Dao Companion Crippled, Coveters Move

Chapter 51: Senior Sister Lu's Grotto Heaven Secret Realm

"Senior Sister, will I need to come back in a few days to pick up this Spirit-Storage Pill?"

"Is Junior Brother looking down on me, the youngest Elder in the Dan Yun Pavilion? It's just a mere Spirit-Storage Pill. I can refine it for you in less than an hour."

As Lu Ruoxi spoke, she winked at Pei Yuhang, her long, delicate eyelashes fluttering. "Does Junior Brother want to see for himself how Senior Sister performs alchemy?"

"Would I be disturbing Senior Sister?"

"Not at all. In fact, with Junior Brother watching, Senior Sister might be even more focused. After all, I can't embarrass myself in front of you."

Saying this, Lu Ruoxi raised her arms and stretched her waist, unreservedly displaying the magnificent, undulating curves of her body before Pei Yuhang.

Pei Yuhang instinctively averted his gaze. 'A gentleman does not look at what is improper.'

This demure act made Lu Ruoxi pout.

'Tch. A waste of a stunning beauty on a blind man. He gets a free show and doesn't even look.'

'But... the fact that Junior Brother doesn't dare to look also proves that this Fairy's soul-stirring, graceful figure has definitely tugged at his heartstrings. It must have set his heart ablaze, making him afraid to look for too long.'

Employing this little mental victory, Lu Ruoxi's mood brightened again.

"Let's go, Junior Brother. Senior Sister will give you a tour of my personal Alchemy Room."

"An Elder's Alchemy Room is constructed using Grotto Heaven Secret Realm magic, you know. It doesn't exist in real space. I bet you've never seen one, have you, Junior Brother?"

Hearing this, Pei Yuhang was left speechless.

A so-called Grotto Heaven Secret Realm was a completely new, independent space created outside of reality. The hidden tombs, treasures, and inheritance trial grounds of many Great Powers were such secret realms.

The amount of Spirit Stones and Spatial System Heavenly and Earthly Treasures required to build and maintain a Grotto Heaven Secret Realm was astronomical. Pei Yuhang truly never expected that an Elder from the Dan Yun Pavilion would have such a setup just for their Alchemy Room.

'It seems the Dan Yun Pavilion's status in the Xuanyuan Dao Sect is even higher than I imagined.'

'No wonder... Back when Senior Sister first showed her talent for alchemy, Master patted my shoulder and told me with great earnestness that if I could just latch onto her, I'd never have to worry about cultivation resources for the rest of my life...'

However, Pei Yuhang didn't feel inadequate because of this.

Senior Sister was doing much better than he and Liyuan were, and Pei Yuhang was very happy for her. But he felt that he and Liyuan were just as happy living in the slightly more humble Cold Palace Sword Mansion.

At that moment, the Cyan-skirted Fairy took out a Teleportation Scroll and offered her hand to Pei Yuhang, gesturing for him to take it.

Feeling her small hand completely enveloped in the warmth of Pei Yuhang's larger one, a rosy blush appeared on Lu Ruoxi's snow-white, swan-like neck.

Ever since returning from Guoxin Island, she'd always felt her hand was cold and bare, which was very unsettling.

'Now that I think about it, it's because I've grown to like the feeling of Junior Brother Pei holding my hand.'

Lu Ruoxi subconsciously slowed the activation of the Teleportation Scroll, greedily trying to enjoy the enveloping warmth of Junior Brother Pei's hand for just a moment longer.

Unfortunately, no matter how greedy she was, she could only delay it by a few seconds.

Feeling the Teleportation Scroll begin to ripple through space, Lu Ruoxi sighed in her heart.

'If only... if only Junior Brother Pei could hold my hand forever.'

The next moment, the two of them vanished on the spot like a wisp of cyan smoke.

HUMMM—

A slight ringing echoed in his ears.

Pei Yuhang opened his eyes. Before him was a magnificent, somewhat spacious hall, paved with White Jade bricks and outlined with threads of gold.

In the center of the hall stood a massive, emerald-green Pill Furnace. It was engraved with inscriptions of a hundred birds paying homage to a phoenix. The beasts were so lifelike that Pei Yuhang felt if Spiritual Qi were injected into the furnace, they would spring to life and fly right off it in the next second.

The Cyan-skirted Fairy reluctantly let go of Pei Yuhang's hand, then turned back to him with a radiant smile.

"Junior Brother, you're the first outsider to ever come to my Alchemy Room. What do you think?"

Feeling the rich Spiritual Qi here, which was at least ten times denser than the outside world, Pei Yuhang swallowed and exclaimed in awe:

"It's absurdly extravagant, Senior Sister... I estimate the cost of this Alchemy Room alone would be enough to buy a few medium-sized Sects."

Lu Ruoxi was delighted by Pei Yuhang's praise. She extended an invitation:

"Then next time, Junior Brother Pei can bring Junior Sister Ye along... Senior Sister will treat you both well~"

"Yes, when we have time, I'll bring Liyuan over. She said she misses Senior Sister Lu very much as well."

