Traveling back to ancient times to get rich

Chapter 42 Continuing the Alchemy

Ye Qingchen recruited two more people today, bringing their total to six since they originally intended to travel light. However, since they weren't starting from Yunzhou, no one paid them any attention, allowing them to continue their journey to the capital. They planned to buy a comfortable carriage tomorrow and then set off as a group of six.

That night, Ye Qingchen and Gu Changfeng continued to share a bed. Since Gu Changfeng said they would wait until she came of age before consummating their relationship, she had no reason to be coy. She simply wore a light nightgown to sleep, prioritizing her own comfort. This made things difficult for Gu Changfeng, who had to force himself to silently recite the Heart Sutra before falling asleep. Meanwhile, Ye Qingchen, having recently upgraded her spatial abilities, had learned some medicine-making techniques. Although she didn't know the full effectiveness of the Rejuvenation Pill she gave Dong Shengniang, she wanted to see if she could learn to make more medicines. After all, there were many uncertain risks on the road, and she didn't know when Gu Changfeng's mother and brothers would find them. Being prepared always gave her peace of mind.

Last time, she failed to make the Rejuvenation Pill, so this time she was determined to try again. She probed her spatial dimension with her mind, as if her soul were placed within it. It was still the third page. She began weighing the various ingredients for the Rejuvenation Pill: ginseng, gastrodia elata, and more… Some of these ingredients she couldn't even name; she felt they might not even exist in this world. She had tried this method countless times before, all to no avail. Today, she learned from last night's failure and continued practicing. She was incredibly nervous because these were all valuable medicinal herbs being wasted. Her heart ached, but she understood the necessary losses to make the pill. Then, she focused her mind and finally, she succeeded! This time, she successfully refined seven pills, each coated with a layer of gold foil, making them truly glitter and shine—a true treasure!

After completing the third page, the fourth page appeared. This time, the pill was a beauty pill, made from readily available ingredients: white peony, red peony, yam, prepared rehmannia root, black sesame seeds, and so on. This medicine was simple, and Ye Qingchen quickly finished refining it again. The resulting pills were pink, a total of eight. It seemed that the number she produced each time depended on fate, or perhaps her abilities had improved, resulting in a larger quantity of pills. Ye Qingchen placed them all in the small bottles bearing the leaf mark that she had previously crafted, then labeled them and arranged them in categories.

At this moment, another book appeared beside the talisman book. It was actually the Celestial Needle Technique, far more powerful than the Thirteen Ghost Needles she had previously learned. Curious, she began to read it, learning each move one by one. This time, Ye Qingchen understood. It turned out that in her previous life, her spatial ability was incomplete, mainly due to her own lack of skill; therefore, the spatial ability was in its infancy. But now, with more experience, perhaps from doing some good deeds or making some kind of improvement, the spatial ability had been enhanced. This was good; it felt like playing a game, giving her something to strive for again.

Today, she wasn't in a hurry. She simply tried to learn the first move of the Celestial Acupuncture Technique. She discovered that it wasn't just about needlework; it required internal energy. She focused intently, channeling her internal energy throughout her body to manipulate the golden needles. She sweated profusely, but still couldn't succeed. Ye Qingchen was a determined person; the more she failed, the more she wanted to improve. Her whole body began to heat up, and she sweated profusely. Meanwhile, Gu Changfeng wasn't sleeping soundly either. Seeing Ye Qingchen sweating so much in the cold weather, he worried she might have caught a cold in Jiangshan. He immediately touched her forehead, and it was indeed hot. However, Ye Qingchen was fast asleep. Sleep is also a form of treatment, so Gu Changfeng used silver needles to insert into her left hand and applied a cold compress to her forehead. He also checked her pulse and found her breathing disordered, so he used his internal energy to help her regulate her breathing.

Gu Changfeng's actions, though unbeknownst to her, greatly helped Ye Qingchen. She immediately grasped the first acupuncture technique. With the infusion of Gu Changfeng's powerful internal energy, Ye Qingchen's breathing stabilized, and she quickly mastered the first move. This move could already cure many diseases. She had already exerted a lot of effort practicing this move today, so even though she had turned to the second page of the book, she dared not learn any more and stopped after learning just this one move.

Then she began practicing drawing talismans in the air. The second page was a peace talisman, which still required internal energy. With the continuous flow of external internal energy propelling her, she learned this technique quickly, mastering the peace talisman without much effort. The peace talisman was somewhat mystical; it could avert one danger for its owner. Ye Qingchen thought she would draw one for Gu Changfeng tomorrow. If danger ever came, the peace talisman would negate one danger and simultaneously alert both the owner and the talisman drawer, ensuring the owner's safety. This talisman was indeed quite essential.

The book turned to the third page, which surprisingly featured longevity talismans. Ye Qingchen was puzzled. Was she really going to have to pick up her past life's skills again? These were things Taoists were supposed to learn. Since she'd been given a husband in this life, why was she being made to learn talismans? But since she was being told to learn, she might as well. She'd originally planned to learn them later, but suddenly she understood, and the book automatically flipped to the rain-summoning talisman. This… Ye Qingchen hadn't expected it, but she really didn't want to learn them anymore.

She went to check on her orchard and other things. There was actually a lot of food in her space, but she hadn't properly managed it with her mind before. Today, she decided to tidy it up. She felt her space looked a bit messy. Just as she was thinking this, her space suddenly vibrated violently, shaking her so badly that her head throbbed as if she were having a nightmare. She woke up instantly and sat up, which startled Gu Changfeng, who was beside her. Gu Changfeng was terrified. Ye Qingchen didn't seem sick today, so why couldn't he cure her? It seemed she was having a nightmare.

Just as Ye Qingchen was about to put her hands to her forehead, Gu Changfeng immediately stopped her, as she still had needles in her left hand. Gu Changfeng grasped her left arm and asked Ye Qingchen, "Madam, what's wrong? You've been feverish and sweating since just now, but it doesn't look like a fever or a cold. Did you tire yourself out during the day treating Dong Shengniang with your internal energy? Why don't I come tomorrow? You've been exhausted these past two days, haven't you?"

Ye Qingchen then realized that Gu Changfeng had been watching her for quite some time, and she was quite touched. She gently said, "Let's remove the needles. I feel much better now; I don't feel uncomfortable at all." She glanced at her silver bracelet, which seemed to be glowing faintly. She had actually been shaken out of it! She wasn't sure if it could go back in, but not wanting Gu Changfeng to worry, she said, "I feel much better. Let's sleep!" Gu Changfeng removed the needles from her hand, then wiped her forehead, saying, "Your breathing is unsteady. Let me help you regulate your breathing. You must be exhausted."