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Although there were only four magic treasures left, that Heaven-grade chain was enough to make others go crazy and kill her to seize it. Sui An was a little curious about what kind of person the system’s previous host was. From what the system said, there were probably many such magic treasures before.
[There is another strange matter. When the Host was forming the pill just now, according to the system’s records, at the last critical moment, a stream of spiritual energy that did not belong to the Host suddenly broke in and caused it.]
Sui An was stunned. “Whose spiritual energy?”
[The system was calculating the Host’s alchemy process and did not notice the surroundings, but this person should be from the Pill Pavilion.]
“The Pill Pavilion? But I haven’t offended anyone in the Pill Pavilion. Could it be that the person who poisoned me in my past life is in the Pill Pavilion?”
[Making the Host’s cauldron explode would not have killed the Host. It probably wasn’t that person.]
Sui An rubbed her forehead and sighed softly. “Forget it. I can’t figure it out. I’ll just be more careful when I’m in the Pill Pavilion in the future.”
Sui An took out the small cauldron and placed it on the table to look at it. The formation on the cauldron was also a three-in-one formation, but it looked simpler than the blueprint the system had given her. The material of the cauldron was also just ordinary refined iron.
“System, can you draw up a blueprint of the design on this cauldron for me?”
[Does the Host want to give it to Kong Yue?]
“Yes. If this thing can be widely used within the sect, perhaps our sect’s Pill Pavilion wouldn’t be so lacking in talent.”
[The blueprint can be drawn, but how will the Host explain the origin of this blueprint?]
Sui An smiled. “Isn’t it perfect that I’m about to go on the trial? I can just say I obtained it by chance during the trial.”
[System is now copying…]
Soon, Sui An received the blueprint. She carefully folded it, put it away, and organized her storage ring, placing it alone in a corner.
Knock, knock! The wooden door was knocked on.
Sui An turned and opened the door. Outside, there was only the lush green forest; no one was in sight. She stepped out and looked around.
“Who’s there?”
Only the cool wind answered her.
Puzzled, Sui An turned, went back inside, and closed the door.
Knock, knock. The door was knocked on again.
Sui An was in a daze, and couldn’t help but think of the past. There was always one person who would play such pranks on her. After being discovered, this person would always flash an innocent smile, giggling in a way that made it impossible to dislike him.
Sui An took a deep breath, pretending not to hear.
Knock, knock. The door was knocked on again.
After waiting for a while, perhaps because there was no response, the person outside jumped down from the roof, knocked on the door again, and said, “Sui An, it’s me, Huaiyang.”
The male voice from outside was cheerful, yet faintly tinged with unease. Hearing it made Sui An recall the happy times of the past.
She replied in a low voice, “What are you doing here?”
“Some time ago, you were captured and brought back. I heard you were punished by Tan Yun. I wanted to come and see you, but Tan Yun kept blocking me from entering the sect. I finally waited for her to leave and took the opportunity of delivering the Jade Flame Fruits to come see you. Don’t be angry with me.”
“I’m not angry, and I’m fine. You should go back!” Perhaps influenced by the novel, Sui An felt a sense of reluctance towards Huaiyang. She turned back several times, looking at the door.
“I’m not going back. Hurry up and open the door.”
Sui An was a little annoyed. She asked the system in a low voice, “System, am I still being influenced by the novel?”
[The influence of the novel is gradually fading. The Host’s fate of death has not yet been changed, so your thoughts will still be somewhat influenced by the male lead. This is also why the system had the Host follow Tan Yun instead of Huaiyang. However…]
Sui An sneered, laughing at herself. Even who she liked was being manipulated. How ironic. “However what?”
“Sui An, open the door and let me see you.” At this moment, Huaiyang knocked on the door again, interrupting her.
“I already told you to go back. Can you stop bothering me,” Sui An replied coldly.
“If you don’t open the door, I won’t leave.”
Sui An frowned. Huaiyang’s thick-skinned, roguish behavior was exactly as described in the novel, with a woman on each arm. But it was a little different from her memory. Or could it be that Huaiyang had always been pretending to be a gentleman in front of her, pretending to be the way she liked?
Sui An had wanted to give him the cold shoulder, but she suddenly raised an eyebrow, sensing a familiar aura. It seemed to be her waist token.
Without thinking, Sui An turned and opened the door.
A fresh fragrance wafted in with the wind.
This fragrance was like Huaiyang’s eyes, comforting and yet exuding a heart-stirring charm, intoxicating, enchanting, and thrilling.
Huaiyang was dressed in black, giving off a cold impression. But he broke into a grin, dispelling that coldness. His eyes were lively, always glancing around, and the corner of his lips curled up with a hint of mischievousness that could pull at Sui An’s heart, like a gentle kiss upon it.
