Chapter 441 - 244: Unlocking the Earth Level Elixir - of "Alchemy
Fine! There goes the last Healing Pill.
He didn’t do it for any other reason than to prove a point.
Lu Yuan said, "Honey, why don’t you sleep with Mom tonight? I’m determined to succeed with my alchemy."
Seeing the serious look on Lu Yuan’s face, Su Liyan didn’t say much. She simply wet a towel and wiped the bloodstains from the floor, then turned to grab a pillow from the bed, hugging it to her chest.
Just before closing the door, Su Liyan said, "Honey, I’ll be right next door. Call me if you need anything!"
Lu Yuan sat on the floor and said with a smile, "Don’t worry!"
After Su Liyan closed the door, a single, glistening teardrop slid down her cheek. Seeing her man struggle so hard, it would be a lie to say her heart didn’t ache for him.
「That night.」
When Lu Yuan successfully refined his first Human Level Superior Elixir, the System’s cold, clear voice sounded in his mind.
[Congratulations, Host, for successfully refining a Human Level Superior Elixir. You have unlocked the Earth Level Elixir Chapter of the "Alchemy" manual.]
Lu Yuan understood what this meant. When he had previously read through the "Alchemy" Secret Manual, the introduction stated that Elixirs were divided into three grades: Human Level, Earth Level, and Celestial Level.
Even after reading to the last page of the "Alchemy" manual, he had only finished the section on how to create Human Level Superior Elixirs.
After hearing the System’s notification, Lu Yuan took out the "Alchemy" Secret Manual again and discovered that it now had more pages and was much thicker.
After a quick flip-through, he confirmed that the "Alchemy" manual now contained instructions for creating Earth Level Elixirs.
However, the refining process was far more complex. For each type of Earth Level Elixir, there were always one or two required herbs that were incredibly rare. As a master of the "Medical Heart," Lu Yuan knew these herbs couldn’t be sought out intentionally, nor could they be bought with money.
Therefore, Lu Yuan had only unlocked the instructions. He hadn’t learned the techniques, nor did he have the necessary ingredients, so he had to set the matter aside for the time being.
「Overnight.」
Lu Yuan refined the Nine-Turn Spirit Grass and the Nine Yang Unity Flower into two different types of Elixirs, mixing a considerable amount of Star Spirit Grass into each.
This raised the Elixirs’ quality to the Human Level Superior Grade.
The Nine-Turn Spirit Grass yielded three Nine-Turn Pills, and the Nine Yang Unity Flower yielded four Nine Yang Pills.
’Perhaps if my Alchemy skill were more refined, each herb could have yielded five Elixirs.’
Of course, Lu Yuan was already quite satisfied with these seven Human Level Superior Elixirs.
The Nine-Turn Pills could bring the dying back from the brink of death. As long as half a breath of life remained, the user would recover instantly.
The Nine Yang Pills could enhance one’s strength. If an ordinary person consumed one, they would instantly gain the profound Inner Strength equivalent to that of a Grand Celestial Master with decades of experience.
As for the Heaven and Earth Fusion Grass, by the latter half of the night, Lu Yuan no longer had enough Inner Strength to continue refining Human Level Superior Elixirs, so he stored it in his System Space.
In the latter half of the night, invigorated by the aromatic fragrance of the Human Level Superior Elixirs, an unusually energetic Lu Yuan used Star Spirit Grass and other herbs to refine over a dozen more pills, including Lifespan Extension Pills, Healing Pills, and Beauty Pills.
One whiff of the medicinal aroma from a Human Level Superior Elixir was enough to make a person incredibly energized, as if they had taken some potent stimulant.
However, once the effect wore off, one would become exceptionally exhausted and weak.
In the early morning, the utterly exhausted Lu Yuan lay passed out on the floor, several Elixirs scattered around him.
When Su Liyan pushed open the door, she saw Lu Yuan passed out.
From just a few steps away, Su Liyan could hear the steady, powerful THUMP-THUMP of Lu Yuan’s heartbeat. ’He’s just asleep.’
So, Su Liyan wasn’t the least bit flustered. She quietly stepped forward and lifted her man into her arms in a princess carry.
Don’t be fooled by Su Liyan’s slender arms and legs; she was deceptively strong. Lifting a grown man was an effortless task for her.
Su Liyan carried the unconscious Lu Yuan to the bed, pulled the thick quilt over him, and planted a deep, loving kiss on his lips.
Having completely exhausted his Inner Strength and Spiritual Power, Lu Yuan slept in his room for a full day.
With Lu Yuan’s current constitution, he wouldn’t feel the slightest bit hungry even after a full day without food.
Su Liyan checked on Lu Yuan’s room frequently, but seeing that he had yet to wake, she decided not to disturb him.
