Translator: CatatoPatch Editor: Vermillion
Pssh…
A dense wave of Pill Energy came gushing out of the Pill Tower as if a giant whale had just blasted a pillar of water high into the heavens. The Pill Energy swirled and danced about the air, causing the entire Pill Tower to take on an almost illusory and bewitching quality.
A rush of overwhelming pressure cascaded downwards from the horizon while the clouds shuffled about high above the tower.
The Pill Energy continued billowing from the tower, gush after gush, like a flashy celebration complete with flowers and confetti.
Within the towering abodes in Heavenly Mist City, the eyes of their inhabitants were all drawn toward the direction of the Pill Tower.
Some eyed the spectacle with envy in their eyes and their mouths wide open.
"So it seems another person of the Pill Tower is about to break free of the shackles of the Divine Realm? Another One-cloud Pill Master has been born... I wonder who it will be…"
"Don't tell me it's our goddess, Nangong Wan? That can't be right, wasn't there word of her eating in some restaurant not too long ago?"
"Hmph... but who else can it be, then. Is there anyone else other than the goddess? She has the greatest chance in Heavenly Mist City to become a One-cloud Pill Master."
...
A number of onlookers were currently engaged in heated debate while some merely gazed at the Pill Tower curiously.
As one of the landmarks of Heavenly Mist City, that tower instilled quite a bit of awe in those who saw it.
A One-cloud Pill Master. In order to be one, one had to be able to create a One-mark Spirit Pill. That was the hurdle every Alchemist had to overcome, and it was also the hallmark of that realm. After all, those pills were able to command an astronomical price in Heavenly Mist City.
Furthermore, within the entire city of Heaven Mist, a city that boasted a population of over 100,000, the number of One-cloud Alchemists were merely in the hundreds.
As they said, rarity gave rise to value. Because there weren't that many alchemists who could create such a pill, its prices were naturally high.
Rumble…
The ancient brass gates creaked open with a rumble.
A dense wave of Spirit Energy and Pill Energy rushed out of the Pill Tower. The pungent smell of pills seemed to overwhelm those present and induce a hallucinatory state in them.
The majority, however, had their eyes wide open as they eyed the silhouette exiting the gates.
They were all curious as to whether or not it was the goddess, Nangong Wan, who managed to become a One-cloud Alchemist.
One had to know that becoming a One-cloud Alchemist wasn't easy. Not only did one have to have a strong enough cultivation, but also their mental strength had to be sufficient. It was only then that one stood a chance of becoming a One-cloud Alchemist.
Everyone had their necks stretched to their limits as they tried to get a glimpse of the figure.
It was a burly figure, one whose steps seemed to resemble a dragon's.
It was a male?!
Exactly who was this genius?
The curiosity grew even more amongst those present.
A breeze blew through the scene, scattering the smoke in the process and revealing a stoic face.
Yang Meiji blinked her eyes slightly as she basked in the blinding radiance of the burning sun. As she did so, she couldn't help but suck in a gasp of air.
"Finally... I've broken through... it was all thanks to teacher's Three-mark Dragon Coalescing Pill that I managed to reach the realm of the Half-Divine from a War-God. With my supreme mental strength, I've finally been recognized as a One-cloud Alchemist."
Even now, Yang Meiji was a little shell-shocked by all that had happened. It was barely half a month ago that she stepped into the Pill Tower. Back then, she was nothing and yet here she was, completely reborn. She had become a One-cloud Alchemist—even earlier than Nangong Wan no less.
That bit of elation leaked out of her heart in the form of a smile. That simple smile stunned all those who were present.
The new One-cloud Alchemist wasn't some man at all! It was a girl! A girl with tree trunks for limbs and a log for a body. That was just…
"That's Yang Meiji! The genius student from the Alchemist Academy and Master Xuanbi's disciple!"
"So it's her... No wonder!"
"Gasp... How terrifying, wasn't she just a War-God just half a month ago? How did she become a One-cloud Alchemist?"
…
The news of Yang Meiji's breakthrough quickly washed through the city like a tsunami, reaching every nook and cranny in mere moments.
The entire city was in shock right now. Yang Meiji, the same one who opened a restaurant, was the one who became a One-cloud Alchemist! The same Yang Meiji whose alchemical talents rivaled her girth. She had returned!
…
Back at the Cloud Mist Restaurant.
At the entrance of the little restaurant sat Nangong Wuque with one leg crossed over the other as they shook about. With how fast they were shaking, it was almost frightening to watch. As for his hands, they were currently gripping down an elixir.
From time to time, he would pop a pill or two into his mouth and, with a resounding crunch, start munching on them like candies.
Within the elixir stores around the Cloud Mist Restaurant, a good number of the bosses present were all eyeing him, completely at a loss for words right now.
As owners of their own elixir stores, how could they not recognize what it was in his hands right now…
Those were fifth-grade elixirs... each of them was worth at least several hundred crystals! And yet here he was, munching on them like sweets.
How many crystals had been wasted already?!
As expected of the young master of the Nangong Family... truly in a league of his own.
Within the Cloud Mist Restaurant, the scene was practically on fire right now with how many dishes there were flying about and how dense the smell of food was.
Each and every patron had a look of utter bliss as they savored the delicacies rolling out of the kitchen.
Having finished her own Buddha Jumps Over the Wall, Nangong Wan left for work.
As unwilling as she might be, she had no choice in this matter... If she didn't work, she wouldn't even have the money to taste another serving of that heavenly Buddha Jumps Over the Wall.
