Zhang Yang finally left the medicinal prescription with the elder of the Yan family, and subsequently, Beijiao County Hospital re-hired the elder, who had been retired for many years, to launch a large-scale epidemic prevention effort in the northern suburbs, utilizing the formula Zhang Yang had provided.

Gradually, the elder lost his suicidal thoughts, dedicating himself wholeheartedly alongside his daughter-in-law, Tang Xiaolan, to serving as honorary physicians at the County Hospital—though that is a story for later.

Tang Xiaolan knew that all of this was thanks to Zhang Yang. Thus, when Zhang Yang took Yan Liangfei away from the Yan residence, she specifically cautioned him, urging Yan Liangfei to learn diligently from Zhang Yang, obey his instructions, and, should he ever become successful in the future, to repay Zhang Yang handsomely.

The only thing that puzzled Zhang Yang was what Tang Xiaolan whispered to Yan Liangfei in private before their departure, which caused Yan Liangfei to keep a blush on his face the entire journey back to Changjing with Zhang Yang, looking like a perfectly ripe, crimson apple.

In Changjing, Yan Liangfei had been staying with his granduncle, Guo Yong, but since Zhang Yang had now accepted him as an apprentice and intended to personally guide his return to cultivation, Zhang Yang instructed Yan Liangfei to pack his things and move into his villa.

This arrangement would allow Zhang Yang to administer spiritual elixirs more conveniently, helping the young man restore his internal energy cultivation more swiftly.

Upon learning that Zhang Yang had returned to Changjing, Guo Yong specifically called to confirm whether Yan Liangfei was truly moving into Zhang Yang’s residence.

Hearing Zhang Yang’s affirmative reply, Guo Yong was taken aback. He hadn't expected his grandnephew, who previously seemed at odds with Zhang Yang, to have undergone such a drastic change in attitude after just one trip back home with him.

From every word and action since Yan Liangfei’s return, Guo Yong sensed that the young man’s admiration for Zhang Yang had reached a level of blind devotion. This filled Guo Yong with curiosity about what precisely transpired in Beijiao County, but alas, Yan Liangfei remained tight-lipped, unwilling to divulge a single detail.

Back in Changjing, upon meeting Mi Xue, Zhang Yang naturally indulged in a period of heartfelt intimacy. To compensate for his absence over the weekend, he specifically set aside an entire day to accompany Mi Xue on a shopping excursion. As for Wuying and Shandian, the two little ones dashed about happily upon returning home; after all, they had spent a considerable time in Changjing and had developed an affection for it, feeling as though they were truly home.

As for the couple Yan Yefei and Li Juan, they had sold off their previous businesses and already possessed substantial savings. Following Zhang Yang’s return to Changjing from the Long family residence, they were resolved to remain close to him, so they purchased the villa neighboring Zhang Yang’s, which was not overly large.

When they heard that Zhang Yang had accepted another apprentice, they eagerly seized the opportunity, bringing Qu Meilan along with them under the guise of observing Zhang Yang’s novice disciple, volunteering to help Yan Liangfei move in.

Yan Yefei and Li Juan had sold their former enterprises and, upon returning to Changjing with Zhang Yang, were set on staying close to him, intending to follow his path, so they...

When Yan Yefei and Li Juan met Yan Liangfei, they paused in surprise. Having sought apprenticeship and tutelage for so long, they possessed a certain discerning eye and immediately recognized that Yan Liangfei was merely an ordinary person with no foundation in internal energy. This left them completely bewildered as to why Zhang Yang would accept him as a disciple.

However, neither Yan Yefei nor Li Juan voiced their confusion. They simply offered friendly assistance with the move. It was Qu Meilan who was brimming with curiosity, peppering Yan Liangfei with questions, yet showing no hint of doubting Zhang Yang’s decision to take him on.

This difference clearly illustrated the gap between Qu Meilan and the Yan Yefei couple: because the Yan couple’s loyalty was not yet absolute, they still harbored doubts about Zhang Yang’s decisions, whereas Qu Meilan harbored none whatsoever.

Once Yan Liangfei was settled into Zhang Yang’s villa, he was immediately assigned to cultivate alongside Qu Meilan. However, since Yan Liangfei had to start his cultivation journey entirely anew, his training methods differed from Qu Meilan’s.

Zhang Yang first passed on an adapted version of the internal energy mind technique to Yan Liangfei, teaching him through a set of exercises resembling morning routine calisthenics.

Consequently, every morning, Yan Liangfei could be seen diligently performing this set of morning drill-fists. After his practice, Yan Liangfei would head to work at Jinghe Hospital; unlike Zhang Yang, who only needed to attend for half a day weekly, the young man still had to fulfill his daytime responsibilities at the hospital.

After finishing his shift in the evenings, Yan Liangfei would eat dinner and immediately commence his cultivation, working late into the night before retiring to rest—truly a picture of diligence.

Yan Liangfei’s strenuous practice spurred Qu Meilan on as well. Fearing being overshadowed by her new junior apprentice-brother, she redoubled her own efforts. Where she might have occasionally indulged in laziness before, now she dared not slack off even for a moment.

