âGood morning, young master Xiao Yun.â Xiao Yun held Yan Shi Feiâs hand as he walked into the Xiao familyâs residence. Some of the other family members greeted him, as they looked on in shock, as well as admiration.
âIsnât that big miss Yan? Why did young master Xiao Yun bring her here?â
After Xiao Yun walked far away, some of the family members started to discuss. âCould it be that young master Xiao Yun has made big miss Yan his?â
âThis big miss Yanâs so pretty; no less than expected as the number 1 beauty of our Violet Cloud County!â
âYoung master Xiao Yun is so blessed. If I could hold big miss Yanâs hand, Iâd be willing to give up even a year of my lifespan!â
âIf I could kiss her, Iâd be willing to give up 10 years of my lifespan!â
As the sounds of discussion broke out, Xiao Yun brought Yan Shi Fei to his own courtyard.
âLook how much my Xiao familyâs people like you!â Xiao Yun said as he smiled.
âThatâs true.â After coming to the Xiao familyâs residence, Yan Shi Feiâs mood became much better and she couldnât help but cover her mouth and laugh, âListen, theyâre saying how you having me is like giving a jewel to a pig. Heheh, you donât look like a pig to me, though.â
âWhat, like giving a jewel to a pig? Which bastard envies this young master so much?â Xiao Yunâs eyes flashed as he looked around furiously. Seeing Xiao Yun like this, Yan Shi Fei couldnât help but giggle, as she forgot all of her worries.
âTheyâre evidently saying that weâre an ideal couple, alright?â Xiao Yun rolled his eyes as he looked around.
âI donât think thatâs right.â Yan Shi Fei laughed. Whenever she was with this youth, she always felt happy and relaxed.
The two of them walked and laughed, forgetting their troubles in the blink of an eye, and came to the courtyard Xiao Yun was living in.
âBig bro, youâre back.â Xiao LingâEr was playing with the pair of Violet Foxes. When she heard the footsteps and looked up, her eyes filled with joy. However, when she saw the beauty next to her big brother, her face fell, and she seemed a bit unhappy.
â Why did big bro bring big sister Shi Fei here? â Xiao Ling'Er bit her lips, a slight look of displeasure in her eyes. She was especially displeased after noticing how affectionate they seemed with each other; she felt that something of hers had been stolen from her.
Yan Shi Fei smiled as she elegantly walked over and said, âHello, little sister LingâEr. Long time no see. Little sister LingâEr has become more and more pretty. In 1 or 2 years, Iâm sure youâll become a beauty who can topple cities and countries.â
âNo way, big sister Shi Feiâs the true beauty.â When she was praised like this, Xiao Ling'Er couldnât maintain her deadpan face and she gave an embarrassed smile. She looked up at the young woman and asked, âWhy has big sister Shi Fei come to our home?â
âBig sister Shi Feiâs going to stay at our home; in future, youâll have someone to keep you company,â Xiao Yun said as he smiled.
âOh.â Xiao Ling'Er blandly replied, her emotions plummeting as if she discovered something.
âHuanâEr, bring some new bedding for big sister Shi Fei,â Xiao Yun said to HuanâEr, who was standing by the side.
âOkay,â HuanâEr replied as she left.
Xiao Yun then brought Yan Shi Fei to a smaller courtyard. Xiao Yun lived in a large courtyard which contained multiple smaller courtyards, and could accommodate many people. It was a pity that his parents were not here, as it made the place seem somewhat abandoned.
âBig sister Shi Fei, you can stay here,â Xiao Yun said as he brought Yan Shi Fei to a room.
Arriving at this unfamiliar place and looking around the room, Yan Shi Fei felt a bit saddened.
âIf big sister Shi Fei doesnât like it here, you can always stay in a room with me,â Xiao Yun smiled mischievously.
âYou wish,â Yan Shi Fei rolled her eyes. âYouâre always trying to take advantage of your big sister.â
âHaha, who else would I take advantage of if not for big sister Shi Fei?â Xiao Yun laughed.
At this moment, another voice sounded out, âHmph, I also want to stay here.â
âLittle sister Shi Yan?â Xiao Yun frowned.
When he looked over to the source of the voice, he saw a cute girl standing there as she pouted, looking incredibly jealous. As she walked over, she glared at Xiao Yun, the meaning obvious: you pervert.
âLittle sister Shi Yan, why are you here?â Xiao Yun felt quite speechless.
âWhy canât I come?â Yan Shi Yan angrily retorted. Her lips were tightly pursed, looking quite displeased.
Xiao Yun spread out his palms, feeling quite helpless. With this girl here, how could he enjoy a 2 person world with big sister Shi Fei?
âShi Yan, do father and mother know youâre here?â Yan Shi Fei asked.
âI already told them,â Yan Shi Yan replied.
Yan Shi Fei frowned, as if she knew what her little sister was thinking.
âBig sis, can I stay here with you?â Yan Shi Yan asked as she blinked with her watery eyes.
âThisâŚâ Yan Shi Fei hesitated. âFather and mother will be angry if you stay here!â
Yan Shi Yan smiled and said, âI donât care about that. Big sis, just let me stay here. If I stay here, big brother Xiao Yun wonât be able to take advantage of you!â She grabbed her big sisterâs arm as she pleaded.
Yan Shi Fei felt quite helpless and said, âAlright. But you have to let father and mother know.â
âMm, okay.â A cheerful smile appeared on Yan Shi Yanâs face.
âAi.â Xiao Yun looked at the girl and shook his head.
âOi, Xiao Yun, what do you mean by that expression?â Yan Shi Yan angrily said.
