The sun was high up in the sky, and the Qingsheng Mountain Range was lush under the scorching sun. Two people walked towards Danding Peak step by step; they did not ride on the somersault cloud. Li Mo held Bing Tuozi’s hand, enjoying the summer scenery. It would be such a pity if no one were to appreciate this beautiful scene.
The gentle breeze brought a faint fragrance to their noses. Ying Bing, by his side, basked in the sunlight. Her earrings and hairpin sparkled in the sun, but her eyes were even more dazzling, like a cold and aloof sunbathing cat.
Over a year had passed, and the young girl’s appearance hadn’t changed much.
She used to be so distant, emanating an icy chill from deep within her soul. Back then, Little Li was just a student, and he probably never dreamed that she would gently comfort him, holding his hand tightly.
“Controlling many great paths will affect the seven emotions and desires. Bing Tuozi has been influenced by Ying Huang…”
Li Mo seemed to suddenly understand the reason for her coldness.
To avoid being affected by the great path, could it be that she chose to forget about emotions?
Finally, she became the Phoenix Sky Empress, but…
Fortunately, the ice chunk in front of him wasn’t gone.
“I want to eat ice…”
“Hmm?”
Ying Bing came back to her senses, pursing her red lips. She continued, “What do you want to eat?”
“Ice.”
“Ice pops? I remember you really love them. We can make some and store them in the Qiushui Pavilion during summer.”
Ying Bing spoke nonsense with a straight face, seriously discussing what shape the ice pops should be. She looked more serious than when she was deducing the country’s fate… except she couldn’t look at the Childish Ghost while speaking.
Li Mo’s gaze at her recently had become increasingly hungry. Yesterday’s clothes, which she didn’t dare wash today, made him worry…
If he looked any longer, she might melt…
“Let’s make milk pops. They’re simple and delicious, and I love them too.”
“Where can we find milk?”
“There should be some among the exotic beasts on the Zhen Shou Peak. We can ask if they have any when we pass by.”
“You don’t usually drink milk…”
“Oh, speaking of which, where is the imperial edict?”
They agreed to go to Danding Peak but ended up wandering around the Qingsheng Sect all day. In fact, neither of them had visited every part of the sect.
For example, Xiuhu Peak, which had colorful clouds every year, no longer had aurora projections after Ying Bing took the Xiuhuang climate. The morning and evening clouds were still very beautiful, and there were many other charming spots outside the nine peaks.
At this moment, Little Li especially wanted a bicycle.
The sunlight was perfect. Holding hands, they walked through the mottled tree shadows amidst the cicada chirping. If they could ride a bicycle with Bing Tuozi on the back, the road would surely feel as long as time itself.
This must be what Bing Tuozi meant by walking through countless mountains and rivers?
They were the scenery in the eyes of many Qingsheng Sect disciples, like the warm sun and cold moon hanging high in the sky.
Thanks to them, the Qingsheng Sect was much livelier than before, attracting countless visitors, including members of noble families.
“Is that Senior Brother Li and Senior Sister Ying?”
“Sss… I thought ‘The Tyrant Empress Fell in Love With Me’ was already the limit of the Nine Heavens and Ten Earths, but there’s also a real-life version!”
“The animation in the collection was already good, but it can’t compare to seeing it in person.”
“Hey, what do you think is an appropriate gift for us as junior disciples?”
“Just bring your chopsticks, Senior Brother Li is famous for having no concept of money… and he cooks well, so his meal will definitely be homemade.”
“Ahh?”
…
It wasn’t until noon that Li Mo and Ying Bing finally reached Danding Peak.
There were significant changes here. Many new dormitories had been added, filled with the scent of fire and medicine. Disciples who had entered the peak were seen flipping pots with a clanging sound.
It was bustling and thriving, almost like they had come to a culinary school.
The plaque above read ‘Five years of stir-frying, three years of alchemy.’
In the courtyard at the peak, the dragon-tiger alchemy furnace was emitting steam. Elder Xue, who had reached the external manifestation realm, had poured more energy into alchemy after breaking through.
Boom—
An explosion sent the lid of the alchemy furnace spinning into the air.
“To refine divine pills, where exactly did it go wrong?”
Xue Jing looked at Tang Xiaobao inside the alchemy furnace and sighed, stroking his beard.
After generations of effort, it was only thanks to Li Mo’s accidental help that Xiaobao broke through the eight meridians. The ninth meridian was even harder, as a complete nine-meridian dragon-tiger golden pill was a divine pill.
“Hey, Junior Brother Leng is here.”
Tang Xiaobao crawled out of the alchemy furnace, wiping his dirty face and smiling.
Leng Mo nodded, “Still refining the heart eye?”
“Mm-hm, still missing,” Tang Xiaobao replied with a troubled expression.
“This unlucky child…”
Xue Jing shook his head and sighed, “It seems I won’t be able to refine a divine pill this time.”
“Senior Elder Xue is a genius in alchemy, and you’ve broken through your realm, your lifespan has greatly increased. There must be a way if you keep thinking about it.”
“But now, there isn’t even a direction. After all, no one has ever seen what a divine pill looks like, and there are few relevant texts, with conflicting legends.”
Divine pill…
Leng Mo was stunned for a moment and suddenly remembered something, “I have seen one.”
“Hmm?”
Xue Jing perked up immediately, his voice excited, “Where did you see it? In the Imperial Capital? Whose hands? Can you let the person set conditions so I can see it with my own eyes?”
Divine pills and divine weapons were different.
Divine weapons were resilient and remained even after the person left. Pills were consumed once eaten, and anyone who got a divine pill would treasure it as a family heirloom, waiting to attract bloodshed. As long as it could be eaten, it would be safe to consume.
“No need, I’ll return it after looking. I only have one, and it’s still useful…”
“???”
Xue Jing’s face stiffened.
A box made of mystic crystal, adorned with various talismans, was placed right in front of him. Approaching it, he could hear a heartbeat-like sound, mixed with phoenix singing and dragon roaring.
“Senior Xue, if it were any other divine pill, I would give it to you, but this one indeed has great use, and it’s not for me to eat…”
“Who is eating it?”
Xue Jing followed Leng Mo’s gaze and looked aside.
“? ”
Ying Bing looked at the box, feeling that Leng Mo’s tone was odd and a bit guilty.
“What effects does this divine pill have?”
“I’m not a pill master, how would I know?”
Leng Mo coughed lightly, trying to appear calm.
“Then let me study it!”
Xue Jing nodded eagerly, hugging the box as if he had found a treasure, then pulled Xiaobao into the quiet room, each step filled with impatience.
“This Senior Xue…” Leng Mo smiled helplessly, sitting into the dragon-tiger alchemy furnace.
Just as he sat down, he frowned, realizing something was wrong.
“If Senior Xue leaves, who will refine my mystic pill for me?”
Leng Mo glanced at the other direct disciples of the Danding Peak, clearly they couldn’t even produce mystic pills that required lanterns to find.
Let alone them, even Senior Xue struggled when he hadn’t broken through his realm…
The direct disciples looked at each other.
At this moment, Ying Bing, who was puzzled about why the divine pill was left for her and its effects, suddenly said.
“Childish Ghost.”
“Hmm… Eh?”
“I’ll help you.”
“Bing Tuozi, you know how to do this?”
“You said it’s similar to cooking, right?”
“!”
