"One pill won’t do? Take two!"
Yu Youyou handed over thirty coins and reached for the useless pill.
But the boy didn’t let go. His heart ached as he emphasized again, "I spent three thousand just on the herbs..."
Yu Youyou sighed and began reasoning with him.
"Look, this pill hasn’t been properly refined—it’s completely useless. And since I don’t even know what kind of pill it is, it probably can’t cure my illness. To me, it’s worthless."
The boy was stunned. "R-Really?"
Yu Youyou pried his fingers open one by one and took the pill. "But I’m still willing to spend all my savings to buy it. That proves I’m not after the pill itself—I’m admiring your extraordinary alchemy skills."
"Plenty of people would admire those three thousand taels of silver, but I’m the only one who appreciates your craftsmanship!"
The boy was dumbfounded.
It sounded logical, even touching. But why did it feel more and more off the longer he thought about it?
Before he could dwell on it, Yu Youyou had already bolted with the pill.
She hurried through East Street, lined with coffins and funeral paper goods, bought two steamed buns, and munched on one as she headed toward the alley at the end of the street.
This alley was essentially the slums of Tonghua County. Its residents were either impoverished locals or patients who had drained their savings on medical treatments.
Nanny Zhang was actually quite wealthy, but her stinginess was legendary—she had bought the cheapest, smallest courtyard available.
To scrape together money for medicine, Yu Youyou had sold off all her furniture. Now, her home was so empty it didn’t even have a broken bed.
But having lived through the apocalypse, she was no stranger to hardship. Wrapped in a tattered quilt and lying on a pile of straw, she could still sleep soundly.
Besides, the bed she’d made from dried leaves, though unsightly, was surprisingly soft and carried the faint fragrance of tung leaves.
After setting aside the remaining bun, Yu Youyou began preparing painkillers.
She retrieved a crude tea set from the corner—one she had kept specifically for making medicine.
In the apocalypse, conditions were harsh. Being chased into the wilderness by zombies was a regular occurrence, so even as a top-tier pharmacology professor, Yu Youyou had grown accustomed to improvising with rudimentary tools.
High-strength painkillers were common in the apocalypse, and the process wasn’t too complicated.
But the herbs needed processing—some had to be dried and ground, others soaked for days. It would take ten days to finish.
Yu Youyou glanced at the marks on the wall. Including today, she had been in this world for eighteen days.
Only twelve days remained until the next bloodline backlash.
Plenty of time.
She pushed aside her thoughts and briskly sorted the herbs. Once everything was prepped, she pulled out the lump of a pill she’d bought earlier.
Yes, lump—because it wasn’t even properly formed, just a thumb-sized clump of roughly mixed herbs.
But that was actually good for Yu Youyou.
She took a needle and carefully pried the pill apart. The faint scent of datura flowers instantly grew stronger.
Datura had anesthetic and hallucinogenic effects. Holding her breath, Yu Youyou yanked her tail over to cover her nose.
Good. At least this thing was useful.
She painstakingly picked out the fragments of datura before finally exhaling.
In the apocalypse, many plants had gone extinct, and medicine was scarce. Several of these herbs were ones Yu Youyou had only read about in books.
But including datura, none were poisonous—most were even tonics, safe to consume directly.
All good stuff!
She still had some leftover ingredients from making painkillers, so she mixed them proportionally with these tonics.
Soon, she had three new pills.
With her crude tools, these pills were just as ugly as the original lump. But with the adjusted formula, their effectiveness doubled. She dissolved one in water and drank it, feeling the ache in her arms ease slightly.
After working for so long, Yu Youyou stretched and realized the sky had darkened.
Just as she was about to gnaw on the cold bun, a commotion erupted outside, accompanied by furious barking.
"What kind of shameless scoundrel dares to climb the wall? Think you can bully this girl just because she’s alone?"
"Goudan, bite him!"
Yu Youyou rushed out to see her neighbor, Aunt Hua, holding a bowl of noodles while scolding and directing her yellow dog to attack.
Meanwhile, another figure clung desperately to Yu Youyou’s wall, too terrified to come down.
The boy spotted Yu Youyou and waved frantically. "Hey! It’s me! I told you I know her!"
Yu Youyou was surprised—it was the alchemy guy from earlier?
After confirming they knew each other, Aunt Hua finally reined in Goudan. Still wary, she shoved the bowl of noodles into Yu Youyou’s hands and glared at the boy.
"Eat slowly, Yu girl. Shout if you need anything."
The boy looked aggrieved. "Do I really look like a bad guy? Why’s she treating me like one?"
Yu Youyou stood at the gate, bowl in hand, blocking his way. "Why are you here?"
Had he finally realized he’d been scammed and come to reclaim his pill?
But the boy didn’t mention the pill. Instead, he clumsily climbed down from the wall. "Can I come in for some water? I’ve been hanging on that wall all afternoon—my legs are numb."
Yu Youyou stepped aside, letting him enter.
The boy froze the moment he stepped inside. Why was there nothing here?
Yu Youyou sat cross-legged on the tung leaves and started eating her noodles, casually passing him a cup of tea.
His legs sore from clinging to the wall, the boy didn’t complain. He copied her, sitting on the leaves and gulping down the tea. "Not bad," he praised.
Yu Youyou ignored him.
Clearing his throat, he introduced himself. "I’m Qi Nanfeng, a local from Tonghua County. I got lost and ended up at your place..."
"A local who got lost? Ended up clinging to my wall? Yeah, right." Yu Youyou mercilessly called him out.
Qi Nanfeng wanted to cry.
Though he’d double-checked the pill recipe beforehand, it was his first time attempting alchemy. He hadn’t been entirely confident.
