Chapter 13: Father and Son Talk Heart to Heart

Entering the medicinal bath, Ye Yuan set aside his somewhat awkward mood and began to circulate his primal energy to absorb the medicinal power in the water, expelling the residual toxins from his body.

The herbs used for the medicinal bath were all very ordinary first- and second-grade herbs, nothing special about them. However, Ye Yuan could turn the ordinary into the extraordinary, releasing the medicinal power of these herbs to the greatest extent.

In fact, many people think that the higher the grade of the herb, the more valuable it is and the greater its effect. But in Ye Yuan's eyes, this view has always been laughable. Whether in cultivation or alchemy, basic skills are the most important. The more solid the basics, the higher the heights one can reach in the future; conversely, one's potential is limited.

In his previous life, Qing Yunzi, in his youth, spent over a decade painstakingly studying third-grade and lower elixirs and herbs, building an incredibly solid foundation in alchemy. Those ten-plus years were not wasted; they contributed significantly to his becoming the youngest Elixir Emperor.

In the Divine Realm, almost no one could surpass him in understanding the properties of herbs, which was why he was praised as the most promising young generation to achieve the title of Elixir God.

In fact, even if Ye Yuan had wanted to use some high-grade materials, he would have been unable to do so at this moment. The reason was simple: his current strength was too weak!

If it weren't for this, Ye Yuan wouldn't have gone to Drunken Star Tower to challenge them with a first-grade elixir; that was the limit of what he could refine. Although he estimated that Wan Donghai was unlikely to be able to neutralize the poison of Cunxin Lie, he still took some risks. If Wan Donghai actually had a way to detoxify it, he would have shot himself in the foot.

In fact, Wan Donghai had indeed heard of Cunxin Lie, but this elixir was too obscure; he had only heard of it. Otherwise, the outcome might have been uncertain.

Strength!

After absorbing the medicinal power in the wooden tub, Ye Yuan let out a deep sigh. He urgently needed to improve his strength. Without strength, talk of revenge was empty; he couldn't even protect his own family.

Given Ye Yuan's current condition, let alone Wan Donghai, even if Wan Yuan came, he would be no match.

Ye Yuan believed that after today's events, Wan Donghai would definitely see him as a thorn in his side and want to eliminate him. Moreover, given Wan Donghai's character, he would not be willing to be suppressed by the Medicine Fragrance Pavilion and would certainly try every means to counterattack.

By then, without sufficient strength, today's actions might instead bring greater pressure on his father.

"Young master, the master has been waiting outside for a long time." Just as Ye Yuan was lost in thought, Lü'er entered and said.

"Why didn't you tell me earlier that Father was here? It's just a medicinal bath, not a life-and-death seclusion."

If Ye Yuan guessed correctly, his father had come to remind him to be wary of Wan Donghai's underhanded moves. Ye Yuan had great respect for this protective father.

Although only two days had passed since his rebirth, there was no doubt that Ye Hang, Ren Hongling, and Lü'er had become Ye Yuan's bonds.

Lü'er pouted and said aggrievedly, "I wanted to come in and call you, young master, but the master insisted on stopping me. What could I do?"

Ye Yuan broke out in a cold sweat and quickly said, "Good Lü'er, it's the young master's fault. I apologize to you. Don't be angry, okay?"

Hearing this, Lü'er smiled through her tears: "Lü'er is not angry. I know the young master cares for and respects the master. I respect him just as much as you do, as if he were my own father. How could I be angry?"

Ye Yuan breathed a sigh of relief and said, "Hehe, that's good. Go out and tell Father to wait a moment. I'll change clothes and come out."

Lü'er acknowledged and went out.

...

In Ye Hang's study, father and son sat together in close conversation.

"Yuan'er, your move today was really satisfying. That old bastard Wan Donghai is probably hopping mad right now, right? Hahaha. In all these years, this is the first time I've seen him suffer such a big loss. How refreshing!" Ye Hang laughed heartily.

Ye Hang laughed very happily, clearly having been bullied harshly by Wan Donghai over the years. Although Ye Hang could barely hold his own, he had never felt as satisfied as today. Even though he hadn't personally gone to slap the man's face, what difference did it make if his son did it?

