A medicine pestle?
Yao Qianci's eyes widened slightly. Realizing what she meant, his cheeks instantly flushed bright red.
Previously in the Divine Fire Space, although his divine sense had been emotionally agitated, it hadn't been this exaggerated.
Now, this was his real physical body, and even he couldn't control its reactions.
"Peak Master Yao, quickly take it away, or you'll be uncomfortable too."
Yao Qianci: "..."
Such wild and suggestive words, yet spoken with such an innocent and naive expression, left him utterly unable to retort for a moment.
He could only hold Yuan Shu tighter. "Shushu, I can't take it away..."
"Why not?" Yuan Shu tilted her head to look at his profile. Her fingers slowly slid down his brow and eyes to his cheek. Finding the texture quite nice, she reached out and pinched it.
Yao Qianci didn't mind her presumptuous actions. He merely lowered his head, pressing his forehead against hers, and spoke in a hoarse voice.
"Shushu, do you really not know why?"
His tone carried a hint of danger.
A scene he had witnessed earlier in the woods suddenly flashed through his mind.
Yuan Shu had long since dual-cultivated with her Second Senior Brother; how could she possibly not know about this?
She was teasing him!
"Or is it that Shushu really wants to see?"
Yuan Shu smiled. Wrapping her arms around his neck, she leaned close to his ear and spoke in a seductive tone.
"I do want to see, but I just don't know when Peak Master Yao will let me."
"Shushu..."
Such an obvious invitation instantly made Yao Qianci's body tense up. The arms holding Yuan Shu wished they could knead her right into his very being.
He murmured softly and leaned in to kiss her lips.
Yuan Shu's eyes curved in a smile as she held him tightly, reciprocating the kiss.
It wasn't until another deep kiss ended and Yao Qianci was carrying her toward the inner room that Yuan Shu reached out and stopped him.
Yao Qianci looked up, meeting Yuan Shu's half-smiling face.
"Peak Master Yao, look over there."
She pursed her lips in a direction. Yao Qianci followed her gaze and saw three pairs of wide-open eyes peeking through the crack in the door.
They were the medicine acolytes of Chiyang Hall.
A barrier fell outside the door, completely cutting off the sight of the people outside.
"Actually, I came to find Peak Master Yao this time because I have something else to discuss. You... put me down first."
The romantic atmosphere was broken. Yuan Shu struggled a bit in his arms and spoke with a smile.
Yao Qianci was tall; when he had grabbed her legs just now, he had lifted her right up to his waist.
At this moment, her feet were dangling in the air with nowhere to land.
Unexpectedly, Yao Qianci shook his head. "I won't put you down. Whatever you have to say, say it like this."
After speaking, he deliberately hugged her even tighter, letting her feel exactly what was pressing against her!
Yuan Shu: "...Heh."
The absolute champion of being secretly passionate was undoubtedly Yao Qianci. On the surface, he pretended to be pure and free of desires, but in secret, he not only sneakily devoured her using the medicine cauldron but also tricked her using the fire poison as an excuse.
Now that his wild ambitions were exposed, was he just going to drop the act and break character entirely?
However, Yuan Shu really did have business today.
"I came to find you to go to the Medicine Plant Vault. We agreed that if I restored an ancient lost prescription and refined an ancient lost pill, I could enter the vault to select a medicine plant."
"Peak Master Yao, do you have time to take me?"
Yuan Shu poked his chest.
Yao Qianci's expression slightly restrained. So that was it. He had thought... Yuan Shu just wanted to see him.
He lowered his head and kissed Yuan Shu's lips, then buried his face in the crook of her neck, taking a deep breath to force himself to calm down. "Alright, I'll take you."
...
The Medicine Plant Vault of Yaoyun Peak was divided into an inner pavilion and an outer pavilion.
The outer pavilion housed relatively rare medicinal plants, but with some effort and money, one could still buy them outside.
The items in the inner pavilion, however, were existences that money couldn't buy in the outside world.
