Chapter 1: The Pill Family

The small town was brightly lit. Due to the rise of a massive film city next to Longhua Town, the place gradually became prosperous.

In an ancient-looking house, dim lights shone through. Suddenly, a young man with a backpack hurriedly pushed open the door and rushed in.

“Dad, where are you? Please don’t let anything happen to you!”

Lu Qiwen’s face was filled with anxiety. He looked travel-worn. Originally a senior in college, he had received a sudden call from his father, Lu Yuan, two nights ago. On the phone, Lu Yuan urged him to return home quickly, saying he was on the verge of death and had some final matters to discuss.

The news almost made Lu Qiwen faint. He immediately took leave and boarded a train home, rushing back just before nightfall to the house he hadn’t visited in six months.

Seeing the light still on in his father’s room, Lu Qiwen let out a long sigh of relief.

“Is that you, Wen’er?”

Lu Qiwen clearly heard his father’s voice. He quickly responded, put his backpack in the living room, and leaped up the two-meter-high stairs to push open the door.

A man in his fifties, his face flushed, lay on the bed, looking joyfully at his son who had walked in.

Seeing his father’s complexion, Lu Qiwen’s expression changed drastically. He knelt by the bed, holding Lu Yuan’s hand, and cried, “Dad, what’s wrong with you? Why did you take the Revival Pill? It’s a forbidden drug!”

Lu Yuan didn’t seem surprised that his son recognized the forbidden drug. He reached out to stroke Lu Qiwen’s head and said, “Qiwen, it’s good that you’re back. I managed to hold on with the pill’s power until you returned.”

Tears welled up in Lu Qiwen’s eyes as he cried, “Dad, did you test the pill on yourself again? How could this happen?”

Lu Yuan smiled and said, “Qiwen, you’re a man now. Don’t cry like a little girl.”

The flush on Lu Yuan’s face deepened. Knowing his time was short, he said, “Qiwen, I’m done for, but I have no regrets. However, I couldn’t refine many of the pills recorded in our family’s Pill Manual. I’m truly unwilling.”

“Dad,” Lu Qiwen cried.

Lu Yuan coughed heavily, blood trickling from the corner of his mouth. Lu Qiwen quickly wiped it away with a handkerchief, his face full of worry and sorrow.

Seeing his son’s concern, Lu Yuan smiled weakly and said, “Qiwen, our family’s Pill Manual records the methods to refine over a thousand pills. If we had the right herbs, we could even make the Immortal Pill that allows one to ascend to the heavens. But our family has declined. No one can cultivate the Samadhi True Fire to activate the Wenwu Cauldron, so we can only use ordinary fire to make low-grade pills.”

As he spoke, blood continued to flow from Lu Yuan’s mouth, clearly on the brink of collapse.

Suddenly, Lu Qiwen stood up and began searching through the cabinets.

Lu Yuan looked at him with relief and said, “Qiwen, don’t bother. The Nine-turn Spirit Pill is gone, and even if it were here, it couldn’t save me.”

Lu Qiwen trembled and sat down in despair, saying, “Dad, why didn’t you use the Nine-turn Spirit Pill to save yourself? Why?”

Lu Yuan shook his head and said, “Silly child, that pill has been passed down from our ancestors, and there’s only one left. Although it can bring the dead back to life, I’m poisoned by pill toxins. I can’t survive. Besides, the toxins have accumulated in my body for decades. It’s a miracle I held on with the Revival Pill until you returned.”

As he spoke, Lu Yuan shakily removed an ancient ring from his finger and handed it to the tearful Lu Qiwen, saying, “Wear it. Our family has three treasures: the Heaven and Earth Ring, the Wenwu Cauldron, and the Pill Manual. The Wenwu Cauldron and the Pill Manual, along with many pills I’ve refined and herbs collected by our ancestors, are all in this ring. You must cherish them.”

Lu Qiwen took the ring and put it on. Seeing this, Lu Yuan smiled faintly and suddenly spat out a mouthful of blood.

Lu Qiwen immediately grabbed his father’s hand.

Lu Yuan’s face glowed with vitality, but Lu Qiwen, knowledgeable in medicine, knew his father was truly at the end. Tears silently streamed down his face.

Lu Yuan, aware of his condition, saw his son’s sorrowful expression and smiled brightly. He shakily took out a jade pendant from under his pillow. The dragon-shaped pendant was only half intact.

Handing the jade pendant to Lu Qiwen, Lu Yuan said with a trembling voice, “Qiwen, I arranged a marriage for you with the Nine-turn Spirit Pill. I know you value freedom in love, so if you don’t want it, just consider it nonexistent. Don’t blame me. I hope you can continue our family line, but I won’t live to see that day.”

Seeing his father still thinking about his future, Lu Qiwen’s tears flowed even more. He murmured, “Dad, don’t worry. I will continue our family line.”

Hearing this, Lu Yuan smiled with relief. Suddenly, Lu Qiwen tightened his grip on his father’s hand, and Lu Yuan spat out a large mouthful of blood.

“Wen’er, remember, never refine high-grade pills without the Samadhi True Fire, and don’t test pills on yourself like I did.”

“Dad!”

Three days passed.

Lu Qiwen stared blankly at his father’s portrait. His eyes fell on the half jade pendant, and a look of hatred flashed in his eyes.

“Fiancée, if it weren’t for you, maybe the Nine-turn Spirit Pill could have saved my father. It’s all your fault. Even if you become my wife, I won’t let this go.”

Lu Qiwen gripped the jade pendant tightly.

In a valley like a fairyland, surrounded by green bamboo and simple bamboo houses.

Incense smoke wafted gently from a censer. A woman sat calmly on a meditation mat, holding a half jade pendant in her white, jade-like hand.

Suddenly, the woman stood up, and it seemed the whole world moved with her. She had long, black hair and wore a white robe, with a white silk belt around her waist, perfectly highlighting her beautiful figure.

Strangely, no matter how hard one tried, her face couldn’t be seen clearly. It wasn’t because it was covered, but her face gave an unusually vague feeling, only revealing the beautiful curves of her features. Her true appearance remained elusive.

The fairy-like woman smiled and murmured softly, “Lu Qiwen, my husband, it seems I must venture into the mortal world as my master said. As the heir of a declining Pill Family, don’t disappoint me, Yang Ningyin.”