Ling Yue looked at Xiu Qiyu with a sharp glint in her eyes, and her heart was pounding wildly. She was 180% certain that this person was definitely Xiu Qiyu.

"Take off that nauseating expression on your face. Nobody's around now, you don't need to act anymore."

"Master Ye, you've misunderstood me."

"It's a misunderstanding. You know perfectly well whether it's a misunderstanding or not." Ye Xiruo's words were very impolite.

Ling Yue's face began to turn pale: "Three days after you left, I set off from Maple Forest City to look for you. Only alchemists can enter the Pill King's Hall, and you rarely show your face. I'm so happy to see you again today."

"Is that so? I'm fine. Thank you for your concern, Patriarch Han. You can go back and report now."

Ye Xiruo and Xiu Qiyu turned and left without giving Ling Yue a chance to speak.

"Little Yezi, if you're unhappy, just kill him. There's no need to get angry over someone like that."

"Brother Xiu Qi is overthinking it. The person she really wants to get close to is you, not me."

"I've seen plenty of women like this, I won't care."

"You don't care, but I do." Ye Xiruo roared fiercely at Xiu Qiyu.

"Okay, who is she?"

"You actually asked about his name? You're interested in her."

"Little Yezi, you're overthinking it. I just want to know about the connection between the two of you."

Ye Xiru pouted and reluctantly recounted how Ling Xue had once saved her, and how she had turned around and saved the Ling family several times. Xiu Qiyu's face darkened upon hearing this.

"You're being reckless. It's just the lives of a group of unrelated people. Why are you risking your life to protect them? What am I supposed to do if something happens to you?"

Ye Xiruo said somewhat guiltily, "I don't intend to fight them head-on. I just want to poison them to death and then escape in the chaos."

"This is a one-time exception. Otherwise, for every one you save, I'll kill one."

"I promise, it won't happen again."

Ye Xiruo originally thought that it would be at least another six months before she and Brother Xiuqi could meet again, but now they have reunited after only three months, which is something to celebrate.

The two went to the largest restaurant in the capital, ordered several signature dishes, and chatted while they ate.

The powerful and influential people in the royal city never imagined that Ye Xiruo and the Danwang Palace had such a deep connection, and that the branch palace master would protect her so much, even at the cost of offending the major powerful and influential people in the royal city for Ye Xiruo's sake.

Fortunately, they finally managed to find out some information: Ye Xiruo was exceptionally talented, and the main hall of the Pill King Palace was sending someone to take her as a disciple. If Ye Xiruo could be successfully recruited, the status of the branch hall of the Pill King Palace would rise significantly. No wonder the branch hall master was so desperate to protect Ye Xiruo. They just didn't know if Ye Xiruo was lucky enough to be chosen by those above. If she was, they would consider themselves unlucky and go to apologize; if not, well, then they would settle all their old scores.

The arrival of people from the Danwang Palace has already alarmed the King, and it is estimated that the King will come to visit soon. For now, we will swallow our anger.

However, before they could even deal with Ye Xiruo, another troublemaker appeared. This time, he came with the people from the Pill King Palace and seemed to be very close to Ye Xiruo. With this move, he gave them a severe slap in the face, and the faces of the several family heads were slapped hard. Unfortunately, they could only swallow their losses silently and could not retaliate. They felt extremely frustrated.

Let's talk about it. Jing Li found his precious disciple, so he was naturally in a great mood. His attitude towards the branch hall master also improved a little. The branch hall master really didn't expect the hall master to come in person. It seems that Ye Xi is about to rise to prominence and has a limitless future. Fortunately, he did not go against his conscience and mistreat Ye Xi Ruo before. He only hopes that Ye Xi Ruo can give him some pointers when she goes to the Pill King Hall.

The next day, His Majesty the Emperor of the Western Continent arrived in person, wishing to pay his respects to Jing Li. The branch hall master, acting as the messenger, was in a difficult position. The branch hall master's status was so high that whether or not he was granted an audience depended entirely on his mood, which was beyond Jing Li's control.

In the end, Jing Li did meet with the Emperor, but resolutely refused his request. His Majesty wanted to purchase a tenth-grade elixir at a high price, and Jing Li nodded in agreement. A tenth-grade elixir wasn't particularly rare, and the price the Emperor offered was indeed satisfactory. To the Emperor's second request, Jing Li simply sneered.

It turns out that His Majesty the Emperor has a little princess, exceptionally talented, who at fifteen years old is already a fourth-rank advanced alchemist. At that time, the branch hall master offered to take Palace Master Huangfu under his wing as a personal disciple. Unfortunately, the little princess refused without hesitation. Because of this, His Majesty the Emperor personally visited the branch hall several times, presenting the branch hall master with generous gifts, pleading that the branch hall master not hold a grudge against the royal family, simply saying that the little princess was not meant to be.

Who is the branch hall master? Since he was rejected once, he naturally wouldn't repeat himself. Even if Huangfu Yue knelt down and begged him, he would never accept her as a disciple.

As the emperor's lowest-ranking princess, Huangfu Yue was showered with love and affection from a young age. She possessed unparalleled beauty and exceptional talent, which inevitably made her somewhat spoiled. She was determined to find the most powerful master in the world to be her teacher. The Medicine King Valley, a secluded place that never accepted outsiders, was out of the question. The Emperor himself had only ever taken Jing Li as his disciple and had previously stated he would not accept any more, so that option was also abandoned. Therefore, Huangfu Yue's final choice was Jing Li.

Princess Huangfu had an extremely high opinion of herself. Rumor had it that Jingli was the most beautiful woman in the world, loved all beautiful creatures, and was also ranked second on the Heavenly Ranking. She was the esteemed Lord of the Pill King Palace, and only such a perfect master was worthy of her.

This time, Jing Li actually came to Xitu, making her even more convinced that Jing Li had come specifically for a genius alchemist like herself. She insisted on begging the Emperor to take her to meet Palace Master Jing Li, determined to seize this opportunity and become her apprentice. As for Ye Xiruo, she'd heard that besides her decent talent, her face was utterly hideous, and Palace Master Jing Li rarely paid her any attention. Naturally, only someone with her appearance wouldn't disappoint the Palace Master.

Unexpectedly, as soon as His Majesty the Emperor opened his mouth, Jing Li resolutely refused, leaving no room for negotiation.

The emperor breathed a sigh of relief. He knew his daughter's character very well. He decided to consider this her last act of foolishness, and that Jing Li was absolutely right not to accept her.

Unfortunately, Huangfu Yue didn't think that way. The little princess felt that her life was bleak. How could this be? She was clearly prettier than Ye Xiruo and her talent was no less. Why could she accept that ugly Ye Xiruo but not her?