Qin Ruqing didn’t ask him why he wasn’t part of the Tang family anymore.

In their circle, it could only be that sort of matter.

Originally surnamed Tang, but no longer a Tang, it was obvious he had been expelled from the family.

Among noble children, very few were expelled from their homes.

Even if they committed an offense, being demoted to a branch family was already considered severe punishment, as the resources for cultivation between the main family and branch family were not on the same level.

Qin Ruqing frowned slightly, sensing trouble.

Her gaze sharpened as she asked coldly, “What is your surname?”

If he was involved in something related to betrayal, no matter how talented he was, he couldn’t stay.

Qin Ruqing’s question was abrupt, but the young man understood.

He lifted his gaze and said seriously, “Rest assured, my surname is Tang, and my name is Zifeng. There’s absolutely no falsehood!”

Qin Ruqing nodded.

As long as it wasn’t a major crime like betraying the family, that was the bottom line.

She asked seriously again, “Do you have any pending murder cases against you? Are there enemies hunting you down? If you have troubles of your own, I advise you to turn around and leave. The Qin family won’t protect you.”

With his secretive nature and unique identity, Qin Ruqing’s first reaction was that he might be seeking refuge with the Qin family due to some trouble.

The young man, Tang Zifeng, looked at Qin Ruqing and said seriously, “I’m not here to seek shelter from the Qin family, but to discuss cooperation with them.”

Discuss cooperation?

The attendant behind Qin Ruqing couldn’t help but chuckle.

It wasn’t his fault; anyone would find that amusing.

A nobleman expelled from his family, alone, without connections or support, actually had the audacity to come to the Qin family to discuss cooperation.

It was downright ludicrous.

Qin Ruqing rubbed her chin, not rushing to laugh at him.

Instead, she asked, “If you’ve come to discuss cooperation with the Qin family, what capacity are you in? A alchemist? I know your talent in alchemy isn’t bad.

You improved that Qi Revitalization Pill for the Zhang family before. But in the Qin family, which is already known for alchemy, your talents in alchemy aren’t outstanding.”

In reality, his talents were outstanding, but if he wanted to discuss cooperation based solely on that, it would be too ridiculous.

Tang Zifeng didn’t get angry at being mocked.

He maintained his serious expression and said, “I’m not an alchemist; I’m an artifact refiner. The Tang family is renowned for artifact refining, and I am the most talented artifact refiner among the fourth generation of the Tang family.”

Qin Ruqing raised an eyebrow. “So, you improved the Qi Revitalization Pill…”

“Alchemy is just a secondary pursuit. As for improving the Qi Revitalization Pill, it was just a casual effort,” Tang Zifeng answered calmly and confidently.

A casual effort…

Qin Ruqing looked at his handsome and serious features, feeling for the first time, “Damn, he managed to deceive me.”

Qin Ruqing turned away without looking at his face, pondered for a moment, and dropped a remark, “In that case, come with me.”

She didn’t explain what they were going to do together.

Tang Zifeng’s eyes flickered, silently following behind.

The attendants in the guest room were somewhat at a loss.

Was Miss Qin really going to take this person to meet the Ancestor?

“Miss…”

Qin Ruqing turned back, smiled at them, and said, “Don’t worry about it.”

“I, you can disperse now.”

The attendants paused, subconsciously scratching their heads.

It meant Miss Qin’s smile was really beautiful.

Qin Ruqing walked ahead, sensing a tall figure following behind, silent and unwavering.

Her eyes flickered as she deliberately quickened her pace.

Tang Zifeng noticed and silently accelerated to keep up.

Whether due to compulsiveness or something else, he maintained a consistent distance of three steps behind Qin Ruqing.

Qin Ruqing rode her flying sword to the outskirts of Heart Lake Island, but didn’t dismount.

She turned around and looked down at him, saying, “As a gesture of respect, you can’t use flying artifacts to cross over. Take the boat.”

She thought for a moment and explained further, “It’s not that I’m deliberately making things difficult for you. Even our Qin family elders, when paying respects to the Ancestor, use boats.”

Tang Zifeng had no objections and silently boarded the boat without asking, “Then why are you an exception?”

Qin Ruqing was indeed an exception in the Qin family.

She leisurely rode her flying sword to Heart Lake Island, where the Ancestor sensed the commotion and appeared at the window on the second floor of the bamboo building.

