Chapter 334 - 332: Touching the Threshold of Alchemy

Arriving at the floor where Xu Yue’s office was located, the elevator doors opened. Zhou Miao hurried past with a stack of documents in her arms, her eyes lighting up the moment she saw Xu Yue.

"President Xu! You’re here!" she greeted. "The data for the third batch of Ninghua Cream pre-sales is out, and it’s even better than expected. The factory says additional orders are already scheduled into next month, and they’re currently coordinating production capacity."

"Good. Compile the data and give it to me during the meeting later."

Xu Yue took the documents, her steps light and brisk as she walked toward her office.

Yang Xun followed closely behind. As his gaze swept across both sides of the corridor, he could clearly sense that the atmosphere of the entire company was much more vibrant than the last time he had visited.

Pushing open the office door, Xu Yue placed the folder on her desk. She turned to look at Yang Xun, an unconcealable gleam in her eyes.

"Word-of-mouth for the Ninghua Cream is spreading," she said. "The order volume is nearly twice as high as anticipated, and several distributors have proactively reached out to discuss partnerships. If we can maintain this momentum, we’ll be able to recoup all our previous losses in less than two months."

"My wife is just that amazing," Yang Xun said, leaning back on the sofa with a deeply sincere tone.

Flustered by his praise, Xu Yue smiled brightly. "By the way, I did some accounting yesterday. I want to pay back a portion of the money you lent me last time—"

"No need." Before she could finish, Yang Xun cut her off, his tone growing more serious. "I told you, that money is for you. You don’t have to pay it back. If you insist on drawing such clear boundaries between us, what kind of married couple are we?"

Tenderness rippled in Xu Yue’s beautiful eyes. She smiled, nodded, and then gently cupped his face with both hands, leaning down to kiss him. Her lips were soft and warm, exuding a unique, enchanting fragrance that belonged only to her.

Yang Xun’s Adam’s apple bobbed. Reaching out, he wrapped his arms around her waist, gently pulling her into his embrace to deepen the kiss.

The office was completely quiet. Only the sound of their tangled lips and intertwined, rapid breathing filled the air.

"Ahem."

A dry, teasing cough came from the doorway. The two of them separated instantly and turned to look.

Xiaolin was leaning against the doorframe, holding two cups of coffee. Wearing an amused expression, she raised an eyebrow and teased, "Oh my, did I come at a bad time? Should I step out and wait for you two to finish kissing before I come back in?"

Xu Yue’s cheeks flushed crimson in an instant. She hurriedly stood up and straightened her dress, scolding her friend with a hint of embarrassed annoyance, "Linlin! Why didn’t you knock?"

"I did knock. You two were just too engrossed to hear it." Xiaolin walked in with the coffee, placed one cup on Xu Yue’s desk, and sat down opposite the couple. "If I hadn’t come in, were you guys planning to do it right here in the office—"

"Linlin!" Xu Yue quickly cut her off, shooting her a shy glare. "Is there something you need me for?"

Knowing Xu Yue was thin-skinned, Xiaolin dropped the teasing and smiled. "Aren’t we going to the class reunion tonight? Let’s go get some beauty treatments and dress up nicely. We can’t let those people outshine us."

Xu Yue frowned slightly. "Is there a need to go through so much trouble? It’s just a casual dinner."

"What a waste of your pretty face. You never know how to dress up on normal days. Don’t tell me you’re planning to wear your professional work attire to the reunion?" Xiaolin said, her face full of exasperation. "Class reunions are the perfect time to flaunt one’s wealth and status! Right now, the Xu Clan’s momentum is fierce. You have to look radiant and let everyone know that the Xu Clan hasn’t fallen into decline."

Yang Xun nodded in agreement. "Xiaolin is right. Go get dressed up. I’ll wait for you here in the office."

"Yang Xun, why don’t you come with us and get dressed up too?" Xiaolin suggested.

"What’s there for a man to dress up for? You girls go ahead," Yang Xun said, waving his hand as he made himself comfortable on the sofa.

After the office door closed, he shut his eyes and recalled the contents written on the bamboo slips. At the same time, the Chapters regarding True Qi guidance and pill Alchemy from the Rejuvenation Medical Scripture resurfaced in his mind, merging seamlessly with the information from the bamboo slips.

Through repeated comparison and deduction, those seemingly fragmented pieces of knowledge began to form a clear, logical sequence.

Yang Xun drew a wisp of True Qi from his Dantian and guided it along his meridians toward his fingertips. The next second, his consciousness felt as though it were being tugged by some invisible force. It slowly sank, passing through an unseen barrier before landing in a vast, misty white illusion.

Even though the bronze cauldron was physically sitting back at his house, an identical bronze cauldron appeared right before his eyes. Green smoke curled upward from the mouth of the cauldron, tracing a faint, almost imperceptible path through the grayish-white fog.

Yang Xun walked up to the bronze cauldron and injected his True Qi into it, just as the bamboo slips instructed.

Soon, the temperature inside the bronze cauldron slowly began to rise. He could feel a chaotic current of air gradually taking shape at the bottom. Although it was still weak, its presence was undeniably real.

Steadying his mind, Yang Xun continued to guide the flow of his True Qi. He could sense his True Qi resonating with the chaotic air current inside the cauldron. The two forces separated and merged intermittently, as if locked in a fierce tug-of-war.

This sensation made him both excited and nervous. He knew he had finally touched the threshold of Alchemy. He had to admit that his luck was incredibly good to have obtained two such priceless treasures: the bronze cauldron and the bamboo slips. This way, once all the medicinal ingredients were gathered, he would be able to smoothly refine the Celestial Spirit Pill.

An unknown amount of time passed before the chaotic air current finally seemed to be guided onto the correct path, beginning to circulate steadily within the bronze cauldron. Immersed in the illusion, Yang Xun repeatedly practiced controlling the bronze cauldron for Alchemy, gradually losing all track of time.

It wasn’t until the phone in his pocket vibrated violently that he was abruptly yanked out of his deep state of immersion.

Yang Xun opened his eyes to find himself still sitting on the office sofa. His back was completely drenched in sweat, and a fine layer of perspiration dotted his forehead. He picked up his phone. The screen displayed an incoming call from Xu Yue.

"We’re getting ready to head out for the reunion," Xu Yue’s voice rang out, sounding rather cheerful. "Come downstairs. We’re waiting for you at the entrance."

Yang Xun glanced at the time and realized he had actually spent nearly three hours inside that illusion, even though it had felt like barely thirty minutes. He agreed and hung up the phone. Stretching his slightly sore wrists, he got up and went to the washroom to splash some water on his face.

Downstairs, Xu Yue and Xiaolin were standing at the company entrance.

Xu Yue had changed into an apricot-colored, knee-length dress. Her hair had been treated until it was silky smooth and styled into large, cascading waves. With delicate makeup adorning her face, she exuded even more feminine charm than usual.

Xiaolin, on the other hand, wore a dark blue dress with a cinched waist. The hem flared out with a perfectly tailored fishtail curve, making her look both tall and strikingly eye-catching.

Standing at the company entrance, the two of them turned every head that passed by. One was gentle and radiant, while the other was alluring and dazzling—two completely different, yet equally captivating styles.

Yang Xun hurried over and marveled, "My goodness! You two must be goddesses descended to earth!"

Xu Yue blushed and smiled, whereas Xiaolin rolled her eyes. "Such a smooth talker! Let’s go, we don’t want to be late."