Chapter 59
After the battle, Gu Fan had consumed a lot of spiritual energy. She set up a defensive formation outside and sat at the entrance of the cave, cross-legged, to practice.
Lu Ya lay on the bed with his back to her. Only when he felt the familiar flow of gold elements did he really begin to rest.
He set the alarm before going to bed, and two hours later, Lu Ya woke up.
The alarm clock also startled Gu Fan. She finished her practice and swept her mind back, and saw Lu Ya turned off the alarm clock and sat up. There was not a trace of fat on his muscular upper body, especially when he stood on the ground, the mermaid line on his lower abdomen was clearly visible.
Gu Fan was peeping and feeling curious.
When she first met Lu Ya, she helped him wipe his body. At that time, she even touched him, but she remained calm. Now, just looking at him can trigger changes in her mood.
Lu Ya walked to the end of the bed, picked up the armor but did not move. His long eyelashes drooped, and he might have been a little lazy, a typical aftereffect of sleeping.
Since he didn't move, Gu Fan continued to watch. He didn't know anyway.
"What are you doing?" Lu Ya suddenly asked and began to put on his armor.
Gu Fan said subconsciously: "I'm practicing. You woke me up."
Lu Ya: "Sorry."
Gu Fan didn't respond and went out to collect the spirit stones on the ground.
Lu Ya thought of her talisman and asked, "Now that your cultivation has improved, can you make that kind of talisman yourself?"
Gu Fan: "No, alchemist and talisman master are two different professions. I don't know how to make talismans."
Of course, there is no shortage of geniuses in the world of cultivation who are proficient in alchemy, talisman making, weapon refining, beast taming, etc., but unfortunately Gu Fan does not have that kind of genius talent.
After getting back on the flying sword, Gu Fan casually said, "I'm really ordinary. There are no cultivators on Earth, so you think I'm special. If you go to the cultivation world, you'll find that apart from this face, I'm really ordinary in other aspects. I'm equivalent to a C-level psychic in the human base."
Lu Ya: "At least you still have dignity. We used to be despised for our dignity."
Gu Fan: "...I was just joking with you, but you took it seriously. Someone like you might be captured by some unruly female cultivator and used as a cauldron."
Lu Ya: "Furnace tripod?"
Gu Fan explained to him, "Whether mortal or cultivator, men have Yuan Yang and women have Yuan Yin. The difference is that mortals' Yuan Qi changes with birth, aging, illness, and death, while cultivators' Yuan Qi increases with their cultivation. On Earth, those with special abilities have superior physical qualities and even greater Yuan Qi. If they truly reach the realm of cultivation, they might be harvested to enhance their cultivation. However, this despicable act is frowned upon by righteous people, and only a few evil cultivators would secretly maintain furnaces and cauldrons."
Lu Ya: "So, if you return to the world of cultivation, there's a high chance that someone will capture you and take your essence?"
Gu Fan gritted his teeth and said, "Yes, when I was only at the third level of Qi training, I was almost killed by a senior brother."
At that time, Senior Brother Xiao was injured and suddenly his bestial nature was aroused. It was not just because he was attracted by Gu Fan's beauty, but the more important reason was that he wanted to take her essence.
Lu Ya had never heard of this matter, so he naturally asked.
The last time Gu Fan told Xinghe and the other three was because Fenghuo asked about the origin of the defensive talisman. After all, it was not a happy thing, and Gu Fan didn't want to mention it again. Moreover, it had been eighty years since the incident, and Gu Fan had even forgotten what Senior Brother Xiao and the master looked like. He only remembered that he had been through the gates of hell.
She didn't want to mention it, and Lu Ya didn't ask any more questions. He just whispered, "At least on Earth, I won't let you experience that kind of danger again."
Gu Fan believed him. After all, Lu Ya didn't even want her to be restrained to make pills.
"Let's continue looking for red ginseng and refine bone-renewing pills, which will also be useful for the base."
It’s a pity that Officer Wang and Zou Shan had already died in the battle against the beast tide, otherwise if he had really refined the bone-repairing pill, Gu Fan would definitely give them one.
