What young girl doesn’t dream of love?

Marching Pills came into existence during a great tribulation in the human realm.

These pills boasted potent effects, serving multiple purposes, yet the medicinal ingredients required for their creation were remarkably common. Their refinement was simple, allowing any Foundation Establishment stage alchemist with basic knowledge to produce them according to the formula.

However, their drawbacks were far too obvious.

They caused drug addiction.

Over eight hundred years, countless top-tier alchemists had striven to completely eliminate the side effects of Marching Pills.

When the “drug addiction” from Marching Pills flared, cultivators with milder symptoms often experienced dozens of days of intense euphoria, unable to sleep. Those more severely affected suffered damage to their divine sense, leading to confused and disoriented consciousness.

There were even instances of Mahayana stage experts slaughtering their own disciples after an onset of the addiction.

Yet, despite the terrifying side effects of Marching Pills, this could not diminish the illustrious merits the elixir had accumulated during the great tribulation.

The former Alliance Leader of the Hundred Herbs Alliance, Long Xiaofeng, once publicly announced across the continent that anyone who could genuinely eliminate the side effects of Marching Pills would be granted any single condition they proposed.

This night, the Alchemy Pavilion shone brighter than usual.

Candlelight flickered, casting numerous moving shadows within the pavilion.

Elder Wu Xiong, who had presided over the Alchemy Pavilion for two hundred years, had never been as excited as he was today.

He had already verified the efficacy of this “Marching Liquid” and had personally lit the furnace according to the “pill formula.”

There was indeed no error whatsoever.

The individual who contributed this pill formula was truly a genius!

“Master!”

Wen Xiruo’s voice finally drifted in from outside the door.

Wu Xiong’s heart swelled with joy. He immediately went to meet her, asking eagerly, “Xiruo, have you managed to find out which disciple it was?”

“Master…” Wen Xiruo’s expression was tinged with hesitation. After a moment of careful thought, she finally spoke softly, “Master, the Alchemy Pavilion has a total of 864 disciples. Excluding the 26 disciples currently out collecting herbs, I’ve asked everyone else, and none of them know anything.”

“What!?” Wu Xiong roared in anger. “The pill formula is right here in my hands! You and I both saw it with our own eyes and refined it with our own hands. How can there be a formula without its owner?”

“Absurd!”

Wu Xiong, enraged, swept his hand, knocking over a medicine rack.

Seeing her master lose his temper so senselessly, Wen Xiruo rolled her eyes and turned her face away, choosing to ignore him.

‘Losing his temper again.’

Wen Xiruo sighed inwardly. She recalled how she had been on the verge of entering the Enforcement Hall, only to be forcibly brought to this Alchemy Pavilion by this “old man” who used an elder’s decree. Although she had slowly grown to like alchemy over time, that didn’t mean she had to tolerate his moods.

Wu Xiong paced aimlessly for a while before noticing Wen Xiruo’s unusual attitude. Reflecting slightly, he realized he had indeed lost his composure excessively.

However, upholding his status as an Elder of the Alchemy Pavilion, he felt it improper to apologize to his disciple.

Still, the atmosphere needed to soften a little.

“Xiruo, my dear, could you offer some advice? How should we find the owner of this pill formula?”

Wen Xiruo pouted in dissatisfaction. “Since they’re not from our Alchemy Pavilion, they must be from another pavilion or hall. I previously counted the Marching Pills on the table, and two were missing. I found one of them under the table corner before you even arrived.”

“What does that have to do with the pill formula?” Wu Xiong listened, still confused.

Wen Xiruo stomped her foot forcefully, annoyed. “Oh, come on! The person who left the pill formula might have been here to steal medicine!”

“Steal… steal medicine?” Wu Xiong excelled at alchemy, but he disliked such convoluted matters and was not adept at pondering them.

“If you don’t believe me, go find the internal affairs disciples of the medicine storage room. They can confirm whether any pills are missing in less than a day. If nothing’s missing, then just consider this pill formula a gift from the heavens,” Wen Xiruo said impatiently. She had been busy for a long time and desperately wanted to go back and rest. She had recently developed several pox marks on her face and couldn’t afford to stay up late again.

“What if something is missing?” Wu Xiong pressed on.

“If something’s missing, then just have the internal affairs disciples burn a tracking incense! All the medicine bottles in the storage room have hidden marks. Although tracking incense can only point in a general direction, no matter how vast our Saint Water Palace is, it’s still ultimately on an island. With a direction, can this person really escape under the noses of hundreds of Golden Core patrol disciples in the Saint Water Palace?” Wen Xiruo stated, her expression utterly logical.

Wu Xiong immediately saw the light.

“This, this Xiruo…”

As soon as Wen Xiruo heard Wu Xiong’s negotiating tone, she knew something was amiss and was instantly agitated, almost stomping her feet.

“Oh, come on! I just worked for an hour, I’m not going!”

Wu Xiong knew well that his disciple was judicious and clever, but she absolutely detested having her plans disrupted. Seeing Xiruo’s impatient demeanor today, she must have already meticulously arranged her schedule for the day. “Cough… Xiruo, you know, your Master is a man who values his reputation. I can’t possibly lower myself to personally seek out those internal affairs disciples. Look, a few days ago, I managed to procure a few Beauty Pills from the Eastern Market auction. I haven’t even brought myself to use them; they’ve always been for you. These are even more precious than Youth-Preserving Pills, a unique elixir from the Hundred Charms Palace. See…”

Although the Alchemy Hall was under Wu Xiong’s management, the refining of pills required a large amount of precious medicinal ingredients. The supply of these ingredients was entirely the responsibility of Elder Li Jiuzhao of the Internal Affairs, meaning that today’s matter absolutely required Li Jiuzhao’s assistance.

