Chapter 163: What Are the Side Effects?

A mournful, distant melody echoed through the second-floor parlor.

Outside the balcony, autumn sunlight stretched its shadows gradually toward their feet.

Nangong Ye leaned against the man's arm, her phoenix-eyed gaze veiled, expressionless as ever, her thoughts entirely fixed on the yang poison, slowly repaying her debt.

Until the notes suddenly halted, the arm around her shoulders tightened—she froze abruptly, then her lips moved slightly, eyes shut, turning her head away in silence.

Rustle-rustle~

Her left hand was lifted, gently wiped across palm and fingers, as the man's voice came to her ear:

"Feeling better?"

"Let go of me~!"

Her soft voice was colder than ice.

Xie Jinhuan loosened his hold on her shoulder:

"I let you lean because you were sweating and swaying just now—I didn't do anything…"

Nangong Ye sat upright, waited until the dust on her hands was wiped clean, then rose and turned, her left hand hidden behind her waist, her veiled cheeks radiating icy indifference and barely suppressed disdain:

"You saved me yesterday. I saw your mind was cluttered, so I repaid you once. From now on, we're even. Don't think of doing this again, and don't say I only know how to demand and never remember your kindness."

Xie Jinhuan never imagined repaying him once yesterday would mean repaying him again today—he only thought Bing Tuotuo was utterly adorable:

"Fine."

Nangong Ye believed the debt settled, her demeanor now stiff with pride, like a female CEO dismissing a stray hound: she tilted her head toward the balcony:

"Go back."

Xie Jinhuan saw her petulant expression, knew she was embarrassed, and stood:

"Then I'll leave first. I'll come back tomorrow."

"… "

Nangong Ye stood with one hand behind her back, silent as a cypress blade. Only when his footsteps faded and the wind-whistling sound rose from the balcony did she exhale slowly, drawing down the blindfold, glancing left and right—beside the small table, everything was spotless.

And the earthen xun, carved with flying-immortal patterns, rested between her pipa and bamboo flute, its placement and color perfectly harmonizing with the room's décor—as if it had always belonged there.

Nangong Ye's phoenix eyes, sharp as three-foot swords, fixed on the xun for an instant, then she sat beside the small table, rubbing her temples, burdened with endless sorrow…

——

She emerged from Fengyi River already in the afternoon.

Worried about the nearly completed "Sheng Long Huo Hu Pill," Xie Jinhuan returned to the Lin household to check on Zi Su Da Xian's progress.

Yet Zi Su, though a poison-hand, was truly a medicine-mother—the alchemy process had not a single flaw; by the time he reached the room, the furnace had already been opened.

As an outsider, Xie Jinhuan dared not interfere, only peering quietly from the window.

Inside the alchemy chamber, Wan Yi, radiant and composed, stood beside the towering furnace holding a tray; Meiqiu perched atop the furnace handle, peering curiously.

Lin Zisu carefully lifted the brass lid—the thick white mist poured down like a waterfall, forming a dense, lingering cloud that spilled onto the floor.

Tea-green pills rested inside the furnace, emitting faint vapor; the potent herbal fragrance reached even the window.

Meiqiu tilted her head, her amber eyes blinking—perhaps wanting to taste it—she suddenly "Aoo~~!" took a bite.

"Hss?!"

Xie Jinhuan, who had been holding his breath to observe, jumped in alarm; before Wan Yi could react, he darted forward and snatched back his loyal servant:

"Do you want to kill me?"

"Gurki~"

Meiqiu shook her head, wagging her tail, acting cute.

Wan Yi turned and saw Xie Jinhuan, recalling how he'd hugged and teased her last night—her face flushed red, and she snapped:

"You just show up and startle everyone? If you drop the pills, I won't compensate you."

"Ah, scared by that little bird."

Xie Jinhuan placed the pill-sniffing Meiqiu outside the door, then leaned close to examine carefully:

"This is the Sheng Long Huo Hu Pill? It really does smell good—will all this smoke make the medicinal essence dissipate?"

Lin Zisu used a golden tweezer to lift the pill onto the tray, admiring it under the autumn light:

"It won't dissipate the essence, but you must eat it quickly—this pill's spiritual energy is too potent, it'll attract the attention of high-level cultivators…"

When top-grade pills or artifacts are produced, their leaking spiritual aura is so potent that they are easily detected; if one were to use the Qi-sight technique now, the Lin family's alchemy chamber would appear shrouded in a massive green aura, and those with keen senses might already be drawn by the scent.

Xie Jinhuan had gone through great lengths to obtain this pill, and now, as he studied it closely, he felt a pang of emotion.

For this tiny pill wasn't just condensed herbal essence—it was the blood and sweat of former comrades: Wu Su, Han Jingchuan, Ye Shirong, Li Gongpu; the public humiliations of Wei Lu and Zhang Huaiyu; and the bitter memories of Bing Tuotuo pinning him down, sucking him, and beating him.

And he still owed a Jiazi Lotus—he had no idea how to repay it.

Xie Jinhuan usually swallowed pills whole, but this one was too precious—he hesitated and asked:

"Just eat it like this?"

Lin Zisu nodded: "It dissolves on contact, instant effect. You can store it, but the longer you wait, the more risks—afraid someone will steal it. This is unique in the world; whoever takes it gains the strongest foundation in their realm!"

