Chapter 32: Relationship Troubles

Ye Wenxin observed Ling Jue’s increasingly strange attitude and carefully pondered her words from earlier. She realized that Ling Jue had misunderstood her again. When she mentioned “figure it out yourself,” she meant resolving the effects of the medicine within her body through her cultivation, not the strange interpretation that arose in Ling Jue’s mind.

However, the misunderstanding had already occurred, and Ye Wenxin did not want to explain too clearly. Instead, she decided to keep her eyes closed and focus on simulating the process of making the Heart-Cleansing Pill in her mind. She found it was not as difficult as she had imagined.

As for the herbs, she could borrow them from Ling Jue or purchase them if necessary. The spirit stones she had obtained earlier were enough to buy up the medicinal ingredients in town. However, since the Heart-Cleansing Pill was a secret medicine, she could only produce it secretly.

It would be best to choose a location that would not be discovered by Ling Jue, allowing her to release the restrictions on her cultivation and refine the pill freely.

As more thoughts swirled in her mind, Ye Wenxin found herself devoid of any sleepiness. She really wanted to sneak out in the middle of the night to find a place to refine the pill. Unfortunately, she had promised to sleep with Ling Jue and could not just run off like that.

In the Azure Wings Sect, many of her actions were destined to be greatly restricted, and she still had to play the role of a child who had just broken through to the Qi Refining stage.

“It’s already late, let’s rest.” Ling Jue had finished reading the entire book and noticed that Ye Wenxin was still pondering about the recipe. She reminded it was time to rest.

Ye Wenxin absentmindedly agreed and naturally lay down on the bed with Ling Jue. However, her mind was still preoccupied with thoughts about the recipe. After much consideration, she decided to focus on the second-tier pills and elixirs first, and then consider the Heart-Cleansing Pill…

In this manner, time passed swiftly. A month had gone by in the blink of an eye, and Ye Wenxin successfully refined the first type of second-tier pill, several months earlier than Ling Jue had anticipated.

The recruitment event would be held in half a month. In order to ensure that Ye Wenxin was in the best condition to face it, Ling Jue gave her a half-month vacation to relax properly.

Once Ye Wenxin became an Azure Wings Sect disciple, her studies would not be limited to alchemy alone. She would also have to learn the sect’s cultivation method and swordsmanship. This busy schedule might even leave Ye Wenxin with no time for alchemy.

However, at the same time, her advancement in cultivation laid a solid foundation for her to refine the second type of pill. Although Ling Jue felt reluctant to see less of Ye Wenxin, she had to consider the bigger picture.

“Why haven’t I seen Wenxin today? Could it be…” Long Qing’er and Ling Jue’s daily routine of looking unpleasantly at each other continued, but in the eyes of others, the quarrel between two equally outstanding individuals seemed as beautiful as a painting.

“The recruitment is in half a month, so I’ve let Wenxin take some time off.” Ling Jue reluctantly informed Long Qing’er of her plans. Strangely, Long Qing’er did not seem disappointed at all. In fact, a smile even appeared on her lips.

“You finally let Junior Sister Wenxin take a break. That’s great! I can take her down the mountain to have some fun.” Long Qing’er handed the set of herbs she was holding to a nearby disciple and then strode off towards the backyard.

Ling Jue was taken aback for a moment, then quickly followed suit, worried that Long Qing’er might lead Ye Wenxin astray and actually take her down the mountain to play, leaving her alone and lonely on the mountain.

“You gave Wenxin a break, so why are you following me?”

“Wenxin is my assistant. Who knows if you might try something mischievous and lure her away from me.”

“Oh, the Peerless Gentleman actually has such a petty heart.”

“I may not be a gentleman, but you’re certainly no good person either.”

Their exchange grew increasingly heated as their footsteps quickened. However, when Ling Jue and Long Qing’er pushed open the door to Ye Wenxin’s room, they found it empty, with only a note left behind.

[I’ve gone down the mountain with Senior Sister Huang to buy some things.]

The two originally harbored their own thoughts; upon seeing the note, the expressions on both of their faces changed slightly.

Ye Wenxin’s actions could be described as thoughtful. She did not want to offend Long Qing’er, nor did she want to upset Ling Jue. Therefore, she decided to go down the mountain with a third person she knew, Huang Hanyan.

As the only disciple of Demon Lord Gu Qingcheng who had been lured away by Fairy Fengya before they even met, Ye Wenxin’s feelings upon seeing Huang Hanyan were quite complicated.

Huang Hanyan had decent talent and had already reached fifth-stage Qi Refining in just half a year. However, for Ye Wenxin, Huang Hanyan’s progress seemed too slow. If she had chosen the Wind and Moon Palace, in half a year, Ye Wenxin could have helped Huang Hanyan graduate from the Qi Refining stage and advance to the Foundation Establishment stage.

“Senior Sister Huang, how’ve you been with the inner disciples lately?” Ye Wenxin asked, noticing that Huang Hanyan always seemed to keep to herself and led a rather difficult life.

“I’ve been okay,” Huang Hanyan replied, but there was a deeper meaning behind her words.

Even when going down the mountain, she was still wearing the attire of an Azure Wings Sect disciple. Her shoes seemed to have been worn out, showing signs of wear and tear, yet there was no intention to replace them. As for any magic items or divine weapons, Huang Hanyan wielded the most ordinary sword, devoid of any embellishments, simple and elegant, bright as sunlight.

Despite her appearance, the girl was not smiling. It was unclear whether she had lost her smile due to the training among the inner disciples, or if there were other worries weighing on her mind.

“Seems like you’re not doing well,” Ye Wenxin spoke frankly, causing Huang Hanyan to pause for a moment before smiling, “I’m really doing fine, I’m just… thinking about other things.”

