Xie An frowned, his expression very serious.
Xie Shuci stared blankly at him, her heart feeling as if it had been struck by a small hammer, a tingling, unsettling sensation.
Perhaps seeing that he didn't respond, Xie An's lips darkened, and he tightened his grip on his fingers. "Xie Shuci, did you hear me?"
The fingers pinching Xie Shuci's chin weren't particularly forceful, but they weren't enough to make Xie Shuci ignore them.
He came to his senses, his heart pounding like a drum, amplifying in circles around his ears.
"Why...why?" Xie Shuci's voice was broken as he stared intently at the little blind boy's face, not wanting to miss any emotion on it.
Xie An pursed his lips, not answering directly, "You are not allowed to communicate with others spiritually."
After saying that, he let go of Xie Shuci and leaned back against her, pulling her into his arms as well.
Xie Shuci's cheeks flushed, and she dared not ask any more questions. She lowered her head and picked up the alchemy manual, but she couldn't concentrate on reading it. Occasionally, she would secretly look up at Xie An.
Xie An remained calm, as if nothing had happened.
Xiao Xianlan seemed oblivious to their movements, her gaze fixed on Luo Xianyu on the stone platform.
A beautiful woman dances before his eyes, and the surrounding crowd cheers, while Xie Shuci wanders alone in his mind, lost in space.
As soon as the drumming on both sides of the river stopped, Luo Xianyu's body stiffened, her chest heaved violently, and a trickle of blood spilled from the corner of her mouth.
"Little Fairy Orchid!" Xie Shuci suddenly shouted.
"Brother Xiao Ci?" Xiao Xianlan was startled and looked at him in confusion.
At the same time, Xiao Lian, who was standing on the cabin, flew up and released the red veil in her hand. Upon seeing this, the four women threw their red veils upwards and used their spiritual power as a guide. The red veils gathered around Luo Xianyu, enveloping her like a lamp wick and blocking everyone's view.
"This is?"
Why is that?
"There should be another part to the Thousand Flower Dance."
"N-nothing."
Seeing Luo Xianyu shrouded in red gauze, Xie Shuci breathed a sigh of relief without making it obvious.
Xiao Xianlan didn't say anything, but looked up at the stage and was immediately stunned.
"elder sister?"
Xiao Lian slowly glided through the air, and with a wave of her arm, thousands of flower petals were drawn towards her. A gentle breeze ruffled her hair, and her peach blossom eyes naturally smiled, as if they possessed a bewitching power.
She gradually landed on the stone platform, and the flowing petals in the air surged towards Luo Xianyu. Thousands of petals surrounded Luo Xianyu, gradually shedding the red veil and enveloping her in petals.
"Everyone, this is the true Thousand Flower Dance!" Xiao Lian exclaimed.
The red veil returned to the five people, and Luo Xianyu's figure, surrounded by petals, appeared and disappeared, dancing gracefully to the rhythm that resounded on both banks.
The petals seemed to possess a soul, constantly shifting with Luo Xianyu's movements, adding a breathtaking touch to this otherworldly and independent beauty.
Xiao Xianlan watched quietly, but her brows involuntarily furrowed.
Everyone was stunned as they watched her dance with the petals, unconsciously holding their breath, afraid of disturbing this rare and beautiful sight.
The dance came to a perfect end.
Luo Xianyu did not return to the ship where Xie Shuci and the others were. Instead, she was half-carried by Xiao Lian and flown back to the shore.
"Sister..." Xiao Xianlan called out blankly as she watched Luo Xianyu and Xiao Lian leave in a hurry.
"Let's go back to the shore too," Xie Shuci said.
Xiao Xianlan looked blankly in the direction Luo Xianyu had left. She saw the long-awaited Thousand Flower Dance and her sister's dance moves, but she didn't feel happy. Instead, she felt uneasy.
Rowing back to shore, they learned that Luo Xianyu and Xiao Lian had already returned to Wanhua Tower. Before leaving, she instructed Xiao Xianlan to accompany Xie Shuci and the others to stroll around the city.
