After Crossdressing and Provoking Long AoTian

The Ye residence remained in an uproar for quite some time. In the end, it took Madam Ye unleashing her full authority before she finally managed to coax everyone away.

Ye Chenyan showed not the slightest concern for what might happen when the real Young Master Ye eventually returned. Carrying one bird and one God of Wealth statue, he went straight back to his room.

Before long, the clever young maid came to report that Master and Madam Ye had apologized to the Yu family. However, since Ye Chenyan stubbornly refused to give up the God of Wealth statue—and because the Yu family could hardly storm the Ye residence by force—they had ultimately kept it.

There had also been far too many townspeople involved in helping Ye Chenyan block the pursuit to verify and compensate one by one. The Ye family had therefore decided to prepare lucky pouches and distribute some good fortune to everyone in the city.

The Ye family might be ridiculous, but they had never been stingy. As a result, they enjoyed a fairly good reputation throughout Pill City.

Ye Chenyan acknowledged the report, then found an excuse to send the maid away. Only after closing the door did he begin discussing matters with the others.

Yu Qingtang immediately burst out, “What did the Yu family’s young lady look like? So the family I was hanging in belonged to the Yus? Hey, you went there for a matchmaking meeting—did she take a liking to you?”

Ye Chenyan: “...”

“Why do you sound so delighted by my misfortune?”

He folded his arms.

“When you were hanging on the Yu family’s wall, I heard their surname and rushed over there like an idiot because I thought I might find you. I searched an entire boatload of people. I even checked the boatman. You were the only one I didn’t find.”

Yu Qingtang chuckled foolishly. “Surprise! I became the God of Wealth!”

Ye Chenyan snorted. “You sound rather proud of yourself.”

Qingzhu waited for a moment. When neither of them showed any sign of getting to the point, he finally reminded them, “Soul-loss sickness.”

“Physician Sun and Celestial Master Jiang. We need to find a way to meet them both.”

“Right.” The smile on Ye Chenyan’s face faded slightly. “Soul-loss sickness is so common in Pill City that it likely comes from people who entered the Reincarnation Pill, panicked at first, and exposed too many obvious inconsistencies.”

As someone who had transmigrated into a book, Yu Qingtang deeply understood the feeling. He wanted to nod in agreement, but his current head was completely incapable of moving.

Come to think of it, he had actually handled his own transmigration rather steadily. At least his master had never thought the child had gone insane.

Though, to be fair, he had been an infant at the time. There was only so much madness a baby could display.

Besides, he had known part of the plot in advance. That was still better than entering this place with no information at all.

After turning the thought over in his head, Yu Qingtang said, “Everyone here acts as though soul-loss sickness is nothing unusual. There must have been quite a few people who stumbled in here without understanding what was happening, failed to adapt, and had their strange behavior noticed.”

“But the old Pill King’s room was under heavy guard. Ordinary people couldn’t get in at all. So where did all the people inside the Reincarnation Pill come from?”

Qingzhu looked thoughtful as he raised his eyes toward him.

“The food box that cried for help.”

“The one delivered every day and never taken away.”

“We’ve all guessed that,” Ye Chenyan said, lifting his gaze. “But we have no proof.”

“We still need to meet the two people who can supposedly treat soul-loss sickness.”

“Though we probably won’t be leaving again today.”

Qingzhu glanced toward the window. “It is still early.”

At that exact moment, Master Ye—who had only just gone out to smooth things over—apparently grew angrier the longer he thought about it. He returned to the window and began cursing.

“You little bastard! Having you for a son is the greatest misfortune of my life!”

Ye Chenyan raised an eyebrow and pointed over his shoulder with the air of someone who had expected this.

“There.”

“Sneaking out now would be somewhat difficult.”

Master Ye cursed outside for another few breaths. Apparently still unsatisfied, he made to enter and scold Ye Chenyan to his face.

The maid suddenly cried out, “Master, something’s wrong! Madam says her chest feels uncomfortable! Oh, hurry and go see her!”

“What?!” Master Ye exclaimed in alarm. “Where is the snow ginseng we bought before? Quickly, bring a slice for Madam to hold beneath her tongue!”

His voice receded into the distance and soon drifted off somewhere else entirely.

Ye Chenyan sighed in relief. “Let’s behave ourselves for one night. We can go tomorrow. There’s no need to rush.”

Yu Qingtang could not help sighing. “Master Ye’s emotions don’t seem especially stable...”