Her smile seemed somewhat forced, indicating that there were unresolved issues in her heart. She just did not want to say too much facing Ye Wenxin, feeling that the young Ye Wenxin could not possibly understand the bitterness in her heart.

“I see.” Ye Wenxin tacitly understood and refrained from asking further questions, which made Huang Hanyan feel strangely unsettled.

“Why did you stop asking?”

“If I ask, will you tell me?” Ye Wenxin replied. Huang Hanyan smiled again, but this time it was a genuine smile from the heart.

“Little Sister Wenxin, you’re different from others. You seem so mature, like an adult,” she said, patting Ye Wenxin’s head with a bright smile on her face.

Ye Wenxin did not brush away the hand on her head, listening as Huang Hanyan continued to express her frustration.

“If I had known that an immortal sect was so dark, I would have joined the Demon Lord instead. Then I wouldn’t have to endure being bullied by those children every day.” This was the second time Huang Hanyan mentioned this matter in front of Ye Wenxin. It was unclear whether she truly regretted it or if she was simply facing a difficult situation in the immortal sect.

“That’s not necessarily true. Who knows, you might end up like those disciples of the Demon Lord, changing sides after seeing Fairy Fengya.” Ye Wenxin said this through gritted teeth. As long as Fairy Fengya had the female lead’s halo, no matter how sincerely Ye Wenxin tried to retain her disciples, just one look from Fairy Fengya could change everything.

But if Huang Hanyan became her disciple and then went to follow Fairy Fengya, Ye Wenxin thought she might be so angry that she would directly go to the Azure Wings Sect to fight Fairy Fengya, bringing her villainous career to an abrupt end.

After weighing her options, she felt that the current situation was satisfactory. She could learn everything about Fairy Fengya in the nearest place and make thorough preparations to ultimately kill her.

“Hahaha, if the Demon Lord knew about that, she would be furious.” Huang Hanyan burst into laughter at Ye Wenxin’s words. Ye Wenxin’s expression darkened. She was not joking when she mentioned her affairs, but it seemed like Huang Hanyan always thought she was deliberately bringing up the topic for laughs.

The most infuriating thing was that because of this joke, Huang Hanyan’s mood had lightened considerably. She took the initiative to hold Ye Wenxin’s hand, smiling lustrous as a flower.

“Junior Sister Wenxin, meeting you is truly wonderful.”

“Yeah, I feel the same.” Ye Wenxin did not refuse the hand-holding gesture, but she could not quite understand why Huang Hanyan sounded so melancholic.

“I really wish I could see you like this every day.”

“Uh, hasn’t that been the case every day now?”

Ye Wenxin could not shake off the feeling that this was some sort of death flag. She imagined Huang Hanyan, who had spoken those words, quietly dying one day without her knowledge, her body slowly decaying.

“Yeah, that’s true. That’s why I cherish every day we spend together. But, it seems like Junior Sister Wenxin prefers Senior Sister Qing’er more.” Huang Hanyan smiled, changing the subject and hiding that bit of sadness away.

Ye Wenxin could not hold back anymore, “Senior Sister Huang, what exactly is the problem you’re facing? Are your family members against you becoming a cultivator?”

Hearing Ye Wenxin’s direct inquiry, Huang Hanyan seemed unable to keep the words she had been holding in any longer.

“No, they’re not against it, but my parents have said that if I don’t reach the Foundation Establishment stage within this year, I’ll have to get married.” With such a development, it was no wonder Huang Hanyan was so upset.

In life, one of the most difficult obstacles was relationships. Familial love, friendship, romantic love.

And familial love, sometimes more than friendship or romantic love, was often entwined with self-interest.

In a patriarchal society, even though the situation might have eased somewhat due to cultivation, ordinary people still lived under such conditions. If a daughter was deemed useless, she naturally would become a bargaining chip in marriage.

“Junior Sister Wenxin, you don’t need to comfort me.” Huang Hanyan looked at Ye Wenxin’s sympathetic gaze and regretted speaking those words. She knew that confiding in Ye Wenxin would not change her current situation.

However, after confiding, she felt somewhat relieved.

“These pills, you keep them.” Yet, Ye Wenxin had no such sympathy at all. She considered what Huang Hanyan was lacking in her cultivation at the moment and then handed her a bottle.

“These are golden pills. Where did you get so many golden pills… I’m really confused. You’re now Young Master Ling’s assistant, but don’t you need these golden pills too? I can’t…” Just by looking at the color of the golden pills, Huang Hanyan realized they were of superb quality. Thinking further, although Ye Wenxin was an alchemist, she also needed these golden pills for support.

Huang Hanyan resisted desperately, trying to force the bottle into Ye Wenxin’s hands, but Ye Wenxin adamantly refused. “Take them. I can ask Big Brother Ling for more, but you have nothing to back you anymore.”

Upon hearing those words, Huang Hanyan stopped moving and held the bottle solemnly in her hands. “Junior Sister Wenxin, if Huang Hanyan achieves anything in the future, I will do anything for you, even if it means going through fire and water.”

Huang Hanyan’s expression was extremely serious, but Ye Wenxin was not really thinking about such complex matters. However, she could not hurt Huang Hanyan’s self-esteem, so she went along and said, “Then I’ll be waiting for you, for the day you risk your life for me, until then, make good use of me.”

Huang Hanyan was speechless and emphasized Ye Wenxin’s wording again, “What do you mean by ‘make use of’? I’m borrowing!”

“Suit yourself. Anyway, you don’t need to be polite with me. Whatever you can take from me now, you’ll have to repay me doubly in the future.”

Ye Wenxin smiled, her face so youthful, yet her tone and gaze made one’s heart skip a beat, like an emperor ruling over the world, it even made Huang Hanyan feel an urge to worship.