An Alchemist's Path to Eternity

Three days later, a faint and elegant fragrance lingered in the room when Gu Caiyi slowly awoke from her deep sleep. She opened her eyes and stared at the moonstone-studded ceiling, and for a few moments, she lay still in a daze, her mind slow to process the reality.

Then, all at once, she sat upright and crossed her legs in a meditative pose. With inner sight, she examined her body. The meridians that had once been shattered and ravaged were now quiet, completely emptied out. The stagnant spirit energy that had clung to her for almost two years had vanished without a trace.

With a single thought, the spirit power that she hadn’t been able to control in a long time began to circulate smoothly.

Mm! Gu Caiyi let out a muffled groan as a sharp pain coursed through her meridians. Yet despite the pain, her heart overflowed with joy! ”It’s really healed! My dantian has been restored! I can absorb spirit energy again! I can cultivate again. Luo Chen didn’t lie to me!”

All the hardships of the past few years came rushing back to her at once, and she couldn’t hold it in anymore. Tears welled up in her eyes, threatening to fall. Yet when she thought of the bright future ahead, she wiped them away and broke into a radiant smile

”After hardship comes happiness,” she whispered, laughing at herself. ”What am I crying for? He wouldn’t want to see me cry anyway.”

She stepped down from the bed and dressed swiftly, her movements light and graceful.

In the living room, Luo Chen had sensed her awakening the moment it happened, but he didn’t go to her right away. He knew better than to intrude. Sometimes, people need a moment to themselves to settle their emotions. Besides, he wasn’t fond of overly intense emotional scenes himself.

It wasn’t long before Gu Caiyi, now entirely refreshed, emerged from her room. She had changed into fresh clothes and her long hair was neatly brushed. Where once her hair had been dry and lifeless, now it flowed like a waterfall, dark and glossy with health. Her once-pale and gaunt face now glowed with a healthy flush; her cheeks were plump and smooth. She stood before him, poised and graceful, with a bright smile lighting up her face.

Luo Chen chuckled and shook his head. ”Still as beautiful as ever.”

He extended his hand, and she instinctively reached out and sat down beside him. ”For the next half year, focus on recovery. Nourish your body, stabilize your condition, and get back to the Perfected Mastery of Qi Refinement. Once you’re ready, I’ll personally guide you through Foundation Establishment.”

”Mhm.”She nodded softly.

”It’s not like you’ll be doing nothing during this time either. Stay in contact with Yuan Xiaoyue at the Gold Palace and help oversee things there.”

”Mhm.”She nodded again.

”It’s not that I don’t care about you, it’s just that these are troubled times. I’ve been busy every day refining pills for Ice Fortress; everyone’s contributing.”

”Mhm.”Again, she nodded.

Seeing how compliant Gu Caiyi was, Luo Chen looked at her helplessly and chuckled. ”Come on now. You’re healed. When did you turn into an echo bug?”

Entirely unbothered by Bai Meiling, who was reading on the other side of the room, Gu Caiyi dove straight into Luo Chen’s arms. She rubbed her head against his chest and muttered, ”From now on, whatever you say, I’ll listen.”

”Seriously?”

”Seriously!”

”Alright, then. Huiniang’s coming over later. Don’t act like a stranger, greet her properly.”

Gu Caiyi lifted her head from his chest and gave him a flat look. Her carefully brushed hair now looked like a bird’s nest.

Luo Chen sighed. ”She’s always treated you well. Why act like she’s your enemy?”

”You’re such a buzzkill!” she huffed, giving his shoulder a light punch before slipping away to join Bai Meiling. Together, the two women began leafing through a massive cookbook.

Over the years, Bai Meiling had been in charge of Luo Chen’s meals and daily care, and her cooking was excellent, but her skills lacked a formal structure. Recently, Sima Huiniang had sent over a comprehensive recipe collection related to spirit cuisine. If Bai Meiling could master even a few proper recipes from it, she’d qualify as a spirit chef, which was an official craft. From then on, she could prepare tastier, more nourishing meals infused with spirit energy for Luo Chen.

From his seat, Luo Chen watched the two women working together. From time to time, Gu Caiyi would glance back at him with a secretive look in her eye. He smiled and shook his head.

***

Sima Huiniang arrived in the early evening. She only made her way over after completing a full day’s worth of affairs for the Luo Tian Society. Normally, she did not visit so often, but ever since Wang Yuan and the others were sent to the Jilei Nine Mountains battlefield, half a year back, her visits had become more frequent.

However, it was not for personal reasons. She came only to deliver updates and intelligence reports that had been gathered and compiled. They had learned from the painful lesson of delayed intelligence that had once left Luo Chen completely unprepared when facing Fairy Ruthless. Now, the Luo Tian Society’s intelligence was routinely gathered, processed, and reported to both Luo Chen and Sima Huiniang. Whether it was useful was up to them to decide; as far as the others were concerned, their duty was to gather it.

Beneath the sun-warmed tree, a man and a woman stood side by side, watching the dusky setting sun. Sima Huiniang began, ”Xu Haizhen’s eagle report arrived today. The Ruthless Lineage truly isn’t valued at the Ice Fortress. They’ve been assigned to the most dangerous outer perimeter of the Seventh Mountain. But Tantai Jin kept her word. The Luo Tian Society was assigned a relatively safe mountain-guarding duty, not the more dangerous scouting or battle tasks.”

