Chapter 32: The Coming Assassination

Chapter 32: Chapter 32: The Coming Assassination

Chen Yuqing didn’t refuse immediately. She did indeed possess a few heirloom secret manuals, precious items her branch of the family had brought with them when they fled. Naturally, she wouldn’t part with them easily.

As for the main Chen Family, being a major family in Youlin County, they were bound to have numerous cultivation technique manuals in their repository. If she was truly determined, it wasn’t entirely impossible to ask for one or two cultivation techniques that weren’t top-tier.

The key was whether it was worth it.

"If I get you a secret manual," Chen Yuqing finally spoke again, her voice betraying no emotion, "will you agree to thirty Blood Circulation Pills a day?"

"Thirty is far too many. At my current ability, even with practicing my techniques to relax, I can guarantee twenty-three pills a day at most. That’s my limit," Chen Yue said, shaking his head.

"Twenty-three isn’t enough." Chen Yuqing immediately shot him down, her tone leaving no room for argument. "At least twenty-five."

Chen Yue didn’t speak. He just watched Chen Yuqing calmly.

Chen Yuqing’s gaze turned slightly colder. She didn’t like this feeling of losing control, especially when the person in question was an Alchemy Master like Chen Yue, who was supposed to be firmly in the palm of her hand.

But Chen Yue’s determination, combined with the pharmacy’s current situation, forced her to be cautious.

If she pushed him too hard, it seemed this young man really would just walk away, or perhaps secretly slack off.

Chen Yuqing said no more. She gave Chen Yue one deep look, then turned without another moment’s delay. With a slight flutter of her skirt, she walked straight out of the courtyard.

Cui hurried to follow. As she passed Chen Yue, she shot him a vicious glare. Her lips moved as if she wanted to say something, but ultimately, she didn’t dare act presumptuously behind Chen Yuqing’s back. She could only let her frustration and anger show on her face.

Chen Yue stood his ground, watching their backs disappear through the gate.

’If I can really get it... refining a few more pills won’t be a loss.’ Chen Yue calculated inwardly as he turned and walked back to the Alchemy Room.

...

Some distance away from the Alchemy Courtyard, once she was sure no one was around, Cui finally couldn’t hold it in any longer. Her voice was filled with indignation. "Miss! That Chen Yue is so ungrateful! We ask him to put in a little more effort for the pharmacy, and he just makes excuses and even dares to set conditions!

And then he dared to tell me to shut up! Does he even have any respect for you, Miss?"

Chen Yuqing walked on, her expression still cool. Hearing this, she said faintly, "It’s a simple case of a rare commodity being valuable. Right now, the pharmacy only has him and Master Lin as Alchemy Masters. Since he has the skill, he naturally has the confidence to be difficult."

Cui grew even angrier. "But aren’t we all working for the good of the pharmacy? It’s not like we don’t give him a cut of the elixirs he refines! What right does he have to be so arrogant? Miss, we can’t let him go on like this! If we do, the other apprentices and guards will follow his example. How will we manage them then?"

Chen Yuqing didn’t answer right away, but a clear glint of coldness and displeasure flashed in her eyes. Cui’s words had, to some extent, hit upon her own current feelings.

Chen Yue’s attitude today had indeed challenged her authority. It also made her realize that her control over the young Pill Master was not as firm as she had imagined.

Cui, observing her mistress’s expression and seeing her words had an effect, quickly struck while the iron was hot.

"Besides, that brat is delusional, thinking about practicing some better martial arts! He really doesn’t know his own limits! If you’re an alchemist, then focus on alchemy! Is practicing martial arts that easy? He should take a look at what kind of aptitude he has!"

Chen Yuqing’s steps faltered slightly. She glanced sideways at the indignant Cui, then turned her head back to look forward. "Wanting to practice martial arts isn’t wrong in itself. In this world, it’s always good to have another way to protect yourself."

