At this moment, Lin Feng wanted to kill someone.
He had been immersed in a unique state of selfless concentration, on the verge of achieving his first successful pill refinement. Yet at the most critical juncture, an interruption shattered his mental focus, destroying all his progress!!
Watching the tendrils of black smoke curl from the furnace, Lin Feng felt a wave of bitter frustration. He shot an irritated glance toward the front courtyard before recalling the Deep Crimson Molten Flame with a flick of his wrist, then stored the furnace away.
He longed to shout 'Not here!' to the visitor, but it was obvious they knew he was home—the question had been 'May I come in?' rather than 'Are you there?'.
Suppressing his annoyance, Lin Feng left the bedroom, crossed the main hall, and opened the door. A tall, strikingly beautiful figure stood on the threshold. As the door swung open, he nearly collided with a pair of towering, voluptuous peaks.
Recognizing the visitor, Lin Feng paused, then furrowed his brows slightly. "It's you? Senior Sister, what brings you here?"
Jie Feiyuan seemed momentarily taken aback by Lin Feng's displeased expression. She blinked her luminous eyes, adopting a wounded tone. "What? Judging by your face, Junior Brother Lin, it seems you aren't pleased to see me?"
Lin Feng's expression stiffened. He couldn't exactly say 'I'm not.' Instead, he stepped aside and forced a smile. "Of course not. I'm just surprised by your visit. Please, come in."
Jie Feiyuan offered a dazzling smile as she glided inside. "I came primarily to thank you for saving my life yesterday! You left so abruptly, you didn't even give me a chance to express my gratitude. And when I returned, you were nowhere to be found. So here I am today."
As she spoke, her eyes swept casually around the room. When her gaze drifted toward Lin Feng's bedroom, they flickered with surprise. "Such intense fire-attribute spiritual energy... Junior Brother Lin, were you refining pills just now?"
Lin Feng gestured toward a chair beside a low table in the hall, taking a seat opposite her. "Yes. I just learned today and wanted to practice."
"Oh! Did I disturb you?" Jie Feiyuan immediately adopted a contrite expression, her voice softening. "Junior Brother Lin, I'm so sorry..."
Lin Feng's cheek twitched imperceptibly. "It's... fine. What exactly did you say you came for?"
"To thank you!" she reiterated brightly. "I truly owe you my life! I heard your cohort began formal pill refining lessons today. You must need more herbs for practice—so I brought some as a token of gratitude. Please don't refuse them..."
With a graceful sweep of her right hand, she deposited a pile of spirit herbs onto the table—over a hundred stalks, all ingredients for the Qi Condensing Pill, more than double what the sect had issued that day.
To most, such a 'generous' offering would elicit ecstatic shock. Lin Feng, however, remained impassive. "You jest, Senior Sister. It was the Purple-Crowned Thunder Crane who saved you yesterday, not me. Gifts are unnecessary."
Jie Feiyuan's eyes gleamed with hidden insight, confirming a private suspicion. She covered a light laugh with her hand. "Why so guarded, Junior Brother? Afraid your Senior Sister means you harm? You arrived with the Thunder Crane—that counts as saving me! These herbs are trivial. Please accept them."
"Senior Sister, truly—"
"Ah! Since you only began refining today, you must have many questions, yes?" she interjected smoothly. "I've compiled some personal insights on pill refining. They might help you."
Before Lin Feng could refuse again, she produced a pale green jade slip and offered it to him.
"Oh?" Lin Feng's eyes lit up. Pill refining notes were precisely what he needed. After a brief silence, he conceded, "My deepest thanks, Senior Sister. This is indeed invaluable. I'll accept it gratefully."
"Ha! I was beginning to think you'd refuse everything!" Jie Feiyuan giggled, pressing the jade slip into his hand. Whether intentional or not, her jade-like fingers brushed against his palm—a touch as smooth and boneless as silk.
When Lin Feng immediately focused on examining the slip, Jie Feiyuan's fine eyebrows arched slightly. Undeterred, she pressed on. "Junior Brother Lin, are you settling in well at the Spirit Beast Garden? Tending those creatures must be taxing. Did you return straight to refining after class today? Don't you need to deliver their pills?"
