Chapter 31: Make Her Shut Up

Chapter 31: Chapter 31: Make Her Shut Up

"What an incredible technique, the Floating Light and Shadow Technique!"

A moment later, Chen Yue concluded his practice and stood still, his eyes filled with delight.

With this Body Technique in his arsenal, he felt much more confident, be it in dodging and weaving during combat or making a swift escape from unexpected danger. Thanks to this new technique, his overall combat strength had risen to another level!

Chen Yue touched the black spot on his chest. Under the continuous effects of the Bone Marrow Cleansing Pill and the cleansing of his own increasingly powerful Qi Blood, he could barely feel anything unusual from it anymore. Its color had faded to that of light ink, as if it could disappear completely at any moment.

「The next day」

In the Alchemy Courtyard, Chen Yue’s training schedule was once again packed to the brim thanks to the Antitoxic Pill and the Floating Light and Shadow Technique.

But Chen Yue did not feel tired in the slightest; on the contrary, he reveled in it. This certainty—that his efforts would be rewarded—gave him an unprecedented sense of security in these chaotic times.

The afternoon sun began to dip. He had just finished a round of training his Tiger Roar Golden Bell Shield, and his Qi Blood was slowly settling according to that peculiar vibrational technique. He was about to meditate for a moment and continue studying the Antitoxic Pill Formula when a soft but firm knock sounded at the courtyard gate.

Chen Yue’s brow furrowed slightly. ’Visitors are rare at this hour.’ He rose, brushed the dust from his robes, and went to open the gate.

Two people stood outside. Chen Yuqing was dressed as usual in a simple, moon-white dress, her dark hair held by a wooden pin. Cui stood half a step behind and to the side of Chen Yuqing, her chin slightly raised, her gaze filled with its usual mix of scrutiny and arrogance.

"You don’t seem pleased to see me, Pill Master Chen?" Chen Yuqing’s gaze landed on his face.

"You must be joking, Steward Chen. Please, come in." Chen Yue stepped aside, letting the two of them into the courtyard.

Chen Yuqing stepped inside, her gaze sweeping across the courtyard. The small courtyard was neat and tidy, and the air was filled with a smoky aroma mixed with various medicinal scents. Everything seemed to be in perfect order.

Her gaze finally returned to Chen Yue as she got straight to the point. "There is something I need to discuss with you, Pill Master Chen."

"If you require something, Steward Chen, you need only ask," Chen Yue said, standing with his hands at his sides.

Chen Yuqing did not beat around the bush. "Due to that recent incident, Huichun Hall is now extremely low on Elixirs. Master Lin is getting on in years and must focus on other elixirs. Therefore, I’d like to ask you to refine more Blood Circulation Pills each day.

Let’s tentatively say thirty pills a day. What do you think?"

’Thirty pills a day?’

Hearing this, Chen Yue’s brow furrowed imperceptibly.

"Steward Chen, it’s not that I’m trying to shirk my duties. Right now, twenty Blood Circulation Pills a day is already my absolute limit. Thirty... is truly beyond my capabilities. I’m afraid I won’t be able to do it."

"You’re mistaken, Pill Master Chen."

Seeing Chen Yue’s refusal, the maid, Cui, immediately stepped forward. "My lady knows alchemy is difficult. But the hall is in a tough spot right now. Once we’ve weathered this storm, things will go back to normal. We hope you’ll consider the bigger picture, Pill Master Chen, and work together with us."

Chen Yuqing said nothing, merely watching Chen Yue with a calm gaze. Clearly, Cui’s words reflected her own attitude. This wasn’t a negotiation; it was an order.

But Chen Yue slowly shook his head. "Miss Cui, alchemy is not like ordinary labor. Once one’s Heart Spirit is exhausted, forcing it is useless. Twenty pills is my limit. Trying to force more would be a futile effort."

When Cui saw Chen Yue reject her again so clearly, the pleasant facade on her face began to crack.

She glanced at her lady and saw that Chen Yuqing’s brow had furrowed slightly, a hint of displeasure in her eyes. Cui immediately grew bolder, and her voice rose sharply.

"Pill Master Chen, my lady came here personally to reason with you, to discuss this in good faith! Yet you keep making excuses! You are a Pill Master of this hall, a Tributor who enjoys its support. You have a duty to help us in our time of need!"

This was practically a direct rebuke and a command.

Hearing this, Chen Yue suddenly let out a soft laugh. The laugh wasn’t loud, but it sounded rather abrupt in the quiet courtyard. He raised his eyes, his gaze passing over the furious Cui to land directly on Chen Yuqing’s face.

"Oh? So this isn’t a discussion, but a requirement... In that case, if I truly am unable to do it, is Steward Chen planning to dock my monthly stipend? Or..."

