Chapter 4846 — The Mystic Rank Alchemist

"That rarely happens. Given the standing of little Sister Xiaotao and me, and the fearsome reputation of our master, the ordinary academy disciples only dare to watch us from a distance and keep their distance—still less would anyone come to bully us. But the Eastern Continent has always bred its share of oddballs, and among them there are always a few toads dreaming of a swan. Since it is not convenient for our master to deal with them personally, that task has fallen to the Deaf Granny. Every time she appears, she scares off a whole crowd of them." Wang Xinyan smiled brightly.

"Heh, so the Deaf Granny has been stealing my assignment, has she?" Wei Zhao could not help but smile. He himself was the campus belle's personal bodyguard, and Wang Xinyan and Huang Xiaotao were undoubtedly the flowers of this academy, so they too needed someone to look after them specifically. While he was away, it was fortunate they had this Deaf Granny.

"So you had better thank her properly!" Huang Xiaotao giggled. Having spent so long on the Eastern Continent with Wang Xinyan, she had clearly grown much more cheerful. Then, unable to contain herself, she asked, "Never mind us for now—how have you been since we parted ways in the waters off the Southern Continent?"

"Yes, how did you suddenly become a late-stage Nascent Soul cultivator? Have you had another stroke of fortune?" Wang Xinyan was just as curious.

If it came to innate talent—especially in the matter of raising one's cultivation—her sponge-like constitution was second to none under heaven, something even Huang Xiaotao could not come close to matching. Yet even she was only at the mid-stage Nascent Soul now, and it had to be remembered that back in the waters off the Southern Continent she had already been a formidable early-stage Nascent Soul cultivator.

And then look at Wei Zhao. As she recalled, he had not even reached the mid-stage Golden Core back then, and now, in the blink of an eye, he had become a late-stage Nascent Soul expert. How long had it been?!

"I did indeed have a stroke of fortune—but it was a narrow escape from death at every turn. If I had to go through it again, I might not survive." Wei Zhao shook his head with a smile.

"Ah? Tell us, tell us!" the two women urged in unison.

"All right then." Wei Zhao had no choice but to recount his experiences to them truthfully, from the grand gathering of the Southern Continent Escort Agency to being hunted by the remnants of the old Western Mountain Sect—he told it all from beginning to end in meticulous detail, concealing not even the matter of the Five Poisons Swamp.

After all, both women were his own people. If he could not even trust them, then there would be no one left in this world to whom Wei Zhao could truly open his heart. And if that were so, then even if he became invincible under heaven, his life would still be a tragedy.

Wang Xinyan and Huang Xiaotao listened, clucking their tongues in amazement. Compared with their tranquil life at the academy, Wei Zhao's experiences were simply breathtaking—even hearing about them was thrilling beyond measure.

The two women could not help but exchange a knowing glance. As expected, Wei Zhao was a wondrous person: wherever he went, wondrous things were bound to happen.

Though Wei Zhao and the two women had been reunited after a long parting, there was not much romantic tenderness between the three. After all, this was the domain of the Divine Nun of the Eastern Sea; even if the two women did not mind, Wei Zhao would not dare to do anything unfit for young eyes in such a place. It felt rather like schoolchildren sneaking around to date behind their parents' backs—amusing, when you thought about it.

The three of them sat in the pavilion, talking of everything under the sun, and after a whole night they were still not satisfied—on the contrary, they grew more and more animated. At this rate, talking for three whole days and nights would hardly be a problem.

"Yan'er, Xiaotao." The Divine Nun of the Eastern Sea suddenly appeared in the courtyard, gazing with a smile at Wei Zhao and the two women.

"Greetings, Senior of the Eastern Sea." Wei Zhao hastily rose to pay his respects. Though he was Qing Xuanzi's master, it had been agreed that each would be reckoned by his own standing, so before the Divine Nun of the Eastern Sea he was naturally still a junior.

"No need for such formality. This is the morning porridge I brewed myself—Young Hero Lin, do try some as well." The Divine Nun of the Eastern Sea came over to the table beside them and filled a bowl for each. Yet in addressing Wei Zhao she did not put on airs on account of being the master of Wang and Huang, the two women.

"Excellent porridge—the Senior of the Eastern Sea has a fine hand." Wei Zhao took one sip and immediately sang its praises without end.

It was only ordinary rice porridge, with no spirit herbs of any kind added, yet for some reason, as he drank it, his whole being involuntarily settled into calm, and the drifting, tangled thoughts in his mind scattered into nothing—it had a remarkably clarifying effect. To achieve such a result with plain rice porridge—the Divine Nun of the Eastern Sea was indeed a remarkable person.

"Our master's morning porridge is one of Morning Star's finest—you could not buy a bowl of it for any amount of spirit jade. Uncle-Master Ling and Uncle-Master Wei are forever racking their brains just to cadge a bowl. You should drink more." Wang Xinyan and Huang Xiaotao exchanged a smile.

"Most certainly!" Wei Zhao nodded again and again, and after downing a bowl in two or three gulps, he unceremoniously helped himself to another—the very picture of a starving ghost reborn.

The Divine Nun of the Eastern Sea watched with an amused smile. Wei Zhao had taken her fancy from the start, and for the sake of the two women she had come to love him as one of the family. Though she had only met him a handful of times, in her eyes he was already much like a nephew.

"By the way, this is the Thunder Mystic Pill I bought at yesterday's auction. Let Yan'er have it first." The Divine Nun of the Eastern Sea produced a pill and handed it to Wang Xinyan, then took out another and gave it to Huang Xiaotao. "This is a top-grade Golden Core Condensing Pill I wheedled out of your Uncle-Master Wei. Xiaotao, it happens to be just right for you now. As for the Thunder Mystic Pill, once you have condensed your Nascent Soul, I will think of another way."

Yesterday that set of top-grade Golden Core Condensing Pills had fallen into the hands of Booth Two, whose owner was Wei Hebei. With the years of friendship between him and the Divine Nun of the Eastern Sea, obtaining one of them was no difficulty at all.

Although Huang Xiaotao would not be able to use the Thunder Mystic Pill for some time yet, the Divine Nun of the Eastern Sea was still quite troubled by it, for such things as Thunder Mystic Pills were rarely seen—and even when one did come across them, it was not certain that five whole pills would turn up at once as they had yesterday. If there were only one or two, the competition would inevitably be fiercer still, and with her means it would be very hard to snatch even one.

"Senior of the Eastern Sea, you need not trouble yourself over the Thunder Mystic Pill—I prepared them for the two of them long ago." Wei Zhao at once drew two Thunder Mystic Pills from his robes. He had meant to give them to Wang Xinyan and Huang Xiaotao the moment they met, but in his excitement he had clean forgotten, and had it not been for the Divine Nun's reminder he might never have remembered.

Last time he had refined eight in all: one he had given to Yang Qianshuang, five he had put up for auction, and these two he had deliberately kept back for the two women. As for himself, it did not matter—he could refine more at any time.