Chapter 23: Bringing Home an Alchemist
Chapter 23: Bringing Home an Alchemist
The words from Yaochi Empress left Luo Ningshuang frozen in place.
This mysterious powerhouse from beyond their realm actually considered her fiancé to be a calamity?
Su Ming noticed her hesitation immediately.
He began ignoring her appearance to focus on gathering more information about her.
“No ring, no bracelet… must be that then?” Staring at the necklace around Luo Ningshuang’s neck, Su Ming found his answer.
Her golden finger was hidden within that pendant.
“Yaochi Empress, what nonsense are you spouting?” Luo Ningshuang directly challenged the voice in her head.
“I… I don’t know why. My memories aren’t fully restored yet, but I can sense this person is a walking disaster! Staying with him will bring you nothing but misfortune!”
Luo Ningshuang sneered internally at the empress’s warning.
“He’s the calamity? If not for our tenuous connection, I would have been expelled from Jixia Academy six months ago.”
“If not for him, I’d still be toiling day and night in the academy’s alchemy chambers.”
“Do you know who caused all my suffering? You! Because of you, my cultivation regressed, my Innate Dao Marks were suppressed.”
“In this world where strength reigns supreme, even a three-year-old understands the fate awaiting those without power.”
“Yaochi Empress, haven’t you realized? You’re the real disaster in my life!”
The celestial empress fell silent before Luo Ningshuang’s rebuttal.
She understood perfectly the depth of the girl’s resentment.
Were it not for the Yaochi Heavenly Lock’s irreversible binding, Luo Ningshuang would have tossed the artifact into a sewage ditch without a second glance.
“But… but he truly is—”
“Silence!” Luo Ningshuang swiped her hand across the pendant, completely muting Yaochi Empress’s voice.
As the artifact’s current owner, this was the only control she possessed.
Su Ming observed Luo Ningshuang’s agitated state, noting the fury in her eyes.
“Probably arguing with her system or old ancestor spirit…”
He completely understood such situations.
These cheat devices were tolerable when they provided immediate benefits, but the ones that demanded payment upfront could drive people to despair.
To fall from being a celebrated genius into the mud of mediocrity—that kind of gap wasn’t something everyone could endure.
In the original timeline, Luo Ningshuang appeared three years later, meaning her “cheat” would continue draining her cultivation for three more years. Even Su Ming doubted he could withstand such treatment.
Ahem. Su Ming cleared his throat. “Since we’ve already exchanged names, let’s skip further introductions.”
“The eastern guest room in the courtyard is yours. Ask Meng Shu if you need anything else.”
“Although you’re following me now, I don’t intend to keep you as some decorative vase…”
Meng Shu’s eyes widened at such blunt phrasing.
Wouldn’t such directness hurt her feelings?
Yet when the old guardian glanced at Luo Ningshuang, he found no trace of resentment.
She accepted Su Ming’s words with complete composure.
“Such temperament is truly rare.”
In truth, Su Ming was simply reiterating what he’d written in his earlier letter to her.
Rather than being kept as an ornament, Luo Ningshuang preferred earning equal treatment through her own abilities.
His words aligned perfectly with her desires.
“I’ve reviewed your records. Alchemy seems to be your most marketable skill currently.”
Su Ming tossed an alchemy cauldron into a corner of the courtyard—the Profound Yang Flame Cauldron he’d taken from the sect treasury, ranked among the top five cauldrons on the Heaven Primordial Continent.
After placing materials and fuel nearby, he said, “Start with refining a batch of Qi Nourishing Pills.”
“Understood.”
Luo Ningshuang answered curtly, immediately moving to the materials. With practiced efficiency, she selected what she needed and activated the cauldron.
A mere trickle of spiritual power made the interior blaze with intense heat.
While such temperatures should incinerate everything nearby, all heat remained perfectly contained within the vessel without the slightest leakage.
The more advanced the cauldron, the better its heat retention and stability, drastically reducing explosion risks.
After calibrating the flames, Luo Ningshuang began feeding materials into the cauldron in precise batches. Her movements were swift and accurate, surpassing even veteran alchemists in proficiency.
Meng Shu observed quietly before whispering to Su Ming, “Young Master, your fiancée’s alchemical skills… I daresay they rival some of the Three Saints Sect’s elder alchemists…”
Though Su Ming’s expression remained neutral, inwardly he rejoiced.
This indirectly proved his fiancée’s value.
Once her cultivation recovered, her alchemical achievements would reach even greater heights.
[Host successfully altered destiny protagonist’s fate. Gained 4000 Destiny Points.]
Hearing the notification, Su Ming watched Luo Ningshuang’s focused expression as she worked, completely undisturbed by external distractions.
When all materials had liquefied, she extracted the medicinal essence into containers to congeal.
“Young Master, I’ve never seen such an alchemical method before…”
“Meng Shu, you’re certain?” This time it was Su Ming’s turn to be surprised.
Meng Shu wasn’t just any ordinary guardian. Having lived nearly a millennium on the Heaven Primordial Continent, he’d been nearing the end of his lifespan when Su Wu recognized his worth, granting him life-extending elixirs and assigning him as Su Ming’s protector.
The old man’s knowledge of the continent surpassed even most sect ancestors.
If even Meng Shu hadn’t encountered this technique, it either originated from ancient times or… came from beyond this world.
Su Ming leaned toward the latter.
His fiancée’s luck might surpass even Chu Fan’s.
As these thoughts crossed his mind, Luo Ningshuang completed the Qi Nourishing Pills—a semi-solid mass of congealed medicinal liquid which she pressed into molds before their eyes.
A fresh batch of pills emerged moments later.
“Meng Shu, give your assessment.”
Luo Ningshuang handed all the pills to the old guardian without hesitation.
Meng Shu examined them, eyes flashing with astonishment. “Superior-grade pill markings… 20% more effective than standard Qi Nourishing Pills.”
“That’s not all,” Luo Ningshuang added confidently. “My method uses 20% fewer materials while yielding 30% more product.”
This being her only current marketable skill, she displayed absolute confidence.
Her gaze turned to Su Ming, awaiting his final verdict.
“I’ll provide all future alchemy materials. After sales, I’ll take 30% of the spirit stones after deducting material costs—the rest is yours. If you prefer cultivation resources over stones, I can arrange equivalent exchanges. Acceptable?”
“I accept.”
[Host successfully altered destiny protagonist’s fate. Gained Destiny Points.]
Whether they’d eventually marry was secondary—keeping her close as his personal alchemist took priority for now.