How had they suddenly become friends?
“Master, is this formula real or fake? Are there any flaws?”
Chen Xi reviewed the formula again. Both the listed ingredients and the mixing steps were precise and flawless. It even provided lower-tier substitutes for rare and precious materials, with adjustments made to the steps based on Yan Zhen’s current cultivation level. Whoever made it understood it perfectly.
—Wait, no!
Chen Xi suddenly spotted the issue with this formula.
This was not some ancient medicine pool formula. It was the improved version she had specially refined in her previous life!
In her past life, she and Yi Xian’er had jointly developed the top-tier Gangsha Unity technique. To allow ordinary men and women to cultivate it without body fusion, they had specifically tailored the medicine pool formula for Gang Body and Fiend Body constitutions.
Besides herself, no one in this world should know this improved formula.
Not the current Yi Xian’er, but the Yi Xian’er from her previous life!
Could it be…
Chen Xi suddenly formed a very bold hypothesis.
That would explain why Yi Xian’er had immediately become Yan Zhen’s friend and given him something as precious as the Evil Scale Fire Crystals.
But why would Yi Xian’er, of all people besides herself… perhaps not just her?
An even bolder idea flashed through Chen Xi’s mind!
—No way?
“Master? Master!”
Yan Zhen’s call snapped Chen Xi back to reality. She shook her head regretfully. “The formula is theoretically feasible, but your master cannot guarantee there will be no issues in practice.”
“Ah?”
Seeing the disappointment on Yan Zhen’s face, Chen Xi asked puzzledly, “Zhen’er, do you not wish to perform body fusion dual cultivation with that Chief Manager?”
Yan Zhen sighed. “It is not that I am unwilling. It just feels weird, and it is not entirely fair to Sister Ji Ya. She has already suffered so much from her illness. Forcing her to lose her purity just to save her life seems too cruel.”
“Sister Ji Ya?” Chen Xi latched onto the key phrase, her eyes filling with suspicion. “You two are that close now?”
Yan Zhen cursed inwardly—he had let it slip. He quickly covered. “Sh-she asked me to call her that. She said it would make us feel closer and less awkward during the dual cultivation, heh.”
Chen Xi’s gaze sharpened as she stared at her precious disciple. “Be honest, Zhen’er. How has that Chief Manager treated you? Has she been overly enthusiastic, not at all like a first meeting? And she does not mind body fusion dual cultivation with you at all. Am I right?”
“Master, y-you knew?”
Yan Zhen was mortified.
To get the medicine pool formula from his Beautiful Master earlier, he had claimed Ji Ya was extremely reluctant to dual cultivate.
Now his lie was exposed right to his face. Even with his thick skin, Yan Zhen felt his cheeks burn, his toes curling in embarrassment.
—Looks like I guessed right.
Chen Xi’s eyes narrowed, a sharp glint in her pupils.
So Ji Ya was planning to use this hidden ailment to lock down a relationship with her precious disciple. Even if she told Yan Zhen the medicine pool formula, Ji Ya would likely find excuses to stick with body fusion instead.
—What a schemer.
In other words, both Yi Xian’er and Ji Ya had been reborn just like her, and both wanted to leverage their foreknowledge to claim Yan Zhen first.
Yi Xian’er had produced the formula because she did not want Ji Ya to beat her to it.
—But Little Xian’er has no grudge against Ji Ya. She only clashes with one of the disciple’s daughters-in-law, the Myriad Snake Queen. No need to worry there.
It seemed she did not need to do anything—just play dumb.
Even if it all came out later, her precious disciple probably would not hold it against her.
Ahem. Perfect.
“Zhen’er, you don’t need to overthink it,” Chen Xi advised gently. “Since she’s willing, just proceed with the safest method—the Body Fusion Dual Cultivation. We can explore other options later if the opportunity arises.”
“But Master,” Yan Zhen said, scratching his head in distress, “even with that Body Fusion Dual Cultivation method, I don’t feel confident at all. This concerns Sister Ji Ya’s life. What if I don’t do it perfectly and fail to cure her?”
“This treatment is indeed quite intricate,” Chen Xi replied. “You’ll need to take control during the dual cultivation, using her body as the cauldron and the medicinal power within her as the raw material. With added supplementary drugs, you’ll refine it like a pill. It demands high levels of cultivation, stamina, and spiritual power.”
She pondered for a moment, then smiled. “How about this? Practice on your master first to get familiar with the process. Once you’re comfortable, you can give her the proper treatment. What do you say?”
“Ah?”
Practice on the Beautiful Female Master? Didn’t that mean dual cultivating with her?
Yan Zhen’s face flushed red as he fidgeted. “Is… is that really okay?”
“What’s not okay about it?” Chen Xi replied calmly. “Didn’t your master already say that for the sake of your cultivation, she would do anything? This can even count as training for a Pill Refiner.”
With a light pat on the ground, the stone beneath their feet rose up, transforming into a stone bed. Gauzy curtains, bedding, and other furnishings appeared one after another, turning the simple stone bed into a luxurious couch.
“Come on, Zhen’er. Treat your master as that Chief Manager and try out the Body Fusion Dual Cultivation treatment method.”
“Master…”
In the midst of the growing intimate atmosphere, their clothes gradually came off as the two entwined together.
Chen Xi endured her disciple’s fervent advances while guiding him—on the output of his mystic power, the shifting mudras, adjustments to their positions, the balance of gentle and firm movements, and even the timing of his infusions.
Yan Zhen, for his part, earnestly followed the Beautiful Female Master’s instructions.
While the master and disciple practiced, the two women outside continued to stare each other down.
Yi Xian’er wasn’t deliberately targeting Ji Ya.
She had already guessed that Ji Ya might have been reborn just like her, hoping to use that foreknowledge to claim Yan Zhen first.
Yi Xian’er understood that sentiment perfectly. She wouldn’t stop an outstanding woman from approaching Yan Zhen—except for that snake woman from the City of Water.
Yan Zhen didn’t actually like that Snake Woman. It was just that her Pregnancy Qi was exceptionally strong, allowing her to conceive his child with ease. Out of a sense of responsibility, he had no choice but to marry her.
That was the one defeat Yi Xian’er couldn’t stomach from her previous life. This time, she absolutely wouldn’t repeat that mistake!
She held no great animosity toward Ji Ya. Rather than clashing against each other, Yi Xian’er wanted to form an alliance with her to pull Yan Zhen away from that snake woman.
The reason she had brought out the Medicine Pool Formula to throw a wrench in Ji Ya’s plans was purely to seize the dominant position in any potential alliance—a habit ingrained from her years as the Thousand Fiend Queen.
“Is Sister Ji Ya that worried?” Yi Xian’er asked. “Your complexion hasn’t looked good since earlier.”
“Heh, not at all. Your sister is just curious about Little Brother Yan Zhen’s master—what kind of esteemed expert she must be, keeping everything so secretive.” Ji Ya narrowed her eyes, her vixen-like charm on full display. “Where did Little Sister Xian’er get that Medicine Pool Formula from? Even the Tier Four and Tier Five Pill Refiners I know have never heard of it.”
“To be honest with you, Sister,” Yi Xian’er said, dropping a bombshell, “I learned of this formula from a Mystic Saint Expert.”
“A Mystic Saint?”
Ji Ya froze, the breathtaking visage of Master Chen Xi instantly flashing through her mind.
