The Title of Alchemist

Mu Qingying thought she must be seeing things. Ye Tong staying silent was understandable since Ye Yu was just joking around. But her nodding along? That felt off.

"Ye Yu! Asking for a beating, are you? How dare you tease your teacher like that?"

Xu Mu could clearly hear the sarcasm dripping from Ye Yu's words.

He then turned to Mu Qingying and said, "If anything really happens to the Xu Family in the future, I’ll come to you. But for now, let’s not worry over nothing."

Mu Qingying wiped her eyes with her sleeve and gave a small nod.

"If there’s nothing else, I should head back now," she said, standing up.

"Teacher Mu, it’s getting late. Why not stay for dinner?" Ye Tong invited with a smile.

"No need, I don’t want to impose."

"Stay. It’s the perfect chance to try my cooking," Xu Mu said, getting up.

Mu Qingying was stunned. "Xu Mu, you can cook?"

"Of course! If it weren’t for Teacher Mu visiting, we wouldn’t get to enjoy brother-in-law’s delicious dishes," Ye Yu chimed in, shooting Xu Mu a playful glare.

Xu Mu sighed at Ye Yu’s antics.

Is she feeling uncomfortable seeing me and Mu Qingying like this?

"Don’t listen to her nonsense," Xu Mu said before heading to the kitchen to get started.

The rhythmic sound of chopping from the kitchen made Mu Qingying’s heart flutter. Just from the precision of the knife work, she could tell this wasn’t amateur cooking.

Before long, Xu Mu had Ye Yu bring out the dishes.

Mu Qingying’s eyes widened at the feast before her—each dish looked mouthwatering.

Honey-glazed char siu, sweet and sour carp, braised prawns, stir-fried shiitake greens, and a bowl of West Lake beef soup.

"Just some home-style dishes. Don’t hold back," Xu Mu said casually as he joined them at the table.

The four sat down, and the moment Mu Qingying took a bite of the char siu, an explosion of flavor filled her mouth.

"This is amazing! So delicious!"

She’d dined at plenty of high-end restaurants, but none compared to this.

[Affection Points +20]

She had assumed Xu Mu could only whip up simple dishes, but now it was clear—he was better than professional chefs.

"If the Xu Family ever goes under, we can just make brother-in-law a chef to support us," Ye Yu teased with a grin.

Mu Qingying silently agreed as she sampled the other dishes, each one just as exquisite.

……

After dinner, the family saw Mu Qingying off at the door before returning inside.

Ye Tong went to clean up in the kitchen while Ye Yu and Xu Mu lounged on the sofa.

"Brother-in-law, I’m doing you a favor, right? Helping you find another wife," Ye Yu said, nudging Xu Mu’s stomach with her elbow.

"Pushing your luck, huh? Keep mocking me like that."

Xu Mu wrapped an arm around her neck and used his free hand to tickle her sides.

"Ahahaha! Stop! I surrender!"

Ye Yu squirmed uncontrollably, but she was no match for Xu Mu.

Her struggles only made things worse until she collapsed against him, wriggling helplessly.

Then—sudden silence.

Ye Yu was now perched on Xu Mu’s lap, their position a little too intimate.

Flush!

Her cute face turned bright red, and she bolted upstairs. "I’m going to bed!"

Xu Mu was equally flustered. He’d only meant to teach her a lesson, not end up like this.

"What happened? Why did Xiaoyu run off?" Ye Tong asked, stepping out of the kitchen.

"She’s scared of me now," Xu Mu said, taking Ye Tong’s hand. "Let’s get some rest."

Ye Tong lowered her head shyly. At times like this, she couldn’t help but wish for someone else to share the burden.

That night…

Xu Mu and Ye Tong engaged in a deep yet accessible discussion on current global affairs.

They seemed particularly passionate about the topic, losing themselves in conversation until neither could pull away.

……

Xu Mu checked his Justice Points and saw he had enough for two consecutive 10-draws.

He tapped the roulette to start spinning—no point in sleeping now anyway.

As the wheel turned, rewards began appearing.

[Ding! Congratulations, Host. You’ve obtained 20 Cultivation Points.]

[Ding! Congratulations, Host. You’ve obtained the title: Novice Alchemist.]

No way!

Xu Mu sat bolt upright. An alchemy skill?

This ability was something even the Dragon King in the story only unlocked much later.

For Xu Mu, this was huge.

Thanks to his Medicine Mastery, he could analyze pills—but without the technique, he couldn’t actually make them.

In short, his brain and eyes knew what to do, but his hands couldn’t execute it.

Until now, his "pills" were just boiled-down remedies, losing most of their potency.

But with alchemy? He could maximize the effects of rare herbs and materials.

Though this was only Novice-level. There had to be higher tiers later.

[Ding! Congratulations, Host. You’ve obtained a Grade-4 rare herb: Black Vine.]

[Ding! Congratulations, Host. You’ve obtained a Grade-3 rare herb gift box.]

"What’s this?"

Xu Mu frowned. A Grade-4 herb was given solo, but Grade-3 came in a box?

[Ding! Congratulations, Host. You’ve obtained another Grade-3 rare herb gift box.]

Another one?

If he remembered right, this was the first time he’d drawn identical items back-to-back.

At least with cultivation manuals and techniques, there were differences.

[Ding! Congratulations, Host. You’ve obtained 20 Attribute Points.]

……

[Ding! Congratulations, Host. You’ve obtained a Grade-2 rare herb gift box.]

……

Once the 10-draw ended, Xu Mu couldn’t help but marvel. Maybe because of the alchemy skill, he’d gotten tons of rare herbs.

Out of eleven rewards, the guaranteed Cultivation Points totaled only 70, and Attribute Points just 50.

He then focused on the Novice Alchemist title, feeling a flood of knowledge enter his mind.

Basic pill recipes and methods were now second nature to him.

Opening his storage space, he found several gift boxes the size of washbasins.

Inside were various rare herbs.

After inspecting the Grade-2 and Grade-3 boxes, he noticed most could replenish his energy.

A smile crept onto his face as two pill names surfaced in his mind:

Body Tempering Pill and Qi Gathering Pill.

Now, he didn’t need to rely on Heaven’s Mandate energy to elevate those around him to martial artist levels.

Xu Mu stored everything away and initiated the second 10-draw.

The wheel spun again, revealing more rewards.

[Ding! Congratulations, Host. You’ve obtained 30 Cultivation Points.]

[Ding! Congratulations, Host. You’ve obtained 10 Attribute Points.]

……

[Ding! Congratulations, Host. You’ve obtained a Grade-3 rare herb gift box.]

[Ding! Congratulations, Host. You’ve obtained a Grade-2 rare herb gift box.]

"Seriously? Again?"

Xu Mu felt like rare herbs were haunting him today.

[Ding! Congratulations, Host. You’ve obtained 20 Cultivation Points.]

……

After the draws concluded, Xu Mu shook his head. With so many herbs, he couldn’t just use them on his inner circle.

It’d be a waste not to expand.

And he already had someone in mind.

Combined, the two 10-draws gave him 180 Cultivation Points and 120 Attribute Points, all of which he allocated immediately.

Finally, he checked his updated stats:

Name: Xu Mu

Identity: Villainous Saint Body, HR Manager of Xu Corporation

Realm: Late-stage Gang Qi

Physique: 570

Spirit: 570

Cultivation Points: 360/400

Destiny Power: 177

Xu Mu nodded to himself. He decided to get a good night's sleep—tomorrow would be a busy day. He had plans to elevate those around him.