Chapter 129: The Trump Card

“Is this your first time refining pills?” Ralph’s jaw dropped to the floor. “You just threw all those ingredients in like that?” He glanced nervously at the pill furnace still puffing out gentle smoke. “It won’t explode, will it?”

“It’s not like it’s explosives. How would it explode?” Ye Tian replied, exasperated. “Don’t worry, it’s fine. I just don’t know what kind of pill will come out of it!”

“Alright then, have fun on your own. I’ve got my own work to do,” Ralph said, feeling it was more worthwhile to focus on his own research rather than babysitting. “You’re not going anywhere!” Ye Tian laughed. “You have to help me control the flame!”

And so, the two of them—one old, one young, both rather clueless—stared intently at the slowly smoking pill furnace. Two days later, Ye Tian was thrilled to hear the faint sound of pills forming inside.

“Lower the flame, lower the flame!” Ye Tian hurriedly instructed.

“Oh, got it!” Ralph waved his hand, and the crystallizing flame energy immediately halved.

“Good, the pills are starting to form!” Ye Tian told the still yawning old man.

“Oh, so soon?” The old man admitted he sometimes did research around the clock, but focusing on a single flame for two days straight was exhausting. His spirit was flagging.

“That’s how the old masters used to do it,” Ye Tian observed carefully. The smoke was a crucial indicator of the refining process; different smoke meant different internal conditions. Although he’d never done it himself, Ye Tian knew enough from watching others, like how seeing a lot of pork doesn’t make you a chef, but you understand the basics of making braised pork—just not skilled.

“Lower the flame a bit more!” Ye Tian’s face changed at a cracking sound from inside the furnace. “Oh, okay!” Ralph waved his hand, but the flame suddenly blazed up fiercely.

“What are you doing?!” Ye Tian jumped up, rushed over, pushed open the valve, and yanked open the scalding furnace lid.

“I didn’t mean to!” Ralph snapped back to reality and quickly withdrew his magic. The heat dissipated, and the energy crystal turned into an ordinary red sphere.

“Look, it’s all like this.” Ye Tian pulled out a black pill, with a thin crack running across its surface.

“This is your technique?” Ralph stared at the pill in Ye Tian’s hand, amazed.

“Any others? Show them!” Ralph exclaimed excitedly.

“Why get so excited when it’s all failed?” Ye Tian gloomily threw the pill to the old man, who examined it carefully and then licked it lightly.

“Tastes pretty good!” Ralph grinned. “It has a fresh aroma, but what’s it supposed to do?”

“It was meant to be a Rejuvenation Pill. Don’t know how effective it is,” Ye Tian sighed. “I followed the instructions exactly, but the result was different.”

“Maybe it works the same? By the way, what’s a Rejuvenation Pill supposed to do?” Ralph examined the pill.

“It stops bleeding and replenishes Qi. It’s a very good pill, doesn’t require many ingredients, and works well. The recipe was modified by someone else, so it’s simple.”

“Stops bleeding and replenishes Qi?” Ralph understood the first part but was puzzled by the second. He thought for a moment and swallowed the pill.

“Don’t eat that!” Ye Tian warned. He wasn’t sure if the failed pill had any effects; if it changed inside him, it could be troublesome.

“Not gonna lie, it tastes good!” Ralph took a deep breath. “I feel energized. Seems like it does work.” He then scratched his arm with his fingernail, drawing a cut that didn’t bleed—only a blood mark.

“Definitely stops bleeding,” Ralph smiled brightly. “I’ll test it for side effects later. Also, I’ll time how long the effects last. We can mass-produce this.”

“No thanks,” Ye Tian shook his head. “I’m not planning to make money from it.”

“Whatever you say,” Ralph shrugged. “I’m not short on money anyway. Pharmacists are among the wealthiest professionals, especially skilled ones.”

“I’m heading back. You should get some rest,” Ye Tian yawned. After concentrating for two days straight, he was exhausted.

