Looking at Yan Tianhen’s small face, which was slightly thinner than before, Esteemed Huai Yu couldn’t help feeling a little distressed and angry. “As soon as you came out, you thought about looking for your Dage, but your Dage is not as attentive about you! Although he’d been here once before, when he saw that you had been cultivating and never came out, he got impatient from waiting and left. He wasn’t anywhere as earnest as you were, waiting for an entire month.”

Although Yan Tianhen felt a little sad about not seeing Lin Xuanzhi as soon as he left secluded cultivation because he hadn’t seen Lin Xuanzhi for a long time, he was still unconcerned about Esteemed Huai Yu’s words.

“Dage must’ve had something else to do. He definitely didn’t get impatient from waiting. Besides, I’m not in any danger, so there’s no need for him to wait outside all the time.”

Esteemed Huai Yu couldn’t help rolling his eyes. “You are defending him everywhere.”

Yan Tianhen smiled, “I’m telling the truth. Moreover, shouldn’t I be defending my eldest brother?!”

Esteemed Huai Yu, “…”

Esteemed Huai Yu didn’t want to continue discussing that Lin Xuanzhi brat with him, so he changed the subject, “How do you feel after two months of secluded cultivation?”

Yan Tianhen paused, then cried, “So that’s why my Dage left without waiting for me to come out. It turns out that I was actually in closed-door cultivation for two months instead of ten days!”

Esteemed Huai Yu, “…”

Fuck, how come the topic became Lin Xuanzhi again?

So mad!

Yan Tianhen looked at Esteemed Huai Yu while nursing a secret grudge, his tone full of accusations, “Master, you lied to me. You clearly said that I would be out in ten days.”

Esteemed Huai Yu was not ashamed but was instead proud. “So what if I lied to you? Who let you be so easy to deceive? Don’t tell me I’m still to blame for that?”

Yan Tianhen, “…”

However, although Yan Tianhen felt distressed and pained for a while, he soon became happy again, because although Esteemed Huai Yu always teased him, his alchemy skills were truly great. Moreover, he was willing to teach Yan Tianhen his secret manual and alchemy techniques. For an alchemist, those things were more important than anything.

Yan Tianhen’s speed of improvement could be described as advancing a thousand miles a day. In the two months of secluded cultivation, just counting the number of Hardened Body Pills alone, he had refined 15 of them. Although 10 of these Hardened Body Pills were high-grade, for the people who cultivated to become immortals, even being able to buy a high-grade pill was enough to make them ecstatic.

Hardened Body Pills were mostly controlled by the Alchemist Alliance, so there won’t be much circulation in the market every year. Like other powerful medicinal pills, the vast majority of Hardened Body Pills will enter the hands of organizations backed by major families or sects, because most of the alchemists in the Alchemist Alliance had the support of sects or clans behind them, but there was also a very small number of alchemists in the alliance who were wild alchemists, commonly known as rogue cultivators.

Since Yan Tianhen refined so many Hardened Body Pills, he decided to take them down the mountain and sell them immediately so that he could exchange them for money and repay Lin Xuanzhi’s debts.

However, before that, Yan Tianhen was going to Breaking Sword Peak to find Duan Yuyang.

……….

Breaking Sword Peak.

Duan Yuyang had already received the news when Yan Tianhen went up the mountain. He came directly halfway up the mountain to wait for Yan Tianhen to arrive.

Yan Tianhen climbed up the mountain, puffing and panting. When he saw Duan Yuyang, he grinned, “Yuyang Gege, let me give you something.”

Duan Yuyang raised his eyebrows, “Did you come here by yourself?”

Yan Tianhen nodded, “Yeah, I don’t know where my Dage went. I haven’t seen him for a while.”

“Your Dage came here several times before and said that you were in closed-door cultivation refining pills, so we shouldn’t disturb you. It seems that you are successful.” Duan Yuyang laughed as he took Yan Tianhen up the mountain.

Yan Tianhen was so excited that he skipped as he walked. “Yuyang Gege, I’m really incredible now. I refined 15 Hardened Body Pills in one go, and 5 of them are top-grade medicinal pills. Plus, I didn’t blow up the furnace! No, I should say that the most important thing is that I didn’t explode the furnace!”

