Chapter 23: I Have a Good Plan

Fragmented words drifted from the outer courtyard into the bathhouse.

Lin Wanyi held the Zhenglun Sword in her left hand, leaning against the bath tub; her eyelashes fluttered, then she opened her eyes with a hint of drowsiness, her gaze filled with confusion.

How did I fall asleep?

Did detoxifying consume too much energy...

In the dream just now, Xie Jinhuan seemed to be standing in the room; she was like someone possessed, spouting nonsense, and inexplicably let Xie Jinhuan touch her...

How could I have such a dream?

Could it be that what occupies the mind by day appears in dreams by night...

Lin Wanyi, full of doubts, waited a moment to recover before her consciousness gradually returned to clarity.

And the noisy disturbance that had startled her awake was now a bit clearer:

"Which room is Auntie in? I'll go take a look..."

"Mm..."

?!

When did Xie Jinhuan return?

Why is Zisu here too?!

Lin Wanyi looked down and found herself completely naked, soaking in the bath tub; panic instantly seized her, her heart feeling as if—she had masturbated too vigorously and fainted, only to wake up surrounded by all her aunts and cousins...

Realizing the situation was wrong, Lin Wanyi quickly responded, fumbling to put on her skirt, her face flushing red as blood.

Halfway through, she also heard her own maid chatting idly:

"Wow! Meiqiu~, come here, come here!"

"Gu~"

"So beautiful, this must be... a whole pot probably can't stew it..."

"Gu Ji?!"

Lin Wanyi was completely dazed; only after she finished putting on her skirt did she force her mind to settle, putting on her usual intellectual demeanor, and gritting her teeth to open the door.

Creak~

In the outer courtyard, Lin Zisu was holding Meiqiu and chatting with Xie Jinhuan; hearing the sound, she turned her head and found her Auntie's skin white with a rosy glow, as if nourished by who knows what; her expression inevitably became strange:

"Auntie, are you finished bathing?"

"Mm. Xie Jinhuan just went out to handle official business; I was resting here and took the opportunity to bathe."

Lin Wanyi didn't know how she had fallen asleep; feeling extremely embarrassed, she quickly changed the subject:

"Zisu, do you feel confident about refining the Dragon Blood Pill now?"

Hearing about pill refining, a major undertaking, Lin Zisu instantly perked up, holding Meiqiu as she came forward:

"The Dragon Blood Pill is too mediocre, and it takes a month of both eating and soaking to show results, which wastes too much time. I am currently pondering a 'Vigorous Dragon and Tiger Pill'; one pill takes effect, and its potency is more than ten times that of the Dragon Blood Pill..."

"What?!"

Xie Jinhuan, who was about to fetch two stools from the living room for the big one and the small one to sit on, felt a jolt through his body upon hearing this and turned back, saying:

"Really?!"

"Don't listen to her nonsense."

Lin Wanyi quickly pinned down the mischievous maid and said earnestly:

"All medicines carry a degree of toxicity; the Dragon Blood Pill became the current divine method for body tempering only after generations of alchemists improved it. Even a fraction more of the dosage could damage one's foundation. Ten times the potency right off the bat, with results from a single pill—dare she refine it, and dare you eat it?"

Why wouldn't I dare?

Xie Jinhuan was being hunted throughout the city and was thinking about how to escape this calamity.

If it truly had ten times the potency and took effect from a single pill, his cultivation would probably skyrocket; then he could retreat to seal a tomb or advance to elope with the ghost, and wouldn't this difficulty be avoided?

However, ten times the potency taking effect immediately could indeed turn it into a 'Leg-Stretching-and-Eye-Rolling Pill'...

Jia Zheng, standing at the door, seeing the Young Lady start causing trouble again, interjected:

"The Young Lady's talent in alchemy is unmatched in the Jingzhao Prefecture, but her skill is not yet pure. Last time she made some sort of 'Cultivation-Surge Pill', claiming that after eating it, one's power would double instantly, and even asked Li Lao Li Lao to test the medicine.

"The result was that after Li Lao ate it, he unleashed a 'Sword Light Chilling Thirty-Two Provinces', even vaguely touching the threshold of the Super Grade!"

Xie Jinhuan had heard of Li Jing, the Vice Headmaster of the Danyang Academy, a genuine First Grade Swordsman; he showed a look of surprise:

"So domineering?"

Jia Zheng sighed:

"Domineering it was, but the flaw of this pill is that it confuses the mind and makes one unable to distinguish friend from foe. Li Lao was like a madman at the time, laughing wildly and roaring 'Old Mu, prepare to die', chasing Master Mu all over the academy. If Master Mu's cultivation hadn't been profound, slapping him unconscious with one palm, he might have torn down the Danyang Academy..."

Hearing about her own glorious deeds, Lin Zisu explained seriously:

"I reckon Old Man Li just wanted to chop up Master Mu; the pill was merely the trigger."

"What about Lord Tie Fengzhang?"

