Chapter 145: Simplified Elixir Formula

The Huang family’s back courtyard.

Huang Qing assisted the Huang family’s mistress with household affairs.

She placed roll after roll of fabric into chests.

Her eyes were slightly red.

Thinking of her parents, younger sister, and younger brother all leaving for Jincheng—likely not seeing each other again for three to five years—she felt a pang of sorrow.

The mistress, directing servants outside, entered a while later, saw Huang Qing’s expression, and smiled: “Foolish girl, you’re married now—you should’ve been prepared long ago. Why cry now?”

“I’m just a little sad,” Huang Qing admitted, rare in her softness.

The mistress walked over, pulled Huang Qing into her arms, and said: “Though you’re not my biological daughter, I’ve long treated you as my own. I hate to see you go, foolish child.”

“I know,” Huang Qing nodded.

She knew well the mistress had always treated her kindly.

In truth, the mistress had once been jealous of Huang Qing’s mother—a voluptuous Hu Ji who knew how to charm.

She had pinned her husband’s gaze firmly upon herself.

But at the critical moment, that Hu Ji had unhesitatingly taken a knife for her husband—and all jealousy and resentment vanished.

She felt profound gratitude instead.

That bond naturally extended to Hu Ji’s daughter, Huang Qing.

She treated Huang Qing even better than her own biological daughter.

“Your husband is a Spirit Hunter. Though he’s not yet powerful, he’s clever. Give him time—he’ll surely rise to at least fourth-rank Spirit Hunter,” the mistress said, stroking Huang Qing’s hair. “Then he’ll be able to protect you anywhere you go. Visiting family won’t be hard then.”

Huang Qing finally smiled.

At that moment, Huang Ling entered from outside. Seeing her elder sister’s red eyes, her own face darkened with sorrow.

“Now you realize how hard parting is,” Huang Ling muttered, eyes red too. “I told you not to rush into marriage—you wouldn’t listen. Why not marry in Jincheng? Then we could all stay together, instead of being separated by such distance.”

The mistress scolded: “Ling’er, don’t speak nonsense. Most women marry into distant families—you’ll likely do the same.”

Huang Ling pressed her lips shut and said nothing more.

Huang Qing walked over, took Huang Ling’s hand: “Sister, I’ll find ways to visit you often.”

Huang Ling nodded slightly: “I hope you live happily, Elder Sister.”

“You have no idea how happy she is,” the mistress teased, pinching Huang Qing’s cheek. “Her skin’s so smooth and supple—far better than before she married.”

Huang Qing blushed.

“Can you really tell she’s happy from that?” Huang Ling asked, puzzled.

“You’ll understand later,” the mistress laughed.

Huang Ling still looked confused.

But she didn’t press further.

Huang Qing said: “Mother, I brought some Strong-Body Pills and Youth-Preserving Elixirs—I left them in my old room. Don’t forget to take them.”

“Really?” The mistress beamed. “You two are thoughtful.”

She was growing older and needed such things more than ever.

Huang Ling snorted: “Orchids don’t vie for spring—they stand proud against frost. For women, talent and virtue matter most. Mother, relying on such external things isn’t the true path.”

The mistress gave her a look: “You’re sixteen—you can say that. I was sixteen too, even wilder. Wait till you’re my age. If you want your face to stay pale, you’d swallow arsenic without a elixir.”

Huang Ling grew angry: “Mother, how can you belittle me so? I’m not that shallow!”

“You started it.”

Huang Ling fell silent.

Huang Qing covered her mouth and laughed.

Meanwhile, with his wife and concubine away, Li Lin began training furiously.

He first reviewed all his techniques, then turned to studying the Barrier Powder elixir formula.

He felt he could optimize it.

The formula used too many, too varied ingredients—not pure enough.

After buying raw materials from the market and testing several times, he successfully simplified the Barrier Powder elixir formula.

The cost dropped to roughly half its original level.

Now, building a house entirely from Barrier Powder was no longer difficult.

The larger the Barrier Powder house, the better its effect.

Because filtering impurities required… ‘channels’.

Like water pipes: under the same flow rate and pressure, wider, larger pipes naturally allow more water through.

Barrier Powder worked the same way.

And this substance shouldn’t even be called Barrier Powder.

It should be called ‘Spirit Gathering Stone’.

Li Lin decided to name this new formula ‘Spirit Gathering Stone’.

Just as he planned to make a few samples to test the effect, Zhang Afu reported: “Master, a Ding household servant says Ding Xun wants to see you.”

What could it be?

But since he’d come, he’d go see.

Li Lin arrived at the Ding residence and found Zhao Xiaohu pacing outside.

“Xiaohu, what are you doing here?”

“I want to see Sister Ding, but she won’t see me.” Zhao Xiaohu looked at Li Lin. “Lin Ge, why are you here?”

“Ding Xun summoned me for official business.”

Zhao Xiaohu tensed up: “Lin Ge, don’t compete with me for Sister Ding.”

In Zhao Xiaohu’s eyes, Li Lin was his most admired person—without exception.

If Lin Ge made a move, he had no chance at all.

Li Lin sighed, tapped Zhao Xiaohu’s head, and scolded: “What do you take me for? Don’t worry—I won’t do anything like that.”

Hearing this, Zhao Xiaohu relaxed. “Since you two have business, I’ll return to the village. I’ll come back in a few days.”

Li Lin watched Zhao Xiaohu leave, then entered the Ding residence.

Ding Yingqiu sat in the main seat, already prepared with clear tea.

“Sit, Li County Wei .”

“Thank you.” Li Lin sat without ceremony, picked up the tea, drank it, then asked: “Why won’t you see Xiaohu? He’s been waiting outside a long time.”

Ding Yingqiu’s face flushed: “I haven’t decided yet. You know—he’s not even fourteen.”

“He will be soon.”

“If I marry him now, everyone will know he’s under fourteen. How can I face people? Won’t the Ding family be mocked?”

Li Lin chuckled: “No problem. I’m County Wei now, and the Registrar is my younger brother-in-law. Changing Xiaohu’s age on the household registry is easy. Besides, with his looks, who’d believe he’s only thirteen? You didn’t believe it yourself.”

Ding Yingqiu seemed tempted, then blushed and scolded Li Lin: “Enough of that. I called you here because your annotations on the Nourishing Nature Scripture… seem too hard to practice. We understand the words, but can’t achieve the results.”

“Impossible,” Li Lin frowned. “I practiced it exactly the same way.”

“So we need your help to figure it out.”

Li Lin thought a moment: “May I take your pulse?”

Ding Yingqiu immediately extended her right wrist.

Li Lin pressed his fingers to her pulse, sending a trickle of spiritual energy through.

Then he withdrew: “Strange—your Ding family’s meridians are so… narrow.”

Ding Yingqiu stared at him, stunned: “The energy you sent me—it felt extraordinary. What is it?”

She was a Spirit Hunter—she sensed the difference between her own energy and Li Lin’s.

A difference in quality.

A difference in experience.

“This is the energy cultivated by the Nourishing Nature Scripture,” Li Lin said. “But your meridians are truly narrow. Why?”

Ding Yingqiu fell silent.

(End of Chapter)