Chapter 10: Mysterious Pills

Lu Qiwen chuckled, “It’s no big deal. When I was young, my father was obsessed with refining pills, so I had to cook for myself. After ten years of practice, I’m pretty good at it. If I can’t find a job after graduation, I could always become a chef.”

He Xuan smiled and looked at Lu Qiwen, “But you said you were out of money. How did you manage to buy me clothes and all these things? Don’t tell me you only spent a few hundred yuan. I know these clothes are worth at least ten thousand yuan.”

Lu Qiwen placed a bowl of rice in front of He Xuan and grinned, “Sister Xuan, you’re so smart. Why don’t you take a guess?”

He Xuan pretended to think, her clear eyes blinking adorably. “Oh, I know! You must have robbed someone to get that much money in such a short time,” she joked, then laughed.

Lu Qiwen was taken aback by her joke but then shook his head with a mock-serious expression, “Sister Xuan, you underestimate me. A few thousand yuan is nothing to me. I can get that kind of money easily.”

He Xuan looked intrigued, “Really? Can you tell me how you got the money?”

Without thinking, Lu Qiwen started to say, “It’s simple. I just sold some—” He stopped abruptly, realizing he was about to reveal he had sold aphrodisiacs. If He Xuan found out, who knows what she would think of him. Luckily, he caught himself in time.

He Xuan was curious about what he had sold to get so much money, but he stopped at the crucial moment. Her curiosity piqued, she pressed, “What did you sell? Why did you stop?”

Lu Qiwen laughed nervously, picking up his chopsticks and shoveling food into his mouth, “Oh, nothing much. Just some pills. Sister Xuan, eat up before the food gets cold.”

He Xuan noticed he was deliberately changing the subject and stared at him, trying to see through him.

Feeling her intense gaze, Lu Qiwen kept his head down, eating. He couldn’t possibly tell her he sold aphrodisiacs. First, the mysterious box of condoms, and now this—he couldn’t imagine how his image would be distorted in her mind.

Seeing his stubborn refusal to discuss the pills, He Xuan decided not to press further. She began to speculate on what he might have sold.

If Lu Qiwen knew she was imagining all sorts of things, including selling blood, he might have choked on his food.

Though he was telling the truth, He Xuan would never guess he had sold aphrodisiacs to get the money.

They ate in silence for a while before Lu Qiwen said, “Sister Xuan, I might have a way to heal your burns completely, without leaving any scars.”

He Xuan paused, a hint of hope flashing in her eyes, but she smiled calmly, “Qiwen, thank you, but you don’t need to comfort me. I’ve come to terms with it. As long as you don’t find me scary, I’m fine. At least I don’t have to hide behind sunglasses and hats anymore.”

Lu Qiwen was surprised she didn’t believe him and thought he was just comforting her.

Although he didn’t have a solution yet, he believed the ancient pill manual passed down in his family, which claimed to have recipes for pills that could make one ascend to the heavens, must have something to heal her burns.

But he decided to keep it to himself until he found a definite solution. No need to give her false hope.

Looking at her intently, he said, “To me, you’re still the same Sister Xuan, burns or no burns. And I promise I’ll find a way to restore your beauty.”

He Xuan looked at him, realizing how determined he was. She felt a strange warmth in her heart. Suddenly, she stood up, “I’m full. I’ll go rest now.”

She hurried to her room, leaving Lu Qiwen smiling. He glanced at the table, sighed, and said, “Can’t let this food go to waste.”

After finishing the meal, he cleaned up the dishes and put them away. Looking at the darkening sky, he thought about watching TV but remembered the news about He Xuan’s disappearance. He decided against it, not wanting to upset her further.

Instead, he locked the door, turned off the lights in the living room, and went to his room.

Lying on his bed, he took out a golden book.

The book was made of thin, gold-colored metal sheets, each page inscribed with ancient characters resembling tadpoles. If a scholar saw it, they would recognize it as ancient oracle bone script.

Lu Qiwen touched the soft, gold-like pages and read the title: “Pill Manual.”

This was the ancient pill manual passed down in his family. He opened the first page and began to read, finding various recipes for strange and powerful pills.

There were recipes for Nine Yang Pills, Nine-turn Spirit Pills, Revival Pills, Beauty Pills, Shuiyun Pills, and many others.

His goal was to find a pill that could heal He Xuan’s burns, so he skimmed through the book quickly. Even so, he couldn’t help but be amazed by the contents.

“Wow, an Invisibility Pill that can make you invisible for a short time; a Longevity Pill that can extend your life by five years; a Youth Pill that can keep you young forever.”

“Wow, my ancestors left behind so many amazing things. If I could refine all these pills, I’d be… well, just thinking about it makes my mouth water.”

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