was always better in larger amounts. The reason Chen Fan said this was because these three were senior alchemical apprentices who would still prove immensely useful for his plans.
The seeds of his words had already been planted, and the town truly had been restless lately.
Joy instantly bloomed across the three men's faces. They never expected to get an unexpected bonus from their routine alchemy assistance.
Exchanging a glance, they spoke in unison:
"Thank you, Alchemist Chen! From now on, just tell us whatever you need done."
Hearing these words, Chen Fan knew they understood his intentions.
"Ha ha, very good, very good. Come on, lads, let me teach you a few more tricks."
After a while, Chen Fan said to the three of them, "Alright, everyone take a moment to regulate your breathing and rest. We'll continue with the alchemy shortly."
This batch of pills was no simple matter; it included a wide variety, especially those for healing and recovering true qi. Ironically, not a single one of the usually popular pills meant for advancing one's cultivation level was refined.
Another long session of alchemy followed.
A day and night passed. Fortunately, everyone present possessed a foundation in cultivation; otherwise, ordinary human bodies could never have endured it.
Inside the alchemy chamber of the shop.
"Do you still have any questions about the techniques? And have you memorized the pharmacology?"
Chen Fan sat cross-legged with the three of them around the Pill Cauldron. Hearing the question, they quickly stood up to answer.
"Not for now, Alchemist Chen."
The three of them had not expected Chen Fan not only to possess superb technique, but also to explain things with exceptional clarity. Blending it with his own experience, his lecture had them utterly enthralled!
"Good! Then go back and remember to practice diligently. Do not slack off under any circumstances," Chen Fan continued.
As the saying goes, a teacher's duty is to impart knowledge, dispel doubts, and solve problems. Following this lecture, the loyalty of the three men was even more firmly secured.
"Thank you, Alchemist Chen!"
Chen Fan calmly accepted the bow, exchanged a few more words with the three of them, and left the alchemy chamber.
During his two days of alchemy, Chen Fan's mind had not been idle—he had been constantly pondering the path he should take in the future.
As he walked, thoughts of his newlywed bride made Chen Fan involuntarily quicken his pace.
Upon returning to his house in Yixin Village, Chen Fan pushed open the courtyard gate and walked inside. Before he could make a sound, Li Lingyu came running over and threw her arms around him.
A look of delighted surprise appeared on her pretty face as she said:
"Husband! Why are you back so soon? Didn't you say this round of alchemy would take three days? How is it that you're back after only a day?"
Looking at his cherished wife in his arms, Chen Fan said, "Originally it was going to take that long, but thinking of my dear wife keeping watch in an empty room back home naturally made me speed up quite a bit."
After teasing her with a few words, Chen Fan was about to continue when he noticed his wife's cheeks had turned as red as if they were about to drip water. He quickly stopped talking; after all, there were still proper matters to attend to.
Chen Fan held Li Lingyu close, pulled several pills out from his robes, handed them to her, and said:
"This is a Beauty Pill, and this is a Qi-Supplementing Pill. Take them alongside your regular cultivation. Especially this Beauty Pill—I refined it specifically for you. It has the effect of preserving one's youth and can also nourish the skin."
Just as he was about to go on, Li Lingyu's eyes lit up. She snatched up the Beauty Pill first, turning it over and over in her hands while completely ignoring the other pills.
Seeing this, Chen Fan's mouth twitched. Sure enough, no matter where one went, there was no one who didn't love beauty.
The Beauty Pill offered no real benefit for advancing one's cultivation, and it was simple to refine. Therefore, aside from the scions of great families who had spare cash to have such things made and consumed, which low-level cultivator would ever bear the expense?
Yet the Qi-Supplementing Pill he had specially refined was entirely different; it offered exceptional benefits for cultivation. Added to the fact that his quality during refining was of the highest grade—which had left the three brothers awestruck—Li Lingyu didn't even give it a glance. Could this Beauty Pill really be that wonderful?
After examining the Beauty Pill for a moment, Li Lingyu reluctantly picked up a single pill and took it. Then she closed her eyes to sense its effects carefully. When she opened them again, her eyes were shining.
She said to Chen Fan, "Husband, this pill is simply wonderful! Thank you for thinking of me even while you were busy with alchemy."
"We are husband and wife, what trouble is there in that?"
Chen Fan hugged his wife tightly, then caught sight of her lovely hair and couldn't resist stroking it.
"My love, there is also this Qi-Supplementing Pill, which I likewise refined specifically for you. The effects are exceptional, so you must remember to take it regularly!"
Li Lingyu suddenly spoke up to interrupt Chen Fan, then said to him:
"Judging by its quality, the effects of this Qi-Supplementing Pill must be extraordinary. Back home, I never had the qualifications to use pills of such high quality!"
Li Lingyu pushed the pills back into Chen Fan's hands and continued.
"Husband, you treat me so well, and I am already content just to have received your feelings. But as for this Qi-Supplementing Pill, you should use it yourself, Husband! I can manage quite well with simple cultivation."
Chen Fan was slightly stunned, not expecting Li Lingyu to say such a thing to him.
Just as he was about to say something, he heard Li Lingyu speak again.
"Husband, your alchemy is not easily done either. As far as I know, pills of this quality are exceedingly rare. You are my husband, and in this household, you should naturally take the lead. Moreover, my Spirit Root is low; who knows how many resources would be wasted if I tried to cultivate with it? You should take them instead, Husband!"
Chen Fan never expected his wife to be like this. One had to remember this was the immortal cultivation world, where everything revolved solely around cultivation level—there was no such thing as the secular world's concept of male superiority.
Thinking further of the stories he had heard, where people fell out with friends, broke with family, and even slaughtered their dao companions all for the sake of a few pills or a sliver of profit...
Chen Fan felt a growing wave of warmth in his heart.
After a moment, Chen Fan spoke up: "My love, you're wrong. My alchemy is as simple as can be." Naturally, "because I use hacks" was a line Chen Fan kept strictly to his own thoughts.
"What?" Li Lingyu suddenly heard these words, and failing to process them immediately, she looked rather dazed and blank.
You're underestimating a chewer of the system too much—I, Chen Fan, am hacking.
Seeing that his wife still hadn't snapped out of it, Chen Fan went on, "My alchemy is formidable. Besides, we are husband and wife, a single entity—we can't let others find out that an Alchemist's wife can't even afford to use pills! Just take these Qi-Supplementing Pills."
"But—" Li Lingyu started to speak again, only to find herself scooped up horizontally in Chen Fan's arms.
Pushing open the bedroom door, Chen Fan laid Li Lingyu down on the bed and looked down into her shy, blushing face.
As their gazes met, Chen Fan leaned down and captured those tender, enticing lips.
When Chen Fan had returned, it was almost dusk; and so the moments passed until dawn of the following day.