Remembering his old friend, Gu Fan felt a little depressed. He stopped being distracted and focused on searching for the red ginseng.
Before dark, Gu Fan's spiritual sense detected an underground hot spring. The terrain there was peculiar, with snow-capped mountains above and a cave in the middle. The hot spring made the cave misty with water vapor, and at the entrance where the cave was connected to the snow-capped mountain layer, there appeared several clusters of green small-leaf plants.
Hidden under the plant are blood-red ginsengs. Judging from their thickness and length, some of them are at least a hundred years old.
This shows that the growth of red ginseng does not require a high concentration of spiritual energy, and the earth existed before the great radiation.
This commonness also means that red ginseng is destined to be considered just an ordinary medicinal herb in the world of cultivation, and cannot be used to refine high-level elixirs.
Gu Fan brought Lu Ya to land, and the two of them carefully came to the cave to avoid destroying the snow structure here.
The cave was dark, so Lu Ya took out a flashlight.
Gu Fan knelt in front of the red ginseng plant and observed it intently. Any alchemist who saw this kind of spiritual herb that was born and raised by nature would cherish it like a treasure.
"Can you simulate this kind of environment using technology?" Gu Fan asked before taking action.
Lu Ya said: "Leave it to Professor Ma, there should be no problem."
Gu Fan dug out all the usable red ginseng from the ground without damaging the ginseng plants. In addition to digging out a few plants and putting them into the space, Gu Fan also used the "Rooting Technique" on the remaining red ginseng plants to reduce the impact of her digging on the plants.
She was completely focused, with a pious look on her face, like a goddess who had descended from heaven to collect herbs.
Lu Ya couldn't take his eyes off her face.
"Walk……"
Gu Fan tilted his head and unexpectedly met those black eyes that were full of emotion. The word "吧" was stuck in his throat.
He looked at her, and Gu Fan also looked at him. The surprise in his eyes quickly turned into understanding. His heartbeat quietly quickened, and his long eyelashes drooped.
He turned off the flashlight, and in the hazy vision, her face was white and bright, and her lips were slightly open, moist and attractive.
Lu Ya unconsciously moved closer to her.
Gu Fan felt it. She thought, in this wilderness, a man and a woman alone, Lu Ya was aroused again. So what if he was an S-level expert? People on Earth are just so weak.
But she didn't resist at all, it was just the unfamiliar throbbing that made her feel a little flustered and out of control.
She has lived for a hundred years and has never been in love.
With a "dong" sound, the water droplets gathered above the cave could no longer bear the weight and fell into the water below. The crisp sound spread along the ripples, breaking the silence here and the ambiguity lingering around the two people.
Gu Fan was already in a state of anxiety, and the voice disturbed her, so she couldn't help but raise her eyes.
Those clear eyes made Lu Ya feel guilty, as if she was trying to intimidate him, a mortal, and tell him not to disrupt her path to immortality.
Lu Ya stood up.
Gu Fan also felt that this place and time were not suitable. As expected, Lu Ya was a strong man. After the impulse, his self-control quickly overcame his lust.
"Let's go." She calmed herself down and walked out first.
After leaving the cave, night had already fallen. Gu Fan looked at the time. It was almost eight o'clock. It had taken him more than an hour to dig ginseng.
Lu Ya once again turned into the cold-faced young commander of the Lu family and asked her, "Do you have the other herbs needed to make the bone-reinvigorating pill?"
Gu Fan: "Well, I picked a few species at Fairy Peak before. A while ago, I accidentally discovered some medicinal herbs when I was looking for you, so I picked them all and will cultivate more of them when I return to the base."
Lu Ya: "Then let's rest here tonight. You make the elixir and I'll keep watch. We'll continue our journey at daybreak."
No matter how well the two of them cooperate, they cannot dare to travel at night.
Gu Fan agreed, but there was a snow mountain layer above the cave, and she was afraid that the Dan fire would affect the growth environment of the red ginseng, so the two flew back to the cave where they rested at noon.
