Fortunately, the room had decent soundproofing; otherwise, who knows how many people would be scared out of their wits by Lu Chen's nearly perverse laughter and mutterings!
Lu Chen swiftly flipped through the book titled 'Pill Sutra'. The variety of pills described within had already numbed him with excitement. Although many of the elixirs had stringent requirements and limitations, some even needing ingredients that were nearly impossible to gather, it didn't matter. As long as one or two could be successfully concocted, that was enough to thrill Lu Chen.
Closing the Pill Sutra, Lu Chen finally understood why his father had been so obsessed with alchemy. The descriptions of those elixirs were simply too enticing.
'If I could create these pills and sell them, I might become a wealthy tycoon! '
Such a thought flashed through Lu Chen's mind, so absurd that even he found it laughable. Yet little did he know, this fanciful idea would one day come true, making him a renowned elixir mogul.
However, for now, Lu Chen furrowed his brow, muttering to himself, "Celestial Mountain Snow Lotus, Centuries-old Knotweed, Peacock Gall… Refine them with mild and intense flames for seventy-two hours to produce the Immaculate Pill." The Immaculate Pill was a miraculous remedy he had found in the Pill Sutra, capable of healing the burns on He Suyan's face and body. It was said that even scars embedded three inches deep in flesh could be erased without a trace, leaving the skin flawless.
"Celestial Mountain Snow Lotus and Centuries-old Knotwed might be easy enough to find, but Peacock Gall? Am I supposed to sneak into a zoo and catch two peacocks to get it?" Lu Chen mentally compared the recipe for the Immaculate Pill. The three main ingredients were the most troublesome. The other supplementary herbs could be purchased at a traditional medicine shop, but after some quick calculations, Lu Chen realized that whether he succeeded or not, he'd have to invest tens of thousands of yuan just in materials.
Now Lu Chen finally understood why his family, despite being famed for their alchemy, was so poor. Even a fortune worth millions wouldn't be enough to sustain this kind of extravagance. A single batch of precious elixirs required heaps of money to produce. If successful, they will earn manifold—but if not, it was just burning money!
Thinking of this, Lu Chen clicked his tongue, storing the Pill Sutra back into the mystical Space Ring. Just as he did, his eyes caught sight of a pile of pristine white flowers.
With a thought, a small, pure white blossom appeared in his hand. Upon closer inspection, Lu Chen was stunned. "Isn't it Celestial Mountain Snow Lotus?"
He glanced back into the Space Ring and was shocked to see that it was filled to the brim with all sorts of rare medicinal herbs, neatly categorized. The mountain of Celestial Mountain Snow Lotus was just one among them.
"I've struck it rich... The old man left me a treasure trove! If I sold even a fraction of these herbs, who knows how much they'd fetch?"
Lu Chen couldn't help but entertain this mischievous thought. If the ancestors of the Lu family knew about this, they might just come back to life out of sheer anger, only to die again.
What Lu Chen didn't know—or rather, what his father Lu Yuan had forgotten to tell him before he passed—was that the herbs within the Space Ring had been carefully collected by the Lu family over thousands of years, from the first ancestor all the way to Lu Yuan. These herbs were only accumulated and never used, following a strict rule: unless absolutely necessary, the family was forbidden from touching the treasured stock.
Unfortunately, Lu Chen was completely unaware of this. And even if he knew, it's doubtful he would adhere to it. Having been educated in modern culture, he wasn't one to rigidly follow tradition like his ancestors, who had gone to great lengths to gather herbs only to store them away while exhausting themselves in the pursuit of new ones.
Lu Chen quickly found some Knotweed, but unfortunately, there was no sign of Peacock Gall, not even among the common herbs.
After a moment's reflection, Lu Chen realized that his ancestors probably never bothered to collect ordinary herbs. After all, those could be easily purchased whenever needed, so why go to the trouble of storing them? It was likely that Peacock Gall, while rare, wasn't considered particularly valuable a few hundred years ago. But nowadays, peacocks were a protected species, making Peacock Gall even harder to find than Celestial Mountain Snow Lotus.
Though he didn't have Peacock Gall at the moment, just finding a recipe to heal He Suyan's scars was enough to satisfy Lu Chen. Moreover, discovering that the Lu family's three treasures were true to their name, especially the bizarre pills and mountains of rare herbs, made him so excited that he wanted to shout.
With boundless excitement, Lu Chen drifted into sleep, a noticeable smile on his face. He even nearly drooled in his sleep, dreaming of who knows what good fortune.
The next morning, Lu Chen woke up in high spirits, his face brimming with undisguised joy. He couldn't help but smile, even while eating breakfast.
Noticing Lu Chen's unusual behavior, He Suyan frequently cast curious glances his way, but Lu Chen paid her no mind.
After breakfast, Lu Chen left home and then took the bus to school.
It was the last semester of his senior year, and with graduation looming, most of the economics and management students like Lu Chen had already gone out to find jobs. It was rare to see someone like him still hanging around campus without making any moves.
At school, he first reported to his advisor before stepping out.
A familiar voice called from behind.
"Lu Chen, wait a moment!"
Just hearing that voice was enough for Lu Chen to know who it was, without turning around. A fragrant breeze approached as the ethereal and elegant Liu Jie walked over.
None of the professors or counselors nearby seemed surprised. It wasn't unusual to see this lotus among teachers being so close to a student.
After all, it was no secret that Liu Jue treated Lu Chen to a meal once a month. Though no one knew the reason behind this strange tradition, over the years, the two hadn't sparked any rumors of romance, so people gradually became accustomed to it.
Lu Chen stopped in his tracks. 'Didn't I already give Liu Jie the Beauty Pill yesterday? What does she want now? She can't be here to settle scores, can she?'
Remembering how he'd inadvertently fondled her supple breasts yesterday, Lu Chen felt a twinge of guilt. Regardless of how unintentional it was, he had taken great advantage of her. Since he had run away yesterday, Liu Jie must have called him out today to seek revenge!
Standing with his back to Liu Jie, Lu Chen didn't notice her approaching with a gentle smile.
If her admirers saw this, they probably wouldn't believe their eyes. The normally stern Liu Jie, smiling so warmly? It was as if the sun had risen in the west with sunglasses on him.