Chapter 37: Chapter 37: Middle Grade Alchemy

"The two families fought it out in the Wilderness?"

That day, as Lin Changheng walked out of the Alchemy Room, he heard a shocking piece of news.

It was said that during a conflict, the Xu Family and the Chen Family had failed to restrain themselves and ended up in a brawl. Cultivators from both sides came to blows; Magical Artifacts flew everywhere as they exhausted every trick in their arsenal.

Fueled by both long-standing grudges and conflicting interests, the two sides nearly beat each other’s brains out.

The result... was casualties on both sides.

According to the post-battle damage assessment, the Xu Family didn’t gain much from the struggle, but they still came out slightly ahead.

At least, that was the Xu Family’s internal narrative.

A middle-aged Pill Master was excitedly giving his opinion when he saw Lin Changheng pause. He immediately waved him over to join the discussion.

"Next time, next time!"

Lin Changheng, however, was unwilling to discuss it publicly. He made an excuse about having something to do and hurried away, promising to talk later.

The middle-aged Pill Master watched the rapidly retreating back with a stunned expression. He shook his head, a little disappointed to have lost a member of the audience for his grand pronouncements.

He turned back and continued his impassioned, non-stop tirade.

...

That evening, Bai Fengxian came to visit.

"Please, come in. It’s so late. Is there something important, Fengxian?"

Bai Fengxian wore a solemn expression and stopped Lin Changheng from making tea. "Brother Lin, don’t trouble yourself. I just have a few words to say, then I have to go."

Lin Changheng keenly sensed that something was wrong. "What happened?"

"The Xu Family has drafted me..."

"To the Wilderness?"

Lin Changheng’s brow furrowed.

"Not the Wilderness. I’m to help guard the ’Black Dragon Pond Fishery,’ forty li from our Dao Field."

Bai Fengxian also found it strange.

Lin Changheng’s mind raced as he analyzed the situation. ’A call for reinforcements to help guard a position usually means one of two things:’

’First, the existing guards are insufficient and need to be supplemented;’

’Second, external pressure has increased, forcing them to strengthen their defenses, or they have already been attacked.’

And right now, the Xu Family’s overt enemy—or rather, their rival neighbor—the Chen Family, fit both criteria, making them the prime suspect. They were the most likely culprit.

"Even though it’s not the Wilderness, you must be vigilant and look after yourself. You might face ambushes or Magical Combat while on guard duty. With your Cultivation at the Third Layer of Qi Cultivation, your priority should be self-preservation. Slaying enemies comes second."

Lin Changheng didn’t know the full picture and didn’t want to give misleading advice, so he could only offer a reminder.

"I understand. Thank you for the reminder."

Bai Fengxian then took out ten Spirit Stones to purchase two Elixirs.

Seeing Lin Changheng’s questioning gaze, Bai Fengxian scratched his head and chuckled. "This is also for the three Elixirs you lent me last time, Brother Lin. I happen to have some extra funds, so I’m paying you back for everything at once."

Lin Changheng’s heart was stirred. ’I really didn’t misjudge him.’ He didn’t say much, but simply took out two extra Elixirs, handing over a total of four.

"I give my own family a thirty percent discount," he said. "Since we’re good friends, I can’t overcharge you."

Even though he hadn’t wanted to accept payment for the previous three Elixirs, he took the Spirit Stones after a moment’s thought. It was as the saying goes: clear accounts make for good friends. This was to keep their bond pure, rather than letting it devolve into a twisted relationship where one person was giving charity and the other was begging for it. That would ruin the beauty of their friendship.

Bai Fengxian left, filled with gratitude, and Lin Changheng saw him all the way to the door before turning back.

His mind, however, began to turn things over. ’Something must have happened at the Black Dragon Pond Fishery to precipitate this change.’ ’And that urgent matter Xu Xuzhong was handling the other day... could it also be related to this incident at the Black Dragon Pond Fishery?’

He lacked information and couldn’t figure it out for the time being.

Lin Changheng shook his head, an indescribable feeling in his heart. Sometimes, a farewell could be the final one.

