Reuniting with old friends is a joyous occasion, and Qin Mu and Qin Yue recounted their experiences since their separation. At the reservoir, the foundation was laid, and construction of the main structure would begin soon. Qin Yue also mentioned that over a hundred fishponds had been built.
Qin Mu didn't seem impatient at all and listened very attentively; after Qin Yue spoke, Qin Mu spoke again.
"My life isn't as exciting as yours. The beastmen haven't caused any trouble. There are some minor issues in the northeast, but they have nothing to do with my family. The imperial court wouldn't allow my family to get involved either," Qin Yue said with a hint of envy.
"What's so exciting about it? I almost lost my life several times!" Qin Mu shook his head and said.
"By the way, I brought the medicinal herbs you requested. They should arrive in about two days. They're escorting the goods, so they're not moving very fast."
"Oh! Really! That's wonderful!" Qin Mu said happily.
"There's nothing I can do, my family is also short of medicine, and we're counting on you!" Qin Yue said, spreading his hands.
“No problem, I’ve been buying them all along. If we’re not short, we can refine a large batch this time.”
"You've learned alchemy?" Qin Yue asked, raising an eyebrow.
"Hehe! I just learned it, and now there's a master alchemist in the Six Doors, I can ask him for help!" Qin Mu said with a smile. Alchemy was indeed not too complicated for him. His mental strength was strong enough, his memory was good, and controlling the heat was a minor issue. He remembered it after just two experiments.
After learning how to use the alchemy furnace, Qin Mu realized that his previous guesses were wrong. He originally thought that the alchemy furnace was simply a matter of putting medicinal herbs in in different orders, boiling them into a paste, and finally making them into pills.
Han Chen smiled and told him that it was about making medicinal paste. Real alchemy was not that simple. There was a specific order to adding the medicinal herbs, and most importantly, different herbs required different control of the heat, sometimes a gentle flame, sometimes a strong flame. Moreover, one had to use mental power to control the fusion of the herbs in the furnace, and that was the right time to add different herbs.
"Impressive! I've also studied alchemy, but I always get scolded for brewing medicine! It's too difficult," Qin Yue said, shaking his head.
"It's not wrong to say it's like decocting medicine! It's just that it's done in a more refined way than decocting medicine. Hmm! Some pills use different ingredients, so they can't be decocted. That's why you need an alchemy furnace. Otherwise, you can use a pot to refine pills." Qin Mu thought for a moment and said.
"Ha! What you said is quite vivid, but I don't have that kind of mental power," Qin Yue said after thinking for a moment.
"Alright! I'll invite some friends over tonight for a welcome-back dinner!"
"Sure! Let's go to your Rugui Restaurant and see if it's really that good!" Qin Yue agreed.
"I guarantee you'll be amazed!" Qin Mu said with a slightly smug smile. Showcasing his achievements in front of his former friends wasn't about showing off, but rather a mix of success and a desire to share.
Qin Mu specially booked the largest private room at Ruguilou to entertain Qin Yue. As expected, Qin Yue was very surprised by Ruguilou.
If we're talking about grand structures, there are many tall buildings like Guilou at Juyongguan, but no other place in the entire Juyongguan area has such a novel and exquisite design.
Standing at the fifth-floor window, overlooking Chang'an, Qin Yue exclaimed, "As expected of the capital, it's far more prosperous than the Three Passes!"
“That’s not surprising. After all, this is the center of the country. No matter how large the population of the three passes is, it can’t compare to this,” Qin Mu agreed.
"It's not just bustling, the people here are much more relaxed too!"
"What you see is only the surface. The rich do live a leisurely life, but the common people are still constantly struggling to make a living. Moreover, the 'gentle embrace' is also a graveyard for heroes; living there for too long is not necessarily good," Qin Mu said, shaking his head slightly.
“You’re right, no wonder I feel that many people lack a bit of courage!” Qin Yue raised an eyebrow and thought for a moment before saying.
"Brother Qin Yue!" The two were chatting when Xiangli Yanran pushed open the door and entered. Upon seeing Qin Yue, she was so surprised that she dropped the popcorn in her hand.