He glanced at Ye Chenyan and muttered under his breath, “Though if I had a son like this, my emotions probably wouldn’t be stable either.”

“What’s wrong with me?” Ye Chenyan looked at him innocently. “Didn’t I cause all this trouble because I was trying to find you?”

Yu Qingtang: “...”

Without much confidence or justification, he said, “Welcoming the God of Wealth into your home naturally requires paying a price.”

“They care about you so much, anyway. Just stay put for one night and let them have some peace of mind.”

“Mm.” Ye Chenyan nodded. “There isn’t much else I can help them with. I ✧ NоvеIight ✧ (Original source) certainly can’t actually help them acquire a daughter-in-law.”

Propping up his chin, he looked at Yu Qingtang.

“If I held a wedding ceremony while carrying a God of Wealth statue, they would probably die of rage.”

Yu Qingtang: “...Don’t say that.”

“I kind of want to see it.”

Ye Chenyan instantly sat upright. “Then—”

“I only said I wanted to see it!” Yu Qingtang cried in alarm. “Don’t actually do it!”

“Stop thinking about playing around. We still have serious business!”

He hurriedly appealed to Qingzhu for help.

“Senior, wasn’t Heavenly Music Sect on good terms with the old Pill King? Do you know what he likes? What sort of person he might have become in here?”

Qingzhu answered succinctly, “We are not close.”

He glanced at the two of them and added, “The old Pill King is a senior even to me. He is familiar with my sect master, not with me. I have no way of knowing his personal preferences.”

“However, since his talent in the Dao of alchemy was extraordinary, he should be deeply fond of it. His role here may have something to do with pills.”

“When we meet Physician Sun tomorrow, there may be reason for hope.”

Yu Qingtang very much wanted to nod, but once again, his head refused to move.

“One more thing.” Qingzhu raised his eyes. “Time does not flow at the same rate here as it does outside.”

“I made a rough assessment. Three days here equal only one day in the outside world.”

Ye Chenyan nodded slightly. “I noticed that as well.”

“That is the only reason we can afford to spend the night here. Otherwise...”

He raised an eyebrow.

“The old Pill King entered the Reincarnation Pill while his body remained outside. Ours are probably the same.”

“Huh?” Yu Qingtang only belatedly grasped the implication. “Doesn’t that mean the moment anyone enters the room, all of us will be discovered?”

And they would be unconscious, powerless to resist, and could be taken out together in a single sweep.

“Yes.” Ye Chenyan nodded with certainty. “So within three days, even if we cannot find the old Pill King, we must find a way out.”

Yu Qingtang grew worried. “Then why not be more direct? We could paste notices all over the city saying Fire Cauldron Sect is in trouble, and if the old Pill King doesn’t wake up soon, the Tianyuan Pill King will ruin the entire sect!”

Ye Chenyan shook his head gently. “Too risky.”

“We suspect the other people in here were sent into the Reincarnation Pill by the Tianyuan Pill King under the pretext of delivering medicinal meals. But the food box itself has no consciousness. It should not have entered.”

Qingzhu nodded slightly. “An anomaly means unanswered questions.”

“Besides, if he sent people in, then he must have had a purpose. He may already have made preparations within Pill City. Unless we have no other choice, we should avoid alerting him.”

“The food box...” Yu Qingtang murmured thoughtfully, recalling this section of the novel.

In the original story, this arc had focused heavily on the loyalty between Ye Chenyan and Du Heng, as well as the bond between the old Pill King and the handful of Fire Cauldron Sect disciples who remained loyal and principled.

The Tianyuan Pill King and his disciples had merely been ordinary minor villains defeated without much trouble. The Wondrous Jade Beauty Pills, the missing cultivators, and Pill City inside the Reincarnation Pill were all hidden threads that dog Xiaosa had never developed.

The author had clearly planted clues earlier, yet never resolved them. Perhaps he had genuinely forgotten. Or perhaps he had thought the subplot too unclear and cut it entirely.

Either way, this independently functioning world had apparently done its best to patch the plot together.

Yu Qingtang felt that he ought to know a little more than the others. He tried to connect the various clues and find some way to help.

“Ah!” he suddenly shouted in excitement as inspiration struck. “The immortal pill!”

Both the man and the bird looked toward him.

Yu Qingtang reminded Ye Chenyan, “Do you remember what Sanqi said? The disciples of Fire Cauldron Sect were pursuing Senior Brother Du because they couldn’t find the formula capable of refining an immortal pill on the old Pill King!”

