A god-level alchemist, starting by manually crafting forbidden pills.

Upon hearing this, Yunxi smiled gently.

That smile was breathtakingly beautiful under the moonlight, yet it carried an indescribable complexity.

"Luo Fan has only been cultivating for twenty years. Even if he had been cultivating since birth, it would be impossible for him to have achieved this."

She paused, her delicate brows furrowing slightly.

"I wonder what methods that little guy used and what price he paid."

Yunxi looked at Liu Linglong, "Junior Sister, did you notice anything unusual about him when you saw him today?"

Liu Linglong thought about it carefully and shook her head.

"He's lively and energetic, and his cultivation level still appears to be at the first level of Qi Refining."

She herself didn't believe what she was saying. What Qi Refining cultivator could kill a Golden Core cultivator?

"Let's go inside and talk."

Yunxi turned and walked into the hall, where the candlelight cast flickering shadows of the two figures.

Liu Linglong sat lazily to the side, casually picking up a piece of pastry.

Why did Ji Kun want to kill him?

She didn't put the pastry in her mouth, but instead looked at Yunxi after it reached her red lips.

Yunxi sat down opposite her, her two beautiful legs elegantly crossed, her voice languid and bored.

"It's nothing more than that girl getting too close to Luo Fan, which made him resentful and give rise to malicious thoughts."

She picked up her teacup and took a small sip.

"Junior sister, it seems that we're not the only ones who know your little husband's secret."

Liu Linglong was eating pastries when she almost choked.

She patted her chest, her pretty face flushed, "What little husband? It's not even close to happening yet!"

Yunxi looked up at her, a mischievous smile on her face, "I've already dodged it once, how else do you want to do it?"

Liu Linglong's face turned even redder, almost steaming, and she was too embarrassed to speak.

Yunxi stopped teasing her and instead asked, "Did you gain anything from seeing him this time?"

Liu Linglong calmed herself down and thought carefully, "What is it..."

Before she could finish speaking, her beautiful eyes suddenly widened, and the pastry in her hand fell onto the table.

"Oh, right, senior sister!"

Her expression turned serious. "I can sense the aura of two kinds of spiritual herbs..."

She looked at Yunxi and said, word by word, "It should be the Profound Yin Netherworld Grass and the Earth Core Fire Spirit Mushroom!"

Yunxi slammed her teacup onto the table with a clatter, spilling tea.

She suddenly stood up, her eyes filled with shock.

"What?!"

Then, as if she had thought of something.

Yunxi nodded with a slightly somber expression. "No wonder they encountered people from the Soul Killing Hall."

Liu Linglong also realized what was happening.

"You mean, they ventured deep into the Black Wind Mountains and found these two medicinal herbs?"

"Weren't they going to find the ingredients for the Qi Condensation Pill? How come they..."

Liu Linglong paused, then murmured, "Could it be that the little guy stumbled upon this by accident?"

Her eyes were filled with disbelief.

If there's any place where you might find the Mysterious Yin Netherworld Grass, it's undoubtedly the Black Wind Mountains.

The area is shrouded in miasma year-round and contains countless traps; the illusion array there is not easily broken.

What's powerful isn't the formation itself, but the fact that it leverages natural advantages.

It can unleash different levels of power depending on the individual's cultivation level, making it difficult for them to leave.

Yunxi sat down again, her fingertips lightly tracing the rim of the teacup, her gaze deep and unfathomable.

"I don't know either."

She looked up at Liu Linglong, a meaningful smile playing on her lips.

"But you two...stumbled upon...stumbled upon..."

The teasing in that smile made Liu Linglong's blush return.

She muttered to herself.

"They should see what kind of person you are behind your high and mighty position as sect leader..."

Before she could finish speaking, Liu Linglong noticed that Yunxi's smile had frozen.

Those eyes, which were always as calm as still water, were wide open at this moment.

It was as if he had thought of something extremely shocking.

Even her hand holding the teacup trembled almost imperceptibly.

Her cheeks flushed red at a speed visible to the naked eye.

It even... faintly emitted white smoke.

Liu Linglong paused, then asked in confusion, "Senior Sister? What... are you thinking about?"

Yunxi snapped back to reality, forced herself to remain calm, picked up her teacup, and took a large gulp as if to cover up her true feelings.

"I...I'm fine."

But her flushed ears betrayed her unease.

It suddenly occurred to her.

A few days ago, that gaze that was spying on her…

It was neither a real eye nor an ordinary pupil technique, yet it was able to penetrate her spiritual energy defense.

If Luo Fan can really kill the Yin Bone Demon, then his hidden strength is probably far beyond imagination.

So, the owner of that gaze…

Could it be him?

He went to find spiritual herbs in order to refine the Nine-Turn Soul-Condensing Pill to heal her injuries.

Wouldn't that mean he saw me naked?

Thinking of this, Yunxi's cheeks burned even hotter, and her neck turned a light pink.