“Not going to check next door?” Ralph yawned as well, realizing he needed rest, too.

“Yeah, I’ll go give him a nudge,” Ye Tian said, then walked next door. “Honorable Mr. Pultar, have you made up your mind?”

“Medicine! Give me medicine!” Pultar shouted wildly. If he weren’t tied up, he might have tried to bang his head against the wall. As for biting his tongue, his teeth were too weak and soft; he’d tried several times without success. Instead, the sensations inside him grew stronger, now feeling like ants crawling in his marrow.

---

“Medicine, medicine, oh, here it is!” Ye Tian saw a small bottle nearby, quickly took out a pill, and stuffed it into Pultar’s mouth. Once swallowed, Pultar sighed in relief, a blissful sensation washing over him.

“Enjoy it slowly!” Ye Tian said. He was too busy today to fuss over him, so he went back to sleep.

“Grey!” Surprisingly, Lifi was waiting at Ye Tian’s door.

“Oh, I’m going to sleep. I’ll talk after I wake up,” Ye Tian glanced at her and entered.

“Are you angry because I didn’t come yesterday?” Lifi followed him inside.

“Lifi, I wasn’t back yesterday, so I don’t know about your situation. Have you thought it through? Let me know when you’re ready; I’m really tired,” Ye Tian yawned.

“I promise!” Lifi whispered.

“Good. I’ll rest first; I’ll tell you what to do when I wake up. And remember to close the door when you leave,” Ye Tian said, then collapsed onto the soft bed and fell asleep.

Lifi looked at the sleeping Ye Tian, biting her lip, she began to remove his clothes and shoes, tucking him under the covers.

“Thanks!” Ye Tian murmured in his sleep.

Lifi quietly studied this man, outwardly an unremarkable servant, but no one knew he was the one who had shaken the imperial capital six months ago. Now, her fate would be in his hands. She gently stroked Ye Tian’s face—a youthful, tender complexion beneath his seemingly experienced demeanor.

“How much older can I be than him?” Lifi suddenly thought.

“Stop daydreaming!” She shook her head, patted her flushed cheeks, and quickly left.

---

After a comfortable sleep until dinner time, Ye Tian yawned and peeked out of the covers to see Akarnala quietly reading nearby.

“Good morning, Miss Akarnala.”

“Yes, it’s early. Time for dinner,” the girl closed her book. “Get up.”

“Could you leave the room first?” Ye Tian whispered.

“Don’t worry, I’m not interested in men,” Akarnala said, reopening her book.

“That’s really unfortunate,” Ye Tian grumbled, crawling out of bed. “I thought you liked the handsome type!”

“Cut the nonsense,” Akarnala said flatly. “What were you busy with?”

“Oh, over at old man Ralph’s, refining pills—making potions,” Ye Tian explained in terms she could understand.

“Takes that long?” She flipped a page.

“This is still short. One recipe takes a month!” Ye Tian said, foaming at the mouth. “The Ninefold Supreme Pill, but I can’t gather the ingredients.”

“Why not?” Akarnala asked.

“They’re all elusive. Take dragon’s blood, for example—where would I find that?” Ye Tian wiped his face. “I haven’t even heard of some of these ingredients. Oh, and they say eating that stuff can make you a god.”

“Dragon’s blood is indeed hard to get and expensive,” Akarnala flipped a page. “I remember a small vial of green dragon’s blood once auctioned for over a million.”

“I’ve always wondered what dragons really look like,” Ye Tian leaned forward, curious about the dragons in this world.

“There are books about that; I can find one for you someday,” Akarnala closed her book. “Ready to go?”

---

“Grey, did you get involved in the imperial capital’s affairs?” On the way, Akarnala didn’t take Ye Tian to the cafeteria but chose a quiet path. They slowly walked into darkness.

“What do you want to ask?” Ye Tian decided not to hide anything and came straight to the point.

