Sunlight enveloped the trees, casting overlapping shadows, and rays of sunlight pierced through the gaps, filling the air with joy and happiness, as if something was about to seep out drop by drop.

"The world is changing again." Li Qianxia's voice was somewhat lost in thought, and soon, this change would also affect her.

Yang Qinglan looked up and then continued to stare at the white jade alchemy furnace in front of her.

Beside her were piles of processed medicines, including powders, liquids, and some whole medicinal herbs.

Every single ingredient, every drop, every plant was personally selected and prepared by her.

This is a necessary process. Alchemy begins the moment the medicinal materials are obtained—the alchemist must be familiar with the specific condition of each material.

Only by having an almost extreme understanding of medicinal materials can one achieve success more effectively and perfectly in formal alchemy.

The small jade cauldron glowed slightly red, and a fragrant medicinal aroma filled the air. White smoke, like silk threads, floated and swayed on the lid of the cauldron, piling up into clouds.

Yang Qinglan pointed with her right finger, and the temperature of the furnace instantly rose, turning from "white jade" to "red jade".

Soon, the wisp of white smoke turned blue.

The small jade cauldron emitted light, drawing the ingredients into the furnace according to Yang Qinglan's will.

Throughout the process, she kept her fingers on the stove, adjusting the temperature constantly according to the different medicinal herbs.

As the materials were added, the smoke changed from blue to purple, from purple to orange, and then from orange back to blue.

Once the last batch of material—jade liquid refined from a thousand catties of top-grade jade—was absorbed, the blue color turned back to white, not the white of smoke, but the white of jade.

The smoke grew thicker and thicker, looking like liquid jade, forming a canopy on top of the furnace.

Suddenly, the small jade cauldron began to hum, and the smoke started to fall like rain, drop by drop, white rain.

Li Qianxia also looked over at this moment.

She held her breath and waited silently.

The rain lessened, and finally, like raindrops falling from the eaves after a long time, only one drop fell at a time, and the color of the mist was so pale that it was almost transparent.

Until the last drop fell, the smoke disappeared without a trace as if it had never existed, the buzzing of the small jade cauldron stopped, and the furnace body turned back to its white jade color.

Yang Qinglan withdrew her finger from the small jade cauldron, breathed a sigh of relief, and her chest rose and fell slightly with her breath.

"Did it work?" Li Qianxia asked hurriedly.

"Hmm." A smile appeared on Yang Qinglan's lips.

After failing twice, he finally succeeded. Most importantly, he did it before Li Changzhou's transformation was complete, so that Li Changzhou wouldn't laugh at him.

With a flick of her finger, the lid of the small jade cauldron opened, and twenty-four jade pills floated up, carried by clouds.

"One, two, three..." Li Qianxia pointed with her finger, "Twenty-four, a total of twenty-four, so many!"

"The small jade cauldron is an S-level item, and the jade pills are not considered very precious pills. As long as it is successful, the quality and quantity will be the best."

Listening to Yang Qinglan's explanation, Li Qianxia stretched out her slender, fair fingers and took a grain from the clouds.

【Name: Jade Elixir】

[Type: Elixir]

Quality: C

[Special Effect: Preserves Youthful Appearance for Twenty Years]

Minimum usage requirements: None

[Description: The finest Jade Elixir can not only be used on living beings, but also prevent corpses from decaying, books from yellowing, rice from getting infested with insects, and maintain the freshness of food (it takes effect when placed together)]

[Note: This product was personally crafted by a female alchemist with a 9 out of 10 beauty rating. The alchemist herself is featured in the product advertisement. The price can be increased a hundredfold, and it can be sold as a luxury item.]

"What female alchemist? That's the Fairy of Gushe, the Goddess of Gushe!" Li Qianxia's tone was strange.

Yang Qinglan rolled her eyes at her, then took one out and examined it herself.

"Not satisfied? Then—that's my sister-in-law! Are you satisfied now?" Li Qianxia boasted.

Yang Qinglan didn't even look at her this time.

“One-third goes to Yaochi, and the remaining 16 will be divided among us: six for each of us and four for your brother,” she said.

"My brother is so pitiful," Li Qianxia said casually, swallowing the pill in her hand.

A layer of jade-like luster permeated beneath her skin.

She opened her eyes and saw Yang Qinglan taking the elixir, becoming ethereal and beautiful as white jade.

“...Even I was stunned. No wonder my brother fell in love with you at first sight.” Li Qianxia looked at her, her tone almost like she was talking to herself.

"It's alright, it's only 9 o'clock." Yang Qinglan said calmly.

"Just as narcissistic and shameless as my brother!"

Yang Qinglan chuckled: "Is your brother narcissistic? I never noticed it usually."

"When I was in high school, he once took my little mirror and looked at himself for the entire class period. He was so narcissistic."

"Another time, I overheard the prettiest girl in the next room saying she liked him when I went to the bathroom. When I came back and told her, he just said nonchalantly, 'Isn't that normal?' His tone was just as awful as yours!"

"And then what?"

"What happened later?"

"Class beauty".

"Oh~ the class beauty~" Li Qianxia smiled mischievously.

"That's all. My brother wasn't interested in women at the time. He told me that although he was handsome, smart, and had good grades, he would only consider getting married if he had money, a house, and a car and was capable of providing a wealthy life for the next generation. And he insisted that he must find someone he liked and would never get divorced. These are his exact words, though the wording might be slightly different."

Yang Qinglan did not express her opinion.

Her mind was no longer on the class beauty.

Is Li Changzhou's view on marriage related to his parents' divorce due to poverty when he was young? What kind of life did he lead during that time?

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