CHAPTER 26

— Elixir Shop —

"Tong Tong, what are you doing? Standing here like a fool? The big iceberg is getting farther away, aren't you going to catch up?" Ding Ding slapped Tong Tong on the back, the uncontrolled force instantly shattering the girl's melancholic reverie and smoothly returning her to the three-dimensional reality of daily necessities.

"Ouch—" Glaring at the grinning Young Master Ding, Tong Tong snorted at him, then, taking him by surprise, twisted her body and elbowed him hard in the Shenshu [kidney] acupoint at his waist, making him howl in pain.

She dusted off her hands, stuck her tongue out at He Gu—who had just caught up—and, with Cookie perched on her shoulder, skipped away to chase after her First Senior Brother.

"You little brat, just wait until I... Ow, ow, ow, it hurts so much..." Ding Ding's half-shouted threat immediately softened into a pitiful moan as he caught sight of He Gu from the corner of his eye. His groans, rising and falling with dramatic flair, along with tears that seemed both real and feigned, came so naturally without a trace of artifice that they deeply conveyed his suffering.

How could the simple-minded He Gu be a match for him? Without a second thought, she supported Ding Ding's arm and asked with concern, "Junior Brother Ding, what's wrong?"

Ding Ding smiled inwardly, but his face still wore an expression of unbearable pain. He leaned back slightly, shifting most of his weight onto He Gu, while stubbornly insisting, "N-nothing serious. Tong Tong just landed a few heavy blows on my vital points. It... it doesn't hurt at all!"

His vague, half-truthful words indeed made He Gu frown slightly. Not minding Ding Ding leaning against him, He Gu wrapped one arm around his shoulder and placed the other on his lower back, gently channeling spiritual energy. "Does this feel better?"

Inhaling the faint, elegant scent of sandalwood from He Gu, Ding Ding felt his bones go weak, as if an electric current ran from the top of his head all the way down to his feet, making even his soul tremble uncontrollably.

His palms grew damp with sweat. He tilted his head slightly, not daring to look into He Gu's clear eyes, feeling just a tiny bit of the shamelessness he had always despised for taking advantage of the other's sympathy—but, when it comes to wooing someone, you have to be bold, attentive, and thick-skinned! For the sake of ultimate victory, any means can be justified!

With this thought, Comrade Ding Ding's resolve became unshakably firm again. That tiny twinge of guilt was immediately tossed aside, and he threw himself even more passionately into his performance, wishing he could nestle like a little bird into He Gu's embrace—as for the onlookers whispering and pointing around them, Young Master Ding couldn't care less!

Though she felt it improper to be hugging and holding Ding Ding like this in public, He Gu pitied him for being in such pain and couldn't help but silently blame Tong Tong for not knowing her own strength. Holding Ding Ding's sturdy waist, He Gu's cheeks flushed slightly without her realizing it. Suddenly, her heart tightened, and she subtly glanced toward a street corner—a dark corner of clothing flashed by.

A strange, unfamiliar aura, a feeling of being watched—was she just overthinking it?

He Gu shook her head, refocusing on the present, and couldn't help but sigh helplessly. "Junior Brother Ding, could you let go of me now?"

The phrase "give an inch and take a mile" found its perfect embodiment in Ding Ding. While He Gu was lost in thought, Ding had already wrapped his arms around the other's neck and hooked a leg over theirs. If not for the need to keep one leg free to perform the feat of standing on one leg—lest he crush the beauty beneath him—he would have likely clung to them like a koala by now.

"Hehehe..." Faced with He Gu's clearly speechless expression, Ding Ding decided to employ the most shameless yet effective response—a foolish grin—to muddle through.

"Hehehe..." Compared to Young Master Ding's silly laughter, Tong Tong's awkward chuckle carried a hint of fluster, yet it was equally infuriating, the kind that made one wish to kick her to the ends of the earth.

Su Yan, who had been gazing up at a plaque [shop sign], savoring the profound mystery conveyed by its bold and flowing calligraphy, was now irritated by the laughter. She raised an eyebrow and glanced questioningly at Tong Tong, whose cheeks were twitching from the effort of laughing.

"Um, well... Ah, right! Senior Sister, what were you looking at just now?" Rubbing her stiff cheeks, Tong Tong asked with an air of "innocence," while Cookie on her shoulder blinked its golden eyes in agreement.

Su Yan glanced sideways, his phoenix eyes narrowing slightly—Tong Tong's heart skipped a beat, wondering anxiously: 'Has he seen through my earlier mockery? Is he now furious and planning to finish me off?'

After a long pause, Su Yan finally asked coldly, "Is there a red pouch with black patterns in the Qiankun pouch Master gave you?"

Tilting her head to recall the "newbie kit" bestowed by her beautiful master, Tong Tong nodded. With a thought, the small red pouch with black patterns appeared in her hand, which she raised to offer to Su Yan. The other made no move to take it, instead looking meaningfully at Cookie idly licking its paw. "That is a Spirit Beast Pouch."

"Huh? What do you mean?" Tong Tong, whose intelligence hovered steadily around the average, pondered for a moment before suddenly understanding. "You want me to put Cookie inside?"

"Awoo?" Hearing its name, the little creature paused its paw-licking and looked over obediently. After being patted on the head by Tong Tong, it cheerfully switched to licking another paw—the lingering flavors of duck palms and pastries between its claws were enough to savor for a long time.

"Why? It would be so lonely in there all by itself—no one to talk to, no one to play with. It might even get depressed!" Clutching Cookie protectively, Tong Tong protested with a stiff neck—though her eyes darted nervously and her fingers tightened on her clothes, betraying her bluster.