However, Wu Xiong and Li Jiuzhao had always been at odds. When it came to the budget, Wu Xiong’s Alchemy Pavilion was a major overspender every year.

Li Jiuzhao had long been dissatisfied with the Alchemy Pavilion’s wastefulness, but pills were, after all, a necessity for a sect. Wu Xiong had never backed down in any dispute with Li Jiuzhao, and just recently, he had even boasted in front of all the elders that he would never, in this life, ask Old Man Li for anything.

Yet, karma had arrived so swiftly.

Wen Xiruo snatched the pink medicine bottle from Wu Xiong’s hand, twisted open the cap, and sniffed lightly. “Wow, it’s even a VIP edition.”

Wu Xiong’s face contorted in pain. There were only a meager five Beauty Pills in that bottle. These items were extremely rare on the market, and all five pills had to be used together to be effective. Last year, he had spent the price of a mid-grade advanced flying sword to acquire them, and he never imagined they would eventually fall into his disciple’s hands.

“Then, I’ll go right away. But, we agreed, I’m only responsible for bringing those internal affairs disciples here.”

Wen Xiruo held up her fingers to Wu Xiong. Since evening, none of her beauty regimen plans had been completed. Fortunately, with the Beauty Pills now in hand, she could somewhat alleviate the irritation of having her daily rhythm disrupted.

The next day.

The internal affairs disciple responsible for checking the number of pills in the Alchemy Pavilion’s storage room had just finished inspecting all the elixirs.

Indeed, a bottle of “Fertility Stimulating Pills” was missing, a batch that the Spirit Beast Hall had already reserved. Furthermore, although the medicine cabinets containing raw ingredients showed no obvious signs of theft, the internal affairs disciple confirmed that several types of herbs were missing, though the quantities of each varied and were not substantial.

At Wen Xiruo’s suggestion, Wu Xiong cross-referenced the missing herbs with possible pill formulas.

He discovered they could be used to refine a low-grade pill called “Meridian Strengthening Pill.”

This pill was solely used to reinforce meridian strength and was rarely needed. Even within the vast storage room of the Alchemy Pavilion, there were no ready-made Meridian Strengthening Pills.

After noon.

Wu Xiong stood at the main entrance of the Skill Transmission Pavilion.

“Master, are you sure you’re not going to greet Elder Zhu? Aren’t you two friends?” Wen Xiruo wondered. Wasn’t her master usually fond of seeking out Elder Zhu of the Skill Transmission Pavilion for drinks? Why was he acting so hesitant today?

“Alas, my dear disciple, you don’t know. The current Hall Master of the Enforcement Hall is a personal disciple of Zhu Manzhi. Didn’t I forcibly take you away back then? Ever since, that old man has been extremely wary of me. The reason I’ve been standing here for so long, and even deliberately released a wisp of my divine sense, is to let him know I’ve arrived. But no one has responded yet, so that old fellow must have gone out for something today. This is good too; it saves a lot of trouble,” Wu Xiong said helplessly.

“You know it too, huh…” Wen Xiruo tilted her head and secretly pouted again.

Wu Xiong continued, “I just lightly probed with my divine sense earlier and didn’t find any new disciples promoted to the Foundation Establishment stage. Yet, the tracking incense points precisely to the south of this Skill Transmission Pavilion.”

“Oh, Master, don’t overthink it! Just go and stroll through the various Qi Refining Halls. Even if you can’t find the person who wrote the pill formula, you might discover some other promising talents!”

Wen Xiruo had been accompanying Wu Xiong at the entrance of the Skill Transmission Pavilion for a long time. It was currently mealtime for most disciples, and many were coming and going. Wu Xiong’s flamboyant Alchemy Pavilion elder robes were particularly eye-catching.

Fortunately, these disciples rarely interacted with people from the Alchemy Pavilion. Unable to recognize the Alchemy Pavilion elder robes, their gazes quickly locked onto Wen Xiruo instead.

Wen Xiruo was in the prime of her youth, and her temperament was naturally outstanding. Her frequent confinement to the Alchemy Pavilion, rarely stepping out, had made her skin exceptionally fair, further enhancing her beauty. Not to mention her two braids, which were incredibly flattering to her face shape—a “killer move” for most adolescent boys.

“So annoying! Staring, staring, staring! I’ll poison you all blind with my alchemy!” Wen Xiruo muttered under her breath, a wicked edge to her voice.

Wu Xiong, hearing her, broke into a smile and advised, “Ah, my dear disciple, as the saying goes, ‘a fair maiden is a gentleman’s delight.’ Mutual admiration between men and women is in harmony with the Dao of Heaven. Your Master has lived a long life; the desires of youth, the instinct to appreciate beauty, they can’t control it. Besides, doesn’t this just show that my disciple is as beautiful as a celestial being and well-liked?”

“Hmph, these guys probably won’t even be on the island in eight years. They should be cultivating properly instead of staring!” Even as she spoke harshly, Wen Xiruo’s previously angry tone softened considerably, suggesting she had truly taken Wu Xiong’s words to heart.

Wu Xiong shook his head and chuckled, “Cultivation is different from alchemy. A balance of effort and relaxation is the true path. Only knowing how to seclude oneself will lead to inferiority.”

“I don’t care! Most of these guys are older than me, have lower cultivation, and can’t even refine pills. Who would pay attention to them? I’d rather maintain my good figure and looks, and find some young grass to graze on later!”

The words slipped out, and Wen Xiruo immediately clapped a hand over her mouth, thinking, ‘Oh no, why did I just blurt out what I was thinking?’

Sure enough, Wu Xiong beside her looked utterly stunned, seemingly unable to comprehend that his usually docile and adorable disciple harbored such preferences.