Duan Yuyang was stunned — 15 Hardened Body Pills, and 5 top-grade ones to boot. This was really too shocking. One should know that it was exceedingly difficult to refine top-grade medicinal pills, as the alchemists’ soulfires had to be incomparably pure, their mental power had to be highly concentrated, and their alchemy hand seals had to be brought to the point of perfection in order to successfully refine top-grade pills.

Countless alchemists had failed to refine even one top-grade medicinal pill in their entire lives.

It seemed that Yan Tianhen was indeed gifted at alchemy. Now at last, “the hard times are over, and the good times are just starting”. The journey ahead will be much easier.

Duan Yuyang couldn’t help but feel happy for Yan Tianhen and smiled, “I knew Ah Hen was the best.”

It was inevitable for Duan Yuyang to feel envious in his heart. Although the accumulated poison in his body accidentally gave him the ability to conceive a child, it was difficult for him to have any other breakthroughs on the cultivation path. In reality, when he was very young, his talent was also particularly brilliant. If it wasn’t for Su Yulian, this vicious madam who specialized in ruining things, he wouldn’t be reduced to this state now either.

Duan Yuyang also didn’t know whether his mood swings were because he was pregnant or because he felt no sense of reality after getting the Duan family. Therefore, he had been thinking a lot in recent days. He couldn’t help worrying about how sad Yuan Tianwen would be if he died in a hundred years.

Thinking about this, his face dimmed a little.

Yan Tianhen also seemed to notice. He blinked at Duan Yuyang and assured with complete seriousness, “Yuyang Gege, don’t worry. I also happened to refine a Foundation Pill when refining medicinal pills. It’s also top-grade. After you eat it, you can successfully reach Foundation Stage!”

Duan Yuyang was stunned. His heart couldn’t help but feel warm. He rubbed Yan Tianhen’s head. “Ah Hen is truly clever, but I’m afraid that I cannot use this Foundation Pill.”

“Why?”

Duan Yuyang smiled with some bitterness, “The Foundation Pill greatly restructures one’s Dantian Qi Sea. The aura is too strong. If I take it now, I won’t be able to keep this little thing in my stomach.”

Yan Tianhen frowned, “Then wait until after he’s born, alright?”

Duan Yuyang naturally repeatedly agreed.

Yan Tianhen was happy again and tugged on Duan Yuyang’s hand, “Brother Yuyang, besides giving you some medicinal pills, I came to see you because I also want to discuss a matter with you.”

“You don’t need to be polite with me.”

Yan Tianhen smiled, “I want to auction off the medicinal pills that I refined in Yuyang Gege’s auction house. What do you think?”

Duan Yuyang laughed, “And here I thought it would be a big deal. It turned out to be such a good thing. If you put these items up for auction in my auction house, firstly, you can make a lot of money. Secondly, it can also make the Duan family’s auction house more famous. Naturally, it’s exactly what I’ve been looking for.”

Yan Tianhen clapped. “That’s great! When does Yuyang Gege think is a good time to auction these?”

“Of course, the sooner the better. You may as well give me the items directly. I’ll let Brother Tianwen go directly to the Duan auction house in Profound City one day and have him send you the money after selling them.”

In this way, Yan Tianhen didn’t have to worry about anything. It would be enough to give Yuan Tianwen full power to deal with everything.

Yan Tianhen was happy to be at ease. “This is a good feeling. Truly, Yuyang Gege understands me.”

Duan Yuyang nodded proudly, “Certainly. If we follow the script, you and I should actually be together.”

“Who do you want to be together with?” Yuan Tianwen came up at the right time, frowning. His expression revealed that he wanted to catch the adulterer.

Duan Yuyang smiled calmly, “Of course I want to be together with you.”

Yuan Tianwen stared at him. “That’s not what you said just now.”

Duan Yuyang refused to admit anything, “You heard me wrong.”

Yuan Tianwen stared at him expressionlessly, but he couldn’t do anything about Duan Yuyang, so he turned to Yan Tianhen, “It’s rare that you didn’t come with your Dage.”

Yan Tianhen blinked, “I came to see my Yuyang Gege as soon as I left closed-door cultivation. I haven’t had time to look for my Dage.”

Yuan Tianwen glanced at Duan Yuyang, “Remember to bring your Dage with you next time.”

“Why?” Yan Tianhen was puzzled.