Earlier, he’d been too excited about his new cauldron and rushed to West Street to buy herbs on the spot, intending to show off by refining a pill in public. But after selling it, he started worrying it might actually kill someone.
But he couldn’t just admit he’d followed her to make sure she didn’t drop dead, could he?
That would make him seem so insecure!
Qi Nanfeng changed the subject. "You live here? Where’s your family?"
Yu Youyou replied casually, "All dead."
Qi Nanfeng choked. For some reason, she sounded almost cheerful saying it.
A terrible thought struck him.
Was this girl so grief-stricken she’d given up on life? And she did seem seriously ill.
Her home was this poor, and she’d said those thirty coins were her entire savings. Had she deliberately bought random pills to poison herself?
Qi Nanfeng sobered up and urged, "You’re still young. You have your whole life ahead of you."
Yu Youyou: "???"
Qi Nanfeng put on a deliberately mature tone and continued earnestly, "Tonghua County is full of physicians—you’ll definitely find a cure for your illness."
"And if ordinary physicians can’t help, you can always seek out alchemists from the Alchemy Sect."
At this, Yu Youyou finally perked up and asked the question she’d been meaning to: "What exactly are alchemists? And what’s the Alchemy Sect?"
Yu Youyou’s scumbag father was a sword cultivator, so the original novel barely mentioned the profession of alchemists. The only one who appeared was a beautiful female alchemist who used her own heart’s blood to refine a healing elixir for him. The novel didn’t detail the principles or process of alchemy, instead focusing on the dual cultivation scenes between the scumbag and this beauty.
With few entertainment options in the post-apocalyptic world, Yu Youyou had only this novel to pass the time—she’d reread that particular scene at least seven times.
Qi Nanfeng wasn’t surprised by Yu Youyou’s ignorance. She looked young, after all, and it was normal for ordinary people to know little about alchemists.
He explained, "Alchemists are a type of cultivator, ranked from first to seventh grade. Before a high-grade alchemist, no illness is beyond cure with a single elixir—or two, if one isn’t enough."
"Because so few have talent in this path, and advancement is incredibly difficult, alchemists are revered throughout the cultivation world."
Seeing Yu Youyou listen so attentively, Qi Nanfeng grew a little smug. He cleared his throat and stretched out his hand. "Talking so much has made me thirsty."
Yu Youyou promptly handed him a second cup of tea.
Satisfied, Qi Nanfeng continued his explanation.
"As for the Alchemy Sect, it’s the only alchemy-focused sect in the Eastern Realm, with an extraordinary status. Only the most exceptional geniuses can join."
Yu Youyou nodded, then hit him with a soul-piercing question: "So, are you a disciple of the Alchemy Sect?"
Qi Nanfeng faltered. "I... not yet."
He quickly added, "But in ten days, the Alchemy Sect’s entrance exam will be held, and I’ll soon become an outer disciple!"
Seeing Yu Youyou’s sickly appearance, Qi Nanfeng shared another piece of information: "Every year during the entrance exam, the Alchemy Sect opens its gates. Many patients go to beg for elixirs from the alchemists—you could try your luck too."
Yu Youyou nodded thoughtfully.
Relieved that he hadn’t poisoned her, Qi Nanfeng prepared to leave.
Remembering the big yellow dog at the gate, he hesitated. "I don’t know the way—could you walk me out?"
Yu Youyou kindly escorted him to the courtyard gate.
But just as Qi Nanfeng was about to leave, she suddenly blocked his path.
"Two taels for the tea, please."
Was she serious? One tael per cup?!
Qi Nanfeng was indignant. Though he had money to spare, he wasn’t about to be swindled.
But just as he rolled up his sleeves to argue, his movements froze.
The big yellow dog named Goudan at Yu Youyou’s feet was now baring its teeth at him, growling low in its throat.
Qi Nanfeng: "..."
Under the menacing dog’s watch, Qi Nanfeng reluctantly handed over the two taels.
Afraid of being bitten, he cursed inwardly as he sprinted away.
But after running a short distance, he suddenly stopped.
"Huh? Why does my leg not hurt anymore?"
Not only was the stiffness and swelling gone, but he also felt invigorated—as if he’d taken a powerful tonic!
After a brief moment of confusion, Qi Nanfeng decided not to overthink it and grinned. "I must be naturally gifted—destined for cultivation!"
In the following days, Yu Youyou kept busy.
The heavens smiled upon her—after half a month of gloomy weather, sunlight finally returned to Tonghua County. Yu Youyou dried her herbs, ground them into powder, and managed to roll them into a dozen small pills by the tenth day.
The backlash from her half-demon bloodline grew worse with each episode. This time, the pain would be even more excruciating than what the original body had endured.
If she didn’t hurry and refine an effective painkiller, she might die all over again.
But one thing was clear now: to survive, she had to try her luck at the Alchemy Sect. And after a lifetime of studying medicine, she was genuinely intrigued by the profession of alchemy.
Tucking the painkiller pills close to her body, Yu Youyou shouldered her pack and set out.
Dawn had yet to break. At the gate, Goudan lay curled up in a ball, fast asleep. Ever since Qi Nanfeng’s wall-climbing incident, Aunt Hua had assigned the dog to guard Yu Youyou’s home.
The alley’s residents were all struggling folk, yet they still found ways to look out for her.
Yu Youyou patted the dog’s head and shared a steamed bun from her pack.
Pausing by the well at the alley’s entrance, she tossed in the remaining vitality-boosting pill.
Then, shrouded in the morning mist, she marched with determination toward the towering mountain outside the city.
Fifteen minutes later.
Exhausted and dizzy, Yu Youyou leaned heavily on her walking stick and flagged down an ox cart.
"Uncle, fifty coppers—can you give me a ride?"
