Chapter 123: The Eccentric of the Alchemist Association

"This is my little master," Yan Qingye introduced with pride.

Yun Jianxin bowed once more, "Greetings, little senior."

The immense pressure radiating from You Xiyue left him feeling shaken. He had never encountered someone so young yet so powerful. Could her bone age truly be only in her teens? He harbored doubts but dared not voice them.

You Xiyue nodded slightly and took Yan Qingye's seat. Looking at the roasted chicken being tossed into the fire, she remarked, "What a waste."

Panicked, Yan Qingye tried to retrieve the chicken. In his haste, he nearly forgot he could control fire, reaching straight in. Just as the others thought he was about to be burned, the flames were suddenly drawn away, leaving behind only a charred, blackened chicken.

Only when Yan Qingye looked up did he notice a stranger standing behind Jun Yang.

"Who is this?"

Jun Yang turned to look, answering vaguely, "A new contracted beast your master has taken in."

Fan Lihua did not seem to mind Jun Yang's attitude—nor would she dare to—and waved at Yan Qingye, "Hi, I'm Fan Lihua of the Candle Dragon clan."

"Fan Lihua?" Yun Jianxin had only just noticed the presence of another person, and a familiar one at that.

Fan Lihua had to struggle to recall who Yun Jianxin was. After all, Yun Jianxin was obsessed with alchemy and rarely attended social gatherings or feasts. However, Fan Lihua’s reputation in the Holy Realm was so resounding that Yun Jianxin recognized her instantly. This young lady of the Candle Dragon clan was the one person in their generation no one dared to provoke.

Yun Jianxin shot another furtive glance at You Xiyue. Two contracted beasts: one, an ancestor of the Tengshe clan; the other, a young lady of the Candle Dragon clan. This was something others wouldn't even dare to dream of.

Yan Qingye smiled and nodded at Fan Lihua, then returned his focus to the chicken. It was too late to save it now. He looked up at You Xiyue and said, "Little Master, please wait a moment, I'll go catch some more."

"I'll go too," Yun Jianxin immediately offered.

"Go ahead," You Xiyue replied. Once the two were far enough away, she finally turned her attention to the spirit beast pouch at her cuff. Keeping Xue Yu and Jiguang by her side was too conspicuous, so she had resorted to the pouch. She was surprised, however; the two little ones, who usually slept all day, did not seem to be behaving themselves while left alone together. The pouch had been twitching incessantly the entire journey.

You Xiyue had no choice but to release them to see what was happening. When they emerged, both were panting heavily. Xue Yu spat out a puff of cold air, while Jiguang spat out a mouthful of fur.

Looking at them, Jiguang, small as he was, bore many cat-scratch marks. Xue Yu didn't look much better, with several patches of fur missing.

"What happened here?" Jun Yang asked, looking at them in bewilderment. "Did they have some deep-seated grudge in their past lives?"

You Xiyue naturally had no answer, knowing only that they hadn't seemed friendly since they first met. Since neither could speak, they continued to glare at each other. Sighing in resignation, You Xiyue flicked each of them on the forehead. She rummaged through her storage ring, found another spirit beast pouch, and separated them for good. Finally, there was silence.

Fan Lihua sat quietly beside You Xiyue, not saying a word for the rest of the journey. She seemed like a different person. If Fan Zhujiu were to see her now, he would surely be overjoyed; she looked every bit the refined young lady of a noble house.

Yan Qingye and Yun Jianxin returned quickly with over a dozen chickens. The remaining two Sky Pepper flowers were put to full use. It was Yun Jianxin's first time tasting such delicious food, and he soon regretted not catching more. Jun Yang ate several without reservation, while Fan Lihua ate only one with practiced elegance and stopped. Yun Jianxin glanced at her with suspicion; she seemed nothing like the legends.

You Xiyue looked at Fan Lihua with a hint of helplessness. "The contract is sealed; there is no need to be so restrained. Just be yourself."

Fan Lihua coughed and said shyly, "But I am being myself."

At these words, both Jun Yang and Yun Jianxin choked. It went without saying for Yun Jianxin; many in the Holy Realm knew of Fan Lihua's "heroic" exploits. Jun Yang still remembered how, when he returned to the Candle Dragon clan with her, she had nearly driven Fan Wuwei to the brink of a stroke.

You Xiyue didn't press the matter and asked Yan Qingye, "Is the Alchemy Association treating you well?"

Yan Qingye nodded while eating. "It's quite good. There is guidance from senior intermediate alchemists, and many recipes I've never seen before."

"Have you noticed anything strange?" You Xiyue asked softly, watching the flames.

"Strange?" Yan Qingye stopped eating and tilted his head to think for a long time. "Nothing particularly strange, except..."

"Except what?" You Xiyue prompted.

Yan Qingye scratched the back of his head and chuckled. "It might just be my imagination, but there is an elder at the Association who is always staring blankly at my teapot."

Yun Jianxin suddenly chimed in, "Are you talking about Elder Shen Qingluo?"

"Eh? You noticed too?" Yan Qingye looked at him in surprise. Was he not just overthinking it?

Yun Jianxin nodded solemnly. "At first, I thought she was paying too much attention to you, perhaps thinking you were an alchemy prodigy. But lately, I've increasingly felt that she’s always looking at your teapot."

"Could it be she finds my alchemy furnace too unusual and is just curious?"

Yun Jianxin curled his lip. "I don't think so. Your teapot might have been curious at first, but after all this time, she should be used to it by now."

Yan Qingye looked toward You Xiyue. "That’s about the only strange thing."

"I see." You Xiyue seemed uninterested and gave a perfunctory reply.

Yan Qingye frowned in confusion. Was there something else he should be paying attention to? Unable to think of anything, he asked, "Will you be staying in the Immortal Realm for a while, Little Master?"

You Xiyue nodded. "I have nowhere else to go for the time being."

"How are Feng Qinghe and the little junior brother?" Jun Yang asked with concern. It had been some time since the Phoenix clan's disaster, and they hadn't been in touch.

Feng Qinghe was a very sensible and tactful person. No matter how much he yearned to form a contract with You Xiyue, he never took the initiative to reach out or ask her for anything.

Yan Qingye sighed when mentioning him. "His body hasn't fully recovered; he is still resting."

That made sense. The cultivation levels of those from the Infinity Abyss might not have been much in You Xiyue's eyes, but that didn't mean Feng Qinghe could withstand them. Not to mention the psychological toll—so many of the Phoenix clan had perished in that catastrophe that it would be hard for anyone to recover quickly.

You Xiyue pressed her lips together and remained silent.

After the meal, they headed toward the Alchemy Association. Since You Xiyue didn't know how long she would stay in the Immortal Realm, she had Jun Yang purchase a residence near the Association. This made Yun Jianxin realize once again the immense wealth of this group. Properties near the Alchemy Association were not just expensive; they were even pricier than those in the Holy Realm.

With this residence, Yan Qingye was tempted to stop going to the Association to practice, but You Xiyue sent him back anyway. The reason: his furnace explosions were too noisy. Yan Qingye felt a bit aggrieved—he hadn't blown up a furnace in days—but he dared not disobey.