This time, it was Lu Ya who was guarding the cave entrance, wearing a cold-proof suit over his armor.
Gu Fan took out the alchemy furnace and five portions of medicinal materials needed to refine the bone-replenishing pill.
This was her first attempt at refining a low-grade intermediate elixir.
Gu Fan remained calm and put aside all distractions. Even Lu Ya sitting opposite her and looking at her would not have any impact on her.
The fire of the elixir rose, and Gu Fan strictly followed the recipe on the jade slip, controlling the temperature and melting each medicinal ingredient in order. His spiritual consciousness was attached to the herbs inside, not missing any changes.
With a "bang", the first attempt to condense the pill failed. Black smoke rose above the furnace and the smell of medicine spread everywhere.
Lu Ya remembered Gu Fan's instructions and told her not to disturb her no matter what happened.
He watched silently, watching Gu Fan staring at the smoking alchemy furnace as if no one was around.
After an unknown amount of time, Gu Fan started refining for the second time.
An hour later, black smoke began to emerge from the alchemy furnace again.
A frustrated look appeared on Gu Fan's face, but he quickly adjusted himself, took out the jade slip, looked at it, and started again for the third time.
Lu Ya quietly looked at the communicator, and the numbers showed that this time Gu Fan persisted longer than the previous two times.
However, with a "bang", black smoke rose again.
Gu Fan was a little excited. The previous two times she couldn't even condense the shape of the pill, but this time at least it had a shape.
She was not a genius to begin with. Even when refining those inferior pills, she had to practice hard day after day to improve her success rate.
For mediocre people, failure is normal and success is a surprise.
Gu Fan has never had any ambitions. If she hadn't unexpectedly broken through in her cultivation after coming to Earth, she wouldn't even dream of building a foundation, let alone have any hope for it.
The fourth time, Gu Fan persisted longer, but still failed at the last moment.
Most of the night had passed since she started refining the elixir.
Refining the elixir was very laborious and exhausting, and coupled with the burning fire, Gu Fan broke out in a sweat without realizing it, and his hair was wet with the sweat beads rolling down his forehead.
Noticing his own embarrassment, Gu Fan first used the dust removal technique, then looked past the alchemy furnace and looked at Lu Ya.
Lu Ya wanted to say something, but he wasn't sure if he could disturb him now.
After staring at each other silently for a moment, Gu Fan took the initiative to say, "See, my talent is really ordinary."
Without the alchemy fire, only the snow outside cast a faint light into the cave. Lu Ya could not see her face clearly, but the image of her refining the elixir was still imprinted in his mind: serious, focused, neither arrogant nor impatient, and persevering.
“Geniuses have their own path, and ordinary people have their own path. There’s no need to compare yourself with others. Just be yourself.”
Gu Fan savored it for a moment, and suddenly became curious: "If another cultivator came through, with a higher level of cultivation than me, better alchemy skills than me, prettier than me, and willing to selflessly contribute to the base, would you still see me?"
Lu Ya: “Yes.”
Gu Fan: "That sounds nice."
Lu Ya: "If an S-class expert from another base comes to recruit you, who is stronger than me, more charismatic than me, and more handsome than me, and who can guarantee your safety under any circumstances and not force you to contribute to the base, and even Xinghe and the others are willing to follow him, will you still stay in Jiangnan Base?"
Gu Fan: ...
"I'm tired, let me rest for a while, don't disturb me."
Gu Fan took the mat and fell asleep.
Lu Ya sneered, glanced at her, put out his large modern bed, and walked towards Gu Fan.
Gu Fan withdrew his consciousness and closed his eyes.
Lu Ya bent down and picked her up horizontally.
Gu Fan: "What are you doing?"
Lu Ya: "The ground is cold, go to bed."
Gu Fan: "I'm not afraid of the cold."
Lu Ya: "The bed is comfortable."
Gu Fan: “…”
The next second, Lu Ya threw her onto the bed and turned to sit at the entrance of the cave.
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