On their way to visit Zhuge Hongming, Qinghe passed by a medicinal herb field and saw Mu Dong picking herbs.

She paused briefly, then turned and walked towards Mu Dong.

"You seem to care quite a bit about herbs."

Mu Dong turned her head and saw, "Senior sister, it's you."

Hmm, this scene, this conversation, it feels so familiar.

“These herbs are ripe and ready to be picked. It’s strange, they were still very green yesterday, but they are ripe overnight.”

"Is that so?" Qinghe replied casually, his gaze falling on the herbs, seemingly lost in thought.

“By the way, Senior Sister,” Mu Dong said, picking herbs, “Brother-in-law said he went to help Senior Zhuge collect herbs. He asked me to pass on a message to you so you don’t have to worry. He’ll be back soon.”

Qinghe suddenly looked at him, "Did he tell you this?"

Mu Dong nodded. "Yes, he told me yesterday that Senior Zhuge's injuries haven't fully healed yet and he needs some rare herbs to nourish his body, so he went to find them."

Qinghe frowned. "What herbs?"

Mu Dong scratched his head. "He didn't say."

Qinghe's expression grew increasingly grim. "Why didn't you tell me sooner?"

Seeing that she was starting to get angry, Mu Dong lowered his voice, "I was working on the herbs too late yesterday, and you were already resting at that time, so I didn't bother you."

Qinghe frowned and remained silent. Mu Dong asked softly, "Senior Sister, are you alright? What happened?"

Seeing his innocent appearance, Qinghe's expression softened, and she said, "It's alright, you go ahead with your work."

On her way back, Qinghe glanced in the direction of Zhuge Hongming, clenched the bracelet on her wrist, and turned to leave.

On the way, I brushed past Liu Yuntai.

Liu Yuntai was always polite to people. He was about to greet him when he saw Qinghe glance at him and then walk away without stopping.

Liu Yuntai watched her departing figure, his brows furrowing slightly. Chi Haoyu, who was following behind him, said fearlessly, "Such a beautiful lady, how can she be so rude?"

Unexpectedly, Qinghe overheard this. She turned her head and glared at Chi Haoyu with a sharp look. Her eyes were no longer as kind as before; instead, they had become cold and indifferent.

She didn't say a word, but her eyes betrayed her displeasure.

Chi Haoyu was startled. In his eyes, Qinghe's expression at this moment was exactly like that of Zhuge Changdeng, who had threatened him before. He was instantly speechless.

Liu Yuntai said, "Miss Qinghe, please don't take offense. It was my cousin who misspoke. I apologize to you."

Qing paused for a moment, then turned and left.

Chi Haoyu didn't dare to utter a sound until she had walked quite a distance away.

"This is the first time I've seen such a fierce girl. In the family, women are all like water, rushing to you. I've never seen one so cold and aloof."

Liu Yuntai ignored his complaints, only looking in the direction Qinghe had gone, his gaze clear and bright.

When they entered, Zhuge Hongming was lying on the bed, holding a bowl of dark, mushy medicine, hesitating whether to drink it or not.

Changdeng sat to the side, staring intently at him, seemingly determined not to give up until the other man drank.

Liu Yuntai felt that he had come at the wrong time, but he still had to break the awkward situation.

"Senior Zhuge, is your injury any better?"

Upon seeing Liu Yuntai, Zhuge Hongming's eyes lit up as if he had seen a benevolent deity. He immediately put down the dark, murky object in his hand and greeted him warmly.

As someone who rarely smiles and always speaks with a blank, expressionless face, the effect of a smile is devastating.

Looking at Zhuge Hongming, who was forcing a smile and whose expression was stiff, Liu Yuntai forced a smile and said, "This junior has come to ask senior some questions about alchemy."

He glanced at Zhuge Changdeng, his unspoken meaning quite obvious.

However, Zhuge Changdeng was a burly, eccentric man with a short-circuited brain. Not only did he fail to realize Liu Yuntai's hint, but he also treated Liu Yuntai with the same enthusiasm as Zhuge Hongming, and the father and son teamed up to bring him in.