Even now, the several hundred thousands of crystals owed to her by Nangong Wuque was nowhere to be found... That shameless fellow... She just knew that he would never return the money...
That fellow had just finished his own Buddha Jumps Over the wall. That was why he was now sitting lazily at the entrance of the restaurant while munching on some snacks.
He was currently basking in the fragrances wafting out of the restaurant. To him, those scents were significantly more pleasant than the medicinal smells he had to contend with.
Ever since he started eating Owner Bu's dishes, he noticed a growing lazy streak within himself; even his passion for alchemy seemed to have gone missing.
Sigh... the depravity of a full stomach.
The sun continued bathing the city in its warm light.
Down below, Bu Fang stepped out of his kitchen, wiped off the grime on his hand and then pulled a chair for himself to relax in, back sprawled lazily as he soaked in the warming rays.
"Old Bu, care for something tasty, what do you say?" Nangong Wuque eyed him before offering one of his fifth-grade elixirs.
"No thanks, I hate medicines." Bu Fang narrowed his eyes slightly before placidly refusing the offer. With no patrons left to handle, he found himself with a momentary bit of reprieve.
"Are you silly or something... This is an elixir, not medicine," Nangong Wuque said with utmost seriousness.
Bu Fang, on the other hand, pursed his lips and said nothing more.
Ever since that stripping incident involving the Lin Family and the Zhang Family, this little restaurant, the Cloud Mist Restaurant, had exploded in fame. Thanks to that, not only did a number of people learn of its existence, its business skyrocketed as well. At the same time, these new patrons came to learn of its temperamental owner.
In truth, Bu Fang was a rather amiable person. As long as one discounted his facial paralysis, he was actually pretty easy to get along with—just look at Nangong Wuque over there getting along so well with Bu Fang.
Those who had finished their meals would exit the restaurant with a smile on their faces as they waved goodbye. At times, Bu Fang would nod as well. In what seemed like a instant, the restaurant seemed to had grown accustomed to its new activity.
…
Yang Meiji was currently strolling toward the Cloud Mist Restaurant.
She was a little uneasy right now. How was that restaurant doing right now? Perhaps it had already collapsed by now... after all, it was in a rather dangerous place, being located in Nangong's Multi-taste Fasting Pill Sales District. To begin with, how was a mere restaurant supposed to compete with an elixir store?
With that in mind, Yang Meiji couldn't help but sigh. Her father was the one who passed on that restaurant to her and yet she couldn't lead it to prosperity... Truly a depressing thought.
She gritted her teeth and steeled her resolve as she continued forth. She had already made up her mind. If that restaurant was truly on the verge of collapse, she would take that restaurant back and return the crystals to Bu Fang.
At the end of the day, that mess was her own, so there was no reason to have Bu Fang clean it up for her. Even so, she was still immensely grateful toward her teacher, Master Xuanbi. Truly this was a difficult situation for her.
She finally reached the elixir district where she was immediately struck by the pungent smell of elixirs. This scent, while familiar, only served to twist that knot in her heart even more.
"I knew it... look at all the elixir stores operating here... how was a restaurant even supposed to survive?!"
Still... how odd... the number seemed to have decreased quite a bit.
Yang Meiji continued onwards while observing her surroundings. As she did so, she was struck by a sense of strangeness.
Elixir stores were extremely popular in Heavenly Mist City, especially those under the banner of the Nangong Family. Those were practically worshipped by the masses... so why was it so desolate, then?
Stepping up to one of the stores, she found a despondent owner sitting atop his chair, listlessly staring ahead without anything to do.
"Boss... is business really that bad now?" She directed that question toward the groggy owner.
"Don't ask me, I don't want to talk about it. Just head over there and see for yourself." He snapped in a lifeless voice before twitching his mouth in a certain direction.
Yang Meiji paused for a second before turning toward the direction he pointed at. It was then that her pupils suddenly shrank.
Wasn't that where the Cloud Mist Restaurant was? Did something happen to it?!
Yang Meiji panicked.
"Don't tell me Nangong Ming has brought more troublemakers again?"
With that in mind, she quickened her own pace.
I knew it…
From a distance, she spotted the entrance blocked by a horde of people. From the dressing of those gathered, she came to the conclusion that they were members of the Nangong Family.
I just knew it was him…
Her heart burned at the mere thought of that fellow. This time, however, she was a One-cloud Alchemist. No matter what, she was going to give that fellow the fright of his life.
Suddenly, her eyes went glassy as she spotted a certain dashing figure in the crowd.
She was stunned.
All because she saw him…
"That... isn't that Young Master Wuque?!"
"Wu wu wu... What's Young Master Wuque doing at the Cloud Mist Restaurant as well?" She gazed at the crowd with eyes as wide as saucers and teeth chattering. Amidst all that, her heart pounded furiously without rest to fuel the growing blush in her face. She shyly turned her face to get a better look at the handsome man whose red hair seemed to dance in the air in her eyes.
The edges of his mouth curled upwards and his hair flipped around in the wind as he slowly turned around.
In Yang Meiji's eyes, it was as if the sun was shining at his back right now, causing the latter to glow with a blinding radiance as if he was some sort of deity that had descended to the mortal realm.
Those dashing features... truly stirred the heart. That warm, gentle smile…
Ooo~ It felt like her heart was about to melt any second now as stars swam about around her eyes.