"Little Fairy Orchid, what are you thinking about?" Xie Shuci looked at the little girl beside him who seemed preoccupied.
Xiao Xianlan came to her senses, looking puzzled. "Brother Xiao Ci, for some reason, I feel uneasy."
"What are you thinking about all day at such a young age?"
Xie Shuci pulled the king out of Xie An's arms.
Here, I'll put it in Xiaoxianlan's hand. "You're just overthinking things. You're too mature for your age. Pet the dog more often; it'll be good for your mental and physical health."
Little Fairy Orchid chuckled, pulled the King into her arms, lowered her head in embarrassment, and said, "I am..."
Xie Shuci continued, "You're just a little too sentimental, aren't you?"
"Alright, shall we go see the Feathered Flower tomorrow?" Xie Shuci asked.
"Yes! My sister told me that the last time the Frightened Feather Birds returned to their nests, she was about my age. Twelve Frightened Feather Birds swooped down from the horizon, their feathers like burning flames. Wherever they passed, flowers bloomed like a sea of fire, igniting the entire Frightened Feather Mountain. That was the most beautiful sight she had ever seen."
At this point, Xiao Xianlan lowered her head and said in a softer voice, "I also want to go and see."
Even though the fiery color is not visible.
“Then let’s go,” Xie Shuci said.
Xie Shuci dared not tell Xiao Xianlan that a certain elixir might allow her to briefly see the colors of the world, for he feared he could not refine it and would only disappoint her.
“Yes, Brother Xiao Ci, there will definitely be a lot of people going to Jingyu Mountain tomorrow. Why don’t you come with us? There’s a viewing platform up there where you can see the entire Jingyu Flower Field, and only people from Wanhua Tower can go up there,” Xiao Xianlan said.
Xie Shuci frowned and shook his head, saying, "No, I have a little white horse at home. I have to bring it with me tomorrow, otherwise it will spit at me again."
"Little White Horse?"
"Yes, its name is Crane. I don't know what's wrong with that guy, he doesn't like people calling him horse. If you call him that to his face, he'll get angry and kick sand at you. He's really difficult to take care of."
Xiao Xianlan chuckled softly after hearing this, her laughter like the tinkling of silver bells. She said, "Brother Xiao Ci, have you noticed that they all look a bit like you?"
Seeing that Xiao Xianlan finally smiled, Xie Shuci breathed a sigh of relief without making it obvious.
He glanced at the Great King, who was nestled in Little Fairy Orchid's arms, looking at him happily while sticking out his tongue, and scoffed, "It? Like me? It's just a stupid dog."
"Aww!"
Damn it, I'm a wolf.
"Dog, stupid dog!"
"Ouch."
Okay, whatever Diedie says goes.
Xie Shuci was amused by its adorable appearance and reached out to rub its head.
After wandering around the city for more than half an hour, estimating that Luo Xianyu had recovered somewhat, he sent Xiao Xianlan back to Wanhua Tower. Then he took Xie An and the others to visit several pharmacies and herb shops, preparing to return to refine pills.
Although elixirs are extremely precious in the cultivation world, there are quite a few immortal herbs that can be used to refine elixirs. Xie Shuci bought a bunch of things needed to refine the Spirit Gathering Pill according to the pill manual. He found that although the medicinal materials and immortal herbs were not hard to buy, they were not cheap. He was worried that he would not be able to refine it well the first time, so he bought several more.
It's been almost two months since Xie Shuci left the Little Immortal Sect, and he's been living beyond his means. The travel expenses his fellow disciples gave him were originally quite considerable, but after all this, they've been completely depleted.
On the street, the king reverted to his original form, carrying several large bags of goods.
Xie Shuci held his small purse, looked at the few pieces of silver inside, and sighed for the nineteenth time.
He initially left the immortal sect hoping to make money, but now, not only has he not earned a single penny, he's also squandered it all, and his savings have dwindled so quickly.
Now he's supporting a family of three... no, a horse too, a family of four.
He does have the elixirs, but the key question is, who will he sell them to?
