Chapter Seventeen: Apothecary Shen

“Are they the ones who hurt you?” Sun Qi asked softly.

Sun Sanjiu shook his head. “Only that Wang Qi did. Apothecary Shen spoke up for me, but Wang Qi really wanted to drive me away. I’m just an outer gate servant—how can I compare to an inner disciple!” As he spoke, his words were tinged with both anger and grievance.

Sun Qi was silent for a moment. “Go tell Brother Li about this and ask how he wants to handle it. I’ll deal with these few myself.”

“Alright,” Sun Sanjiu said little else, withdrawing quietly and heading straight to the cultivation chamber.

Inside, Li Mu cultivated without the aid of any Stalwart Pills. His will was as steadfast as stone, and as he practiced with Li Ying, his attention was always half on her safety.

After a while, Li Mu left the chamber alone and walked toward the Jadewood Hall, leaving Li Ying in Sun Sanjiu’s care.

Returning to the rear courtyard, Li Mu immediately saw Sun Qi, who happened to be quietly receiving two cultivators.

“Sun Qi, you may go,” Li Mu waved.

Sun Qi replied simply and took his leave.

Apothecary Shen regarded Li Mu, her gaze tranquil as water, and nodded slightly. In contrast, Wang Qi glanced at Li Mu, saw he was only at the Qi Condensation stage, and scoffed with a snort of disdain.

“Honored guests, I am Li Mu. May I ask what brings you here?” Li Mu stepped forward and bowed. As he looked up, he couldn’t help but praise her inwardly. Though Apothecary Shen’s face was veiled, her eyes were deep as water, and she gave off a mysterious presence he’d never felt before.

It was not his first time seeing a female cultivator, but her beauty and bearing far surpassed those he’d met in the past.

Before she could reply, Wang Qi suddenly slammed the table. Tea splashed everywhere, soaking much of the nearby herbs.

“You’ve got some nerve, not even addressing us as seniors! You, a lowly Qi Condensation cultivator, kept us waiting so long and dare to speak so casually?”

Having waited half the time, he was already irritable. Seeing Li Mu was only at the Qi Condensation stage, he exploded in anger.

Li Mu’s expression was calm. “You both seem to be about the same age as me. Why should I call you ‘senior’?”

“How ignorant you are! Titles don’t depend on age!” Wang Qi shouted, “Cultivation is what matters! Even if someone’s a child, if their cultivation is high, you call them senior!”

“That’s not how it’s done where I come from,” Li Mu thought silently, smiling faintly. “Very well. If the seniors must wait, I apologize.”

To him, it was inconsequential, not worth wasting time over.

Apothecary Shen’s eyes lingered on Li Mu, as if surprised by his composure in the face of a cultivator one level above himself.

Wang Qi, seeing Li Mu change his tone, let go of his anger and sat down, still sulking.

“What business brings you here?”

Apothecary Shen was about to speak, but Wang Qi pulled out a storage pouch and exclaimed, “You’re the alchemist? Good. Hand over the recipe for the Stalwart Pill. Here are eighty mid-grade spirit crystals—consider that the price!”

The crystals clattered onto the table, their gentle glow filling the room. “My junior sister can easily refine your pill. I just want to see what’s different about it. But you’re lucky—I’m giving you a windfall.”

Eighty mid-grade spirit crystals formed a small pile, shining warmly.

But Li Mu barely glanced at them, shaking his head. “If you’ve come to buy a recipe, I’m afraid I must disappoint. I don’t have it.”

“So you think it’s not enough?” Wang Qi leapt up, face darkening. An oppressive force crashed down on Li Mu.

Li Mu shifted slightly, his expression unchanged.

“Enough, Wang Qi!” Apothecary Shen’s brow furrowed as she chided him softly. She raised her jade hand, and the pressure vanished instantly. “I intended to come alone, but you insisted on coming and are only causing trouble. What exactly are you trying to do?”

Her tone was reproachful. Wang Qi hurriedly stepped back, apologizing, “Junior sister, I only meant to help you.”

“Not speaking is help enough,” she said coldly, not sparing him a glance.

Wang Qi, helpless, shot Li Mu a glare and slumped into his seat.

Apothecary Shen stood and composed herself. Her movements beneath her robe were graceful, her figure delicate yet striking.

Wang Qi’s gaze lingered; Li Mu shook his head inwardly. Such poise—her presence was even more compelling for being half-hidden beneath her robe.

“Alchemist Li, I wish to ask a few questions—not about the recipe, if you don’t mind?” Her gentle voice was humble yet serene.

Li Mu was slightly taken aback. He hadn’t expected this renowned young female alchemist, considered a prodigy by many, to humble herself just for the recipe.

He smiled. “Please, senior. I’ll do my best to answer.”

Wang Qi looked ready to erupt, but seeing Apothecary Shen, he only grunted and turned away.

She paid him no heed, her gaze intent. “Thank you. First, may I ask—are your pills refined with water or fire?”

Li Mu paused. He’d heard of water and fire refinement, but knew little; he hardly spent time on pillcraft.

Seeing his hesitation, Apothecary Shen’s eyes sparkled with amusement, her veil shifting with her smile as if revealing a hint of satisfaction. “If you can’t answer, let me ask you this: what grade of cauldron did you use to refine your Stalwart Pill? The cauldron in your rear courtyard is only a basic first-grade purple cauldron—not suitable for a second-grade pill.”

Li Mu actually didn’t use a cauldron at all. The purple cauldron belonged to Sun Sanjiu, and their own was little more than a household prop, not a treasured artifact.

As Li Mu hesitated, Apothecary Shen’s sly smile deepened. “Third question: I noticed the Qi Restoration Pills here—all are uniform and of top quality. How do you distinguish between them? I was just considering—refining so many first-grade pills perfectly is likely much harder than crafting your Stalwart Pill.”

This woman was no ordinary person.

Her questions skirted the recipe, focusing instead on the process.

Had she noticed something suspicious?

From her questions, she seemed to know well that these pills were highly suspect—surely not made by Li Mu himself.

“Underestimating others…” Li Mu’s thoughts were troubled. “I thought I could handle this, but now it seems I was too complacent. Earlier, I could bluff because there weren’t any true experts. Now that one has come, the truth might be exposed.”

How should he respond?

The Spirit Tower was his secret and must not be revealed. He would have to find another explanation.

“Apothecary Shen, what is it you wish to know? Please speak.”

Li Mu’s hands moved swiftly, laying a barrier formation to isolate their conversation—a basic skill for cultivators, easily learned by those at mid-stage Qi Condensation.

Apothecary Shen shook her head with a smile, her jade hand waving gently as she dispelled his formation instantly. Then she gestured, and a new, more advanced isolation array appeared.

“Allow me, Alchemist Li,” she said, stepping inside with a smile.

She was more thorough in her thinking. Such basic barriers were useless against higher-level cultivators.

Li Mu’s formation was meaningless to someone like Wang Qi, offering no real protection. But Wang Qi was clearly not a spy.

With Apothecary Shen’s array in place, there was no worry of eavesdropping.