Sui An’s eyelids trembled slightly. Her nails dug into her palm, the faint pain forcing her to stay clear-headed. She looked around.
There was no sign of the waist token’s aura. It seemed to have been an illusion.
She pondered for a moment, but her mind felt sluggish. She said, “You’ve seen me now. Can you leave?”
Huaiyang was stunned. “You really are angry.”
“I’m not angry. It’s just that in three days, I have to enter the Outer Sect Trial, and I need to spend time preparing.” Seeing that she couldn’t drive him away, Sui An had no choice but to try a softer approach. Her expression suddenly changed, and she sighed sorrowfully.
Huaiyang blinked. “This… but you’re an inner sect disciple. How could you be going to the Outer Sect Trial?”
“It’s a long story. In short, I don’t have much time. You should go back!”
“Well… alright then!” Huaiyang didn’t press the issue. He handed her a sword. “I know you’re a sword cultivator. This Snake Shadow Sword has been with me for many years. I’ll give it to you for self-defense!”
In the Huai family, Huaiyang was the most favored by his father. The things he had were naturally all excellent treasures. Just looking at the hilt of this sword, it was carved with a Spirit Gathering Formation, which could minimize the user’s consumption of energy. It was extremely rare and precious.
Sui An shook her head. “I don’t need it. If my Shizun finds out, she will definitely punish me again. you should hurry back.”
At this time, using Tan Yun’s name was more effective than anything else. As expected, upon hearing this, Huaiyang took the sword back, his gaze filled with reluctance, as if bidding farewell to a beloved woman, full of deep affection.
“Then I’ll come see you next time.”
Sui An gave a perfunctory nod, her heart filled with reluctance.
Only then did Huaiyang turn and fly away.
She turned, went inside, and closed the door tightly. Only then did the fresh fragrance disappear, and the oppressive feeling in her heart lightened considerably.
Sui An clutched her heart and said, “Sure enough, as long as he’s near, I feel uncomfortable. System, what were you trying to say just now?”
[Although the novel does influence the Host, it shouldn’t be this intense. At most, it would just make the Host maintain a good impression. The way the Host acted just now didn’t seem like it was because of the novel’s influence.]
“What?” Sui An clenched her fist. She smiled bitterly. “So you’re saying I still care about him.”
[Based on the Host’s state just now and comparing it with data on how others react to their beloved, the Host’s reaction is more like going through the motions.]
“What does that mean?”
[Cannot be answered. The system is just data.]
“That’s the same as saying nothing.”
Sui An temporarily stored this unresolved doubt in her heart. She sat back down on the bed, opened the panel, and saw in the skills column that besides the proficiency increase for the Spirit Nurturing Pill, there was also an additional skill book.
“Is this… a reward for breaking through?”
[Yes. After the Qi Refinement stage, every time the Host breaks through, you will be rewarded with a varying number of skill books.]
Sui An was thrilled, instantly throwing the strange feeling from before to the back of her mind. She began to think about which pill to learn first.
Human-rank pills belonged to the novice category and didn’t require skill books. For pills of other grades, each level required a different number of skill books. Currently, she could only learn a few individual low-level pills of the Yellow-rank. Considering she was going to the Outer Sect Trial next, she lit up the Hundred Herbs Pill, which could cure a hundred poisons. The higher the grade, the faster it detoxified.
After lighting it up, a line of text appeared below, listing the required medicinal herbs, the timing, and techniques for refining, all written out clearly. It was truly convenient.
Sui An also saw that the proficiency for the Spirit Nurturing Pill was enough to level up. With a tap, the Human-rank was instantly maxed out.
This meant that refining the Spirit Nurturing Pill would no longer result in failure, but the quality of the pill would depend on Sui An’s own exploration.
“But, how am I supposed to collect the medicinal herbs?” Sui An was happy for a moment, then her face fell into a frown again.
The Demon Slaying Sect was not good at alchemy or artifact refining, so the variety of herbs within the sect was not very complete. To collect all the herbs for the Hundred Herbs Pill, she would probably have to leave the sect, but she couldn’t get out.
Sui An thought it over and remembered the annoying Yuan Nuannuan. Her family specialized in the medicinal herb business, and their variety was quite complete.
“Forget it. The worst that can happen is being lectured a bit.”
Sui An went out. Seeing that Huaiyang was gone, she raised her hand and threw her sword. She controlled the sword with one hand, making it fly in front of her. She lightly stepped onto the sword, rode the wind high into the sky, and let the cool breeze blow through her hair, enjoying the freedom of flying high.
“Finally, I don’t have to walk on two legs.”