He should have held an auction back in Luofang City, with the highest bidder winning. Now, he can't even find a buyer to sell his product.
Sell it to Xiaoxianlan?
Pah! Xie Xiaoci, how dare you?
They didn't ask you for anything!
Yeah, they didn't ask me to help, so why am I worrying about it?
But... never mind, they're still Sister Ye's friends. Besides, these two sisters have had such tragic lives, they're so pitiful.
After much thought, Xie Shuci still felt that he had been too extravagant.
He has never lacked money in his family since he was a child. After he became an adult, he joined Bilibili. Maybe he was lucky, whatever he filmed became popular. In just half a year, he became very successful and his monthly income was enough to cover his food, drink, entertainment and collectibles.
Having gotten used to his old lifestyle, he had no concept of money. This couldn't go on; he still had a family to support.
"Little blind man, do you think it's a good idea for me to go work at the Guanhua brothel and earn some money?" Xie Shuci asked.
Xie An: "?"
"With my voice and figure, even if I don't become the top courtesan, I can at least be somewhat famous, right? Didn't the Guanhua Brothel have a few difficult customers? Let me handle them, and I guarantee I'll serve them perfectly. The songs and dances I sing and dance are things they've never seen before," Xie Shuci said with a hint of pride.
Xie An's face darkened. "Absurd."
Xie Shuci pouted, thinking to himself, "You've never lifted a finger, so you probably don't know the hardships of working people. He not only has to support himself, but also his family and two livestock. No job is inherently superior or inferior!"
In order to make his videos go viral, Xie Shuci tried to jump on trending topics, including a popular video called "Music Pure Land" which was all the rage online at the time.
That seemed to be his first video, and the number of views skyrocketed overnight. He accumulated more than 50,000 followers in just one video. What does that mean? It means that the audience recognized his dance moves!
Although the most upvoted comments are:
"Thank you for helping me, who has poor coordination, find confidence."
Plaintiff: Moule Pure Land.
"Who? Who recommended this video to me? Where is the conscience, morality, and fairness in this vulgar video? Where is their contact information?"
Xie Xiaoci never cared about these little details. Anyway, he became famous. What does being famous mean? It means his videos are interesting! What does interesting videos mean? It means he dances well!
Although the little blind man seemed to disagree, Xie Shuci secretly made up his mind that after returning from Jingyu Mountain, he would have to discuss with Luo Xianyu how to promote modern chuunibyou culture!
With this in mind, Xie Shuci instantly felt reassured.
Now that we have a way to make money, what's there to be afraid of!
It was already evening when we returned to the inn.
Xie Shuci, his wife, and their dog ate something in the lobby. With the mindset that they couldn't let the children suffer, Xie Shuci splurged again.
Of course, what was being squandered was only the king's food.
After dinner, Xie Shuci returned to his room, carrying large and small bags, and pushed open the door, walking straight inside.
The king followed Xie Shuci closely, shaking his little head as he tried to go inside, but Xie An suddenly pushed him back out the door with his toe.
"Huh?"
What's wrong? The baby ate too much and wants to sleep with Diedie.
Xie An gave a half-smile, lifted it by the scruff of its neck, and walked toward the room next door.
"Huh?"
Stop! What are you doing!
Xie An pushed open the door, threw the king inside, glanced down at it, slammed the door shut, and turned to walk towards Xie Shuci's room.
"Awooo! Awooo!"
How could you do this? Leaving the baby alone in the room!
Unfortunately, its barking was shut out from inside the door, and no one paid any attention to it.
Xie Shuci placed the heavy object in his arms on the table, turned around and saw Xie An walk in, then closed the door behind him.
Where is the king?
"next door."
Xie Shuci: "..."
He hadn't thought about it during the day, but now that he thought about it, he realized he had actually booked a superior room for a dog? Wouldn't people laugh their heads off if they found out? Moreover, Xie Shuci considered himself a frugal person, and doing this seemed a little bit extravagant.
But thinking of Xie An's attitude this morning, Xie Shuci coughed lightly and tried to be tactful, saying, "Xie An, don't you think it's a bit inappropriate for us to leave it alone in a room? Besides, it doesn't take up much space."