“In his current condition, the old Pill King would probably be unable to resist even if the Tianyuan Pill King truly intended to harm him.”

“But they haven’t killed him. Instead, they keep sending people into the Reincarnation Pill. Maybe they’re trying to start here and force the old Pill King to reveal where he hid the pill formula!”

Yu Qingtang muttered to himself, “I even figured that out. Could I be a genius?”

Ye Chenyan laughed softly. “Yes. You absolutely are.”

Qingzhu looked thoughtful. “They pursued Du Heng. Even if the formula was not on him, they could still use him to threaten the old Pill King. There would be nothing to lose.”

“I am now more curious about how they allowed Du Heng to escape unharmed in the first place.”

“The old Pill King had more than one personal disciple,” Yu Qingtang muttered. “Drive away the troublesome one who couldn’t be controlled, and keep the cooperative one behind.”

“They simply never expected Sanqi to fear that Du Heng would threaten his position before the Tianyuan Pill King and rush to throw him out...”

Ye Chenyan lowered his gaze. “Then I suspect Physician Sun and Celestial Master Jiang are both members of Fire Cauldron Sect—agents of the Tianyuan Pill King.”

“If the old Pill King is under siege, then he would not openly show himself. He is more likely hiding somewhere in the shadows.”

“That makes sense.” Yu Qingtang asked, “Are we still going to meet those two tomorrow?”

“Yes.” Ye Chenyan lightly tapped his fingertips against the table. “Not only are we going, I intend to see how they treat soul-loss sickness.”

“Huh?” Yu Qingtang stared at him in shock. “Who are they treating? Which one of us is getting sacrificed? I don’t have a mouth right now, so drinking medicine would be difficult.”

Ye Chenyan laughed. “Medicine may not be necessary. Tomorrow, adapt to the situation.”

Yu Qingtang muttered quietly, “In my current condition, adapting to the situation is rather difficult. I can basically only play dead when the situation appears.”

Qingzhu turned toward him, suddenly hopped onto the table, and tried scratching at him with one claw.

Yu Qingtang was shocked. Unable to move, he could only ask cautiously, “Senior, what are you doing? Has your animal instinct suddenly awakened?”

“No.”

Qingzhu spread his wings and gave them an experimental flap.

“I am testing whether I can carry you away if trouble arises.”

He answered honestly, “You are somewhat heavy.”

Yu Qingtang: “...My apologies. The craftsman was generous with the materials.”

...

Outside the Reincarnation Pill, within Fire Cauldron Sect.

Du Heng kept his head lowered, staring at the embroidered boots before him. Fire-cloud patterns decorated their uppers.

He squeezed his eyes shut once, hard. Only then did he bring his expression under control and raise his head with a trace of ambition and anticipation.

“Tianyuan Pill King. At last, I meet you.”

The kindly old man appeared utterly mild-tempered. He smiled warmly at Du Heng.

“You were the one who wished to see me?”

“I have heard about you. Among this year’s group of disciples, you possess the greatest talent.”

He smiled like a benevolent senior eager to nurture talent.

“If no one later manages to refine a pill superior to your Hundred Flowers Pill, you will become my personal disciple.”

“The personal disciples of Fire Cauldron Sect all take the names of medicinal ingredients.”

He turned with a smile and handed over a register.

“Choose one. Any name that has not been circled is available.”

Du Heng had already made his decision long ago. His smile did not fade.

“Cinnabar.”

The Tianyuan Pill King smiled kindly. “Haha. It seems you are determined to succeed and made your choice well in advance.”

“Very well. Choose whichever name you like.”

His gaze passed over the Girl in the Bamboo standing behind Du Heng, and his eyes narrowed slightly.

“This maid of yours seems rather unusual as well.”

“Naturally.” Du Heng suppressed the emotions in his heart, his gaze turning profound. “The Hundred Flowers Pill I refined is also somewhat unusual. Aren’t you going to ask about it?”

The Tianyuan Pill King chuckled and gently shook his head.

“I can tell.”

“You used blood.”

His smile became unreadable.

“You concealed the scent beneath a hundred flowers. Aside from me, I doubt anyone else could detect anything amiss.”

“But in the world of pill refinement, that is an act of grave heresy. If anyone learned of it...”

He closed his eyes.

“Only an unorthodox cultivator would do such a thing. Child, you have become obsessed.”

Author’s Note:

Du Heng: It was onion! I added onion! (A reference to The God of Cookery*.)*

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