She took a deep breath, suppressing the turmoil in her heart, and changed the subject.

"Linglong, tomorrow you should give the order to have the disciples strengthen their defenses and avoid going out unless absolutely necessary."

Her expression was solemn.

"The Soul Killing Hall's return is sure to cause a stir, and we must prepare in advance."

Although Liu Linglong found her somewhat strange, she didn't think much of it and nodded in agreement.

"understood."

She stood up, her skirt swirling gently.

"Regardless, we have obtained two of the three main ingredients, and we are only missing the thousand-year-old Snow Lotus."

A slight smile played on her lips, and a hint of amusement flashed in her eyes.

"Including that little rascal who eliminated the Yin Bone Demon, Senior Sister, you've now incurred a debt of karma."

With that, she smiled, turned around, and transformed into a streak of purple light, disappearing outside the palace.

Yunxi watched her leave, then shook her head with a wry smile.

If this girl knew what that little rascal had done to her, she wouldn't have said that.

She couldn't explain how she felt.

The sect leader, who is suspected of being seen naked by his own disciples, is someone no one would believe if word got out.

She could only pretend not to know, but she felt really bad about it.

Hopefully, she's just overthinking it.

Perhaps the little guy only saw the injury to her heart meridian and didn't look anywhere else?

Yunxi could only console herself with this thought.

She picked up her teacup and drank the tea in one gulp, but the blush on her cheeks wouldn't fade.

"What a tragedy...!"

Finally, she sighed softly, her figure transforming into a fragrant breeze and disappearing from the spot.

……

Outer gate.

The courtyard gate was not closed.

In the courtyard, Midozhi, dressed in a brand-new red dress, moved nimbly, her spear piercing the air.

She would sometimes leap up, her skirt billowing, her jade-like legs tracing graceful arcs in the air.

Sometimes she would bend over, the gun turning with her body, her waist supple as a willow, the gun's wind creating a halo of light.

The halo seemed to carry the sounds of clashing swords and galloping horses, as well as the imposing force of war drums.

As she put away her gun, Midozhi wiped away her sweat, her face slightly flushed, her eyes filled with joy.

"Young man's pills are indeed powerful. I'm finally getting a little familiar with this field."

Her ears twitched slightly as she heard footsteps outside the courtyard. She looked up and saw Kong Lingfei walking in.

"Master!"

She jogged up to him, "Why did you come so late?"

"I heard you've returned, but you haven't come to let your master know you're safe."

Kong Lingfei said sternly, "As your teacher, I have no choice but to personally pay my respects to my dear disciple."

Midozhi could easily tell that her master was faking it, so she immediately grabbed his arm and shook it.

"Oh dear, Master!"

Her beautiful, blinking eyes were full of cunning.

"I heard that Master Qian from Qifeng gave you some kind of... miniature vibration magic weapon?"

She leaned closer, unable to hide her smile, "I heard that Master's wife is very fond of her, but I was just afraid of disturbing you~"

"Ahem! Don't listen to their nonsense!"

Kong Lingfei's face flushed red, his beard twitched three times, and he looked up at the moon, saying, "They're deliberately tarnishing my reputation!"

Midozhi covered her mouth and chuckled, not exposing her.

Kong Lingfei quickly changed the subject, "Have you completed your mission?"

"Of course!"

Midozhi raised her little face and puffed out her bulging chest.

"With your apprentice on the case, one of them is worth two! I've knocked all those bandits down!"

"Oh?"

Kong Lingfei then looked up and carefully examined her.

Upon seeing this, he frowned. "You seem to possess the aura of a domain?"

Midozhi was stunned for a moment before realizing that she had unconsciously extended her domain while practicing shooting.

Then she saw Kong Lingfei walk up to her and place his hand on her wrist for a pulse.

Spiritual energy probes in, sensing carefully.

A moment later, a look of shock flashed in Kong Lingfei's eyes, and his gaze toward Midozhi changed.

"It's actually the Ten Directions Battle Domain?!"

He swallowed hard, his eyes filled with disbelief, as if he were seeing his disciple for the first time.

Midozhi was even more confused and asked, "Master, what is that?"

Kong Lingfei took a deep breath, looked at her with a complicated expression, and slowly said:

"A domain-specific divine power inherent in ancient battle bodies."

"Upon reaching the pinnacle of cultivation, one can control the entire universe and suppress all enemies."

Kong Lingfei looked at her with a complicated expression. "Did you take some kind of special elixir?"

Midozhi's heart skipped a beat, but she forced herself to remain calm and tilted her head, pretending to be silly.

"There aren't any special elixirs here~"

"It was just a tiny bit of insight that came to them in a moment of desperation."

She spread her hands, looking innocent.

Kong Lingfei's eye twitched.

A small insight, that's all?

Doesn't this wretched disciple want to listen to what she's saying?!