Qin Ruqing spun around, landed gracefully, and smiled up at the Ancestor, calling out cheerfully, “I’ve brought someone special to pay respects to the Ancestor!”

The Ancestor’s spiritual awareness extended, naturally sensing Tang Zifeng arriving by boat.

Without asking, he smiled at Qin Ruqing, then turned and descended the stairs.

When Tang Zifeng arrived at the bamboo building, the Ancestor was already waiting for him at the stone table under the pine tree.

This time, Qin Ruqing didn’t sit down but stood behind the Ancestor like a fairy.

Naturally, Tang Zifeng understood etiquette and bowed solemnly.

Before he could speak, the Ancestor said, “Qingqing said you’re surnamed Tang?”

Tang Zifeng nodded. “My surname is Tang, and my name is Zifeng.”

The Ancestor scrutinized him, her gaze suddenly sharpening. “Since you’re from the Tang family of Xiling, why have you come to my Qin family?”

Tang Zifeng lowered his eyes, stood tall and straight, and replied calmly, “Zifeng came to the Qin family to seek an opportunity for cooperation.”

The Ancestor smiled briefly, a mocking smile that was justified and natural. “You, a junior expelled from a noble family’s door, what qualifications do you have to discuss cooperation with my Qin family?”

Tang Zifeng remained composed, his dignified appearance naturally convincing.

He took out a slightly yellowed parchment from his storage ring and said humbly, “This is a spiritual artifact designed by Zifeng. Ancestor, please take a look and see if there are any merits to it.”

He modestly mentioned “merits,” intending to rely on this for cooperation with the Qin family, showing his deep confidence.

Qin Ruqing, with keen insight, walked over and handed the parchment to the Ancestor.

She took it but didn’t look at it.

Instead, She pressed it down and looked at Tang Zifeng, asking, “I remember you’re a pill refiner?”

Tang Zifeng corrected him, “Zifeng is an artifact refiner. Alchemy is just supplementary practice, not my main focus.”

The Ancestor pondered for a moment, displeasure flickering in her eyes. “Since you can improve the Qi Revitalization Pill formula and recognize the Sacred Blood Mysterious Water, obviously your talent in alchemy is outstanding.

In that case, just admit it graciously. There’s no need to be overly modest, claiming you primarily focus on artifacts, it’s…”

Qin Ruqing immediately understood the Ancestor’s displeasure.

She herself was an alchemist and held great respect for alchemy.

Suddenly, a junior appeared who clearly had talent but claimed not to specialize in alchemy

Although Tang Zifeng majored in something else, his arrogant attitude made it seem like he looked down upon alchemy.

When Tang Zifeng was criticized, he didn’t argue or show anger.

He just lowered his gaze, pretending to be submissive.

However, this submissive demeanor actually hinted that he didn’t accept the Ancestor criticism.

He silently conveyed, “Actions speak louder than words.”

The Ancestor mentioned it briefly and then opened a parchment in her hand.

It displayed a simple diagram of a spiritual device, with a description of its functions on the right side.

Qin Ruqing stood behind and also peered into it.

【Feed Bracelet, Initial Stage: Fill the bracelet with Revitalization Pills and spirit stones to increase spiritual energy by 30%, assisting in spells or sword attacks.

Cultivation Requirement: Below Level Nine Qi Refinement.】

The parchment described two spiritual devices in total.

Just from the first glance, Qin Ruqing was amazed.

This person seemed to have some real talent.

Although the name “Feed Bracelet” sounded odd, its function was clearly tailored for alchemists.

Alchemists are known for sustained spiritual energy but lack attack power due to their cultivation techniques.

If the spiritual energy is too intense, it hinders their control over fire refinement and pill brewing, resulting in their weakness in combat.

However, this bracelet greatly compensated for these shortcomings of alchemists by “increasing the sharpness of spiritual energy by three levels,” significantly boosting their attack power.

It could also assist in spells and sword techniques.

Coupled with their inherent endurance advantage, their combat prowess would skyrocket!

What’s more, its activation condition — just needing Qi Revitalization Pills — was something alchemists always had on hand.

As for spirit stones, alchemists who saved diligently could easily obtain them.

In summary, it was easy to activate yet extraordinarily effective.

This spiritual device truly struck a chord with alchemists.

Not only was Qin Ruqing impressed, even the discerning Ancestor Wenxuan couldn’t help but feel intrigued.

