The Eternal Saint of Alchemy

Fan Jian couldn't understand how the flower-viewing banquet could be related to making money, but he was used to this young master's eccentricities.

Meanwhile, in Xiao Ming's courtyard.

Xiao Ming was sitting in the courtyard drinking tea when Sun Xingzhou walked in with a gloomy face.

Xiao Ming put down his teacup and asked, "How was it?"

"That kid went to Baicaotang to buy medicine. The shopkeeper said it was a customer's private matter and couldn't be disclosed."

Xiao Ming frowned: "Why would he buy medicinal herbs? He doesn't even know anything about pills."

"I don't understand either." Sun Xingzhou sat down and said in a low voice, "In addition, at noon today, he had a conflict with Lin Yifeng on the street and pinned Lin Yifeng to the ground with one hand."

"What?" Xiao Ming's expression shifted. "Your dantian is destroyed, how can you still possess such immense power?"

"I don't know either. Besides, judging from his complexion, he's much better than yesterday, and there's no sign that his dantian has been destroyed."

Xiao Ming remained silent for a long time, his fingers tapping lightly on the table.

"Pharmacist Sun...could it be that he's been faking his illness all along?"

Sun Xingzhou was taken aback: "I don't think so. I personally examined his dantian, and it really is shattered."

"What if he can fix it?"

"Impossible!" Sun Xingzhou said decisively, "Repairing the dantian requires at least a sixth-grade pill, which is impossible to find in the entire Great Qing Kingdom. How could such trash possibly be obtained?"

Xiao Ming: "..."

He recalled the scene of Xiao Fan writing poetry in the hall.

His calm and composed demeanor was completely different from the good-for-nothing cousin he remembered.

"Keep a close eye on him," Xiao Ming said in a deep voice. "If there's anything suspicious, we must eliminate him as soon as possible."

"clear."

Three days passed in the blink of an eye.

During this period, Xiao Fan soaked in medicinal baths every day and cultivated the Supreme Pill Scripture. The cracks in his dantian gradually faded, and his spiritual power returned to the level of the fourth grade of the mortal realm.

Although it's not as good as before, it's still enough to satisfy most people.

The only thing that made him somewhat regretful was that the alchemy furnace was not completed, and he was unable to refine the Qi-Nourishing Pill, which caused his cultivation level to remain stuck at the peak of the fourth rank.

"Young Master, today is the flower viewing banquet. May I ask what you would like to wear?" Fan Jian asked, holding a stack of clothes with great excitement.

Xiao Fan frowned slightly as he looked at the pile of brightly colored clothes. "Do you have anything more plain?"

"Plain? Young Master, didn't you say the more flashy the better?"

Xiao Fan picked up a set of moon-white robes and put them on, then stood in front of the bronze mirror and looked at himself.

The person in the mirror had sword-like eyebrows and bright eyes, and a handsome face. Although he was still somewhat thin, he already had the demeanor of his previous life.

"Tsk, he's quite handsome." Xiao Fan stroked his chin, looking narcissistic.

Fan Jian rolled his eyes at him.

After doing all this, Xiao Fan and Fan Jian went out together.

The Yun family's flower-viewing banquet was held on the north side of Yunxia Mountain Villa, covering more than ten acres and filled with exotic flowers and rare herbs, becoming a scenic spot in Donglin City.

Every year at this time, the Yun family would invite celebrities from all over the world to enjoy the flowers. It was called a flower-viewing banquet, but it was also a social event that created opportunities for the younger generation to interact.

When Xiao Fan arrived at the manor, there were already carriages parked at the entrance.

As soon as I got off the bus, I saw a familiar face.

"Xiao Ming".

"Big brother, you're here too?" Xiao Ming walked over with a smile, acting like a good older brother. "Miss Ruoxi personally delivered the invitation? Big brother is really lucky."

Xiao Fan didn't stand on ceremony with him and went straight in.