Xie An nodded knowingly, "There's a doghouse in the backyard."
Xie Shuci: "..."
"But it's the alpha wolf. Isn't it a bit cruel of us to do this?"
Thanks
An Chang lowered her eyelashes, her expression restrained, and turned to open the door.
Xie Shuci quickly stopped him: "Where are you going?"
Xie An paused, "If you can't bear to let it sleep by itself, I'll switch it with yours."
“Oh dear,” Xie Shuci was most afraid of him being like this, “That’s not what I meant. I was just thinking that it’s a waste for a little dog to have its own room.”
Xie An turned his head away, "I can't sleep."
"It can stay on the ground; it doesn't mind."
Xie An pursed his lips, but thankfully didn't say anything more.
Seeing this, Xie Shuci breathed a sigh of relief and hurriedly went downstairs to cancel a room reservation.
When the king saw Xie Shuci, he was so aggrieved that his eyes filled with tears, and he clung to Xie Shuci's sleeve, unwilling to let go.
Xie Shuci's heart softened, and she carried it back to her room.
"Aww!"
I'm so scared I fell!
"Okay, okay, it's alright."
"Awooo!"
How could you leave me all alone!
"Alright, you can play by yourself for a while. I have things to do." Xie Shuci put the king on the ground. The boy glanced at Xie An sitting at the table, kicked his little legs, and tried to jump onto the bed to seize the opportunity.
"No, that won't work!"
Before it could even jump onto the bed, Xie Shuci pulled it back, saying, "You're all dirty, you're not allowed on the bed."
"Waaah..."
The king looked at Xie Shuci with a pitiful and aggrieved expression, his eyes filled with both resentment and sympathy.
You didn't mind me yesterday...
"Sweetie, Brother Xie An still needs to sleep."
"Aww!" The baby doesn't take up much space.
"I'll make you a nest in a little while."
Having appeased the king, Xie Shuci returned to his table, preparing to tinker with alchemy.
He glanced at Xie An out of the corner of his eye and suddenly noticed the peach blossom still tucked into his waistband. He couldn't help but say, "Why are you still keeping the flower? Throw it away."
Xie An was taken aback, his brows furrowing immediately. "Throw?"
“Yes,” Xie Shuci nodded, “it wilted very quickly.”
After saying that, Xie Shuci couldn't help but glance at his waist again. He wondered if it was just his imagination, but the peach blossom that had been hanging on the little blind man for so long seemed to have not fallen off a single petal. It looked almost exactly the same as when Xie Shuci gave it to him.
That can't be right.
Xie An lowered his head and gently pinched a petal with his right hand. "Let's wait until it wilts before we talk about it."
Upon hearing this, Xie Shuci couldn't help but look at him sideways. He had thought the little blind man didn't like this kind of thing, but now it seemed he cherished it quite a bit.
"How about we put it in a vase?" Xie Shuci suggested.
"No need."
After listening to their discussion for a while, the king curiously approached Xie An's feet and exclaimed, "Huh?"
Are you talking about Senmo?
Upon seeing the peach blossom branch at Xie An's waist, the king suddenly remembered that he should be wearing a flower wreath on his head, but where was it?!
"Awooo!"
The king shouted twice and scratched Xie Shuci's ears twice.
"What?"
"Aww!"
Ring ring!
"Huh? A flower wreath? All the flowers fell off, so I threw it away," Xie Shuci said.
"Aww..." The king's face immediately fell, and he glanced at the peach branch at Xie An's waist with a pointed look, his face saying, "I want to play with the flowers."
Xie Shuci understood its meaning, hesitated for a moment, and looked at Xie An: "Well... since it's going to wilt anyway, why don't we let it play with it?"
Xie An's face darkened. "No."
"Aww!"
stingy person.
"I think there are some downstairs, shall I go pick one for you?" Xie Shuci said.
"Aww!"
good!
Xie An frowned, looking somewhat displeased, but not wanting Xie Shuci to make an extra trip, he thought for a moment, then coldly plucked a petal from the peach branch and threw it to the king.