The couple Yan Yefei and Li Juan, however, grew increasingly envious of Yan Liangfei. They were, essentially, ordinary people now; to cultivate, they would need to undergo the same process as Yan Liangfei: first using a Marrow Cleansing Pill to alter their constitution, and then starting cultivation from scratch.

Yet, they were pragmatic enough to know that although Zhang Yang had not accepted them as disciples, he hadn't rejected them either; there was still hope. Regardless, as long as hope existed, the couple would not give up. Zhang Yang noticed that after meeting Yan Liangfei, the loyalty scores of Yan Yefei and Li Juan had both noticeably increased: Yan Yefei’s had risen from fifteen to sixty-eight, and Li Juan’s from just under sixty to sixty-two. Regrettably, both were still significantly short of the ninety mark Zhang Yang required.

Therefore, they would have to wait for the right moment to formally accept the couple as disciples.

Zhang Yang had designated the largest basement within his villa specifically as an alchemy chamber. He had brought back a precious fourth-tier spirit beast inner core from the northern suburbs, and now that he knew precisely which type of spirit beast it originated from, it was time to use it to concoct some spiritual elixirs.

According to the Yan elder’s assessment, this inner core likely belonged to a spirit beast comparable to, if not superior to, the Golden-Crested Python they encountered in the Savage Mountains—especially since that python had failed to condense an inner core.

If only he could locate Old Man Zhang Pinglu, Zhang Yang felt he could better research the optimal way to refine this core to maximize its effect.

More importantly, Zhang Yang suspected the old man might hold further knowledge regarding the White Flame Demonic Ginseng; in Zhang Yang’s memory, despite being a bane to cultivators, the Demonic Ginseng was still recorded in ancient texts as a supreme treasure.

Zhang Yang carefully opened the piece of unknown beast hide that had enveloped the inner core, then stored the hide away with meticulous care.

This hide was a treasure in itself; it could even shield Wuying the treasure-seeking rat from detection. Zhang Yang even suspected that the hide might actually be a section of the skin from the very spotted python that owned the core.

After setting aside the hide, Zhang Yang cautiously shaved off a small sliver from the spirit beast inner core.

Fourth-tier spirit beasts capable of condensing an inner core were exceedingly rare, making the resulting cores incredibly precious. Their most remarkable characteristic was that even a tiny shard possessed potency equivalent to an entire core. Furthermore, elixirs refined using spirit beast cores were guaranteed to succeed; the only variable was the final yield.

Due to the scarcity of these cores, even the ancestral elixir formulas of the Zhang family lacked any prescription involving a spirit beast inner core. To avoid wasting this prize, Zhang Yang planned to use only the small piece he shaved off to experiment with independent refinement.

Wuying immediately detected Zhang Yang’s intent to refine elixirs, dragging Shandian into the basement that had been converted into the alchemy chamber. As usual, they stared wide-eyed at the small piece of core in Zhang Yang’s hand, drooling with longing.

The two little ones remained perfectly still, scarcely daring to breathe, waiting for Zhang Yang to complete the process so they could share in the resulting spiritual elixirs.

Zhang Yang chuckled helplessly. These two gluttonous sprites never refused a benefit, especially now with the addition of Wuying, the treasure-seeking rat; they would not miss a single alchemy session.

Fortunately, when Zhang Yang annihilated the Huyan family, he had plundered a vast quantity of heavenly materials and earthly treasures. This time, refining the spirit beast core required no worrying about sourcing any necessary components.

Watching Zhang Yang toss the treasures he had collected as if they were worthless, Wuying and Shandian felt a pang of pain for the expense, but the thought of the elixirs soon to be produced made them instantly exhilarated.

Zhang Yang intently focused on the alchemy furnace, constantly adjusting his internal energy to manage the heat and precision required for refinement.

Time was almost up!

Zhang Yang fixed his gaze on the furnace; this was the final stage—the moment the elixirs were to be drawn out!

The success or failure of the entire endeavor hinged on this critical moment!

Refining with a spirit beast inner core guaranteed success in terms of reaction, but if only a single elixir resulted, it was tantamount to failure. Even consuming the small piece of core on its own would yield only one dose's worth!

Zhang Yang watched the furnace, filled with fervent anticipation, wondering how many elixirs he would manage to produce!

The final expulsion of the elixir demanded the greatest exertion of mental energy. Although Zhang Yang had reached the late-stage perfection of the Fourth Level of Internal Energy, using a spirit beast core as the catalyst meant that the core’s original owner possessed at least late Fourth Level strength. This required Zhang Yang to expend vast amounts of internal energy simply to assist the process!

Time was up!

“Rise!”

Zhang Yang roared suddenly, a dense sheen of sweat instantly covering his forehead!

The elixir was emerging!

With Zhang Yang’s mighty shout, the alchemy furnace lid sprang open!

Immediately, an intensely rich fragrance flooded the entire chamber!

A thick cloud of white smoke billowed out of the furnace, instantly shrouding the entire room in a dense, misty vapor!

“Jee-jee-jee!”

“Squeak-squeak-squeak!”

Wuying and Shandian’s eyes went wide, staring fixedly at the opened alchemy furnace!