"Suit yourself." Seeing she didn't appreciate the advice, Su Yan didn't press the matter. Indifferently, she turned and walked into the alchemy shop she had been eyeing for a while, seemingly unbothered by Tong Tong's refusal. Yet, the girl and her beast behind her simultaneously shrank their necks, feeling a chill sweep over them from all directions, piercing straight to the heart.

"Don't be afraid, Cookie. Your master will protect you." Tong Tong vowed solemnly, but her feet involuntarily quickened their pace as she hurried after Su Yan—after all, it's safest to stay close to the big iceberg!

Following Su Yan past two screens and three corridors, winding through twists and turns for what felt like ages, they finally arrived at a large, open-doored room emanating human presence.

Tugging Cookie down from her shoulder and cradling it in her arms, Tong Tong followed closely into the room.

An elderly man with graying beard sat cross-legged on a cushion in the hall, his eyes closed. Though his features were ordinary, he exuded an air of profound composure. Behind him stood a life-sized alchemy furnace, its body cast in reddish bronze with a simple design. Only the faint, lingering scent of elixirs hinted at its extraordinary nature.

As if sensing their arrival, the old man slowly withdrew his hands from their meditative posture, opened his eyes, and smiled at the two visitors, a glint of sharpness flashing briefly in his gaze.

Tong Tong's reverence for this seemingly profound elder shattered into countless fragments the moment he opened his mouth: "Ah, honored guests, what a rare visit! This old man failed to greet you properly—what a grave oversight! Please, look around as you wish. Not to boast, but within a hundred miles, no other alchemy shop offers such fine elixirs at such reasonable prices. If you miss this opportunity, it would truly be a lifelong regret..."

Snap. Su Yan casually flicked her fingers, casting a cold glance at the old man to signal him to shut up.

Dizzy from the old man's rapid-fire introduction, Tong Tong was about to give her handsome senior brother a thumbs-up when the old man took a deep breath and, hidden beneath his beard, began speaking even more energetically: "Ah, esteemed guest, you are truly generous! Hehe, was that gesture just now meant to indicate one of each, all packaged up? This old man understands. Since you are so forthright, I cannot be less accommodating. How about this—I'll gift you a copy of our shop's exclusive alchemy formula. This is a privilege reserved only for our most esteemed members. Hehe, no need to be too moved. It's just that this old man finds you quite agreeable..."

—Su Yan's immobilization art had no effect on him?

"Stop, stop, stop—" Seeing Su Yan's fair face darken with the clear intention of drawing his sword, Tong Tong swiftly pulled the chattering old man aside. Sacrificing herself, she used her petite frame to shield him from the spray of saliva directed at Su Yan and raised her voice to ask, "Elder, we appreciate your kindness, but we're really just browsing..." They hadn't planned to buy any elixirs—the goods they had taken from Xiangzhu Peak last time were enough to last their entire peak for quite a while...

Before she could finish, the old man, whose wrinkled face had been smiling like a chrysanthemum, immediately bristled with indignation: "What? Not buying? Then why did you come in? You should know that this old man's alchemy shop isn't open to just any riffraff..."

"We'll buy." Su Yan lightly pressed her thumb and middle finger together but suddenly froze. Remembering something, she forcibly withdrew her right hand, which had been about to snap her fingers, and merely cast a cold glance at the now-outraged old man, saying calmly.

"Excellent! Please wait a moment, honored guest!" The old man whooshed out of the hall and whooshed back in, startling Tong Tong—his speed was simply too fast!

The old man, who had left empty-handed, returned holding a cyan Qiankun pouch and a thin booklet, which he handed to Su Yan with a beaming smile: "That will be eighty-five medium-grade spirit stones in total."

"So expensive?" Tong Tong glared fiercely at the old man. "Do you take us for fools?"

"How can you speak like that, little girl? You can go out and ask around—in Chaohua Town, my shop is famous for giving value for money and treating everyone fairly. And right now, during the Chaohua Market period, we're running a patron appreciation event, even including a rare alchemy formula as a gift! Such a great deal, and you still complain..." The old man blew out his beard and glared, wearing an expression of righteous indignation that seemed to say, "How could you do this?"

"No need for change." Su Yan took out a flawless, crystal-clear top-grade spirit stone from her Qiankun pouch and tossed it to the old man. She then turned and walked away with clean, decisive movements, exuding an air of effortless grace.

"So wasteful..." Tong Tong shook her head, snatched the pouch and alchemy formula from the old man's hands, and hurried after him.

"Thank you for your patronage! Come again~" The old man waved his hand. Once the two were completely out of sight, he weighed the top-grade spirit stone in his hand, stroked his mustache, and wore a thoughtful expression, with none of the earlier frivolity left.

"Senior Sister... why did you buy those elixirs? They're not even useful..." Tong Tong flipped through the thin booklet in her hands, glanced cautiously at Su Yan's indifferent profile, and asked timidly.

"That old man is no ordinary person." Su Yan said only this before falling silent. She glanced at the items in Tong Tong's hands and suddenly added, "These are for you."

"Huh? So generous... well, thank you... but I don't have any use for them either." Thinking that it would be foolish to pass up a free gift, Tong Tong still offered a small protest.

But Su Yan looked at her with a faint, knowing smile and said unhurriedly, "You'll need them."

Seeing her still confused, Su Yan kindly explained further, "Three months from now, the Inner-Sect Minor Competition."

"What?" Tong Tong looked as if she had been struck by lightning, frozen in place.

—These eight words felt like a massive monument crashing down on her head, turning her into a tragic figure.

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