After Liu Qinghui left, Ning Fa sat on a stone chair in the courtyard, lost in thought as he gazed at the osmanthus cake on the stone table.
He had a feeling Liu Qinghui's visit today wasn't purely coincidental.
He couldn't help but recall her every move.
As he thought, his eyes suddenly lit up.
He remembered that after Liu Qinghui took out the half Jade Pendant, she seemed a little nervous, staring intently at him.
Was she nervous about whether he had the other half of the Jade Pendant?
Ning Fa didn't believe she wanted to confirm if he still harbored feelings for her through that half Jade Pendant.
It was more likely she was nervous about the Jade Pendant itself.
As for why she cared about the Jade Pendant, he realized it wasn't hard to guess after thinking carefully.
Perhaps it was because her half of the Jade Pendant hid some secret, and she wanted to take his half.
And it was likely a secret she had only recently discovered, which was why she hadn't come earlier.
Thinking of this, Ning Fa felt a sense of sudden enlightenment.
Poor Liu Qinghui could never have imagined that the Ning Fa of today was not the same as before.
Having navigated the business world for so many years, he had developed a discerning eye and a sharp, observant mind.
Liu Qinghui had only revealed a tiny clue, yet Ning Fa had basically guessed the truth.
With this in mind, Ning Fa maintained a neutral expression. He even yawned lazily, mumbled a couple of words, and then returned to the alchemy room as if nothing had happened.
He was worried that Liu Qinghui might still be lurking nearby. After all, she was in the late stage of Qi Condensation, and her spiritual sense would be far stronger than his.
If he showed any unusual behavior now, wouldn't he give himself away?
After activating the Guardian Spirit Array, Ning Fa's eyes gleamed.
Since Liu Qinghui cared so much about the half Jade Pendant, it meant it was likely a treasure.
He couldn't help but rack his brain, trying to recall where his previous self had thrown that half Jade Pendant.
It seemed that after Liu Qinghui's family broke off the engagement, his previous self, in a fit of anger, had carelessly tossed the token of their love somewhere.
Ning Fa frowned, thinking hard.
Suddenly, he stood up abruptly.
In the familiar alchemy room, Ning Fa looked around, then fixed his gaze on the alchemy furnace, specifically at the area beneath it.
Ning Fa walked over and moved the alchemy furnace. The stone slab beneath it was already blackened by the Black Nitre Stone.
He tested several stone slabs, and then one of them loosened when he applied force.
Ning Fa's expression turned joyful. He increased his strength and flipped the stone slab over.
Inside was a small hole containing several items.
There was a blackened and rotten wooden dragonfly toy, a shiny crystal, a jade hairpin that still faintly glowed, and a green bamboo slip with love words written on it...
These were basically items shared by his previous self and Liu Qinghui. His previous self had treasured them, but after the engagement was broken, he was too devastated.
He had initially wanted to burn all these things, but in the end, he couldn't bear to and buried them all instead.
Moreover, burying them in the alchemy room wasn't a random act. His previous self intended to use them as motivation for his alchemy.
He had also hoped that once he became a Pill Master, he could make Liu Qinghui change her mind, and then he could show her these items to move her.
Thinking of this, Ning Fa felt physically ill and wished he could slap himself.
He forced himself to be patient and continued searching. Finally, at the very bottom, he found the half Jade Pendant, carefully wrapped in silk.
Ning Fa excitedly held the half Jade Pendant and examined it closely.
But after looking for a long time, he didn't find anything special about the Jade Pendant.
The half Jade Pendant was made of ordinary material, with sparse patterns and dim spiritual energy. It couldn't even be called a magic artifact; it was just a small ornament.
Ning Fa shook his head, not overly surprised.
After all, his previous self had regarded this half Jade Pendant as the token of love between him and Liu Qinghui, treasured it, and handled it countless times. If there were any anomalies, he would have discovered them long ago.
Ning Fa studied it for a while longer but couldn't figure anything out. Just as he was about to give up, his right arm suddenly felt a burning sensation.
Ning Fa's expression turned delighted, and he quickly activated the Mysterious Scroll.
The scroll flashed with white light, and within the light, a pattern of this half Jade Pendant quickly appeared. White lines extended downwards, and another, differently styled green Jade Pendant vaguely emerged.
