A small town was brightly lit. With the rise of a massive film studio on the outskirts of Longhua Town, the town itself gradually prospered.
In the midst of this town stood a house exuding an ancient charm. Dim light filtered through the windows, and suddenly, a young man carrying a backpack hurriedly pushed open the door and rushed inside.
"Dad! Dad, where are you? Please, don't let anything happen to you!"
Lu Chen's face was filled with anxiety, his appearance dusty and travel-worn. He was a senior in college, but two nights ago, he suddenly received a call from his father, Lu Yuan. Over the phone, Lu Yuan urged him to return home immediately, saying he was on the brink of death and had matters to settle.
The news nearly caused Lu Chen to faint from shock. He immediately took leave from school and boarded the train home. After a frantic journey, he finally arrived back at the house he hadn't visited for half a year, just before nightfall.
Seeing that the light in his father's room was still on, Lu Chen breathed a long sigh of relief.
"Chen'er, is that you?"
Lu Chen clearly heard his father's voice. He quickly responded, placed his backpack in the living room, and with a single bound, leaped up to the second floor, pushing open the door to his father's room.
A man in his fifties lay on the bed, his face flushed. His expression brightened when he saw his son enter.
The moment Lu Chen saw his father's complexion, his expression changed dramatically. He fell to his knees before the bed with a thud, grabbing Lu Yuan's hand and sobbing, "Dad, what… what happened to you? Why did you take the Revival Pill? That's a forbidden drug!"
Lu Yuan didn't seem surprised that his son recognized the effects of the forbidden pill at a glance. He reached out to pat Lu Chen's head and said, "Chen, it's good that you're back. I've been holding on with the pill's power, waiting for you to return."
Tears welled up in Lu Chen's eyes as he choked out, "Dad, did you test another pill on yourself? Otherwise, how could this have happened?"
Lu Yuan chuckled, "Chen, you're a grown man now. Don't cry like a little girl."
The flush on Lu Yuan's face seemed to deepen. Realizing that his time was short, he continued, "Chen, I'm not going to make it, but I have no regrets. The only thing I'm unwilling to accept is that I couldn't refine many of the pills recorded in our Lu family's Pill Sutra. It's something I'll take to the grave."
"Dad…"
Lu Chen's voice trembled with emotion.
Lu Yuan coughed heavily twice, a trace of blood appearing at the corner of his mouth. Lu Chen quickly wiped it away with a handkerchief, his face filled with worry and sorrow.
Seeing the concern on his son's face, Lu Yuan smiled faintly. "Chen, our family's Pill Sutra records the methods for refining over a thousand kinds of pills. With the right ingredients, it even contains recipes for elixirs that could allow one to ascend to immortality in broad daylight. But our family has declined with each generation. No one has been able to master the True Samadhi Fire needed to activate the Desolate Cauldron. We've been reduced to using mundane fire to refine third-rate pills…"
As he spoke, blood continued to drip from Lu Yuan's mouth, clearly on the verge of collapse.
Suddenly, Lu Chen stood up and began frantically searching through drawers.
Lu Yuan glanced at him with a look of relief and said, "Chen, there's no need to search. The Nine-Turn Spirit Pill is gone, and even if it were here, it wouldn't save my life."
Lu Chen trembled at his words and slumped to the ground in despair. "Dad, why didn't you use the Nine-Turn Spirit Pill to save yourself? Why…"
Lu Yuan shook his head. "Foolish child, that pill, passed down from our ancestors, has only one dose left. Though it can revive the dead and regrow flesh on bones, I've been poisoned by pill toxins. There's no way to survive it. On top of that, these toxins have accumulated in my body for decades, all flaring up at once. The fact that I managed to hold on until you returned is already a miracle."
As he spoke, Lu Yuan trembled as he removed an ancient ring from his finger and handed it to the tearful Lu Chen. "Put this on. Our Lu family has three treasures: the Space Ring, the Desolate Cauldron, and the Pill Sutra. The Desolate Cauldron and Pill Sutra contain many of the pills I've refined over the years, as well as the medicinal herbs our ancestors have collected over generations. All of it is inside this Space Ring. You must treasure it."
Lu Chen took the ring and put it on. Seeing this, a faint smile appeared on Lu Yuan's face, but then he suddenly coughed up a mouthful of blood.
Lu Chen immediately grabbed his father's hand.
Lu Yuan's face, which had been flushed, suddenly brightened with energy. But Lu Chen, deeply knowledgeable in medicine, knew that this was a final burst of vitality—his father had already expended the last of his life force. Unless there was an elixir of immortality, no pill could extend Lu Yuan's life by even a second. Tears silently streamed down his face.
Lu Yuan, aware of his own condition, saw the sorrow on his son's face and smiled brightly. Trembling, he reached under his pillow and took out a piece of glistening jade. It was shaped like a dragon, but only half of it remained.
Lu Yuan placed the jade in Lu Chen's hand, his voice shaking. "Chen, I used the Nine-Turn Spirit Pill to arrange a marriage for you. I know that people today value the freedom to choose their partners, so if you're truly unwilling, you can pretend this engagement doesn't exist. But please, don't blame me. I only hoped that you would continue the Lu family line… Sadly, I won't live to see that day."
Seeing that even in his final moments, his father was still thinking about his future, Lu Chen's tears flowed even more freely. He murmured, "Dad, don't worry. I'll make sure the Lu family continues to thrive."
Hearing this, Lu Yuan smiled in relief, but then his grip on Lu Chen's hand tightened suddenly as he spat out a large mouthful of blood.
"Chen'er, remember… never attempt to refine higher-grade pills without mastering the True Fire of Samadhi. And never, ever test pills on yourself like I did…"
"Dad… Dad…"
As the light on Lu Yuan's eyes faded, a wail erupted from withing the house.
...
[Three Days Later]
Lu Chen sat quietly, staring blankly at his father's portrait. His gaze unintentionally fell on the glistening half of the jade pendant, and a flash of anger crossed his eyes.
"Fiancée? If it weren't for you, perhaps the Nine-Turn Spirit Pill could have saved my father. It's all your fault! Even if you become my fiancée, this won't end well!"
Lu Chen clenched the green jade pendant tightly in his hand.
———
In a place as picturesque as a fairyland, surrounded by verdant bamboo, stood a simple bamboo pavilion.
Incense smoke wafted gently from a burner, and a woman sat cross-legged on a meditation cushion, her expression serene. In her soft, jade-like hands rested the other half of the green jade pendant.
Suddenly, the woman stood up, and it seemed as though the entire world moved with her. She had long, jet-black hair and wore a spotless white robe, cinched at the waist with a white silk sash that perfectly accentuated her graceful figure.
Yet, no matter how hard one tried, it was impossible to see the woman's face clearly. It wasn't because she wore a veil or anything of the sort; rather, her face seemed to give off an ethereal, dreamlike aura. You could vaguely make out her delicate features, but her true appearance remained elusive.
Like a celestial being, the woman's lips curled into a slight smile as she softly murmured, "Lu Chen, my future husband! It seems I must heed my master's words and venture into the mortal world. Scion of a declining pill master family, don't disappoint this Zhang Niangniang…"