「Meanwhile, in the Imperial Capital.」
Gu Ziye, under the guidance of the Minister of Rites, was undergoing various ceremonies, culminating in her formal investiture.
Gu Ziye’s new title was "Princess Yue Ning." The name was a combination of "Yue" from her own name, Gu Ziye, and "Ning" from Taiping City.
Placing "Yue" before "Ning" seemed to be a message to all: imperial authority reigned supreme. Even a daughter married off was, first and foremost, the Emperor’s daughter.
After being busy the entire day, it wasn’t until evening that Gu Ziye finally had a moment to rest and catch her breath.
The Emperor had selected a residence for his daughter within the Princes’ Mansions, but Gu Ziye refused, not wanting to live there.
The residences in the Princes’ Mansions were built to the standards befitting a Senior First Grade Official and were incredibly luxurious.
Princesses who married men of humble birth were all required to live in the Princes’ Mansions of the Imperial City and were forbidden from entering the inner capital without a summons.
Emperor Gu Yuanzhang said to his daughter, "The mansion in the Princes’ Mansions is just a residence reserved for you. When you come back to visit family in the future, you can’t very well stay in a Post House with Lu Yuan, can you?"
Only then did Gu Ziye agree. She added, "Father, I am determined to go to Taiping City with Yuan. You mustn’t try to stop me."
The Emperor stroked his daughter’s head. "My daughter is all grown up and married now. You have your own life, and of course We will not interfere."
"But one thing—if anyone wrongs you out there, you must tell Us. Your father will personally flay them alive!"
"Mmm-hmm."
After sleeping for an entire day, Lu Yuan woke up. He lifted the quilt, discovered he was naked, and shook his head with a wry smile.
’I must have been sleeping soundly. I wonder how my wife got me into bed. I didn’t feel a thing.’
He had no idea how long he’d been out; it was already mid-morning of the following day.
Lu Yuan grabbed a loose-fitting set of sleepwear from the bedside, pulled it on, slipped on his cotton slippers, and got out of bed.
Lu Yuan picked up the box on the table, which contained several Elixirs.
He took another box out of his System Space. All the Elixirs he had refined were now in these two boxes.
"I should store these Elixirs in separate boxes, so the scents don’t mix and affect their quality," Lu Yuan muttered to himself.
Su Liyan pushed the door open and entered. Seeing that Lu Yuan was awake, she wrapped her arms around him from behind, pressing herself against his back. "Honey, you’re awake," she said. "Are you hungry?"
Lu Yuan set the Elixir box on the table and placed his hands over his wife’s. "I am hungry," he said. "What if it’s you I’m hungry for?"
"Stop teasing. You’re still weak," Su Liyan said, pulling away from him. "I had the Post House chef keep some meat broth simmering. I’ll go get it for you."
Because Lu Yuan had been asleep for so long, the kitchen staff had lost count of how many times they’d had to prepare a fresh pot of broth.
Although Lu Yuan possessed a Holy Body, the amount of Inner Strength and Spiritual Power consumed during Alchemy was too great for even it to handle, which was why he had slept for so long.
Lu Yuan took his wife’s hand and placed a wooden box in it. "These are a few Beauty Pills I whipped up yesterday. You should have them first."
’Yesterday?’ Su Liyan thought to herself, but she only smiled.
Su Liyan touched her own smooth cheek and said, "You’ve worked so hard, honey. These Beauty Pills are truly wonderful. After I took one, my skin became so soft and supple all over."
Lu Yuan gave his wife’s perky bottom a couple of PATS, then pinched her cheek.
Lu Yuan laughed. "It’s true! You’re radiant and dewy all over!"
"Alright, honey, I’ll go get your broth now!" Su Liyan tucked the Elixirs away, turned, and left.
A clamor of voices suddenly arose from outside the room.
Just outside the room, on the second-floor corridor, Su Liyan saw several eunuchs hurrying up the stairs.
’They must be looking for him,’ Su Liyan thought, stepping aside to let the eunuchs pass.
Once the eunuchs had passed, Su Liyan headed down the stairs to the Post House kitchen.
The head eunuch knocked on the door and was just about to speak.
Lu Yuan, who was sitting at the table with his legs crossed, assumed it was one of his own men and called out, "Come in!"
The eunuchs outside were taken aback for a moment. Hearing Lord Lu’s voice, they had no choice but to push the door open and enter.
When the head eunuch saw that Lu Yuan was still in his sleepwear, he couldn’t help but feel a surge of anxiety.
’The Prince Consort isn’t in a hurry, but his eunuch certainly is!’
The eunuch bowed deeply. "Lord Lu, why are you still sitting here? Aren’t you supposed to enter the palace today?"