Xie Shuci: "..."
Goodness, you're being way too generous.
The king is not someone who can be satisfied with such a small petal; he should go and pick another one.
"Aww!"
To everyone's surprise, when the king saw that petal, he looked at it as if it were a treasure. His eyes sparkled, and he leaned in to smell it again and again, and licked it again and again, showing an expression of extreme delight.
The flowers are so sweet! They smell like the blood of that dangerous human!
Xie Shuci looked at it with a puzzled expression, wondering if this little thing had become so easy to deal with now.
The king was overjoyed, but Xie An touched the spot on the peach blossom where a petal was missing, his jaw clenched tightly, and his expression was extremely unpleasant.
Xie Shuci was speechless after reading it. How could taking a single petal from you be like stealing some precious treasure from you?
So the little blind boy really likes flowers?
How about... we deliver more often in the future?
Xie Shuci was speechless at himself. What was he thinking, you idiot?
He shook his head, told the man and the dog not to make any noise and disturb him, and then carried a large pile of medicinal herbs behind the screen.
He'll probably refine a few Spirit Gathering Pills tonight.
After sitting behind the screen, Xie Shuci took out the bronze medicine cauldron and activated it with his spiritual power. In the blink of an eye, the palm-sized bronze medicine cauldron grew to be half a person's height.
At the same time, the spiritual energy in the room became unusually abundant.
Having left the Dragon Fang Secret Realm, the Great King hadn't felt such abundant power in a long time. It lay down on the ground, placed the flower petals in front of it, and let out a comfortable groan.
Xie Shuci opened the alchemy manual, which recorded a very simple and crude method of alchemy. He followed the instructions and threw the medicinal materials and immortal herbs needed to make the Spirit Gathering Pill into the bronze cauldron.
"It can be refined with qi..."
Xie Shuci stared at the last line of text on the alchemy manual, feeling utterly overwhelmed.
How do you even practice this technique? What kind of lousy manual is this? It doesn't seem as miraculous as Chu Guiyi described.
Anyway, give it a try!
Xie Shuci sat cross-legged in front of the cauldron, took a deep breath, and slowly released his spiritual power, merging it with the spiritual power swirling around the bronze cauldron.
The moment the spiritual energies collided, a sense of familiarity washed over him. The bronze cauldron seemed to have a pulse and a heartbeat, and it took the initiative to lead him forward.
Xie Shuci's spiritual power activated the bronze medicine cauldron. The moment the medicinal herbs and immortal plants in the cauldron came into contact with the spiritual power, they emitted a dazzling light that illuminated the room.
Xie Shuci released spiritual energy continuously, but his body gradually couldn't keep up, and large beads of sweat slid down his forehead.
"Bang!"
After an unknown amount of time, a loud bang came from the bronze cauldron, instantly severing the connection with Xie Shuci.
Xie Shuci suffered a great shock. His internal organs felt as if they had been disturbed by a hand, and his spiritual energy was running rampant. He almost suffered a backlash.
"Cough..." Xie Shuci coughed softly, and a trickle of blood slid down the corner of his mouth.
"Xie Shuci?"
"Huh?"
"I'm fine." Xie Shuci wiped the blood from his mouth, stood up and glanced into the bronze cauldron. It was charred inside and emitted a foul smell.
Damn it! We failed!
Xie Shuci frowned in frustration. Actually, alchemy wasn't difficult at all; all he had to do was use spiritual power to activate the bronze artifact. He was almost successful when, for some reason, the face of the little blind man suddenly flashed through his mind, and his breathing became unstable.
"It failed?"
"Hmm," Xie Shuci replied listlessly.
Xie An said, "There's no need to rush. Alchemy is by no means easy. You have good talent and are suitable for alchemy, but you must not be too hasty. If anything unusual happens, you must immediately protect your heart meridian to avoid backlash."
Xie Shuci took the burnt-looking stuff out of the bronze cauldron, intending to throw it away, but the Great King, following the scent, ran to his feet with a flower petal in his mouth, "Awooo!"