Lin Feng skimmed the jade slip's contents briefly before storing it away. "It's tolerable. Quiet here. I gave the beasts a two-day ration yesterday, so no deliveries today."
"Is that so?" Interest sparked in her eyes. "You seem unusually close to them! I've never heard of anyone but the Vice-Sect Master riding the Purple-Crowned Thunder Crane..."
Lin Feng replied evenly, "I was fortunate. The Thunder Crane was advancing recently. I delivered its pills then, so it favors me."
"..."
When Lin Feng offered nothing further, Jie Feiyuan stifled her irritation. Is he feigning ignorance or truly this dense? She steered the conversation again. "Gaining a spirit beast's trust so easily speaks volumes about you, Junior Brother! I also heard you know Xia Xin—the new personal disciple Elder Zhou took on?"
Lin Feng nodded. "Yes. We arrived together."
Again, no elaboration. The dismissal was palpable.
Jie Feiyuan nearly lost her composure. No man has ever been this indifferent to me! Is he blind—does my appearance mean nothing to him?
His attitude drained her patience. She cut to the chase. "Speaking of yesterday... Junior Brother Lin, you did retrieve those three Vines of Misty Creepers beside the Golden-Scaled Lizard's nest, didn't you?"
Lin Feng's brow lifted. Finally, the real purpose. He neither feigned ignorance nor denied it. "Correct. While you were healing, I searched the area and found them. Why do you ask?"
"Hehe, don't misunderstand!" Jie Feiyuan waved a delicate hand. "Since you gathered them, they're rightfully yours. I'm not demanding you hand them over." She leaned forward, her voice turning coaxing. "It's just... I'm nearing the Great Perfection of Foundation Establishment and preparing for Core Formation. While the sect will grant one Azure Beard Pill, one likely won't suffice. I wish to collect ingredients and ask my master to refine a few more..." She bit her lower lip, eyes wide and imploring. "...Might you spare one vine for me?"
"So it's the Misty Creepers..." Lin Feng sighed inwardly, seemingly immune to her楚楚动人的 (chǔchǔdòngrén - delicate and touching) demeanor. His expression remained neutral. "I see. Since Senior Sister asks, of course I'll assist..."
"Really?!" Her eyes shone with delight. "Thank you, Junior Brother!"
"However..." Lin Feng continued smoothly, "...There's a small matter I'd ask your help with in return..."
"What?!" Jie Feiyuan's beautiful eyes widened in disbelief—he dares set conditions?!
"Nothing arduous, I assure you," Lin Feng smiled. "I've only learned the Qi Condensing Pill formula, yet I'm keenly interested in others. Might you share some simpler pill recipes?"
"You want... formulas?" She stared, perplexed, then comprehension dawned, her eyes glinting shrewdly. "Hehe, is that all? Of course!" Another jade slip, pale white this time, appeared in her hand. "These contain all the recipes I've mastered. Consider it a gift. You'd acquire them eventually, but familiarizing yourself early is wise."
Lin Feng accepted it with genuine pleasure, scanning it briefly. "My sincere thanks, Senior Sister. Here is the vine." He handed over one Vine of Misty Creepers.
Jie Feiyuan's delight was equally evident as she inspected it. "Excellent! My gratitude, Junior Brother Lin..." Securing the vine, she rose gracefully. "It grows late. I should depart."
Lin Feng stood as well. "Of course. Safe travels, Senior Sister."
"Sigh... You seem eager for me to leave?" She pouted, a wounded, coquettish expression on her face. "Is talking to me truly so unpleasant?"
Lin Feng offered an awkward smile. "Senior Sister jokes..."
"Does it seem like a joke?" she retorted with a light huff. "I've been here this long, and you haven't even asked my name!"
Lin Feng: "..."
Seeing his discomfort, Jie Feiyuan suddenly burst into laughter, her body shaking with mirth. "Pfft! I'm Jie Feiyuan, Senior Sister of the West Courtyard. Don't forget it, Junior Brother Lin..." Her eyes sparkled with playful promise. "...I'll visit you often..."
With that, she turned and swept out of the courtyard, her elegant figure vanishing swiftly beyond the gate.