Seeing his father laugh so joyfully, Ye Yuan also felt very pleased: "Father, being able to make that old bastard Wan Donghai suffer is all thanks to what my master taught me in my dreams. I dare not take the credit."

Ye Hang waved his hand and said, "No need to be so formal with your father. I'm very pleased that you have such skills today. But I still need to remind you: Wan Donghai is the most treacherous. After suffering such a big loss today, he definitely won't swallow his pride and will likely resort to some dirty tricks. At home, I can still protect you, but once you go to the Martial Arts Academy, my reach won't extend that far. Yuan'er, how about we skip the Martial Arts Academy? You can stay home."

Ye Yuan sighed inwardly. No wonder his predecessor had been spoiled into a good-for-nothing; Ye Hang's protectiveness was too extreme. Ye Yuan had no desire to become a caged canary; he had to go to the Martial Arts Academy.

"Father, I still want to go back to the Martial Arts Academy. Even if I stay home, I can't stay indoors forever. I can hide for a while, but not forever. Besides, if I stay home and never go out, my life will be ruined. Even with my master's teachings, without competition and validation from opponents, I'll never become a true expert. Don't you think so?"

In Ye Yuan's eyes, Wan Donghai was hardly a worthy opponent. If he couldn't even get past Wan Donghai, how could he fight his way back to the Divine Realm? Going to the Martial Arts Academy and competing with talented peers would allow Ye Yuan to grow faster. Moreover, high realm didn't necessarily mean strong combat power. In the world of cultivators, there were too many examples of the weak overcoming the strong. A flower nurtured in a greenhouse could never grow strong.

In his previous life, Qing Yunzi was a greenhouse flower. Although his realm was high, his combat power was abysmal, precisely because he lacked practical experience. In this life, burdened with a blood debt, he naturally had to train himself to be ruthless and decisive.

"Well... Yuan'er has a point. I was too protective. But you must be careful out there. If anything happens, don't try to be a hero. Remember to come back and ask for my help. I don't want to see you poisoned to the brink of death a second time."

"Father, rest assured. Having survived this disaster, no one will be able to bully me again." Ye Yuan exuded strong confidence, and Ye Hang realized that his son had truly grown up.

"Good! My good son! Who are we father and son afraid of? Isn't it just Wan Donghai? One day, I will trample him underfoot!" Inspired by his son, Ye Hang also became bursting with confidence.

Ye Yuan chuckled inwardly. He knew his father's level well. He might surpass Wan Donghai one day, but trampling him underfoot was impossible—of course, that was without his own intervention.

With the current Ye Yuan, it was only a matter of time before Ye Hang trampled Wan Donghai underfoot.

Just as Ye Yuan was about to take his leave, Ye Hang called him back and asked curiously, "By the way, what elixir did you give that person today? It was so powerful. You're only at the first level of the Qi Realm; how could you refine such a high-grade elixir?"

Ye Yuan realized that Ye Hang was also an alchemy fanatic, becoming extremely studious whenever alchemy was involved. Clearly, this question had troubled him all day.

In his view, a poisonous elixir that could stump even Wan Donghai must be at least third-grade. But Ye Yuan was only at the first level of the Qi Realm, a realm where refining even a second-grade elixir was impossible, let alone third-grade or higher.

This was a paradox that Ye Hang couldn't figure out no matter how hard he racked his brain. Now that he had finished talking with his son, he couldn't hold back any longer and humbly asked.

Ye Yuan naturally had no secrets from his father and smiled, "Father, that elixir is called Cunxin Lie. It's not a high-grade elixir at all; it's just a first-grade elixir. With my current level, refining that elixir was already my limit."

Ye Hang's smile instantly froze on his face. A first-grade elixir? How could that be?

If these words hadn't come from his son's mouth, Ye Hang would never have believed them.

"A... a first-grade elixir?" Ye Hang swallowed and said incredulously, "How could a first-grade elixir be so powerful?"

Ye Yuan took out paper and pen, transcribed the recipe for Cunxin Lie, noted the refining techniques and precautions, and handed it to Ye Hang.

Ye Hang carefully took the recipe as if it were a treasure.

Ye Yuan knew that he probably wouldn't see his father for the next few days...