প্রথম খণ্ড অধ্যায় ৫০: পবিত্র মানের ঔষধি বড়ি

“hey, you think which prince is gonna win this time?”

that old beggar materialized like a ghost, abruptly sidling up right beside lin le. a trace of shrewdness flashed through his turbid eyes as he spoke in a lowered voice.

lin le’s heart instantly tightened, but his expression remained completely unchanged. he frowned slightly and shook his head, saying, “i don’t know.”

he truly didn’t want to say anything more. the sudden appearance of this old man was far too bizarre; ever since he showed up, he had made lin le feel entirely ill at ease with that unreadable aura.

he had been on his guard from the very moment the old man appeared, yet the fellow had still managed to approach him without a sound.

“then which prince’s side are you on?”

as if completely unaware of lin le’s cold indifference, the old beggar shamelessly pressed on with his questions.

“nobody’s side.” while speaking, lin le quietly circulated his vital energy, cautiously probing the old man.

yet strangely, he couldn’t capture even a shred of spiritual energy fluctuation from him. the old man seemed like an utterly ordinary mortal.

the more it was like this, however, the more tense he became. he knew very well that intuition never lied; the slovenly-looking old man before him was definitely not simple.

“the seventh princess has broken through her realm.” the old beggar tossed out this heavy bombshell as if it were a casual remark, his piercing gaze locked onto lin le, refusing to miss even the slightest ripple of emotion on his face.

“is that strange?” lin le forced himself to steady his mind, putting up a calm facade while keeping his tone as flat as possible.

he understood in his heart that this old man certainly knew a great deal, and might even have figured out most of his background. still, he wanted to test the waters further and must not expose himself easily.

the old beggar suddenly burst into laughter. that sound was like a wheezing, dilapidated bellows—hoarse and eerie.

he slowly reached out a withered hand, resting his scratchy, tree-bark-like fingers upon lin le’s shoulder.

“help me with a favor, and i’ll agree to one thing for you as well.” the old beggar lowered his voice, speaking word by word with a tone that seemed to carry an alluring, hypnotic power.

“what?” lin le instinctively asked back, his mind full of confusion. just what kind of favor did this old man want him to do? and what could he possibly promise in return?

“old man, your noodles are here.”

at that exact moment, the noodle shop’s elderly owner walked over carrying a steaming bowl of noodles, and a rich, savory aroma instantly filled the air.

the old shopkeeper glanced at lin le and then looked at the old beggar, a trace of impatience on his face as he urged, “eat up and get moving.”

the old beggar stood up, gently patting lin le’s shoulder. the gesture looked casual, yet it made lin le feel an invisible wave of pressure.

“think it over carefully. we’ll meet again.” having said that, he didn’t even touch the bowl of noodles. instead, he directly pulled out a ingot of silver, placed it on the table, turned around, and strode away.

seeing this, the shopkeeper reached out a hand as if wanting to say something, but in the end, it only transformed into a helpless sigh. “sigh, what a strange fellow.”

***

looking in the direction where the old beggar had vanished, lin le remained lost in thought for a long time, secretly pondering just what sacred entity this old man could be.

even gu tianyi, or even li cheng, had never exerted such immense pressure on him.

……

three days later, the blazing sun hung high in the sky. the entrance of the tianbao pavilion was bustling with a continuous stream of coming and going crowds, exceptionally lively.

the cries of roadside peddlers rose and fell in waves, hawking a dazzling array of rare treasures and specialty snacks.

“lin le, do you think this sixth-grade medicinal pill will be the meridian-shaping pill?”

an lan had her hair tied into lively twin tails, her pretty face full of curiosity. holding a skewer of candied hawthorns, she gently bit off one piece while following closely by lin le’s side to ask.

she was dressed in a light pink silk dress that swayed gently with the wind, embroidered with delicate patterns. a matching ribbon was tied around her waist, further accentuating her graceful figure.

lin le wore a moon-white long robe, his sleeves fluttering as he possessed an otherworldly demeanor.

this pair of a handsome man and a stunning woman appearing side by side instantly captured countless gazes, causing many people to halt their steps and stare.

“whose young master and talented lady is this? why haven’t i seen them before?” a wave of whispered chatter rippled through the crowd.