If all alchemists of the Qin family could be equipped with this bracelet…

The Ancestor restrained herself from commenting hastily and continued reading.

The second spiritual device on the blueprint seemed to be an advanced version of the first.

【Feed Bracelet, Advanced Stage: Can store the caster’s strongest attack, up to three times.

When used, feed in three Revitalization Pills and one Bursting Pill to unleash. Note: There is a ten-breath cooldown between each use.

Cultivation Requirement: Qi Refinement from Level Three to Level Seven】

The Ancestor only briefly skimmed through the description of the second spiritual device.

Her pupils dilated immediately, and she looked up with a serious expression, asking, “What does ‘can store the caster’s strongest attack, up to three times’ mean? Does it mean this device can only be used three times in total, or… can it store up to three powerful attacks?” Her voice trembled slightly as she spoke the last sentence.

Upon hearing this, Tang Zifeng first bowed respectfully, then stood straight and calmly replied, “Naturally, it means it can store up to three powerful attacks.”

After a brief silence of about three breaths, the Ancestor slowly set down the parchment, gazed at Tang Zifeng, and said in a deep voice, “I owe you an apology. I shouldn’t have been so hasty in judging you earlier…

If your design can be made into actual artifacts, then your talent and ability in artifact refinement far surpass those in alchemy. You said you majored in artifacts, not alchemy, didn’t you?”

“I have a question.”

Let’s skip talking about the feeding bracelet; its design is indeed outstanding, almost like a spiritual tool custom-made for Danxiu.

This alone makes it very rare.

But what’s truly shocking is its advanced version—it can store the wearer’s three strongest attacks.

Although there’s a cooldown of ten moments after each use, in battle, these moments are insignificant.

With this tool, if used correctly, it could almost turn the tide of a battle, a powerful trump card indeed!

The person who designed these two tools must have been a core member of the Tang family before.

“I wonder if this bracelet is just a concept or if it can actually be made into a physical object?” the Patriarch asked.

Upon hearing the Patriarch’s praise, Tang Zifeng remained composed, showing no change in his expression.

He was very courteous, bowing again before presenting two ancient-style coiling flower bracelets with his palms up.

“The physical objects are here; please have a look, Ancestor.”

Qin Ruqing stepped forward, took the two bracelets, and examined them closely at the Ancestor’s request.

These bracelets were not like ordinary ones; they were slightly thicker with larger openings and circular grooves inside, likely for inserting elixirs.

Qin Ruqing wasn’t hesitant; she immediately took out a bottle of Qi Revitalizing Pill and tried them one by one.

The first bracelet was manageable, but when she tried the second, knowing its greater attack power, Qin Ruqing intentionally moved further away.

It caused a commotion at the back of the mountain; while the first strike was tolerable, the subsequent three shook the mountain so violently that it startled several Qin family alchemists who were gathering herbs there.

Qin Ruqing expanded her spiritual awareness and heard them ask in confusion:

“Whose alchemy furnace exploded again?”

“Doesn’t seem like a furnace explosion; the commotion is too big, it even shook a corner of the mountain.”

“Could it be an enemy attack?”

Qin Ruqing chuckled inwardly at the innocent style of her family’s alchemists.

To prevent panic, she amplified her voice with spiritual energy, “No need to panic, it’s just Qingqing practicing her techniques here.”

The alchemists from the Qin family looked in her direction, visibly relieved.

“Qing girl, what new trick are you up to this time?”

“Last time I heard your dad say you blew up your own backyard, and now you’re messing around at the back mountain? This isn’t a place to fool around; it’s filled with spiritual herbs. Stay further away and practice somewhere else, ah!”

Qin Ruqing responded, “Apologies for disturbing everyone; I’ll leave now.”

Back on Heart Lake Island, Qin Ruqing nodded to the Ancestor and said, “Ancestor, everything is fine. The actual effects seem even better than what was described in his drawings.”

The Ancestor exclaimed in surprise.

However, Tang Zifeng shook his head and looked at Qin Ruqing seriously, explaining, “It must be that Miss Qingqing has a unique spiritual energy, which enhances the effectiveness.

Normally, it would perform as described in the drawings, without any exaggeration.”

Qin Ruqing’s eyes flickered.

He was originally praising her, yet this person offered a straightforward explanation.

Quite honest.