Focusing on the cauldron, Luo Xiao began taking herb after herb from his storage bag and extracting the essence from within them. He had gotten decently good at doing it, given that making medicinal liquids wasn’t a process that was unfamiliar to him at this point in time.
Rather quickly, he managed to refine the various herbs into their purest essences, and then began focusing on merging them into the medicinal liquids to strengthen his body.
At the beginning of the process, Jiang Yao watched from the side, his body leaning on a nice soft couch, but his eyes never deviated from where Luo Xiao was sitting. He understood that it would be a long time until Luo Xiao was done with the process, especially given that the amount of liquid they would need to transform his body would be quite substantial.
It would not be a question of merely one or two portions of medicinal liquid. Although only one bottle would be needed for each bathtub, he would need to use it rather frequently for the medicine to truly alter his entire body and the foundations.
As the sun slowly started to descend and the produced amounts of medicinal liquids began to gradually increase, Jiang Yao could notice exhaustion on Luo Xiao’s expression and how his movements became more and more sluggish. When yet another batch ended up finished, the prince couldn’t help but speak.
“Are you sure you don’t want to take a break?”
“I’m fine. I’ll do just a few more before I stop,” Luo Xiao shook his head with determination, taking the next few herbs with his hand and putting them in the cauldron.
He did pause before beginning the next batch, just enough to look at Jiang Yao and smile gently. “I am getting more familiar with the process, so it is no longer as exhausting, especially since these herbs have almost no impurities within them. Don’t worry about me, alright?”
He chuckled at his own words, the bright gaze despite the slowly creeping in tiredness focused on Jiang Yao’s perfect face. Luo Xiao’s smile was contagious and even the worried Jiang Yao could merely shake his head as his lips curled upwards. A second later he got up and reached over with his hands, gently patting Luo Xiao on the head.
“I understand. Focus on what you’re doing, I’ll go get something for your little dragon.”
After those words, Jiang Yao stood up and then left the room, leaving Luo Xiao to his own. Jiang Yao did not fear for Luo Xiao’s safety, as he would be just nearby, and no one knew of their identities at their current location.
Time quietly passed. As the sun had slowly moved down below the horizon, but Ridgeflower City remained as it was when the two of them arrived; just as lively as during the day. People were going in and out of shops, inns and even administrative buildings, as needs came to be. The city was bustling with life, and the voices of the crowd permeated everywhere.
While Jiang Yao was scouring the busy streets for food for both the little dragon and Luo Xiao, the quiet room within the inn was full of the scent of herbs, as the younger man was refining one batch of medical liquid after another. The quiet and tranquil atmosphere was making it possible for him to succeed in refining one batch after another.
The sky had turned dark, and only the moon and stars were shining above the city when Little Gold left the contractual space. She could not help looking around quite curiously and sniffing the air. After scanning the room with her gaze, she focused on Luo Xiao, quietly moving to his side while observing his actions full of interest.
Dragons were very intelligent creatures, and after having received the legacy of a grown dragon, she understood some things instinctively. One look at Luo Xiao was enough for her to understand that he was busy, and that she would be scolded if she interrupted him. The scent within the room was heavy, and while Luo Xiao should have been unable to continue concocting medicinal liquid due to fatigue, most of his exhaustion was washed away by the excess energy that the herbs he was refining provided him. This energy, which was everywhere within the room, was also making Little Gold feel very comfortable, as she squinted her eyes, curiously looking at the many jade vials by the side, and the herb essence that was being refined within the cauldron.
She was very curious about the thing that came out of this pill cauldron, but even though she was curious, she knew that she should not disturb Luo Xiao.
It was long into the night when the door slowly opened again, and Jiang Yao stepped inside. The scent in the room wafted outside, but it was already late, and not many were walking on the hallways of the inn, so no one noticed the dense medicinal scent that had appeared.
The moment Jiang Yao had opened the door, he noticed that Little Gold had left the contractual space. He noticed some threats in her eyes before she noticed that it was him, and a low chuckle escaped his lips.
It was clear that she was protecting the unsuspecting Luo Xiao, who had not noticed his return, as his eyes were closed and he tried to restore his mental energy which he had exhausted after countless hours of refining medicine.
Jiang Yao took out a paperback that had an enticing smell, and he placed it no the table, before slowly opening it. Inside was countless delicacies, some were heavy and others were light.
It did not take long for the scent to wake up Luo Xiao from his meditation, and he greedily looked at the food on the table. He was famished after using so much energy on refining medicine.
“Come and eat,” Jiang Yao said with a gentle laugh. “There is enough for the both of you.