A long silence fell over the backyard.
Zhao Ci was dumbfounded. 'Where does this girl get her confidence?'
He looked Zhu Li up and down.
Legs? They were short.
Eyes? A glint of profound wisdom sparkled within them.
Face? What good was a baby face, no matter how pretty? Cute is worthless when compared to sexy!
Chest... 'Oh, she actually has that. She isn't even that tall, so how did they get so big?'
Although she had a few good points, it didn't stop Zhao Ci from thinking she was just a little bit too sure of herself.
But as an HR professional, he could play mind games, but he absolutely could not resort to personal attacks.
So, he took a deep breath and asked, "Why can't it be that I was taken by your talent for alchemy?"
Zhu Li reacted as if she'd heard something utterly absurd. "What talent? I don't have any."
Zhao Ci: "..."
He felt a headache coming on. He had a whole script prepared.
But he hadn't expected her strange train of thought to completely derail the conversation.
If he kept going back and forth with her, they'd probably be stuck on the topic of whether or not he was lusting after her body all night.
He shook his head. "Since you don't believe you have what it takes to be an alchemist, why are you trying so desperately to become one?"
"I..."
Zhu Li's expression fell.
Zhao Ci tossed a pill over to her, along with a piece of paper. "Since you're already here, you might as well take a look around our Pill Workshop before you go. Sometimes, you aren't the person who knows yourself best."
Zhu Li looked at it curiously. When she saw what was written on the paper, she froze.
Zhao Ci didn't give her time to react. He clapped his hands sharply three times.
Immediately, two figures hurried over from the front hall.
It was Li Fugui and Tributor Zhang. The two bowed respectfully. "Your Highness!"
In the entire Pill Workshop, Zhao Ci was the undisputed second-in-command. He had single-handedly developed the Alcohol Refining Skill, earning their respect in terms of both status and ability.
Zhao Ci smiled. "Let's go! Let our distinguished guest witness our alchemy process."
Then, he led the two of them into the Alchemy Room.
Zhu Li clutched the paper, hesitating, but then felt a gentle pat on her back. She turned to see Kan Luotang's encouraging gaze.
A quarter of an hour later, the Alchemy Room was sealed.
Cut off from the outside world, the room became terrifyingly quiet. This was the first time since the Pill Workshop's completion that this place had felt like a truly important location.
POP!
Zhao Ci pulled out the cork.
Zhu Li's delicate nose twitched. Her eyes widened in shock as she stared at Zhao Ci.
But Zhao Ci simply raised a finger to his lips, shushing her, before handing the medicine vial to Tributor Zhang.
Then, the normal refining process began.
Everything proceeded by the book.
But Zhu Li's expression changed constantly throughout the process. She looked on with envy as the flame's temperature shifted, and her eyes burned with jealousy when the Hundred Refinements Furnace's array patterns began to flash. She felt a pang of regret when the flame's temperature proved insufficient for the Closed Furnace Quenching Medicine step, which turned to utter shock when a single batch yielded twenty-eight Qi Cultivation Pills.
"Tributor Zhang, not bad this time, eh?"
Zhao Ci took one of the pills, crushed it into powder, and sniffed it. "These Qi Cultivation Pills are still middle-grade, but they're already showing signs of becoming high-grade."
Tributor Zhang looked ashamed. "The Hundred Refinements Furnace truly lives up to its name. It's a pity my skills are lacking, and I'm wasting such a fine pill furnace."
Zhu Li nodded in deep agreement. It really was a bit of a waste. In the Zhu Family, anyone qualified to use a Hundred Refinements Furnace wouldn't be producing middle-grade Qi Cultivation Pills. But she also knew that alchemy depended heavily on talent and family teachings, so she couldn't bring herself to be too harsh.
After all, she was the one who had been criticized her whole life.
"No need to blame yourself!"
Zhao Ci took out another jade vial. "Tributor Zhang, please refine another batch!"
Tributor Zhang was puzzled. "Even if I refine another batch, I'm afraid it still won't reach high-grade!"
Zhao Ci smiled. "Just focus on refining it!"
Tributor Zhang could only nod and begin the process again.
Zhao Ci glanced at Zhu Li and noticed that the paper, on which were copied the fragmented sentences about the Yu Xin Fire, was soaked through with the sweat from her palm, making it wrinkled and crumpled.
And as she stared at the flames conjured by Tributor Zhang's True Qi, she felt an eager urge to try it herself.
He asked with a smile, "Want to give it a try?"
Zhu Li swallowed, her throat suddenly feeling parched. "Can I?"
Zhao Ci spread his hands. "Depends on whether you have the confidence."
Zhu Li bit her lip and finally formed a hand seal. A small wisp of flame suddenly shot up from her fingertip.
The flame was small, but exceptionally scorching.
But compared to how it was at the auction house, it seemed to have become more docile.
Like a snarling, barking hound that had turned into a dog growling low at an enemy from its master's feet.
It was still intimidating, but its nature had completely changed.
Zhao Ci saw the ecstatic look on Zhu Li's face and knew she had succeeded. He couldn't help but feel a little surprised. He didn't know if the fragmented sentences were difficult or easy to master, but for Zhu Li to grasp the technique on her first try was honestly a bit outrageous.
He didn't say anything more, just waited quietly.
Just as they were about to begin the Closed Furnace Quenching Pill stage, he shouted, "Tributor Zhang, be careful! Watch your True Qi output!"
"Yes!"
Although Tributor Zhang didn't know what he was planning, he did as he was told.
His flames were just lacking, but his control over True Qi was in no way inferior to that of master alchemists.
At that exact moment, a scorching wisp of flame suddenly drifted over and burrowed into his own.
In just an instant, he felt the temperature of his flame multiply several times over. After a faint CRACKLE, his entire flame was assimilated by that wisp.
He jumped in fright, terrified that this strange flame would flow backward and invade his meridians. If that happened, he would likely suffer a serious injury.
Fortunately, while the flame was volatile, it showed no signs of invading.