Chapter 191: Tea Time Conversations at Green Sanctuary Peak and Mu Lin’s Fear; A Lover's Concern.
Back at Green Sanctuary Peak, the available disciples were bustling around, doing their best to repair the Sacred Grove Temple. It held immense importance for their peak's foundation, so every disciple felt honored to be involved in its restoration. They maneuvered around broken boulders, while some worked on reviving the damaged trees in the area.
Meanwhile, Yang Wei and Mu Lin sat with Guo Xiaomei in a spacious gazebo crafted entirely from sturdy tree trunks and large leaves, providing shelter. They were enjoying some tea, poured by Guo Xiaomei herself, who stirred it gently before handing it to them.
Settling back in her chair, Guo Xiaomei calmly sipped her tea before addressing Yang Wei, "So, you're saying you're a blood arts demonic cultivator?"
Yang Wei nodded, holding the teacup but not yet drinking.
By this time, Yang Wei had already told them a few things concerning his demonic cultivation but not who taught him or where he learned it. He simply told them he was a demonic cultivator and he wanted to refine a body refinement pill comparable to the Blood Dragon Strengthening Pill.
Mu Lin, equally composed, took a sip of her tea before adding, "I'm not thrilled about you dabbling in demonic cultivation, but at least it's the better kind."
However, Guo Xiaomei's serious expression disagreed. She placed her teacup on the table with a sigh. "Actually, blood Qi cultivation might be the worst form of demonic cultivation, especially considering the path Wei is on."
Both Mu Lin and Yang Wei looked puzzled, pausing with their teacups halfway to their lips. "Eh?" they both uttered in unison.
Guo Xiaomei cleared her throat and began, "In the early days of Shengjing Grove, in times long forgotten, there was an apothecary grandmaster who was obsessed with pill refinement. He yearned to witness its evolution through the ages, but the only way to achieve that was through eternal life."
Both Mu Lin and Yang Wei set down their teacups, knowing that any tale involving a cultivator's pursuit of eternal life was never dull. Moreover, they knew that the subject of "eternal life" was always worth paying attention to.
The couple leaned in, eager to hear more.
Guo Xiaomei continued, "This cultivator believed that cultivating the blood was the key to longevity. He aimed to refine his body using his blood as the foundation, granting him eternal life to witness the evolution of pill refinement. But to accomplish this, he needed to create a twelfth-grade pill that would grant him truly eternal blood."
She paused, then posed a question to them. "Do you know who this is?"
"I'm not sure," Mu Lin admitted.
Pill refinement requires immense patience and dedication, traits I don't possess...
She wasn't particularly fond of the craft due to its demands. Because of this, she didn't know who the Blood Emperor was. Generally, only individuals who were either demonic cultivators or apothecary disciples would be most familiar with him.
As such, Yang Wei was quick to respond. "The Blood Emperor," he said confidently.
Guo Xiaomei nodded gravely.
It was the first time Mu Lin had heard the name, and she looked at Yang Wei, then back at Guo Xiaomei, and asked, "Wait, so who's this Blood Emperor?"
Guo Xiaomei met her gaze and explained, "We have little information on him because he ascended to the upper reaches early on. But to ensure his legacy lived on, he left behind medicinal manuals containing some of his recipes, as well as the form of demonic cultivation that may seem less vile, but when fully practiced, becomes the deadliest form."
Yang Wei interjected, "The Blood Arts," earning another grim nod from Guo Xiaomei.
She continued, "The Blood Emperor was fixated on creating the same pill you aim to create a variant of. He slaughtered millions and caused damage on a cosmic scale, leading to a devastating war between the four sects of the Desolation Zen Domain, an expanse that surpasses our dao layers."
Mu Lin listened intently, but halfway through, confusion clouded her mind. It wasn't that she couldn't understand, but the gravity of the situation overwhelmed her. She turned to Yang Wei abruptly, placing a hand on his, and said, "There's no way I'll let you refine that pill. I don't want you to become like him!"