'Tch. Who needs that woman to miss me?'

'But... as long as you come, Junior Brother Pei, that's all that matters.'

Lu Ruoxi's smile grew even more brilliant.

Subconsciously, an interesting scene came to her mind.

Ye Liyuan would be walking ahead of her and Junior Brother Pei, while the two of them, hidden from Ye Liyuan's view, would secretly hold hands.

Fingers intertwined, palms pressed together without a gap, feeling each other's warmth and the slightly clammy sweat that came from their racing hearts.

Then, they'd exchange a smile~!

"Gasp—"

Lu Ruoxi drew in a sharp breath. Just thinking of that wonderful scene made her heart, pounding beneath her proud Jade Maiden Peak, race faster than ever before.

'No, I can't think about it anymore.'

'If I keep thinking... I'll need to go take a bath and change.'

Lu Ruoxi quickly composed herself, trying to suppress the wonderful ripples surging in her heart from being alone with Junior Brother Pei.

She swept aside all distracting thoughts and began the alchemy, lighting the furnace.

As the Divine Fire rose in the Pill Furnace, Lu Ruoxi's expression became exceptionally focused. Her entire aura transformed from being as gentle as water to that of a cold, towering glacier.

Pei Yuhang knew better than to disturb his Senior Sister at a time like this. He tactfully retreated to a corner, watching as the great, emerald-green Pill Furnace in the center of the hall slowly levitated, guided by the Spiritual Qi from Lu Ruoxi's fingertips.

The various Spirit Plants floating in the air, also under Lu Ruoxi's control, flew into the Pill Furnace one after another in a precise sequence, like moths to a flame.

Under Lu Ruoxi's command, the Pill Furnace continuously emitted a low hum, punctuated by the crackling of sparks.

The "hundred birds paying homage to a phoenix" inscriptions on the furnace body lit up with a multi-colored divine radiance. They actually broke free from the furnace itself and began to circle around it in flight.

...

In less than an hour, the roaring Pill Furnace fell silent in an instant. As the Divine Fire died out, thick, swirling white smoke billowed from within, dotted with sparkling flecks of light, a truly miraculous sight.

With a flick of her finger, Lu Ruoxi summoned three purple elixirs, which flew out and hovered three feet above her palm.

Two of the elixirs had seven silver, crescent-shaped patterns, while one had eight silver, crescent-shaped patterns and a single, profound Golden Pattern.

Looking at these three elixirs, even with his calm disposition, Pei Yuhang almost lost his composure and cried out in shock.

Although he was a layman in the Alchemy Dao, he still knew how Pill Grades were classified.

Pill Grades ranged up to the Ninth Grade, with each grade marked by a silver pattern. Every three grades formed a tier: the Lower Three Grades, the Middle Three Grades, and the Upper Three Grades.

An Alchemist who could be honored as a "Master" was generally someone who could consistently produce elixirs of the Middle Three Grades and had a high chance of refining ones of the Upper Three Grades.

For someone like Lu Ruoxi, who could produce an entire batch of elixirs all reaching the Upper Three Grades, she could be considered a Grandmaster Level figure in the Alchemy Dao.

Not to mention, one of the three was even a Ninth Grade Top-Grade Elixir that was transforming to manifest a Golden Pattern.

'With such talent, it's no wonder she was promoted to be the youngest Elder of the Dan Yun Pavilion.'

However, Lu Ruoxi herself didn't seem satisfied with this batch of elixirs.

"How embarrassing, and in front of Junior Brother, too. Senior Sister wanted to refine three Ninth Grade Spirit-Storage Pills for you..."

Lu Ruoxi's lovely brows furrowed, as if she were vexed by her own underperformance.

"How could that be? These three elixirs from Senior Sister would fetch an astronomical price on the open market. Junior Brother is already incredibly grateful that you're giving them to me for free. How could I possibly ask for more?"

For some reason, Pei Yuhang found the vexed look on Lu Ruoxi's face rather endearing. She was like a little girl eager to show off for an adult, a stark contrast to her usual mature and steady demeanor.

'It's quite charming, in a way. It seems even Senior Sister has a girlish side to her.'

Lu Ruoxi didn't want to dwell on her mistake. She looked at Pei Yuhang as he put away the elixirs, her rosy lips parting slightly.

"Is Junior Brother preparing to leave now?"

"Yes, there are still many matters at the Cold Palace Sword Mansion waiting for me to handle. I shouldn't keep bothering Senior Sister here."

'I see... That's right. Junior Brother is ultimately tied down by his Dao Companion and his disciples' trivial affairs. He can't stay with me forever...'

Looking at the handsome Sword Immortal in white before her, a bold, even crazy, idea suddenly surfaced in Lu Ruoxi's mind.

'What if... what if I imprisoned Junior Brother in this Grotto Heaven Secret Realm, where no one would ever know?'

'That way, Junior Brother could stay with me forever. The warmth and security of his hands would belong to me, and only me, for all time.'