"Hehe! Yanran, long time no see!" Qin Yue greeted her with a smile.
"Didn't Sister Yue come?"
"She didn't come; things are busy at home. How are you? Are you doing alright?" Qin Yue shook his head slightly.
"Oh no!" Qin Yue asked. Xiangli Yanran pouted, her eyes welled up with tears, and she said in a pitiful voice.
"Ah! Yanran, what's wrong? Who bullied you?" Qin Yue asked in surprise.
"Brother Qin is bullying me!" Xiangli Yanran pointed at Qin Mu and said.
"Me?" Qin Mu was still in a daze when Xiang Liyan pointed at him, making him even more confused. He stared wide-eyed, trying to figure out what he had done to upset the little girl.
"Him?" Qin Yue was also surprised. He looked between the two of them and saw Qin Mu's blank expression, as if he didn't know what he had done wrong. So he gently patted Xiangli Yanran's shoulder and comforted her, "Come on! Yanran! Tell Brother Yue how Huaidao bullied you. I'll stand up for you! I'll teach him a lesson!"
"Hmph! Hmph!" Xiangli Yanran sniffed, glanced at Qin Mu with a hint of smugness, and then said with a smile, "I came to Chang'an to visit him, but who knew he would just leave me at the Six Doors and ignore me."
"Oh! I see! It's alright, I'll play with you at the Six Doors from now on." Qin Yue smiled immediately upon hearing this. He really liked this somewhat violent little girl in front of him; she was lively and cute! It warmed his heart, which had always been bullied.
"So the little girl was pretending on purpose." Qin Mu laughed as well.
At this time, the others arrived one after another, including the Yuchi family, the Cheng brothers, Ma Zhou, and Han Chen.
"Huailiang! None of you ever go home! At this rate, Ruguilou will be bankrupted by you all," Qin Mu complained with a laugh.
"Isn't it all your fault?" Cheng Huailiang complained.
"What's it to me?" Qin Mu rolled his eyes at him.
"You taught my sister to play that thing? Every day! Every day! It makes people want to cry, it's terrifying to hear!" Cheng Huailiang said, looking like he couldn't take it anymore.
"If you go away and ignore me, will everything be fine?" Qin Mu asked, amused.
"You don't understand, if they want to practice, they need to find people who can endure it. The old man ran away after listening for a few days. As soon as we get home, we definitely can't escape it!" Cheng Huaimo said, quite speechless.
“I can’t stay at home anymore!” Cheng Huaibi added.
Hearing this, Qin Mu found it both amusing and a little embarrassed, so he could only laugh and change the subject, asking, "Baoqing, what's wrong with you? You're never home! How can you manage things at the construction site if you don't get proper rest?"
Yuchi Baoqing glanced at Qin Mu resentfully and said, "Second and third sisters, they're always wielding two big swords and challenging people to fight. Big brother can fight them, but do you think I can beat them?"
"Ahem! Don't you still have your father and mother? They are both experts, it's not your turn, is it?" Qin Mu coughed twice.
“If it’s just normal sparring, then of course there’s no problem! The problem is, what kind of weapon did you let them choose? That knife is so big, who in my family would know how to use it?” Yu Chi Baolin complained.
Two large swords, each with a blade as tall as a person, are supported by a coiled dragon staff. The blades are curved, and the person holding the swords grips the staff behind the blades, making the whole sword look majestic and imposing.
Those who practice martial arts know that sparring is very enjoyable when using familiar weapons and techniques, and it can even allow one to teach a junior. However, sparring with new weapons is not so pleasant. Yuchi Gong also disliked only taking hits without fighting back, so he passed the problem on to his son.
"Alright! Don't worry about the details, let me introduce you to a friend!" Qin Mu had no choice but to change the subject again.
They were all young people, and whether it was Li Chongyi, who initially didn't get along with them, or Han Chen, who joined later, they all got along very well. They were also very enthusiastic towards their new friends, and after one meal, they started calling each other brothers.
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