67: Chapter 67 I sent her.

"I heard Su Li went to your courtyard?"

Mo Zixing's hand controlling the fire didn't tremble in the slightest, and the Nine Heavens Swift Thunder Fire within the Pill Furnace burned quite steadily.

He didn't even look back at Liu Qingyan's expression, his gaze still firmly locked on the Pill Furnace.

"Yes, and I was the one who asked her to come."

Liu Qingyan clearly hadn't expected him to admit it so readily, without even a word of excuse or concealment.

She had originally prepared a whole bellyful of indirect questioning techniques, and had even thought of how to interrogate him layer by layer if he denied it.

But the other party's straightforward admission instead caused the words she had prepared to get stuck in her throat.

The great hall fell silent again for a moment.

Liu Qingyan spoke first, her tone seemingly gentle, but in reality hiding a sliver of unavoidable sharpness.

"So you said before that you would help me, yet why are you starting to do things like this now?"

"You should know that my feelings toward her have never been the simple fellow-disciple affection they appear to be on the surface."

"If she ever gets the chance to recover her cultivation, the first person she'll look for after realizing the truth is me."

Liu Qingyan's eyes reflected the flames in the furnace as she followed up with a question:

"By getting so close to her, what are you doing if not pointlessly increasing variables?"

"Elder, please rest assured. I am only doing this to utilize available resources; it won't have any impact on you."

Mo Zixing's tone remained just as steady as he shifted his hand movements.

The Thunder Fire beneath the Pill Furnace rose from a gentle simmer to a Martial Fire. The flames, wrapped in lightning, surged violently, yet he skillfully kept them at the bottom of the furnace without a single leak.

Though he looked expressionless, Mo Zixing's heart was not that calm.

*Phew, thank goodness.*

He had the three traits [Thunderstrike Immortality], [Burning Flame Body], and [Medicine Spirit Body] assisting him simultaneously.

Controlling fire for Alchemy was still quite easy.

If it were any other Alchemy Cultivator trying to control the fire while having a Divided Soul to duel words with Liu Qingyan, the Pill Furnace would have exploded long ago.

"Utilize resources?"

Liu Qingyan frowned and stood by his side, her gaze falling on the Pill Furnace as she still refused to let the matter go.

"What do you mean by that?"

"Su Li's Foundation is completely destroyed now, making her no different from a cripple. What resources can she possibly provide you?"

Condensing the pill with Martial Fire was the most dangerous point of Alchemy, where mental fluctuations and external interference were most taboo.

Yet Mo Zixing seemed completely unaffected by the pressure.

He even had the leeway to turn his head and smile at Liu Qingyan, explaining:

"Naturally, there is profit to be gained."

"Even if her Foundation is completely destroyed and her cultivation is gone, the things inside her head are still there."

Under Mo Zixing's control, the medicinal liquid in the furnace condensed through refinement, gradually taking on a rounded embryonic form.

"The difficulty of repairing a completely destroyed foundation is something you, Elder, know better than I do."

"Furthermore, even if she truly recovers, I intend to make her completely lose interest in Sect matters."

Mo Zixing continued:

"She exhausted her heart and blood for the Sect, yet the Sect was helpless against her deteriorating body."

"With her Foundation completely destroyed, she has long since become disheartened."

"By giving her a place to stay, I'm actually making it less likely she'll have a chance to get in the way."

The emotions in Liu Qingyan's gentle eyes were hard to discern.

Although Mo Zixing's words were airtight, she still hadn't let go of the suspicion in her heart.

She needed time to confirm it.

Mo Zixing didn't keep her in suspense either, explaining:

"Of course, I also have a bit of selfishness involved."

"I have a Junior Sister, Jiang Yuwei, who has always followed me. You've seen her."

"She specialized in the Sword Dao even before entering the inner Sect and has a good base, but she lacks the guidance of a Senior who truly knows the ropes."

"Even if Su Li has lost her cultivation, her swordsmanship theory and Foundation remain. She's perfect for teaching her how to practice the sword."

Hearing this, Liu Qingyan was actually stunned for a moment, then nodded in realization.

She did indeed have an impression of that young girl who always followed behind Mo Zixing.

She looked at Mo Zixing's profile as he focused on controlling the fire and said plainly:

"Just to teach your Junior Sister swordsmanship, you invited her to your own courtyard?"

"Have you never considered that if she uses you to recover her cultivation, the first person she might bite back at is you?"

"How can trouble be as important as an Opportunity?"

Mo Zixing smiled, his hand gestures changing again.

The pill core inside the furnace had already formed, and a lustrous pill light faintly shone through the furnace walls.

"Besides, Su Li has nothing now. I give her a place to stay, and she teaches my Junior Sister swordsmanship; it's just each of us getting what we need."

He paused and added:

"Since I dared to invite her to my courtyard, I have absolute confidence in controlling the situation. I definitely won't let her stir up any trouble."

"I still have this much sense of proportion."

Liu Qingyan looked at him and said no more.

The great hall fell silent once again, leaving only the subtle sound of the Thunder Fire burning.

No one saw it.

Liu Qingyan's hand hanging at her side had quietly clenched into a fist.

Pains in various parts of her body came in wave after wave.

The masking duration of the [severely wounded] trait had long since expired, and the injuries on her body had already begun to flare up again.

Although she had done her best to maintain a gentle and calm surface,

Her slightly pale complexion still betrayed her true physical state at this moment.

Nearby,

The Alchemy had reached its final stage.

Mo Zixing stared at the Pill Furnace with full concentration, beginning to use the residual heat to nourish the pill bodies.

The twelve breaths were timed perfectly without the slightest error.

"Open."

Mo Zixing raised his hand and gave a slap.

The lid of the Pill Furnace flew up in response.

Three light-green Medicinal Pills flew out from the furnace and landed in a pre-prepared jade plate.

Three complete Pill Veins flowed across the surface of the pills.

The fragrance of the medicine permeated the entire hall, even condensing a thin layer of Pill Clouds within the hall.

One must know that the injury recovery pill was originally a mid-tier pill.

To be able to refine a grade with three Pill Veins on the first attempt—

In the entire Mingyu Sect, this was a talent that was one of a kind.

Mo Zixing picked up the jade plate, held it out to Liu Qingyan, and said with a smile:

"Fortunately, I did not fail my mission. The injury recovery pill is complete."

"I specifically adjusted the medicinal properties based on the records you wrote in the Medicine Manual."

"It is gentle and not harsh, just right for following your Meridians to nourish the injuries on your body. It suits your current state."

Hearing this, Liu Qingyan lowered her eyes to look at the pills in the jade plate, her eyes filled with undisguised amazement.

She had seen many Alchemy Cultivators who could be called geniuses.

But like Mo Zixing, who was clearly refining a mid-tier pill for the first time yet could remain completely distracted and converse with her throughout the process—

Even so,

He could still refine a grade with three Pill Veins.

This truly was unique.

She looked up, her eyes filled with complex emotions.

With such talent and such Heart-Nature,

If he were to stand on the opposite side one day, he would be her most terrifying opponent.

"Top-tier talent, and smart too."

Liu Qingyan took the jade plate, her voice very soft.

"The abilities you display sometimes even make me feel afraid, yet they also make me unable to resist wanting to exhaust everything to teach you."

After she finished speaking, she picked up a pill, looked up at Mo Zixing, and smiled gently.

"A High Grade pill that is half a step into Top Quality."

As her voice fell,

She tilted her head back and swallowed that light-green Medicinal Pill.