Only those who had made great contributions to Yaoyun Peak and received a special reward could enter to select items.
Yuan Shu's goal was also inside the inner pavilion.
After opening the defensive barrier and following Yao Qianci inside, she quickly spotted her target medicinal plants.
Snow Heart Herb, growing on the cliffs of extremely cold snowy mountains, completely snow-white with frost condensed on its leaf veins.
Bone-Eroding Nether Vine, growing in tangled vines, blooming with small dark purple flowers whose scent was colorless and odorless.
These two were both rare medicinal plants used to refine the Frost Glass Soul-Calming Pill.
Seeing her stop and her gaze lingering on the two plants, Yao Qianci waved his hand, using his Peak Master seal to open the defensive barrier around the plants.
The two medicinal plants then floated down in front of Yuan Shu.
Yuan Shu reached out to take them, carefully storing them in a jade box before speaking: "I still need a Clear Day Nether Cereus Twin Branch."
Yuan Shu had just looked around but didn't seem to see one.
Yao Qianci was slightly stunned upon hearing this name. "A Divine-grade medicinal plant?"
"Is it a Divine-grade medicinal plant?" Yuan Shu was also taken aback. In her previous life at the Joyous Union Sect, the Clear Day Nether Cereus Twin Branch was only ranked in the category of Immortal-grade medicinal plants.
She had thought it would be an Immortal-grade plant here as well.
"Peak Master, Divine-grade medicinal plants are located in the restricted area on the second floor. They are existences where using one means one less in the world. Although the ancient lost prescription Guest Elder Yuan refined is important, it does not meet the qualifications to requisition a Divine-grade medicinal plant."
Beside them, the elder guarding the Medicine Plant Vault heard this and stepped forward with a frown.
Yuan Shu suddenly realized. No wonder Yao Qianci's expression had looked a bit troubled when he heard the name of this plant just now.
"I want this spiritual plant. Tell me what conditions are required. Refining ancient prescriptions, restoring ancient prescriptions, or anything else, I will do my best to fulfill them."
As Yuan Shu finished speaking, the elder to the side gently shook his head. "The Divine-grade medicinal plants in the restricted area are not so easily obtained. Even refining an ancient lost prescription is not qualified enough."
"Unless a true Immortal-grade pill is refined, only then can a special exception be granted."
An Immortal-grade pill?
Yuan Shu frowned. If this were her previous life, with her strength, it wouldn't have been too difficult.
But now, let alone an Immortal-grade pill, even refining a pill above the seventh grade would be highly unlikely, even with Yao Qianci's help.
This was going to be difficult, and she was waiting to use this spiritual plant urgently!
Just as she was thinking this, Yao Qianci beside her suddenly waved his hand and took out a small golden jade token.
Runes flowed across the jade token, emitting waves of special spiritual energy fluctuations.
"Use this. Give her the spiritual plant."
The elder looked up and his eyes bulged. "Peak Master, this, this is... the Peak Master's Jade Token? Isn't this the token you were saving to requisition the peak's Millennium Spiritual Jade Marrow for your breakthrough to the Void Refinement Realm?"
"If you use it now, what will you do during your breakthrough to the Void Refinement Realm? With your talent, you'll be needing it very soon!"
Yao Qianci shook his head. "Give it to her first."
He could tell that Yuan Shu really wanted this Divine-grade spiritual plant; it must hold great significance to her.
As for his own matters, he would figure out a way later.
The elder opened his mouth, wanting to persuade him again. "Peak Master, won't you reconsider?"
Yao Qianci, however, shook his head very seriously. "Give it to her."
Seeing that he couldn't be persuaded, the elder could only sigh dejectedly and glance at Yuan Shu.
"Guest Elder Yuan, come with me."
Yuan Shu turned her head to look at Yao Qianci, who gave her a gentle smile, as if telling her not to feel guilty.
Was Yao Qianci about to advance to the Void Refinement Realm so soon?
Very well. She would keep this matter in mind!