Yang Wei was taken aback by her sudden outburst, and even Tianyi, who was playing with butterflies, paused at her shout.
"Rawr?" uttered the baby dragon.
There was already a lot of unnecessary tension in the air. Yang Wei tried to reassure Mu Lin, saying, "Lin'er, it's not that big a deal."
But Mu Lin tightened her grip on his hand, her anger and frustration evident in her expression. Despite her emotions, the way she held onto his hand showed her genuine concern for his well-being. "NO!" she exclaimed. "I won't accept you doing something so foolish!"
Yang Wei sighed, placing his other hand on Mu Lin's head. "You don't have to worry too much," he reassured her. "I need to refine this, or else I'll never get the answer I'm looking for."
I need to breakthrough to the Asura Realm and ascend to the Malevolent Star Domain. That's the only way I'll ever be able to understand the connection between magic and cultivation.
Mu Lin eventually calmed down, her voice shaky as she relented, "Fine..."
This relieved Yang Wei; he didn't want her to get angry, so he made sure to choose his words carefully. He remembered the trouble they had last time because of their different perspectives. "I'm glad you underst—"
Before he could finish, Mu Lin slapped his hand away from her head, warning him, "You're free to do whatever you want, but don't say I didn't warn you." She stood up, grabbed her basket, and stormed off, her furious march clearly showed her anger to anyone who saw her.
Yang Wei watched her leave quietly, sighing to himself. "That woman..."
She didn't even stay to at least let me give her the gift I got her... honestly, these days I feel like I don't know how to handle women. Sigh~
Guo Xiaomei observed Yang Wei silently throughout the exchange. After a moment of silence, she asked, "Aren't you going to go after her?"
Yang Wei shook his head. "She'll need some time to cool off. Feiyan will probably talk to her first and let her know she may have overreacted... Then, I'll talk to her."
Guo Xiaomei nodded. "I see."
"So, are you planning on helping me with this pill? Or are you also going to convince me not to?"
Guo Xiaomei chuckled at Yang Wei's question. She lifted her teacup before taking a sip. "You're the most interesting disciple I've seen in ages, and what's even funnier is that you're a man." Taking another sip, she continued, "I'll keep an eye on you during the refinement process. The problem the Blood Emperor faced wasn't how overwhelming making such a pill can be...
rather, it was his lack of caring companions that caused his descent into madness."
Yang Wei raised an eyebrow, confused. "Hm?"
Guo Xiaomei clarified calmly, "I'm not saying I care about you in that manner, but I want to see if you can help me achieve a dream I never could." Her expression turned solemn, hinting at a troubling memory.
Sensing her distress, Yang Wei stood up and approached her, extending his hand. "Alright then, I'll help you achieve this dream of yours, and you'll help me refine this pill."
Guo Xiaomei set her teacup down and took Yang Wei's hand, but she underestimated his strength and ended up pulled in a bit too close. Her curvy body pressed against his, and his arms wrapped around her waist while his hands slightly touching her soft buttocks. As she felt his chest, she was still surprised, but she quickly snapped out of it and looked up at Yang Wei.
He was clearly tall enough for his chin to rest on her head—to him, she was just the right height for a head pat.
"You're quite daring to get so intimate with a peak chief," Guo Xiaomei spoke.
Yang Wei chuckled. "So it's fine for you to touch me, but I can't do the same?"
"I suppose so..."
The two quietly looked at each other with soft expressions and mild smiles on their faces.
The disciples watching from a distance were frozen in shock. Those carrying large rocks paused, while others felt their legs vibrating intensely. Seeing Yang Wei charming their peak chief was too surprising for them to handle.
"There's no way Senior Brother Yang has done it again!"
"H-he seduced our chaste peak chief?! Impossible!"
"I don't care about pill refinement anymore, I just want him to teach me how to be like him!"
A grown man with full beards shouted, "I want to be like you when I grow up Senior Brother!"
"He's too awesome! A dragon amongst men!"