“So that some people won’t have to suffer their imagination running wild.” Yuan Tianwen answered with an ugly expression.

Duan Yuyang suddenly didn’t know whether to laugh or cry, “Do you have to go that far? I just said it casually. Aren’t you eating too much vinegar?”

Yuan Tianwen stated righteously, “I’m not eating vinegar, I just feel insecure.”

Duan Yuyang, “…”

Seeing their sweet displays of affection made Yan Tianhen’s teeth hurt. He quickly stuffed the bottle of medicinal pills into Duan Yuyang’s hand. “I’ll give you the items first. I want to sell the big bottle, and I’m giving you the small bottle. I’ll leave first. No need to send me out!”

After saying that, Yan Tianhen ignored Duan Yuyang’s calls and skipped towards the foot of the mountain. He didn’t look reluctant to leave at all.

“That little monkey.” Duan Yuyang grumbled while holding the bottles of medicinal pills.

Yuan Tianwen looked at the bottles of medicinal pills and raised his eyebrows. “He refined medicinal pills?”

Duan Yuyang nodded, wanting to say something but hesitating, “He asked me to take it to the auction house. Have a look.”

Yuan Tianwen took the big bottle and opened it. Suddenly, his expression looked a little inexplicable.

“He made all this by himself?”

“Yeah, after two months of secluded cultivation, he refined this much.”

Yuan Tianwen frowned slightly, “Does Xuanzhi know about this matter?”

Duan Yuyang shook his head, “He came running here as soon as he came out of closed-door cultivation. Xuanzhi has been on Sinking Sword Peak all this time. I don’t think he knows about this.”

Yuan Tianwen thought for a moment, “Let’s talk to Xuanzhi first. There are so many top-grade Hardened Body Pills; even if we auctioned them off in the Yuan family’s auction house, they’ll still attract the attention of the Alchemist Alliance and other forces. We must be careful.”

Duan Yuyang nodded as he agreed, “I think so too, but Ah Hen will probably tell Xuanzhi himself. With his temperament, he will certainly be eager to show off in front of his Dage as  soon as he has even a small accomplishment.”

Yuan Tian cast a sidelong glance at him, “You understand him so well.”

Duan Yuyang couldn’t help laughing. Yuan Tianwen had become more and more childish recently. He liked to act coquettish and also liked to indiscriminately eat vinegar. He didn’t have the mannerisms of a young master at all when in front of Duan Yuyang. If the outsiders saw him, they must be shocked to death.

Duan Yuyang assured, “In my mind, Ah Hen has always been my younger brother.”

Yuan Tianwen asked, “Then what about me?”

Duan Yuyang rolled his eyes. “I even have your baby in my stomach. What do you think I regard you as?”

Yuan Tianwen was greatly satisfied in an instant. He curled up his lips and proudly hugged Duan Yuyang’s shoulders, “I love to hear this.”

Duan Yuyang swept him a glance. “I can see that.”

Yuan Tianwen spoke righteously, “Since you can see this, then say more of these words in the future.”

Duan Yuyang, “…”

…………

“Xuanzhi.” Zhan Fengting walked over.

Lin Xuanzhi quickly stopped his sword technique and put Lianlian back into its sheath, but the residual sword Qi still cleaved a towering ancient tree not far away into pieces.

Zhan Fengting couldn’t help but stop and watch, exclaiming with admiration, “Your swordsmanship has improved a lot again.”

“There are still many deficiencies.”

Zhan Fengting couldn’t help but say, “Aren’t you being too modest?”

Lin Xuanzhi smiled without saying nothing.

He really wasn’t modest. In the first style of 《Teal Lotus Nine Styles》, there was still a lot of sword intent that he hadn’t yet comprehended. He still had a lot of shortcomings on the sword cultivation path.

However, these words need not be said too much, so as to not cause misunderstandings for no reason — although Zhan Fengting was not this kind of person.

Normally, Sinking Sword Peak’s disciples wouldn’t deliberately get in touch with each other, but it was probably because they were influenced by Esteemed Lan Yue’s style, the disciples’ relationships had a rather “friendship between gentlemen is as clear as water” feel to them, bereft of any attempts to exploit or deceive the other party.

They had their own lives and did not disturb each other much, but they could still feel the kindness conveyed by each other.