"What?"
"Awooo!"
"This thing? You want to eat it?"
"Aww!"
Perhaps because Xie An appeared too knowledgeable, Xie Shuci subconsciously looked at Xie An and asked for his opinion: "Can we feed it?"
However, the king snatched one of his petals, and still somewhat angry, he said indifferently, "Hmm. It got off easy."
Seeing this, Xie Shuci placed what he was holding in front of the king.
The lump was so mushy that it was impossible to see its original shape, and it emitted a strange smell. But the king treated it like a treasure, carefully putting the flower petal in his mouth aside, sniffing it with his nose, and then taking a bite.
Xie Shuci looked disgusted, wondering how the dog could eat it, and decided in his heart that he would not let the dog sleep on his bed tonight no matter what.
Xie An explained, "You should be just one step away from completing the elixir; for it, this is a good thing."
"Oh, I see." Xie Shuci nodded, seemingly understanding.
As if remembering something else, Xie An asked in confusion, "You were capable of completing the elixir, so why did you fail at the last step?"
When asked why he failed, Xie Shuci couldn't help but look at Xie An with resentment, thinking to himself, "It's all because of you, you inexplicably tried to get into my head."
Xie An: "?"
Xie Shuci withdrew his gaze and sighed, "I'll continue."
After saying that, he disappeared behind the screen again.
Fortunately, he bought a lot of materials, so there was room for failure.
Xie Shuci concluded that perhaps it was because he was too inexperienced in alchemy and had been too hasty this time. He would have to take it slowly this time.
Xie Shuci put another document back in and sat down to meditate and calm his mind. His mind was free of distractions; if anything, it would undoubtedly be the little blind man. However, the little blind man was just outside the screen, so he was not in any danger.
After calming down, Xie Shuci released his spiritual power and connected it to the bronze medicine cauldron.
Unlike the first time, this time he was exceptionally careful and meticulous, trying his best to feel every detail on the bronze cauldron. Only when he could completely visualize the appearance of the bronze cauldron in his mind did he proceed to the next step: using spiritual power to envelop the materials inside the cauldron and gradually fuse them together.
This process required him to be very careful and meticulous; if a mistake was made, the entire pile of materials would be wasted.
Xie Shuci was so engrossed in integrating the materials that he even briefly lost his senses about his own body and became unaware of the passage of time.
As the medicinal herbs gradually took on the rudiments of a pill within his spiritual power, Xie Shuci dared not relax his efforts.
After a long while, Xie Shuci's spiritual power was blocked by the bronze cauldron, and his five senses returned at the same time. His body went limp, and he had to use his hands to support himself on the ground to keep from falling down.
"It...it was a success?"
Xie Shuci was exhausted both physically and mentally, but seeing the faint spiritual light emanating from the bronze cauldron, his eyes lit up, and he slowly stood up from the ground.
"Aww!"
Upon hearing the commotion, the king was the first to run over, followed closely by Xie An.
Xie Shuci carefully lifted the contents of the bronze cauldron with his hands. The object, which had been emitting a strange fragrance, gradually lost its luster in his hands and turned into an ordinary, round pill.
I did it!
Xie Shuci looked up in surprise.
Xie An chuckled softly, "You succeeded."
"Little blind man, I did it!"
Xie Shuci was so excited that she ran over to Xie An in a few steps and jumped into his arms.
Xie An caught him steadily. Despite Xie Shuci's reckless charge, he didn't take a single step back and easily held Xie Shuci in his arms.
In this strange and dangerous world, how could he, a good-for-nothing who often drags his team down, actually manage to refine a elixir?!
This time he's a true alchemist! That brat Chu Wenfeng can no longer laugh at him!
The king seemed to be infected as well, and joyful shouts filled the air.
"Awooo! Awooo!"
That's awesome!
"I did it! I really succeeded! I can save the world!"
Xie Shuci wrapped one arm around Xie An's neck and held the pill in mid-air with the other, his heart pounding with excitement.
Xie An supported his waist, his eyes smiling, almost indulgent: "Yes, you can do it."
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