Chapter 2336 — Tier-Two Pills

Pi Zhifeng did not show up today, which rather surprised Gu Mengyao. She was just wondering whether she ought to phone him when she saw Shen Yushu beside her already trotting off toward a black Grand Cherokee...

At the sight of the familiar license plate on that Grand Cherokee, Gu Mengyao's heart clenched. He's back...

Then she shook her head with a rueful smile, thinking that little Shu had sharp eyes indeed—she had spotted Wei Zhao's car and run straight over, while Gu Mengyao herself was still looking for Pi Zhifeng's BMW X5M!

"Arrow-brand Bro, you're back! Little Shu has been missing you on Yaoyao's behalf!" Shen Yushu pulled open the passenger door and hopped right in, then turned her head to look at Gu Mengyao. "Yaoyao, want me to give the front seat to you?"

"You sit there." How could Gu Mengyao bring herself to take the front seat? She shook her head, walked over, and gave Wei Zhao a faint smile. "You're back..."

"Mm, I'm back." Wei Zhao smiled faintly as well. He could not say why, but he always felt there was an unspoken understanding between himself and the young miss—a single glance, a single smile, and each knew the other's care and longing.

"Wow, Yaoyao, you and Arrow-brand Bro—sure looks like there's something going on! Since when did you two get so in sync?" Shen Yushu said, watching Gu Mengyao and Wei Zhao with a wicked grin.

Gu Mengyao's face flushed red, and she shot Shen Yushu a glare. "It's always the thief who cries 'thief.'"

"Right, someone just said 'the thief cries thief,'" Shen Yushu said.

"Couldn't you play dumb just this once?" Gu Mengyao was at a loss for words.

"Little Shu has never been dumb!" Shen Yushu said.

"All right, both of you get in," Wei Zhao said, watching the two bicker. A familiar, warm feeling came over him—as though this was the life he had wanted?

"For Wei Zhao's sake, I won't hold it against you." The young miss climbed into the back seat.

"See, I told you there's something going on. Otherwise why would you spare her for Arrow-brand Bro's sake and not for Little Shu's, when I've lived with you for over ten years?" Shen Yushu said with an air of complete understanding.

"I... you..." The young miss felt utterly defeated. Quarreling with Shen Yushu was truly asking for trouble.

"These past days, I've had a lot to thank you both for. Plenty has happened at home—thank you," Wei Zhao said with a smile, cutting short the two women's squabble.

"Thank Yaoyao, not me—she's the one who's been holding things together," Shen Yushu said. "She kept reassuring Old Master Pi and Pi Zhifeng not to worry, saying you'd be back any day now. But Little Shu knew all along—Arrow-brand Bro never once called."

Gu Mengyao's face grew redder still. She had not expected Little Shu to have noticed long ago. But judging by how Little Shu had caught on the moment she phoned Wei Zhao earlier, the girl really did have the makings of a spy—nothing escaped her eyes and ears.

"That was my oversight. Thank you!" Wei Zhao had not expected Gu Mengyao to have had such a hard time of it at home. Then again, it made sense: Old Master Pi and Pi Zhifeng had never witnessed his abilities, so their unease and impatience were only natural. Only Wu Chengtian knew for certain that his injuries could be healed—but even his word could not be taken as gospel by Old Master Pi.

"It was nothing." Gu Mengyao glanced at Han Xiaochao, not far off, and said mildly, "Han Jingyi is coming. Let's drop this."

On such matters, Gu Mengyao still said little to Han Jingyi. Though Wei Zhao seemed to trust Han Jingyi a great deal, Gu Mengyao had always felt there was something off about the woman—nothing she could call malice, exactly, but Han Jingyi struck her as somewhat strange.

When Han Jingyi reached the parking lot and did not see her BMW X5M, but instead spotted her brother standing beside a Grand Cherokee, she was briefly taken aback, then understood at once that Wei Zhao had returned. She ran over joyfully, got in, and took the middle seat in the second row. "Wei Zhao, you're back!"

"Mm, just got back today! How are things? Any progress on the pill refinement?" Wei Zhao asked.

"Ugh, don't even mention it—Jingjing gets a headache just thinking about it. Is Jingjing an idiot? I can only refine one tier-two pill a day, and then I'm spent, with no strength left. I have to rest a whole night before I can refine again!" Han Jingyi pulled a long face and said vexedly, "Even if Jingjing wants to use the scientific refinement method to make several batches at once, it never works, because multiple batches take much more strength, and Jingjing can't hold out—I ruined two whole furnaces of materials outright..."

"That's all right. So the one pill a day—can you guarantee it succeeds every time?" Wei Zhao asked.

"Mm-hm! If it didn't succeed, Jingjing would be a real idiot," Han Jingyi said with a nod.

"That's already impressive. An ordinary tier-two alchemist, even fully prepared to refine a tier-two pill, couldn't guarantee success—a fifty-percent chance would already be considered high!" Wei Zhao was a little disappointed, but Han Jingyi's success rate was close to perfect. What more could he ask?

"Really? Then I guess Jingjing isn't so bad... it's just that I don't have enough strength..." Han Jingyi sighed. "If I had strength to spare, I could use the scientific refinement method and make several pills in one furnace!"

"Oh?" A possible solution to Han Jingyi's problem suddenly occurred to Wei Zhao. What if he and Han Jingyi worked together—Han Jingyi refining the pills while he stood behind her, continuously channeling and replenishing her true qi? Would that solve the problem?

"Wei Zhao, you have an idea?" Han Jingyi saw his thoughtful expression and asked hastily.

"Mm, I've thought of something. I'll come find you tonight to test it out!" Wei Zhao said.

"Mm-hm!" Han Jingyi nodded happily. "Wei Zhao is so much better than Jingjing—the moment you're back, you come up with a solution. You're amazing!"

In the passenger seat, Shen Yushu pursed her lips. This Han Jingyi—was she laying the cuteness on a bit thick? She said all that without blushing. Even if she liked Arrow-brand Bro, there was no need for such flattery.

Han Jingyi sat beside Gu Mengyao, and Han Xiaochao sat beside Han Jingyi. Wei Zhao started the car and drove out of the school, heading toward the Xue Shang residential compound.

Back home, Wei Zhao first sent Gu Mengyao and Shen Yushu back to the villa, while he went with Han Jingyi to hers. He wanted to test the idea he had just had, to see whether it was actually workable.