"Just say what's on your mind, don't be shy." Zhuge Changdeng patted Liu Yuntai's shoulder with a large hand, the force of which was enough for Liu Yuntai to feel his enthusiasm.

"This guy must be doing this on purpose," Liu Yuntai thought.

"Gentleman Changdeng's eyes are dark and his face looks tired. He probably didn't sleep well last night. He should go back and rest soon."

Zhuge Changdeng touched his face. "Really? I don't feel tired."

Seeing that he showed no sign of leaving, Liu Yuntai declared that he was giving up.

Well, the news of his search for the Slaughtering Yuan Pill has already spread far and wide. Since the news has already leaked, there's no need for him to hide it anymore. Besides, the most important thing right now is to refine the Slaughtering Yuan Pill and go back to save his father as soon as possible. He can't care about anything else.

He looked at Zhuge Hongming and said frankly, "Senior knows that I have come here for the matter of killing Yuan Dan."

Zhuge Hongming stroked his beard, which was about an inch long, his eyes sharp as mirrors. "I already know about the Liu family patriarch's matter, but this Lu Yuan Pill..."

He paused, and Liu Yuntai, thinking he was unwilling to refine pills for him, said, "Senior, rest assured, if the Lu Yuan Pill is successfully refined, my Liu family will reward you handsomely and will not let you waste your efforts."

Zhuge Hongming's lips curled up, and from an angle that Liu Yuntai couldn't see, it inexplicably sounded like a cold laugh.

"Young Master Liu's words underestimate my Tianqi Academy."

Realizing his mistake, Liu Yuntai quickly said, "Senior, please don't be offended. I was too anxious. My father is still seriously injured and his life is hanging by a thread. I am truly worried about him."

Zhuge Hongming paused for a moment, then said, "I know you're anxious. I'll help you refine the Lu Yuan Pill, but we haven't prepared the necessary medicinal herbs yet. There are some precious herbs that the academy doesn't have, so you'll have to go and gather them yourself."

Liu Yuntai agreed without hesitation. He then took out some herbs from his spatial ring, which he had brought with him when he left home. Zhuge Hongming looked at them and saw that they were all materials for refining the Lu Yuan Pill, but the quantity was small and there were only forty kinds.

Zhuge Hongming got up, walked to his desk, picked up a pen, made a detailed list for him, and handed it to Liu Yuntai.

Zhuge Changdeng glanced at him from the side and frowned slightly.

After Liu Yuntai left, Changdeng said, "Don't we have plenty of those medicinal herbs you just wrote down? Why did you make him go find them?"

Zhuge Hongming glanced at him sideways, "What does a mere brat know?" He looked in the direction Liu Yuntai had left, "This child, though young, is very thoughtful. I did this intentionally to temper him, and also..."

He looked up at the pale light of dawn in the distance, his gaze deep and unfathomable.

...

Yangqu Mountain was shrouded in red light, with layers of spiritual light stretching for thousands of miles. The intense fluctuations of spiritual energy attracted countless birds and magical beasts, which hid in the shadows, waiting for their chance to strike.

Outside the barrier, Qi Rong sat firmly on the ground, his posture upright, but his face turned pale, and his chest heaved more and more violently until he suddenly spat out a mouthful of blood.

He opened his eyes, blood dripping from the corner of his mouth, staining his dark blue clothes red.

The red light cracked slightly due to his injury, but then quickly became perfectly sealed again.

Qi Rong activated the red light, his power undiminished. Even though he was in a terrible state, he was still incredibly handsome. His red eyes were wicked, and a trace of crimson at the corner of his mouth made him look like a ghost.

After a night of attacks, only the last three layers of the barrier remained. The surrounding monsters began to stir, attempting to seize the entire Yangqu Mountain the moment the barrier shattered.

The ground trembled slightly, the mountainside became uneasy, and a booming sound gradually rose, causing the earth to shake and countless demonic beasts to flee.

Just as the barrier was about to shatter, Qi Rong withdrew his spiritual power, flew to the sky above the mountain, and with his palms combined, smashed the last layer of the barrier with a heaven-splitting palm strike. He endured the metallic taste in his mouth and continued downwards, his power increasing rather than decreasing, and he cleaved the entire Yangqu Mountain in two!

vertex