“Are you the one stirring up trouble in the imperial capital?” Akarnala stared at Ye Tian.

“Yes,” Ye Tian answered bluntly. The girl was stunned but looked at him without doubt.

“I also know your grandfather was the mentor at the Reishi Academy.”

“Ger, right? Probably another alias,” Akarnala smiled, then reached behind her.

“I surrender!” Ye Tian suddenly raised his hands.

“What did you say?” Akarnala froze, her hand stopping.

“No, just ask all your questions at once. Besides, you wouldn’t win if we fought,” Ye Tian pouted.

“Not necessarily!” Akarnala stomped her foot, and a wave of cold air swept toward Ye Tian.

“I told you, you can’t beat me!” Ye Tian’s shoulder suddenly pressed down on hers, appearing behind her.

“Don’t move!” Ye Tian made a few gestures over her chest.

“What do you want to ask?” Ye Tian asked softly.

“What’s your real purpose here?” Akarnala’s tone was serious.

“I’m waiting for someone,” Ye Tian relaxed his hold.

“Is that so? Why come here then?” Akarnala reached behind and drew her wand.

“Those closest to others will come here,” Ye Tian replied. “Anything else?”

“Will you harm the academy?” She raised her wand.

“No!” Ye Tian smiled wryly. “I wouldn’t, I’m not interested in this place anyway.”

“What about your space?” Akarnala continued.

“You should be able to sense it—I have no magic at all.” Ye Tian stretched out his hand. “If you don’t believe me, I’ll leave tomorrow.”

“Fine, I believe you. But if you do anything harmful to the academy, I won’t let you off.” With that, the girl turned and left.

“Ugh!” Ye Tian rubbed his forehead in frustration. What’s going on today?

---

The sound of horse hooves shattered the morning calm. A slightly weary young man galloped a fine steed through the bustling streets. Though early, vendors were already opening for business.

“Who’s that?” Onlookers watched curiously as the horse sped by. Even laymen could tell the rider was no ordinary person.

“Could it be…?” Someone guessed, and news quickly spread.

“Stop! Who goes there?” The rider didn’t slow, heading straight for the Feipuli Academy. The guards tensed immediately, raising long spears to block him.

“Hmph!” The rider pulled the reins sharply.

“Neigh!” The horse reared, and a killing intent radiated, chilling the guards as if they’d stepped into an ice cellar. Some began trembling.

“Step aside!” one guard shouted. “Who are you? Why trespass the academy? Halt or we’ll stop you even at death’s door!” The guards raised their spears again, shouting as one, resisting the lethal aura.

“Interesting!” The young man grinned, leapt down. The surrounding killing intent intensified, pressing on the guards like a mountain, suffocating. Yet they did not retreat, raising their spears and charging with a unified shout.

Bang! The spears stopped mere centimeters from the man, who now wore golden armor.

“Demonic Qi Armor!” someone shouted.

“Interesting. Knowing you’ll die, you still try to stop me—I admire that,” the young man said, lightly flicking away the spears. “I am Dilufi. I’ve come for my sister.”

“Your Highness!” Several guards knelt, trembling, realizing they had nearly impaled the empire’s prince.

“Stand up. With you here, I can rest easy knowing my sister is safe,” Dilufi said calmly.

“Thank you, Your Highness. Please forgive our poor eyesight. The Vice Dean instructed that upon your arrival, you be taken inside to rest.” A guard opened the gate. “Right this way, Your Highness!”

---

“Grey, Grey, wake up!” Layla’s voice stirred Ye Tian from a deep sleep.

“What is it?” Ye Tian rubbed his eyes and yawned.

“The prince has arrived!”

“Who?” Ye Tian frowned.

“Prince Dilufi has come to the academy. He’s currently enjoying tea in His Majesty’s small courtyard,” Layla explained.

“Ha! Finally arrived!” Ye Tian jumped up excitedly. His greatest card was finally on the table!