"Alright then! I'll go back and sort things out. I'll bring it over in a few days!" Seeing Luo Yanlan's eagerness to learn, Ye Xuan pondered for a moment before replying. Although he had just managed to perform the Poison-Breaking Needle by borrowing Mengmeng's power, it wasn't suitable to teach it directly to Luo Yanlan. He'd need to refine and adapt it first.
He could tell that, while Luo Yanlan had trained in martial arts, her inner energy reserve was quite limited. If she tried to use a rough version of the Poison-Breaking Needle in her current state, she might collapse before even expelling the poison bug from the patient.
When she heard Ye Xuan say he'd bring it next time, Luo Yanlan was secretly a bit excited. That means we'll get to see each other often, she thought to herself happily and responded, "Okay, I'll wait for you!"
The two of them chatted casually for a while. Without Mengmeng playing third wheel, and perhaps because they'd spent some time together, Ye Xuan had become a bit more comfortable around Luo Yanlan, and their conversation flowed easily.
During their chat, Ye Xuan wrote down a list of herbs required to refine the Body-Tempering Pill and handed it to Luo Yanlan. "Do we have these herbs in our clinic?"
Luo Yanlan took the list and scanned it with a puzzled look. "What's this formula for? It feels strange, not like a prescription for treating illness."
"It's a recipe for pill refinement," Ye Xuan said casually without further explanation. He simply asked again, "So, do we have them?"
Seeing that he didn't want to elaborate, Luo Yanlan tactfully dropped the subject and studied the list seriously. After a moment, she looked up and said, "Most of these herbs we have in the clinic, but… what are Dragon Saliva Grass and Tiger Blood Flower? I've never even heard of them."
Ye Xuan's brows furrowed immediately. These two herbs were the main ingredients for the Body-Tempering Pill, and not having them was a big problem. From her tone, it even sounded like they might not exist in this world at all.
Could it be a difference in name? Ye Xuan wondered.
He then described the appearance and medicinal properties of the two herbs, but Luo Yanlan still looked utterly confused. "How could such fantastical herbs exist? Where did you even get this recipe? You sure you didn't get scammed?"
Ye Xuan fell silent for a moment, then let out a bitter laugh. "Maybe… who knows? Never mind. If we don't have it, we don't."
Though he spoke nonchalantly, frustration churned inside. Without those two herbs, he couldn't make the Body-Tempering Pill. Without the pill, this body was basically useless for cultivation.
Am I really going to be stuck before my path of return even begins?
No! He couldn't give up so easily. There had to be another way!
As his thoughts raced, he suddenly remembered how, when Mengmeng's energy had flowed through his body earlier, his meridians had shown signs of loosening. His eyes lit up.
Maybe… I can forge my path through martial arts instead!
After some internal deliberation, Ye Xuan decided that while this route was more troublesome, it was still viable—he just needed to modify his cultivation method.
So what if it takes more time? he sighed inwardly, not overly bothered.
Luo Yanlan noticed his sudden silence and assumed he was upset about being duped. She offered a gentle comfort, "Maybe the recipe's real after all. It could just be that I've never heard of those herbs. How about this—I'll check through your grandfather's medical books. Maybe there's something in there."
Ye Xuan's eyes flickered. In the original owner's memories, the Ye family's ancestral home had an attic filled with generations of collected books. Maybe, just maybe, there was something useful in there.
But… going through that much material would be a massive undertaking. And as a son-in-law living in the Mo household, spending too much time at the Ye ancestral home would be awkward.
So he replied, "I'll leave that to you, then. Thank you."
"Come on, don't be so polite with me. Besides, I might even learn a few things along the way," she said with a smile.
Ye Xuan didn't say much more, and the two continued chatting until it was time for lunch.
Just after they finished eating, Mengmeng finally woke up.
"You're all bad guys!" she pouted, standing at the dining room door with a grumpy look. "You ate without me!"
"Uh…" Ye Xuan was speechless, but Luo Yanlan quickly stood up with a laugh and said, "I'm sorry, I'm sorry! You were still unconscious, so we didn't want to wake you. How about this? I'll ask the kitchen to make more dishes. What would you like?"
Hearing that, Mengmeng's face instantly brightened. After naming a few dishes, she suddenly furrowed her brows and looked at Ye Xuan.
"By the way… Uncle Ye, how were you able to use my power to perform the Spirit Guiding Needle?"
"That wasn't the Spirit Guiding Needle, it was the Poison-Breaking Needle," Luo Yanlan explained on Ye Xuan's behalf.
But Mengmeng still frowned. "Even if it wasn't, you still used my energy, didn't you? How? How did you even do that? And you… you…"
She wanted to ask who he really was but reconsidered, realizing the question might come off wrong. So she swallowed it back.
Ye Xuan thought for a moment and calmly answered, "It's because my cultivation technique can fuse with any kind of internal energy."
It wasn't a complete lie—just a simplified explanation. His immortal cultivation method really could merge with other types of energy.
Mengmeng still looked doubtful. The explanation seemed flimsy, but not entirely implausible. After all, medical skills and martial arts often overlapped. She knew that Ye Xuan's grandfather had been a legendary doctor and also a formidable martial artist. It wasn't too far-fetched for Ye Xuan to inherit something.
But… why had he never shown any of this before?
She eyed him up and down suspiciously but didn't press further. Instead, she thought to herself, I'll just tell the young lady about this later. Let her ask him.
With that decision made, Mengmeng let it go. Just then, the kitchen brought out the food.
Faced with such delicious aromas, she completely forgot her earlier doubts and dove into the meal with the enthusiasm of a starving beast. Oil smeared her face, but oddly enough, she looked adorably gluttonous rather than messy.
After the meal, the three of them chatted briefly before Ye Xuan and Mengmeng said their goodbyes and left.
Luo Yanlan felt reluctant but consoled herself, We'll see each other again in a few days, right?
As they left the clinic, Mengmeng asked, "Uncle Ye, are we heading to the antique market in the western suburbs now?"
"Not today. Let's just go home. We can go in a few days—it's not urgent."
His original plan had been to pick up the herbs and then find a suitable furnace in the market. But without the herbs, the furnace was useless. He might as well spend time working on his modified technique.
Mengmeng had no objections. She started the car, and they returned to the Mo residence.
Once home, Ye Xuan gave her a quick nod and locked himself in his room, fully focused on reworking his cultivation method.
Meanwhile, Mengmeng ran straight to Mo Xian'er's room, eager to share everything that had happened.
But the room was empty.
It wasn't until evening that Mo Xian'er finally returned from work.
"Miss! You're finally back—I've been dying to tell you something!" Mengmeng rushed over the moment Mo Xian'er stepped through the door.
"What happened? Did something go wrong?" Mo Xian'er asked, concerned.
"It's Uncle Ye! He can move things without touching them! We've all been fooled—he's not ordinary at all!"
Mo Xian'er's brows instantly furrowed. "What do you mean?!"