However, after more than ten breaths, this green Jade Pendant remained a mere phantom and ultimately failed to fully manifest.
The white light on the scroll stopped flashing, as if the scroll had given up trying.
Ning Fa's delighted expression faded, and he rubbed his chin.
The fact that the Mysterious Scroll reacted indicated that this half Jade Pendant was indeed not ordinary.
The current situation suggested that the Mysterious Scroll's energy was insufficient, preventing it from successfully tracing its origin. Ning Fa felt a bit regretful.
Ning Fa didn't continue to research it.
The secrets of this Jade Pendant could wait. Once his own strength was sufficient, he would have Liu Qinghui reveal them herself.
His most urgent task now was to break through to the mid-stage of Qi Condensation.
Once he reached the mid-stage, with his Thunder Body and the Ancient Source Thunder Scripture, he believed his strength would be no less than that of a cultivator at the late stage of Qi Condensation.
More importantly, by then he could start preparing to advance to a First-grade Mid-rank Pill Master. When that time came, he would give Ning Ruiming a huge surprise.
It would be a way to repay the "care" Ning Ruiming had shown him during this period!
On Lingchang Island, in an elegant private room within the Pill Hall.
With a sharp "crack," a jade teacup was smashed against the wall, shattering into pieces.
Ning Ruiming stared at a middle-aged man with a mustache, dressed in a grey robe, his eyes blazing with fury. "Uncle Hong, is what you're saying true!?"
The mustached man lowered his head and replied, "This matter should be true. It's said that Ning Fa's neighbor personally saw Miss Liu enter Ning Fa's home, and their behavior... seemed rather intimate."
"Damn it!"
Ning Ruiming's face was contorted with rage, veins bulging, his eyes red. He was about to storm out of the room.
Ning Jinghong quickly stopped him, "Ruiming, don't be rash! Miss Liu's status is different now. Not only the Third Elder, but the other Foundation Establishment elders also value her greatly. You mustn't be too disrespectful to her!"
Ning Ruiming's expression gradually calmed upon hearing this.
His clansman was right; Liu Qinghui's standing in the clan was extraordinary now.
In fact, even he himself was not as highly regarded in the clan as Liu Qinghui at the moment.
Liu Qinghui had only entered the late stage of Qi Condensation three years ago, but she could already achieve at least a 30% success rate in forming pills for four types of First-grade High-rank pills, and her success rate was steadily improving.
Currently, in terms of alchemy skill, even Wei Chengzong wouldn't dare claim he could definitely defeat Liu Qinghui, which was why the clan's higher-ups valued her immensely.
Ning Ruiming, on the other hand, had reached the late stage of Qi Condensation a year earlier than Liu Qinghui. However, he had only just managed to achieve a 30% success rate with one type of First-grade High-rank pill, and it was the simplest of them all.
This was even with the full support of the clan and those from branch families. He was still far from becoming a First-grade High-rank Pill Master.
Therefore, he currently lacked the confidence and power to question or interfere with Liu Qinghui.
Ning Ruiming's expression returned to calm. As if struck by an idea, his eyes flickered, and he slowly said, "You mentioned Ning Fa's alchemy skills suddenly improving dramatically. Is it possible... that Qinghui taught him?"
Ning Ruiming's gaze drifted, as if he were talking to himself while asking the question.
The mustached man lowered his head and pondered for a moment before stating solemnly, "This is indeed very possible, and the probability is not small."
However, Ning Ruiming's brows were tightly furrowed, still somewhat confused.
This was because during Ning Fa's previous Pill Master assessment, when he encountered Liu Qinghui, his attitude towards her had been extremely hostile.
He had seemed to despise her and her father, making it unlikely that Liu Qinghui had taught him.
Yet, the current situation where Liu Qinghui and Ning Fa behaved intimately, even entering Ning Fa's home, was also a fact.
Ning Ruiming's expression turned grim. After a long pause, he suddenly spoke, "Inform Uncle Liu about this news. He would definitely be more unwilling than I am to see Ning Fa make a comeback, and he should be able to keep Qinghui in check."
The mustached man nodded, "That is a proper course of action. I will go there now."