She paused before glancing sideways at Luo Chen. ”In the letter, Xu Haizhen mentioned that the Falling Cloud Sect hasn’t provided many resources. If they want to secure the area, they’ll need proper formations. I’m thinking of sending Min Longyu to help. What do you think?”

Luo Chen frowned slightly. The Jilei Nine Mountains were the heart of the battlefield. Even if not a battleground where every inch was contested, it was still clearly a place where the two top sects wrestled for dominance.

The Falling Cloud Sect doesn’t even provide formation support to their allies?

”What about the other vassal organizations?” he asked aloud.

Sima Huiniang shook her head. ”They departed in a hurry, and most of the formations they managed to set up are only first-tier. Moreover, the Jilei Nine Mountains’ terrain is extremely unusual. Because of the heavy lightning energy around there, regular formations only work at ten or twenty percent capacity.”

Ten percent? That’s practically nothing!

Luo Chen understood what she was implying. A typical Foundation Establishment cultivator only had a basic grasp of formations, enough to lay them down using formation discs and flags. Such formations were rigid and inflexible and were commonly referred to as ”dead formations.” Only someone like Min Longyu, a true formation master, or a master like the late Supreme Elder of the Valley of Ghosts and Divinities, could analyze the terrain and lay down a living formation, one that responded dynamically to its environment.

Due to Jilei Nine Mountains’ unique terrain, even well-prepared formation tools proved ineffective. Put simply, everyone was going in exposed. Whether attacking or being attacked, they were completely vulnerable to enemy blades. Under such conditions, if Min Longyu went in person, it would make a significant difference.

Luo Chen thought for a moment and said, ”Min Longyu can go, but not just yet.”

Sima Huiniang looked puzzled.

Luo Chen explained, ”The situation there is too chaotic. Travel is risky; ambushes could happen anytime. If something were to happen to Min Longyu, it would be a huge loss for the Luo Tian Society. It’s best if he waits until the situation stabilizes, then travels with the others during the rotation of forces.”

Sima Huiniang echoed the phrase. ”Rotation of forces?”

”Yes. We can’t keep Wang Yuan and the others stationed on the frontlines indefinitely. We’ll rotate our Foundation Establishment cultivators over time. That will make it fair for everyone.”

With that explanation, Sima Huiniang understood.

Luo Chen didn’t speak further on it, but a thought lingered quietly in his heart. If necessary, I might even go myself.

Suddenly, Sima Huiniang broke the silence. ”There’s one more thing. I didn’t want to decide this alone, so I came to ask you.”

Luo Chen turned toward her. ”Go on.”

She said nervously, ”According to intelligence from the Luo Network and the Gold Palace, the Zheng family of Rolling Dragon Ridge has had many people conscripted to the battlefield. Their pill business has nearly collapsed. Should we take the opportunity...”

”Stay away from it. Leave it alone for now.” Luo Chen shook his head sternly. ”And not just the Zheng family; any market left vacant by our competitors, leave it untouched. At least for now.”

He didn’t elaborate much, but Sima Huiniang understood his thinking and faintly grasped what he was concerned about. Hence, she nodded and said, ”I understand. For now, we’ll just maintain our current scale.”

Luo Chen knew well why Sima Huiniang had raised such a suggestion. It wasn’t due to greed or short-sightedness. After all, many cultivators from Tianlan Immortal City’s various factions had been summoned by their respective houses to the warfront. That meant fewer people remained behind and with fewer people came shrinking markets.

For the Luo Tian Society to maintain its current scale of operations was already becoming difficult. That was why Sima Huiniang had started eyeing the markets vacated by those smaller factions.

However, these things were too risky to touch in the short term. There was no telling if it would provoke the powerful sects backing those forces.

”In truth, the best places to do business in the Jade Cauldron Domain right now aren’t those immortal cities along the main trade routes,” Luo Chen said meaningfully.

Sima Huiniang blinked as understanding dawned. He had to be speaking of the Blackwater Marshes battlefield and the Jilei Nine Mountains battlefield. After all, what business could be more profitable than war?

However, engaging in such trade would undoubtedly require long-term planning. As she quietly considered this, a crisp voice suddenly called out from behind. ”Dinner’s ready. Director Sima, why don’t you stay and join us for a meal?”

Huiniang turned to see Gu Caiyi standing at the entrance of the cave residence, calm and poised. Luo Chen didn’t say anything; he simply allowed a faint smile to curl at the corner of his lips.

***

Throughout the meal, the three of them ate in silence, hardly noticing the taste of the food.

First of all, their little ghostly chef, Bai Meiling, was just beginning to learn the recipes. The dishes preserved their spirit energy well enough, but the flavors were... less than optimal. At the same time, the two women sat across from one another, eating with elegance but exchanging almost no words.

Luo Chen, seated between them, had initially felt quite pleased. Yet after a few brief exchanges that failed to spark any conversation, he began to feel rather on edge. It wasn’t until dinner ended and Sima Huiniang took her leave that Luo Chen finally breathed a sigh of relief.

So it was true. The so-called blessing of being surrounded by multiple women was never as enviable as it seemed. Managing to have both sit together for a meal in peace was proof enough of his ability; to expect laughter and lighthearted chatter between them was nothing more than a fantasy.

Still, it’s a good start, he thought.

Watching the figure bent over at the kitchen sink, washing dishes, Luo Chen broke into a smile.