Xiao Yun spread his hands helplessly, and could only allow Yan Shi Yan to stay here.
âHmph, thatâs more like it.â A victorious expression appeared on Yan Shi Yanâs face. Her intelligent eyes were looking around, but Xiao Yun couldnât work out what she was thinking. He could only shake his head and leave. With this âthird wheelâ ruining the mood, he decided to leave.
âOh you!â Yan Shi Fei laughed, knowing what her little sister was thinking. However, she didnât say anything else, so that Yan Shi Yan wouldnât feel awkward.
After Xiao Yun walked away, Yan Shi Yan pursed her lips as she asked, âBig sis, are you really going to marry big brother Xiao Yun?â
âYou donât want big sis and big brother to be together?â Yan Shi Fei smiled as she asked.
âI do, butâŚâ The girl stopped herself. After hearing her big sisterâs reply, she knew she couldnât separate her big sister from Xiao Yun. However, thinking to herself, she felt quite wronged â why didnât big brother Xiao Yun like her?
Yan Shi Fei didnât say anything else, and allowed Yan Shi Yan to stay.
As for Xiao Yun, he decided to go and learn pill refining. He did not yet have all of the ingredients for the Innate Pill, but he had ingredients for medicinal powders.
Xiao Yun was not in a rush â he needed to take his time to increase his control over the flames and medicinal ingredients. After a few trials, his control became much more proficient. In fact, he started to feel that he could create pills.
âNot bad. Your spirit energyâs abnormally powerful, and youâre quite suited to pill refining. Adding on the Violet Flame Martial Spirit, youâre destined to be an above average Pill Refiner. Perhaps one day you really will become a master of pill refining, and this lord will have a fleshly body again.â The Heaven-Devouring Sparrow was incredibly excited. Every time it saw Xiao Yun improve, it felt that it came a step closer to regaining a fleshly body.
âItâs a pity that I donât have enough medicinal ingredients.â Xiao Yun shook his head.
âYunâEr.â Suddenly, someone called out to him from afar.
âItâs Second Uncle.â Xiao Yunâs eyes lit up as he opened the door and went out.
Outside, Xiao Hai had arrived with a few other people from the Xiao family, all of whom were carrying medicinal ingredients.
âThese are the medicinal ingredients you wanted. Apart from the ones for the Mysterious Congealing Pill, the other ones are all there. There are enough portions to make 10 Innate Pills, which I think are enough for you to learn with. If theyâre not enough, Second Uncle will go and buy some more until you refine a pill.â Xiao Hai looked incredibly excited as he said, âIâve secretly sold all of your medicinal powders. Haha, it went extremely well!â
âThatâs good.â Xiao Yun looked at the medicinal ingredients as he spoke, âSecond Uncle, can you help me buy another portion of medicinal ingredients?â
âWhat do you need?â Xiao Hai asked.
Xiao Yun took out parchment with the list written on it as he said, âPlease help me gather these.â
âNo problem.â Xiao Hai did not ask anything unnecessary and immediately agreed. If Xiao Yun needed these things, so what if he sold even the family fortune? Developing a Pill Refiner was of paramount importance!
Afterwards, Xiao Yun started to refine those medicinal ingredients.
âYour temperature needs to be milder for this Congealing Moon Zoysia, otherwise its medicinal properties will be lost after refining.â
âYou need to pay more attention to this Nine Splendour Grass. Ah, itâs almost been incinerated.â
Within Xiao Yunâs martial training room, he was focusing all his efforts on refining pills, and had his whole mind in the pill cauldron.
It was just that the Heaven-Devouring Sparrow continuously nagged him, making Xiao Yun feel quite anxious.
âGoddamnit, you annoying bird, can you be quiet?â Xiao Yun felt quite frustrated. âIf you continue to make a ruckus, Iâll seal you away.â
âHey, Iâm just trying to help.â The Heaven-Devouring Sparrow shrank back, falling silent. However, it still sent its senses out, feeling quite nervous.
Not long after, all of the medicinal ingredients had been refined into medicinal paste. Next was forming the pill.
Xiao Yun used his spirit energy to control the violet flames within the pill cauldron, tempering the medicinal paste.
One hour later, a pill began to take shape.
Buzz!
A buzz rang out as a tremor passed through the pill cauldron.
âWhat happened, did the pill cauldron explode?â The Heaven-Devouring Sparrow was surprised as it sent its senses towards the cauldron.
âSo pessimistic.â Xiao Yun rolled his eyes as a faint smile appeared on his face.
At this moment, there was a light-yellow pill sitting in the cauldron.
When it saw the pill in the pill cauldron, the Heaven-Devouring Sparrow was flabbergasted. âY-You successfully refined a pill?â
Xiao Yun drew back the violet flames as a wave of Essence Qi swept out and brought the medicinal pill out from the pill cauldron.
After it fell in his hand, Xiao Yun could feel a dense wave of Heaven and Earth Essence Qi emanating out from the pill.
âInnate Pill.â Looking at the medicinal pill, Xiao Yun grinned.
He had finally refined a pill!
This wasnât just indicative of him refining his first pill â it meant that he had become a Pill Refiner.
âAlthough there are some impurities in this medicinal pill, and its medicinal properties arenât that great, itâs still an inferior Grade 1 pill,â the Heaven-Devouring Sparrow said in shock as it looked at the pill. âBoy, you actually refined a pill on your first attempt. Are you even human?â
âThis young master is naturally a human. Iâm just a bit more handsome than others.â Xiao Yun said jokingly as he spread his hands, and continued to refine pills. This measly inferior Grade 1 pill was not very useful to cultivators, and he needed to continuously improve.