Chapter 708: Who Exactly Are You?

"Little girl, how did you do it?"

Ming Lao's gaze at Ye Qingran at this moment was as if he were looking at some unparalleled treasure.

"The heavens must not be revealed," Ye Qingran teased. Of course she couldn't casually tell anyone that she bore the Chaos Qing Lian Seed, such a divine artifact.

If it weren't for the Chaos Qing Lian Seed, even as a Pill Emperor she could not make the Phoenix Tail Flower regrow in such a brief span, let alone produce five blossoms.

"Aren't you all saying you want to join the Spirit Chaser Wing? Our Leader happens to be here, so perhaps..."

The middle‑aged man spoke up at the right moment.

A Pill Emperor who possesses resurrection power, if recruited, would be like adding wings to a tiger for the Spirit Chaser Wing.

"No."

Unexpectedly, Ye Qingran refused.

"Why?"

"Before I came, I was full of expectations for the Spirit Chaser Wing, but now..." Ye Qingran spread her hands.

This...

The members of the Spirit Chaser Wing each wore a troubled expression, unable to refute her for a moment.

Indeed, they were at fault first.

"Perhaps you could reconsider?"

"No," Ye Qingran declined, "Xiuxiu, let's go."

Xiuxiu?

Fu Hanxiu raised an eyebrow, somewhat uneasy about the pet name.

Nevertheless, anything that came from her mouth he liked.

Especially when, in bed, she called him "Xiuxiu brother", it always drove him crazy.

"Hold on!"

Ming Lao blocked Ye Qingran's path, then flashed an awkward smile, "Little girl, you're so capable—could you do an old man a favor?"

"What favor?"

"I have a pill formula here that I can't successfully refine, and I don't know where the problem lies."

Ming Lao handed the ancient tome he had been holding to Ye Qingran.

It was a somewhat archaic‑style pill formula, bridging modern alchemy habits and ancient recipes.

This pill, called the Calamity‑Breaking Pill, is the hardest among the Holy Pills to refine; even a Pill Emperor faces a high failure rate, let alone a Dan Saint.

However, Ye Qingran hasn't refined the Calamity‑Breaking Pill many times, and so far she hasn't failed.

"Tell me, where's the problem?"

Ming Lao gave a brief description, and Ye Qingran understood immediately.

"How about it? Want me to demonstrate?"

"No need, I know where the problem lies."

Ming Lao widened his eyes, doubting he had misheard, "You know? How is that possible?"

Ye Qingran was unperturbed, smiled, "Your archaic alchemy method doesn't suit the current situation; the ingredients need slight adjustment."

Ming Lao replied, "I know that; the materials have all been refined."

"It's not the ingredients themselves, but the order of processing."

"Order problem?"

Ye Qingran pointed to the formula in the tome, "Just swap the order of these two."

Ming Lao saw that she was referring to Seven‑Star Herb and Soft‑Horse Herb.

"That simple? Are you sure?"

"If not, come find me."

Seeing Ye Qingran's confidence, Ming Lao was about eighty‑nine percent convinced, and his heart raced.

The issue had plagued him for a long time, so he hurried, "Could you wait a bit longer? I'll finish the pill, then you can check it again?"

As a pill master, Ye Qingran could empathize with the yearning to finish a pill quickly; she had walked that path herself, so she agreed.

Ming Lao, as if performing a magic trick, produced alchemy tools and refined the pill before the crowd.

He truly lived up to being a dazzling Dan Saint; his alchemy flowed smoothly, each step executed with meticulous excellence, a visual delight.

Half an hour later, when Ming Lao anxiously lifted the lid and saw crystal‑clear Calamity‑Breaking Pills glimmering, he was so excited he could barely speak.

"Done, it's successful!"

The people around were stunned, their faces full of shock.

Everyone knew Ming Lao had been troubled by the Calamity‑Breaking Pill for a long time; these days he couldn't think of tea or food, and had lost dozens of pounds.

They thought it would take three or five years, doubting Ming Lao could succeed, but a single hint from such a young girl made it happen.

Could this little girl truly be a Pill Emperor?

For a moment, everyone's gaze at Ye Qingran kept shifting.

"Congratulations," Ye Qingran sincerely blessed.

A Dan Saint who can successfully refine the Calamity‑Breaking Pill has a greater chance of ascending to Pill Emperor.

That's long‑standing experience.

Ming Lao shifted his gaze to Ye Qingran, offered no thanks, and asked two more questions, which Ye Qingran answered easily.

Ming Lao suddenly, to everyone's surprise, knelt on the ground, "Master above, I receive my disciple's bow!"

"......"

Caught off guard!

The members of the Spirit Chaser Wing, including the masked Leader, were all stunned. As the Dan Saint of the Spirit Chaser Wing, how proud a person Ming Lao is?

He actually knelt before a girl nearly fifty years younger than him and respectfully called her Master!

Even Ye Qingran was briefly taken aback.

What act is this now?

"You take me as your master; don't you think that's inappropriate?"

Ming Lao shook his head vigorously, "In the alchemy world, the capable rule. I know you must be a genuine Pill Emperor! I kneel to you, I lose nothing; if you're willing to take me as a disciple, I'll profit greatly!"

Those words are flawless.

Which alchemist wouldn't want to take a Pill Emperor as master?

"I have no intention of taking disciples."

Ling Shaoyang is the only disciple she has taken, but her role as master is truly incompetent.

"Master, master, master… please, accept me!"

"......"

Ye Qingran was also speechless, "Get up. I won't take you as a disciple, but if you have any questions, you may ask me."

Although Ming Lao failed to become a disciple, Ye Qingran's promise was enough to make him so excited that he couldn't sleep for three days and three nights.

To receive guidance from a Pill Emperor is a tremendous blessing!

"Thank you, thank you. May I ask your honorable surname?"

"Ye. The 'Ye' of 'One leaf knows autumn.'"

"Ye Emperor, Ming De thanks here!"

Ye Qingran nodded and prepared to leave, but was called back by the masked Leader.

"May I ask boldly, why do you wish to join the Spirit Chaser Wing?"

Ye Qingran looked at the masked Leader and sneered, "Naturally it's to oppose Yun Lan."

The masked Leader's eyes flashed, "What grudge do you have with her?"

"Of course!" Ye Qingran replied without hesitation, "She has tried to kill me several times; do you think there's a grudge between us?"

People who can make Yun Lan try to kill them repeatedly are not many in this world, are they?

Moreover, what kind of person can escape Yun Lan's pursuit three or more times?

The members of the Spirit Chaser Wing's gaze toward Ye Qingran changed again.

This plain‑looking woman seemed like a mystery.

"But as everyone knows, the Spirit Chaser Wing is merely a self‑organized force of Yun Ling's followers; joining it does not necessarily place one opposite Yun Lan, does it?"

"So, I've changed my mind."

"What exactly are you?" the masked Leader asked, his tone tinged with seriousness.