After a short flight on her sword, she arrived at Tianwu Peak. The mountains here were shrouded in a vast white mist, with a few birds or disciples flying on swords seen occasionally. They looked at Sui An with surprise, clearly not many people knew about her breakthrough to the Foundation Establishment stage yet.
Sui An went straight to Yuan Nuannuan’s residence.
She was practicing with her whip.
The whip cracked out, one lash after another, echoing in the air, striking the air and making the teacups on the stone table tremble.
Suddenly, the whip she flung out changed direction and went straight for Sui An’s face!
Sui An leaped off her sword, flipped lightly in the air to land, deftly avoiding it. With a raise of her hand, the sword returned to her palm.
Yuan Nuannuan’s eyes lit up. “Sui An, you can fly so freely right after reaching the Foundation Establishment stage. Could it be you’ve been secretly hiding your strength?”
Those who had just reached the Foundation Establishment stage were usually not yet proficient in riding a sword. Sui An herself had once spent half a month to be able to ride a sword freely in the air.
Sui An raised an eyebrow and changed the subject without batting an eye. “Is this how you welcome guests?”
“You came uninvited. You must be here to ask for a favor from me, guest.” Yuan Nuannuan showed no apology at all, instead wearing a beaming smile.
Seen through at a glance, Sui An put away her sword. She cleared her throat. “How could it be a favor? I’m here to buy medicinal herbs from you. Naturally, I’m a customer.”
Yuan Nuannuan put away her whip and frowned. “I heard earlier that you went to the Pill Pavilion to learn alchemy. I didn’t believe it, but I didn’t expect you to actually go. Giving up on your good sword practice… I think you must have eaten the wrong pill.”
Sui An endured it. She tried hard to maintain a smile. “Yes, yes, I ate the wrong pill. Are you selling or not?”
“Aren’t the herbs in the Pill Pavilion enough for you to practice with?” Yuan Nuannuan was puzzled. “I advise you to start with the low-level ones first, lest you bite off more than you can chew and your belly explodes.”
“In three days, I’m going to the Outer Sect Trial.”
Hearing this, Yuan Nuannuan’s lips curled into a smile. “So you’re saying, if I don’t sell to you, you might just die in the Outer Sect Trial?”
“So you’re saying you’re not willing to sell?”
“I never said I wouldn’t sell. It’s just…” Yuan Nuannuan crossed her index fingers and said with a grin, “It’s just that the price will be ten times the market price. Are you buying or not?”
This person really knew how to take advantage of a crisis1.
Sui An gritted her teeth. “I’m buying.”
She glanced at Sui An, a satisfied smile spreading across her face, her mood excellent. “Alright, tell me the names of the herbs.”
“Fuxiang Grass2, Tiancan Worm3, Mu’er Seed4…”
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Glossary
- Snake Shadow Sword (蛇影剑, Shéyǐng Jiàn): The name of the sword Huaiyang offers to Sui An.
- Spirit Gathering Formation (聚灵阵, jùlíngzhèn): A formation designed to gather ambient spiritual energy, often used to aid cultivation or power items.
- Hundred Herbs Pill (百草丹, Bǎicǎo Dān): An antidote pill that Sui An decides to learn how to make.
- Tianwu Peak (天武峰, Tiānwǔ Fēng): The peak where Yuan Nuannuan resides.
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Reika’s Notes:
- Didn’t she lose the waist token? It’s the one that grants her access to all areas. Could it be that he stole it?
- I asked for the footnotes about the herbs in the last part of the chapter, but it doesn’t seem like they are that significant.
- This text was translated by RudeGirl and given to BC Novels for publication.
- I helped with the footnotes, formatting, grammar, etc., the usual stuff that is needed to post this on the website.
- Please let me know if there are any errors. Thanks for reading!
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- 趁火打劫 – literally “to loot a house while it’s on fire.”
- Literally “Hibiscus/Lotus Fragrance Herb.” From 芙 (fú: hibiscus), 香 (xiāng: fragrant), and 草 (cǎo: herb). The name suggests a beautiful and aromatic magical plant, likely used for healing or purification.
- Literally “Heavenly Silkworm.” The character 天 (tiān: heaven/celestial) elevates the common silkworm (蚕虫, cán chóng), implying it’s a mythical creature that produces a rare, magical substance like “celestial silk.”
- Literally “Wood Ear Seed.” 木耳 (mù’ěr) is the real-life Wood Ear fungus. Since fungi reproduce via spores, not seeds (籽, zǐ), the name implies this is a magical or concentrated item used to grow a special, enhanced version of the fungus.
Ooookay. So the ogML is really sus. And I suspect he has her token. Whether he stole it or found doesn’t matter. He hasn’t returned it to her, the rightful owner. Plus that suspicious scent… Could be some type of drug laced perfume or incense.
Very sus!