Xiao Ming followed closely behind and whispered, "Brother, this time it's not just the Yun family who's here; even the young masters from the City Lord's Mansion and Medicine King Valley have come. If you spout nonsense like last time and embarrass our Xiao family, then I'm not going to take care of you anymore."

"Are you done talking?" Xiao Fan paused, his gaze falling on him.

Xiao Ming was taken aback: "???"

Xiao Fan left without looking back.

Xiao Ming stood there, the smile on his lips gradually fading, turning cold and sinister.

The backyard of the villa is beautiful, with artificial hills, flowing water, and blooming flowers.

Dozens of tables and chairs were set up in the courtyard, and quite a few people were already sitting there.

Xiao Fan casually sat down in a corner, while Fan Jian looked around warily.

"Look, the eldest daughter of the Yun family is wearing a green dress, she's so beautiful!"

Xiao Fan glanced at it.

Today, Yun Ruoxi wore a light green long dress with a white ribbon tied around her waist, and her long black hair was styled into a fairy bun with a jade hairpin.

She was talking with several young ladies from prominent families, occasionally smiling, her smile as gentle as a spring breeze.

"It is quite beautiful," Xiao Fan said sincerely.

"Young master, won't you go over and say a few words?"

What's the rush?

Just then, a commotion arose at the door.

A young man in his early twenties, dressed in brocade robes and with a long sword at his waist, was followed by four black-clad guards, all dressed in tight-fitting black outfits.

The crowd parted automatically, making way for them.

"Shen Zhao, the eldest young master of the City Lord's Mansion," Fan Jian said in a low voice. "He is a seventh-grade Xuan Realm cultivator and is one of the top figures among the younger generation in Donglin City."

Xiao Fan glanced at Shen Zhao and thought he really did have the air of a master.

But in the eyes of him, a ninth-grade alchemist from his previous life, a seventh-grade Xuan Realm cultivator was nothing more than a tiny bit stronger than an ant.

Shen Zhao stepped forward, cupped his hands in greeting to Yun Ruoxi, and said, "Sister Ruoxi, you've become even more beautiful after a year."

Yun Ruoxi bowed, polite but not enthusiastic: "Young Master Shen, you flatter me."

Shen Zhao didn't take it to heart and said with a smile, "I heard there will be a poetry gathering at today's flower viewing banquet, right? I just happened to have a new poem, and I would like to ask Sister Ruoxi to give it her opinion."

"Young Master Shen's poems are certainly excellent."

Shen Zhao exchanged a few pleasantries with Yun Ruoxi before taking his seat in the main seat, glancing at Yun Ruoxi from time to time.

Xiao Fan noticed a strong possessiveness in Shen Zhao's gaze as he looked at Yun Ruoxi, as if he wanted to win her heart.

"Interesting," he said, sipping his tea.

Yun Xiaotian, the head of the Yun family, stepped forward and expressed his gratitude for everyone's arrival.

Then came the poetry gathering.

Every year at the flower-viewing banquet, a wonderful show is staged, where young masters and ladies from various families take turns reciting poems and composing verses, showcasing their talents and winning the hearts of the beauties.

Shen Zhao took the first step forward and said loudly, "I am not very talented, but I will offer my humble opinion as a starting point."

As he paced back and forth, he recited:

"Spring arrives, clouds and rosy hues fill the garden with fragrance, flowers bloom in the Eastern Forest. If I could share the moon with a beautiful woman, I would envy neither mandarin ducks nor immortals."

The poem immediately drew applause upon its release.

"Amazing! So beautiful!"

"Young Master Shen is truly talented!"

Xiao Fan almost spat out his tea.

What poem is this? It's even worse than a doggerel! That last line is blatant plagiarism!

But what can you do when he's the son of the city lord?

Shen Zhao turned to look at Yun Ruoxi, a smug look on his face.

Yun Ruoxi smiled but remained silent.

"Who else?" Shen Zhao looked around, finally turning to Xiao Fan. "Young Master Xiao? I heard you wrote a poem for Sister Ruoxi a few days ago. Why don't you put it to good use today and let us see it for ourselves?"