While Xiang Yong worried about the future, Qiang Yan went in to greet his son and future daughter-in-law. Looking at the two of them together, he couldn't help but think back to the time when he had still been with Huan Yin. Most likely, the two of them had made a couple such as this. Although … He felt that Nie Huang wasn't as outspoken as his wife had been back then. Well, a human woman would naturally grow up differently from somebody like Huan Yin who had the blood of three races. There were different expectations for both women so naturally, they would also turn out differently.
Qiang Yan shook his head at himself for getting lost in thoughts at this kind of moment and then took out the pill again, giving it to Nie Huang. "This is the pill we talked about. The God of Medicine just finished refining it."
Nie Huang examined the unassuming pill and then first glanced at Qiang Yan before she looked at her husband. This was what they had been waiting for. With this pill, she would be able to become immortal. Well, at the very least, she would have the opportunity to become an immortal like her husband. From everything that he had told her, she would still need to put in a lot of work before she was at the point where she could indeed be considered a mortal. But she was up for that challenge. If it meant being able to stay together with Bai Mu for a lifetime, she was ready to try everything.
Bai Mu requited her gaze and took her hands, squeezing them lightly. "It's alright. We've talked about this before. You can definitely do it."
Nie Huang nodded and then turned back to Qiang Yan. "Thank you, father-in-law."
Qiang Yan shook his head and patted both their shoulders. "I'm just happy that the two of you will have a future together. Then I shouldn't disturb you any longer. It's better you start soon so we will know if it worked or if we need to try something else." He already wanted to turn away and go back to the Nine Heavens when Bai Mu called out to him.
"Wait. That … Would you mind staying for a while longer?"
Qiang Yan raised his brows. Naturally, he wouldn't mind. He just wasn't quite sure why his son was asking him to do so.
Bai Mu smiled wryly at the unspoken question. "I've never done something like this. I guess you haven't either but I think I'd feel better with the two of us here just in case something unforeseen happens."
Qiang Yan smiled. "Nie Huang can be happy to have a husband like you. Of course, I'll stay if it's like this."
Bai Mu heaved a sigh of relief and then guided Nie Huang to sit down before he knelt down in front of her. Qiang Yan sat down to the side, giving the two of them a bit of space while being close enough that he would be able to get involved if something did indeed go wrong.
Not that he expected that to happen. Considering who that recipe had come from and who had refined the pill, nothing should be wrong with that part. And from how he had to gotten to know Bai Mu so far, he certainly would've talked things through with Nie Huang prior to getting the pill so she should also know what to do.
Since they were both with her right now and could give some advice on the side, he really couldn't imagine how something should go wrong. So it was just a question of how fast she would be able to grasp the concept of using the spiritual energy she acquired and start to cultivate.
Nie Huang looked at her fiance nervously. "If this doesn't work out …"
"Don't think of that. It definitely will. Now, just take the pill. Afterward, remember what I said: You have to be prepared for this to hurt. The pill is a very good one so it should be over fast but that doesn't mean that you'll get around it completely. I'll try to help out as much as I can but this still won't be easy. When you feel the energy, try to guide it through your body. That is the only thing you will be able to do for the time being to alleviate the pain. Alright?"
Nie Huang nodded and looked at the pill again. She only hesitated for a moment longer before she finally gulped it down. Just as Bai Mu had explained to her, she closed her eyes and tried to focus on what was happening inside her body. She could feel the pill going down and slowly dissolve, spreading throughout her body.
It was a strange feeling but not painful yet. She tried to feel that energy that Bai Mu had mentioned but there didn't seem to be anything there. She couldn't help but panic for a moment but Bai Mu squeezed her hands again to reassure her.
"Everything is alright. There's no need to worry. It needs a bit of time to work."
Nie Huang nodded and squeezed his hands back, focusing on what was left from the pill again. For a while, nothing happened but then, she felt a sharp pang from her abdomen.
She furrowed her brows and tried to endure. The pang turned into a dull ache that spread out while the center of the pain seemed to intensify. Soon enough, she felt as if her abdomen was lit on fire while the rest of her body was wracked by waves of pain.
Bai Mu looked at her with his brows similarly drawn tightly together. He knew that this was the forming of her spiritual veins and that this was a necessary step if they wanted her to become a cultivator as well. But he still didn't like to see this.
If he could, he would've liked to take this pain from her and taken it upon himself while she just gained the benefits. Unfortunately, that kind of thing was impossible. Now that she had taken the pill, the only way to go was forward. She would have to live through this and then emerge as a cultivator. There was no way back anymore.
Nie Huang doubled over in pain, falling into her fiance's arms. Bai Mu held her tightly, rubbing her back while he was still holding one of her hands. When he was sure that the spiritual veins had started to form everywhere, he gently tried to help her guide the spiritual energy from the pill through them to make things easier for her. He didn't dare to do too much though. After all, he didn't want for anything to go wrong just because he had been too anxious.
In the end, the pain subsided after an hour. Compared to how long this process usually took, this could be considered more than good. And when Bai Mu helped Nie Huang to guide the spiritual energy from the pill through the newly-formed spiritual veins, nothing unexpected happened.
From a mortal without an ability to cultivate, she had gone to be a talent with heavenly spirit veins. Thanks to being in the dragon realm that was filled with abundant spiritual energy and the guidance of her fiance, Nie Huang managed to advance rapidly, getting closer and closer to the third level that would allow her to become a true immortal.
Unfortunately, while things were going well for her, others didn't have as much luck.