r18novel 508. The Person I Saw
508. The Person I Saw
Hearing this, Xiao Yan could only nod, despite his curiosity.
However, Xuan Yi's mysterious aura reminded him of something. Shortly after he completed the first trial of the Heavenly Talent Ranking, he had encountered an extremely mysterious man in black on his way out of the Pill Tower. That man had also entered the Pill Tower with a token given to him by Xuan Yi.
"Could it be that person? But who could be so mysterious?"
The three leaders of the Pill Tower have their own residences within the tower, and Xiao Yan saw quite a few rooms along the way. Many of these rooms exuded a considerable aura, which made Xiao Yan somewhat alarmed. It seems that the true power of the Pill Tower, hidden beneath its surface, can only be found in its core.
"What, you also want your own room here?" Xuan Yi suddenly asked Xiao Yan.
"I already have one," Xiao Yan vaguely brushed off the question.
"Actually, your teacher should have been here back then..." Xuan Yi's words were abruptly cut off, and Xiao Yan even sensed that Xuan Yi was choking up.
Xuan Yi led Xiao Yan to his room, where an elegant orchid was carved on the door. He then naturally pushed the door open and entered, while Xiao Yan looked inside before following him.
Based on this layout, there are at least ten more residences. These residences are even more central than those of the three major powers—who do they belong to? Xiao Yan had this question in his mind, but now was clearly not the best time to ask.
As soon as Xiao Yan entered Xuan Yi's residence, he smelled a medicinal fragrance. This was the scent left by years of alchemy, but unlike ordinary fragrances, it also contained a faint, delicate orchid scent.
Xiao Yan was also immediately impressed, saying that Xuan Yi's room truly resembled what a master alchemist should have.
The entire right wall of the room was lined with exquisite sandalwood medicine cabinets, each drawer labeled with faded yellow paper. These specially made cabinets were designed to maximize the effectiveness of the items stored inside. Xiao Yan glanced at the bottom drawer and saw the words "Hemostatic Vine - Northwest Desert" scrawled crookedly. He looked at it a few more times, a sense of familiarity washing over him. Unbeknownst to him, that somewhat jarring label was actually written by his teacher in his youth; however, he rarely saw Yao Lao's handwriting and therefore didn't recognize it at first.
In the very center of the room hung a portrait.
The figure in the painting is dressed in a moon-white robe, bending down to examine a pill cauldron. His long, ink-black hair falls over his shoulders, and his fingertips are holding the starting stance of a pill-refining technique that Xiao Yan is familiar with—this is the back view of Yao Chen when he participated in the Pill Gathering hundreds of years ago.
The portrait bears two lines of poetry inscribed in the lower right corner: "The lamp has burned out, my temples are frosted with age, the young man of yesteryear is nowhere to be seen."
The ink stains were old, but there wasn't a speck of dust on the corner of the paper.
"This painting..." Xiao Yan's Adam's apple bobbed, and his hand unconsciously clenched in his sleeve.
Xuan Yi leaned against the door frame, his eyes filled with longing: "Your teacher always told me that alchemists should never hang their own portraits in their residences, as it can easily disturb their peace of mind and is not conducive to alchemy."
As Xuan Yi spoke, tears welled up in her beautiful eyes: "But he didn't know that someone who had watched that back view for hundreds of years had become a giant in the Pill Tower."
"Aunt Xuan..." Xiao Yan was speechless for a moment. He didn't know what to say, or what he could say. There is no kindness without a reason in this world. The reason why Xuan Yi took such good care of him was always because of his teacher.
But Xiao Yan never expected that Xuan Yi's feelings for Yao Lao were so pure and so intense that they even moved him.
"Xiao Yan, I know I shouldn't be telling you these things. I knew he was still alive, and I wanted to tell him some things after he came to the Pill Tower, but the current situation is something I never expected." Xuan Yi didn't dwell on her feelings for Yao Chen any longer and started talking to Xiao Yan about serious matters.
"Aunt Xuan, you can tell me if you need anything. Since Master isn't here, Xiao Yan will never refuse to do what needs to be done," Xiao Yan replied.
"The Spirit Clan attaches more importance to this alchemy gathering than we imagined. Even with you and Wei Jiangyuan involved, the complexity of it all still worries me greatly, and I have some bad premonitions."
"And within the Pill Gathering, even the giants of the Pill Tower are completely powerless to intervene. I want you to do one thing: take care of someone for me, and make sure nothing happens to her!"
"Who is it?"
"This is the person I'm taking you to see. Judging by the time, she should be here soon."
Xiao Yan and Xuan Yi didn't have to wait long before they heard a knock on the door. When Xuan Yi opened the door, he brought in the person Xiao Yan had guessed was indeed the mysterious figure dressed entirely in black.
Upon entering and seeing Xiao Yan present, the man in black immediately tensed up. Xuan Yi quickly explained softly, "He is Xiao Yan. You already know his true identity; you can trust him!"
Immediately, Xiao Yan heard a woman's voice: "Why did you send him?"
"He's representing the Pill Tower at the Pill Gathering. Even if you want to stop the Spirit Clan, you can't do it alone, can you? Xiao Yan has the ability and determination to succeed with you."
The woman in black hesitated for a moment before removing her hood, revealing her true appearance beneath the robe. As her Dou Qi circulated, Xiao Yan finally saw her true face.
"How could it be you?" Xiao Yan couldn't suppress his curiosity and asked immediately.
He did recognize the person who came; she was Hua Qingyu of the Hua Sect, who ranked third on the Heavenly Talents List, after himself and Ling Zhuo.
Xuan Yi didn't answer Xiao Yan's question, but continued, "Take off your disguise and let him see your true face."
Hua Qingyu glanced at Xuan Yi, and under the latter's affirming gaze, her fighting spirit surged. Her appearance was already exceptional, but now subtle changes were taking place, making her beauty even more stunning.
Her eyebrows and eyes were gentle, her pupils a unique dark indigo, her nose high and straight like a white jade pestle, and her lips pale as a newly blooming snow lotus. When she lowered her gaze, a small, pale blue mole was visible at the corner of her left eye, and the silver ribbon wrapped around her hair swayed gently in the wind, carrying a faint, orchid-scented fragrance that shared the same origin as the one from Xuan Yi's residence.
The moment Xiao Yan saw this person's true face, he was utterly shocked. The person before him felt so familiar.
"No wonder, no wonder I felt something was off when I saw you last time, but I couldn't quite put my finger on why."
Xuan Yi shook his head and said to Xiao Yan, "You should have already figured it out. Qingyu's real name is Yao Qingyu."
"Then?" Xiao Yan's mind was in complete chaos. There was only one possibility when Xuan Yi said that to him.
"She is my and your teacher Yao Chen's biological daughter!"