She paused, her voice growing softer, as if speaking to herself, or perhaps admonishing Cui. "But martial arts can’t be mastered in a short time. It requires talent, hard work, and even more so, the right guidance and resources. Just having the idea is far from enough."

Cui seemed to only half-understand, but seeing that her mistress appeared to have her own plans, she didn’t dare say more. She just followed along, still fuming, having already cursed Chen Yue a thousand times in her heart.

After Chen Yuqing and her servant left, the Alchemy Courtyard returned to silence. Chen Yue didn’t take their earlier verbal sparring to heart.

He quickly gathered his Heart Spirit and refocused on his cultivation.

The next day, nearing noon, Chen Yue went to the front hall to hand over the refined Blood Circulation Pills. He happened to see Chen Yuqing and Li Lie walking out of the steward’s office, one after the other, about to leave the pharmacy.

Li Lie had changed into more practical, tight-fitting clothes today. The wound on his chest seemed to be no longer a major issue, and his aura was even more condensed than before. Chen Yuqing, however, was still in her usual simple attire.

The two stopped at the entrance and exchanged a few words in low voices. From the corner of her eye, Chen Yuqing caught sight of Chen Yue emerging from a side corridor. Her words faltered for a moment. She then gestured to Li Lie and turned to walk toward Chen Yue.

Li Lie remained where he was, his gaze following Chen Yuqing toward Chen Yue. His sharp eyes revealed no emotion; they merely lingered on Chen Yue for an instant before shifting away.

Chen Yuqing stopped a few steps in front of Chen Yue, her gaze cool. "Today, Guard Li and I are going to the main family residence. I will mention the matter you requested yesterday to the Patriarch. But whether it succeeds or not, and what kind of secret manual you might receive, all depends on the Patriarch’s mood. I can’t make any guarantees."

She paused, her tone growing heavier. "If a secret manual is truly brought back, you must fulfill your promise: twenty-five Blood Circulation Pills a day. You are not to go back on your word again."

After speaking, she gave Chen Yue no chance to respond or bargain. She turned directly, gave a slight nod to the waiting Li Lie, and the two of them walked briskly out of the pharmacy gate, their figures quickly disappearing around the street corner.

Just then, Chen Lin also walked out from the front hall. Seeing Chen Yue standing at the entrance watching the direction Chen Yuqing had left, he walked over and patted him on the shoulder, a peacemaker’s smile on his face.

"Ah, Chen Yue, Miss Yuqing is just thinking of the pharmacy’s best interests. She’s under a lot of pressure, too. If you can, refining a few more elixirs is always a good thing."

Chen Yue withdrew his gaze and smiled at Chen Lin, his tone serene. "Rest assured, Steward Chen, I will naturally do my best. It’s just that my abilities are limited, so I can only do what is within my power."

"Mm, it’s good that you know what you’re doing." Chen Lin nodded and said no more.

Chen Yue turned and returned to his small courtyard. Chen Yuqing’s final words were less of an announcement and more of a posture. She was willing to try, but she had also clearly drawn the line and set her conditions.

Chen Yue wasn’t surprised by this, nor did he particularly care. It would be great if it worked out, but if not, he would just stick to his own pace.

Back in his courtyard, Chen Yue continued his unswerving daily cultivation.

More than an hour passed. The sun slanted west, and dusk began to stain the sky.

Chen Yue finished another round of cultivating the Tiger Roar Golden Bell Shield. Feeling slightly fatigued, he returned to his room. By the last vestiges of daylight, he once again picked up the Antitoxic Pill formula and began to silently deduce the delicate balance of several medicinal ingredients in his mind.

The room was silent, save for the faint rustle of him occasionally turning the page and the sound of his own steady, deep breaths.

Suddenly, a flurry of hurried and chaotic footsteps sounded, drawing closer from a distance, rapidly approaching his Alchemy Room at the innermost part of the courtyard. The steps were heavy and forceful, nothing like the flimsy scurrying of an ordinary pharmacy apprentice. And there was more than one person!

Chen Yue’s head shot up. ’This sound... Something’s wrong!’