He then raised his gaze and stared into the distance, straining his eyes as if to see the Cultivation Realm clearly, only to find the night was as black as ink, so thick it felt as if it would never dissolve...

...

「Two months later.」

The situation outside the valley in the Wilderness had deteriorated further.

The Xu and Chen families, neither willing to back down, had already clashed multiple times in large-scale Magical Combat.

It would not be an exaggeration to say they were seeing red.

The intensity of the battlefield had already spread beyond it.

It was no longer just a fight between two teams of Cultivators, but a full-blown contest of strength between the two families, mobilizing all their resources.

Lin Changheng noticed that the Xu Family was constantly pulling wounded members back from the front lines to recuperate, while simultaneously sending in new recruits as replacements.

During this period, Lin Changheng had already seen off two more of his friends, young prospects sent to the front.

Their luck was both good and bad.

Being sent to the battlefield last was good luck.

But unlike Bai Fengxian, who was fortunate enough to be assigned to a nearby guard post, they were both sent to the life-or-death struggles in the Wilderness, where the risk of death was much greater.

Among the young prospects he knew, only Tantai Feiyue, who was also proficient in one of the Entry Tier Hundred Arts, had not been sent to the battlefield.

When they had free time, the two would get together to share a drink and chat.

"Brother Lin, with your level of Alchemy—being able to ’stumble upon’ Masterpiece Pills so often—you must have already touched the threshold of Middle Grade Alchemy, right?"

A charming blush appeared on Tantai Feiyue’s cheeks as she suddenly asked this after toasting him with a cup of wine.

"Isn’t Fairy Tantai the same? I’m afraid the Xu Family is about to gain another Middle Grade Talisman Master."

Under the moonlight, Lin Changheng was also slightly tipsy. He clinked cups with the lovely Commandery Princess and smiled serenely.

"Stop teasing me, Brother Lin. Your attainments and skill are beyond what I could hope to match."

Tantai Feiyue brushed back a stray lock of hair with her slender, jade-like fingers. Then, she leaned in closer and lowered her voice, "I wonder, Brother Lin, have you secured a path to Middle Grade Alchemy yet?"

As the Commandery Princess drew near, she brought a delicate, fragrant breeze with her. Her orchid-like breath, tinged with the sweet aroma of wine, washed over Lin Changheng’s face, momentarily putting him in a daze.

"Not yet. I asked the Xu Family before. Their Middle Grade Alchemy Inheritance is a closely guarded secret, excluded from the list of rewards and not available to young prospects like us. I imagine the same is true for the Middle Grade Talisman Dao."

"We might have to find another way..."

With Tantai Feiyue so close, Lin Changheng didn’t shy away in the slightest. He wasn’t like the innocent boys from his past life who would blush crimson, avert their gaze, and act like a gentleman practicing the principle of "see no evil."

Instead, his gaze was direct, and he began to appreciate her beauty openly and without reservation.

He couldn’t help but sigh inwardly. ’This woman is a natural beauty to begin with, and with the enhancement of her Cultivation, descriptions like ’skin of ice and bones of jade’ or ’a face like a flower against the snow’ are no exaggeration. She is utterly flawless.’

"It might have been impossible before, but that’s not necessarily true now."

Tantai Feiyue smiled thoughtfully, her words full of hidden meaning.

Then she glanced back, only to find Lin Changheng’s bright, unabashed gaze fixed on her. A faint blush crept onto her lovely face, spreading down to her neck. 𝙧𝙚𝙚𝔀𝒆𝓫𝓷𝙤𝓿𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝙤𝓶

She also realized she had "crossed a line." She flinched, her body subconsciously wanting to pull back, but then she forcefully held her position. Her beautiful eyes stared boldly at Lin Changheng as she thought, ’I’ve done nothing wrong! I can’t back down, or this man will surely look down on me!’

She had the pride of a Commandery Princess, and now, emboldened by the wine, she became even more audacious and haughty. Face to face with Lin Changheng, their gazes locked, mere inches apart, neither willing to yield.

They were so close that their breaths brushed against each other’s faces!

"Fairy, are you saying that with the Xu Family facing a crisis, their strategy might change? That they might get desperate and try anything, giving us an opportunity to obtain a Middle Grade Inheritance?"