Chen Yue paused, his voice clear and slow, "...tell me to leave Huichun Hall?"

At his words, the anger on Cui’s face instantly froze. She clearly never expected Chen Yue to push back so directly.

As for Chen Yuqing, who had been silent all this time, her brow locked tightly. For the first time, a clear flicker of shock and anger passed through her calm, almond-shaped eyes.

’She truly hadn’t expected Chen Yue to dare speak to her like that!’

’A young Pill Master, an ex-apprentice who got ahead by a stroke of luck, dared to question her decision to her face? Even implicitly threaten to leave?’

"Chen Yue!"

Chen Yuqing’s voice grew cold. "Huichun Hall has nurtured you for years, taught you your skills, and given you a place to stand on your own two feet. Now the hall needs you, and this is how you repay us?"

"Nurtured?"

The smile vanished from Chen Yue’s face. His expression turned serious as he looked directly at Chen Yuqing. "Steward Chen, what Huichun Hall nurtured over the years was an apprentice’s skill in grinding and cutting herbs. As for alchemy..."

He gestured to the Alchemy Room behind him. "As for the art of refining Blood Circulation Pills, did I use a single one of the hall’s resources for free to learn it?"

"You! Chen Yue, you have some nerve!" Cui’s face turned pale with anger, her chest heaving, the finger she pointed at Chen Yue trembling slightly.

Following Chen Yuqing around, she was used to her word being law in the hall, accustomed to handling the timid apprentices. When had she ever seen a newly promoted Pill Master dare to talk back like this?

This resistance of his, seemingly gentle but with a steely core, was what she found most intolerable.

Chen Yuqing’s chest also heaved slightly. Clearly, Chen Yue’s unyielding attitude was completely unexpected.

After a moment of silence, Chen Yuqing suppressed the anger in her heart. "The hall is indeed short on Elixirs right now. I am not making things difficult for you without reason. What will it take for you to be willing to refine more?"

Hearing this, Chen Yue’s eyes shifted slightly.

"Steward Chen, the world outside is chaotic right now. Although I have some meager cultivation, my ability to protect myself is ultimately lacking. If I had one or two better Cultivation Technique Manuals, I would do my utmost to try and refine a few more batches."

"Cultivation Technique Manuals?"

Hearing this from the side, Cui couldn’t help but sneer again, her tone laced with sarcasm. "Only now you realize the world outside is chaotic? The hall spends so much silver and effort arranging for guards to patrol day and night to protect you all! Instead of being grateful, you’re demanding cultivation techniques?"

Chen Yue’s brow furrowed slightly. This time, he didn’t look at Cui. His gaze remained fixed on Chen Yuqing’s face as he raised his right hand and pointed at the chattering maid.

"Steward Chen, we are discussing serious business. Can you make her shut her mouth?"

"Chen Yue, you—!"

Cui looked as if she had been struck by lightning. Her face instantly flushed crimson, and she trembled with rage, nearly lunging forward before being stopped by a sharp glare from Chen Yuqing.

Chen Yuqing waved her hand, signaling Cui to step back. She stared at Chen Yue with her deep, almond-shaped eyes, as if re-evaluating this young Pill Master whom she had never truly taken seriously before.

"You yourself just said that alchemy has exhausted your Heart Spirit, leaving no time for anything else. And now you’re demanding cultivation techniques to practice... Chen Yue, don’t you find your own words contradictory!"

"It is precisely because I spend so much time sitting before the Pill Furnace that my Qi Blood stagnates. That’s why I need to practice martial arts, to move my limbs and invigorate my Qi Blood. Doing so will actually allow my Heart Spirit to recover faster," Chen Yue said, his expression unchanged and his tone frank.

Chen Yuqing’s gaze lingered on Chen Yue’s face for a moment, as if trying to see something beneath his calm expression. But Chen Yue’s eyes were clear, without a hint of evasion.

"The Mountain Flipping Technique is already available for practice within the hall. It is a proper technique for Body Refining and Power Cultivation, and should be more than enough for you," Chen Yuqing said slowly.

But Chen Yue slowly shook his head. "I have already looked at the Mountain Flipping Technique. Its style doesn’t suit me well. Forcing myself to practice it would likely be twice the effort for half the result."

Listening from the side, Cui wanted to interject several times to mock Chen Yue for being overly ambitious and ungrateful. But she stole a glance at her lady and saw that while her expression was calm, her eyes had grown even deeper and more inscrutable than before.

She didn’t dare cause trouble at that moment, so she could only swallow the words welling up inside her. Her face flushed with frustration and indignation, her fingers twisting the corner of her robes, hoping that her lady would flatly reject this brat who didn’t know his own place.