Xie Jinhuan wanted to pick it up and test it, but hesitated, wary of the "Poison-Hand Medicine Mother" reputation:

"Uh… you're sure there won't be any issues?"

Lin Zisu stood tall, her eyes blazing with the pride of a Pill Dao Master:

"The herbs and alchemy process had zero flaws—I guarantee with full confidence, eating it won't cause problems."

Wan Yi was genuinely worried for the man, but such a divine pill couldn't be tested by anyone else.

This pill was a supreme tonic for top-tier martial cultivators—if left too long, a martial tyrant might come to kill and steal it. Still, she chose to trust Zi Su, speaking softly:

"She's confident in her alchemy. Even if there are side effects, they'll likely just be embarrassing—not fatal or permanently damaging."

Xie Jinhuan thought it over—Zi Su's pills always had "beyond-gods'-prediction" side effects, but most were just social humiliations.

From past experience, his worst fate was probably the pill's potency making him go mad and run naked around Luojing.

Or perhaps he needed to scatter the medicine and stack Wan Yi and Zisu high.

Although it was a bit hard to bear, if one had thick skin, there would be no side effects...

But what exactly would the side effect of this pill be...

Xie Jinhuan always felt that with one swallow, he would achieve martial arts that reached the heavens and die of embarrassment on the spot.

But with the matter of the Demon-Suppressing Tomb right before him, he still had over ten days; if he took it now and there were problems, there would still be room for error.

If he waited until the grave was about to explode to take it, and even a tiny problem arose, that would ruin His Majesty...

Thinking of this, Xie Jinhuan took a deep breath and looked at the big one and the small one beside him:

"Then I'll eat it."

Lin Zisu, still waiting to admire her masterpiece, nodded like a little bird:

"Eat it, eat it, it's fine."

Lin Wanyi was a bit nervous, afraid that Xie Jinhuan's medicine power would be too strong and he would need to vent his fire, pinning her down to bully her; she even pondered whether to let Zisu step back first, so that if he bullied anyone, he would only bully her, which would be better than both of them flying to the clouds together.

But Zisu was a Pill Master; if she wasn't right there and something went wrong with the eating, how could she save him?

For this reason, Lin Wanyi hesitated repeatedly, but finally took the silver needles:

"You eat it; Zisu and I will guard your Dao. If anything really happens, we'll immobilize you immediately."

Meiqiu also gave an encouraging look with her eyes:

"Gugu~"

"..."

After deliberating for a moment, Xie Jinhuan, adhering to the principle of "seeking wealth amidst danger," picked up the tea-green pill and put it in his mouth.

Lin Wanyi and Zisu immediately held their breath and condensed their Qi to observe.

Meiqiu also quietly hid behind the door to avoid Ah Huan exploding; even the Ghost Bride emerged to carefully survey the situation inside Xie Jinhuan's body.

Xie Jinhuan swallowed a single Golden Core into his abdomen, feeling only that his fate was determined by Heaven, not by himself!

As soon as the pill entered his mouth, it melted into a stream of jade nectar, flowing down his throat into his lungs and heart.

At first, the pill showed no reaction, but soon, his cheeks began to burn, a sense of revival surged through his four limbs and hundred bones, and the flow of Qi and blood throughout his body gradually accelerated.

Then, an indescribable surge of energy appeared from within his chest and abdomen, as if a man-made sun had been stuffed into his lungs and heart!

Boom—

The vast medicinal power that ordinary mortals could not possibly withstand was like a detonated nuclear bomb; in just an instant, it scattered that thin strand of divine sense.

"Oh no..."

The moment the medicine power surged up, Xie Jinhuan's pupils dilated, every hair on his body stood on end, his mind stopped thinking, and he fell straight backward.

"Gugu?"

Meiqiu looked completely bewildered.

Lin Wanyi was startled and quickly used her chest to support Xie Jinhuan, her face anxious:

"Xie Jinhuan? Xie Jinhuan? What happened to him?"

Lin Zisu, with a serious expression, grabbed his wrist to investigate; she found his Qi and blood surging wildly, with infinite medicinal power beginning to temper his physique, and no signs of tearing meridians or exploding body appeared, so she comforted them:

"It's fine, it's fine. The medicinal effect is too strong; Young Master Xie's divine soul is weak and couldn't withstand it, so he fainted. The pill formula has no problems and can protect the physique. Once the body digests the medicinal power on its own, it will be fine."

Lin Wanyi held the dead-weight man and checked him; finding indeed no abnormalities, she secretly breathed a sigh of relief:

"You scared me to death. How long will it take for him to digest it?"

Lin Zisu supported Xie Jinhuan to the small couch in the Pill Room for rest, flipped open his eyelids, and took his pulse to check the absorption of the medicinal power:

"Hmm... he should wake up in about half a month, with absolutely no side effects!"

"That's good."

Lin Wanyi held Xie Jinhuan's hand; seeing his expression peaceful and devoid of any pain, she also felt much more at ease.

And standing in the rear, Ye Hong Shang slightly shrugged, making a little "Oh ho~" expression.

After all, today was the twenty-seventh day of the eighth month of the eighth year of Jingning.

There were still about eleven days and seven double-hours until the grave exploded...

If her morning grumpiness was a bit strong, when Xie Jinhuan woke up half a month later, he would be surprised to find that she had already slaughtered the Great Qian and gone to Northern Zhou...

(End of this chapter)