Lin Wanyi pushed Zisu down into a chair and chided:

"Lord Tie is busy with official duties and has a short temper; he suffered from some stagnation of liver qi. The academy asked you to prescribe medicine to regulate it, but you prescribed a 'Constant Smile Powder', causing the dignified Wang Fu Commandant to grin foolishly for three days, turning his nickname 'Iron-Faced Yama' into 'Big Fool Zhang'..."

Lin Zisu rubbed Meiqiu and argued with righteous indignation:

"Lord Tie wears a frown all year round; how could he not have stagnated liver qi? Just say whether it worked or not."

Neither of them questioned this point.

If the side effects were merely shocking without outstanding effects, Lin Zisu's nickname should have been 'Deadly Poisonous Nanny', not 'Poisonous Hand Medicine Maiden'.

Anyway, Zisu's approach to refining medicine was that if you swallowed it, the root cause would surely be resolved; as for whether the person would still be alive afterward, it all depended on whether their destiny was strong enough.

Xie Jinhuan was in a state of drinking poison to quench thirst; even knowing this little Medicine Maiden was unreliable, he still sat beside her and asked:

"The Vigorous Dragon and Tiger Pill, what are its side effects?"

Lin Zisu moved the small stool closer and said enthusiastically:

"Whether it's Dragon's Blood Pill, Solid Vein Pill, or even 'Hua Yao Dan,' their effects are essentially the same—all meant to strengthen the body; the difference lies only in the herbs and dosages.

"The Dragon's Blood Pill formula is conservative, leaves ample margin for error, and naturally never fails—but its efficacy is never fully unleashed.

"Yet practitioners of the demonic path usually suppress other sects by half a realm. Young Master, do you know why?"

Xie Jinhuan mused: "Do demonic cultivators use stronger herbs?"

"It's not just the herbs—cultivation techniques, methods, everything is pushed to the extreme."

Lin Zisu continued her lecture like a little master:

"Whether immortal, buddha, or demonic path—all beings are born of father and mother, draw from the same heaven and earth's treasures, with no essential difference.

"Daoist Priests, martial artists, Monks—whether cultivating or using heavenly treasures to boost their cultivation—they must first ensure no harm to the spirit, no alteration of the body's structure, no permanent hidden injuries, and must consider human tolerance.

"But demonic cultivators don't care. The purpose of 'Hua Yao Dan' is purely to strengthen the body—they dare use anything, wishing one herb could unleash twelvefold potency. Success turns the body comparable to a demonic beast; failure turns one into a monstrous hybrid of man and demon. Can such a body be weaker than those of other sects?"

Hearing this, Xie Jinhuan finally understood:

"So your 'Sheng Long Huo Hu Pill' is actually Hua Yao Dan?"

Lin Zisu quickly shook her head: "How could that be?"

"Good…."

"The formula I've developed is even more extreme than Hua Yao Dan! If it succeeds, it'll make your muscles rival true dragon and tiger, your bones and blood resemble phoenix and qilin!"

?

So it's not human, right?

Isn't that just an upgraded Hua Yao Dan?

Xie Jinhuan took a quiet breath, thought of his current predicament, and asked seriously:

"Then, what's the cost?"

Lin Wanyi, also a pill master, sat beside him, combing her damp hair:

"The cost is—if it fails, you might explode and vanish without a trace, or worse, your body will deform and turn demonic. With your current strength, you'd likely become a Rank 1–2 demonic beast."

Jia Zheng nodded: "Based on the Young Lady's past track record, it's a hundred percent chance of failure—she's never succeeded once."

Lin Zisu frowned: "That's only because I didn't have the right herbs—the efficacy wasn't enough. How could it not fail?"

"You never said that before. Every time, you swore on your life—when did any of those ever work?"

"I had to promise to get the herbs! The Imperial Academy has so few rare herbs—if I didn't swear, why would my masters give them to me?"

Here, Lin Zisu began to persuade Xie Jinhuan:

"Young Master, if you can sneak me one sprig of the sixty-year-old Jiazi Lotus grown on Mount Zihui, I'll brew your pill—guarantee tenfold efficacy, one pill, instant results!"

"…."

Xie Jinhuan truly needed a miraculous pill to break through his current stagnation.

But drinking poison to quench thirst still requires you to first quench the thirst—how could he risk a hundred percent loss?

What if he turned green-skinned and sprouted two giant fangs? He'd spend the rest of his life marrying non-human brides.

Still, "Daoxing Baozhang Dan" sounded useful—unselective slaughter, perfect for when the whole world turns against you.

And if he were exposed, he'd clearly end up in that situation…

Thinking of this, Xie Jinhuan asked:

"Young Lady Zisu, how much silver per pill for your Daoxing Baozhang Dan?"

Lin Zisu blinked: "My aunt won't let me sell it—she fears it'll trigger a martial world catastrophe. But if Young Master wants it…"

Lin Wanyi sensed Xie Jinhuan was about to be tricked into madness; she pulled Zisu up:

"Don't believe her creations—what if you get hurt? It's late; I still need to go prepare your Dragon's Blood Pill. We'll take our leave."

Seeing this, Lin Zisu reluctantly rose, but before leaving, she secretly raised one finger behind her back…

(End of Chapter)