“who knows? even if not, it doesn’t matter; once we reach the star-驰 pavilion a year from now, it can all be resolved anyway.”

lin le turned his head slightly, gazing at an lan with a gentle expression and a faint smile lingering at the corner of his lips, replying unhurriedly.

“mm.”

an lan obediently nodded and took another bite of the candied hawthorns, her cheeks puffing out adorably.

“young master, young lady, do you require a private compartment?” at this moment, a young woman dressed in a light blue maid’s uniform approached with dainty steps.

this maid had smiling, crescent-shaped eyes. as a maid in the tianbao pavilion, her discernment was naturally top-notch.

even though she had never laid eyes on the two of them before, seeing their extraordinary bearing and the unique aura they exuded that set them apart from ordinary people told her they were no run-of-the-mill figures, so she naturally didn’t dare to show the slightest negligence.

“yes, thank you for the trouble.” lin le responded politely, his voice as warm as jade.

“no trouble at all, please follow me.” the maid turned sideways to guide the way, leading lin le and an lan into a private compartment.

the compartment was decorated with classical elegance and exquisite detail. gorgeous drapery hung around the perimeter, and in the center sat a carved mahogany table adorned with a set of fine tea ware.

“young master, do you need to exchange any items for spiritual stones?” the maid bowed slightly and asked in a soft voice.

the wanbao pavilion auction only accepted spiritual stones, yet they feared some attendees might lack sufficient stones, thus providing a service to exchange items for spiritual stones, complete with professional experts on hand for special appraisals.

***

lin le frowned slightly, falling into deep contemplation.

he knew very well that if this auction truly featured a sixth-grade meridian-shaping pill, it would inevitably trigger a fierce scramble among the crowd. with his current reserve of spiritual stones, successfully winning the bid would likely be difficult.

yet after searching through his storage pouch, he couldn't immediately pull out any precious items suitable for trading for spiritual stones.

“do you have any medicinal pills here that require refining? i can refine pills for you in exchange for spiritual stones.” lin le raised his gaze, looking calmly at the maid.

“you…” upon hearing this, a trace of surprise flashed across the maid’s eyes. she looked lin le up and down, a troubled expression appearing on her face.

in this tianxuan continent, alchemists were extremely scarce, and high-grade alchemists were even rarer than phoenix feathers and unicorn horns.

their tianbao pavilion already employed sixth-grade alchemists capable of refining all ordinary pills.

this young man before her looked barely over twenty, and no matter how she looked at him, he didn’t resemble a master capable of refining sixth-grade or higher medicinal pills.

“you can go ask your manager about it. if not, it doesn’t matter either.” seeing through the maid’s thoughts, lin le spoke with gentle reassurance, knowing she lacked the authority to decide and having no intention of making things difficult for her.

“very well, young master, please wait a moment. i shall go fetch the manager right away.” as if granted amnesty, the maid curtsied and hurried off in a rush.

“you know how to refine pills?” after the maid left, an lan’s eyes lit up. as if discovering a brand-new continent, she looked at lin le with curiosity and asked.

“of course. didn’t i tell you that the master of the miraculous medicine immortal manor is also my disciple?”

lin le’s lips curved upward, revealing a confident smile. “how could i teach her how to refine pills if i didn’t know how myself?”

after spending this period of time together, an lan already held unwavering belief in lin le’s words.

at first, she merely thought lin le had some old connection with the master of the star-驰 pavilion, which was why he knew the latter wouldn’t make things difficult for her.

yet as their relationship deepened, it filled her with admiration and curiosity toward him.

“then you’re truly amazing. i heard the miraculous medicine immortal manor is the only alchemist faction in this tianxuan continent capable of refining saint-grade medicinal pills.” an lan’s face was full of envy, her eyes sparkling with worship.

upon hearing this, lin le felt somewhat surprised and raised his eyebrows slightly.

if he remembered correctly, the pill classic truly did not record the method for refining saint-grade medicinal pills.

he hadn’t expected that xi yao would actually break through conventional limits and refine saint-grade pills. as expected of a natural alchemical immortal physique, her innate talent was astonishing enough to leave one in awe.