Chapter 69. True success, easy peasy.
Chapter 69: 69. True success, easy peasy.
"Don’t worry, Father. Patriarch Lin won’t do anything to harm our family."
Zhao Moying gently placed her chopsticks onto the table before speaking calmly.
"While he may be ambitious, he is also someone who remembers every favor and repays it accordingly."
Having finished her meal, she leaned back with a satisfied smile.
Liu Wanqing immediately reached for another serving spoon.
"Moying, would you like another bowl?"
Zhao Moying quickly shook her head and laughed.
"No, Mother. I’ve already eaten more than six bowls. If I eat any more, I might burst."
Liu Wanqing smiled helplessly before putting the serving spoon back down.
Across the table, Zhao Luhao looked at his daughter with a warm smile.
He did not disagree with her words, in fact, he believed she was right.
Even so, he couldn’t help but think.
Daughter...
The Li Family took control of Blue River City the very moment Li Hanyuan became a disciple of the Mystic Sky Sect.
The only reason our Zhao Family has never been able to dominate Azure Willow City in the same way...
Is because the person named Lin Xuan exists.
Zhao Luhao could not help but let out a quiet sigh.
Before his daughter had proposed the alliance between the Zhao and Lin Families, he had been extremely wary of Lin Xuan.
The young Patriarch had driven the Li Family out of Azure Willow City and transformed an unremarkable clan into one of the most dominant forces in the region.
As much as Zhao Luhao wished to consume the Huang Family...
He also needed them.
As long as the Huang Family remained, they could help keep the rapidly rising Lin Family in check.
Just then, Zhao Moying remembered something.
"Oh, right, Father. Who’s Patriarch Lin’s wife? I’ve never heard anyone mention her."
Liu Wanqing glanced toward Zhao Luhao.
Receiving her look, he gave a small nod before speaking.
"Moying, Have you ever heard of the Qin Family?"
Before Zhao Moying could answer, Ouyang Jun suddenly looked up.
"The Qin Family? Do you mean... the Qin Family from the Empire?"
Zhao Luhao looked at him in surprise.
"You know them?"
Ouyang Jun nodded stiffly while his mind was rampant in screaming.
What the hell? How did Patriarch Lin even manage that?
Zhao Moying frowned as she looked between the two of them.
"What is going on? I was the one who asked the question. What exactly is this Qin Family?"
Zhao Luhao gave a light cough.
"You know our Zhao Family is currently a Ninth-Rank family, correct?"
Zhao Moying nodded confidently.
"Of course. But don’t worry, Father. I’m staying for another month so I’ll help register our family for promotion to Eighth Rank with the Kingdom."
Zhao Luhao smiled with satisfaction before continuing.
"The Qin Family is renowned throughout the Empire. They are the only First-Rank family in the entire Empire."
Zhao Moying’s eyes widened.
She could not help but gasp.
"Patriarch Lin actually married a woman from a family like that? How did he even survive?"
It was a genuine question.
Zhao Moying was not naive enough to believe that people of higher status treated everyone equally.
Even within the Mystic Sky Sect, it was common for disciples from powerful families to bully those from weaker backgrounds despite possessing inferior Martial Spirits.
Status alone was often enough to decide who held the upper hand.
With that in mind...
The thought of someone from the Empire’s only First-Rank family marrying a man whose clan had not even been officially registered at the time sounded almost unbelievable.
The Qin Family could never have accepted such a union willingly.
At least, that was what Zhao Moying believed.
The fact that even her father knew about it meant that the Qin Family almost certainly knew as well.
The most unbelievable part, however, was something else entirely.
Patriarch Lin and that woman even had a daughter together.
Inside his private courtyard, Lin Xuan suddenly let out a light sneeze.
"Is someone cursing me?"
He rubbed the tip of his nose before shaking his head.
"No..."
"That should only happen if my ear starts itching."
With that random thought dismissed, he turned his full attention back to the task before him.
After convincing Elder Zhengxu that he wished to practice alone within his own courtyard, the old man had generously lent him an alchemy furnace along with fifty complete sets of ingredients for Body Tempering Pills.
Before leaving, Elder Zhengxu had even offered him a few sincere words of encouragement.
"Patriarch. It’s alright to fail in life. The day you stop worrying about how others see your failures will be the day you truly grow."
Lin Xuan could only smile bitterly at the memory.
The old man had completely misunderstood his intentions.
Fortunately, that misunderstanding worked perfectly in his favor.
It was also exactly the outcome he had hoped for.
Taking a slow breath, Lin Xuan ignited the furnace.
The flames quietly rose beneath the alchemy furnace.
Unlike his previous attempt in the Alchemy Hall, Lin Xuan no longer needed to think about what came next.
The moment his eyes fell upon the herbs before him, every step of the refinement naturally surfaced within his mind.
Without the slightest hesitation, he picked up the first herb and gently tossed it into the furnace.
The temperature remained perfectly steady.
A few breaths later, he added the second herb.
Then the third.
His movements were neither hurried nor slow.
Each action flowed naturally into the next, as though he had practiced the process thousands of times.
As the herbs gradually melted into medicinal liquid, Lin Xuan made several almost imperceptible adjustments to the flames.
The impurities within the liquid quietly disappeared.
What remained was an incomparably pure medicinal essence.
He calmly formed a series of hand seals.
The liquid inside the furnace slowly gathered toward the center before gradually separating into ten perfectly round pills.
The furnace suddenly trembled and the rich medicinal fragrance instantly spread throughout the entire courtyard.
Lin Xuan’s expression remained calm as he gently reduced the flames.
Moments later, the furnace lid slowly lifted and ten jade-like pills quietly rested inside.
Each one was perfectly round.
Not a single flaw could be found upon their smooth surfaces.
The medicinal aroma alone was far richer than any Body Tempering Pill Lin Xuan had ever encountered.
He reached inside and picked one up.
The moment it touched his fingertips, every piece of information regarding the pill naturally appeared in his mind.
Pure Body Tempering Pill.
Its medicinal strength had reached perfection.
Every trace of impurity had been removed.
Lin Xuan stared at the pill in silence before the corners of his mouth slowly curled upward.
His very first real refinement, had been a complete success.