"Let me explain…"
Xiao Yan took a deep breath and recounted the entire incident in detail. "That's why I need to find ingredients to restore Teacher's soul. In his current state, he won't receive any replenishment and will only continue to lose soul power."
"Soul ingredients?" Xiao Tian frowned. "I don't have any right now. These things are extremely rare. Whenever they appear, alchemists scramble to get them. You know how tempting soul-related items are to alchemists."
"I'll help you ask if the auction house has any in stock."
Xiao Tian stood up, walked out of the room briefly, and returned holding Ya Fei's hand.
Xiao Yan stared at the two of them holding hands, greatly shocked inside.
His brother seemed to have girlfriends everywhere, and every time they met, it was a different one. Let me count… how many have I seen so far?
"Is this… my sister-in-law?" Xiao Yan asked uncertainly.
"That's right. This is your sister-in-law," Xiao Tian replied with a bright smile and a playful wink.
Ya Fei's face flushed red. She walked behind Xiao Tian and began gently massaging his shoulders.
I'm a single dog, yet my brother has girlfriends all over the place. Brother, you told me to be sensible, but is there any justice left in this world?
"Sister-in-law Ya Fei, do you know if the auction house has any ingredients that can restore soul power? I'm willing to pay a high price," Xiao Yan asked impatiently in a low voice.
The reason he specifically called her "Sister-in-law Ya Fei" instead of just "sister-in-law" was because he was quite certain his brother had multiple girlfriends. It would be safer and easier to address them this way if he met the others later.
"Currently, our auction house hasn't acquired any soul-restoring ingredients," Ya Fei shook her head helplessly. "Even in an entire year, we might not see a single stalk of such a rare item."
"However, I do know that a certain family in Jia Ma Holy City possesses a peculiar plant called the Seven Illusory Azure Spirit Saliva. The rhizome of this plant is known to restore the soul."
"Which family?" Xiao Tian stood up excitedly and asked urgently.
"It's… it's…" Ya Fei suddenly hesitated. She remembered that Xiao Yan had an unpleasant history with the Nalan Family due to the broken engagement. Her words faltered as she looked at Xiao Tian for help, unsure whether she should continue.
"It's the Nalan Family," Xiao Tian said calmly, gently patting Ya Fei's hand to signal that he would handle it.
"The Nalan Family?"
Xiao Yan's brows furrowed slightly as he recalled the unpleasant past.
"That's right. It's the Nalan Family you're thinking of. Right now, only they possess it," Xiao Tian confirmed.
"If I go directly to buy it, they probably won't sell it to me. Given my relationship with them, I might not even get through the door. Stealing it is even less feasible, and I might not even be able to find where it's hidden."
Xiao Yan felt a headache coming on. The three-year agreement was almost up. If he went to buy ingredients, the Nalan Family would never help an enemy. As for stealing, it would have been risky even when Yao Lao was at full strength. In his teacher's current weakened state, any failure could lead to even bigger problems. Moreover, such precious items were always extremely well hidden.
Ya Fei glanced at Xiao Yan's alchemist robe and added, "There's another way. The Nalan Family's Old Master once killed a Tier 5 Magical Beast — the Iron-Marked Venomous Python — but was injured by its venom during the battle."
"He used to be able to suppress the poison with his strength, but now, due to old age and declining health, the venom has fully erupted. Some time ago, the Nalan Family issued a public notice seeking help from alchemists. The Seven Illusory Azure Spirit Saliva is listed as one of the rewards."
Upon hearing this, Xiao Yan's expression changed slightly. He had heard of the Iron-Marked Venomous Python — it was an extremely powerful magical beast capable of killing even Tier 6 beasts.
"Didn't Gu He take action? With Nalan Yanran's status, asking Gu He for help should be possible, right?" Xiao Yan muttered.
"Teacher, you have…" Xiao Yan was about to ask Yao Lao for a solution when Xiao Tian interrupted him.
"Xiao Yan Zi, Gu He has no way to purge this venom, but you can."
"Me?" Xiao Yan pointed at himself, bewildered.
"The method is to control an Otherworldly Flame and send it into Nalan Jie's body, using its high temperature to burn away the toxins. However, the process is extremely dangerous and places heavy demands on one's flame control ability."
"Controlling an Otherworldly Flame inside someone else's body…"
After hearing Xiao Tian's words, Xiao Yan lowered his head and fell silent.
Controlling an Otherworldly Flame to enter another person's body was incredibly risky — especially when it involved the Nalan Family. If Nalan Yanran were present, he wasn't sure he could control his emotions. One mistake and he could accidentally burn the patient to death.
He also didn't receive a better solution from Yao Lao, because other methods were far more difficult and time-consuming. By the time he succeeded, Nalan Jie might already be dead.
"You don't need to overthink it. Just face it directly. This is merely a transaction. Your only goal is to obtain the medicinal ingredient," Xiao Tian said calmly. "You can disguise yourself so they won't recognize you. The most important thing is whether you can control your emotions."
"Moreover, I looked into what happened back then. The Nalan Family's Old Master knew nothing about the engagement matter and even expelled Nalan Yanran from the family several times."
Although it sounded like "do not advise others to be kind without having experienced their suffering," this was currently the only viable path.
"Okay… I'll do it," Xiao Yan said after a long pause. He realized he had been overthinking. Although he still held grudges against Nalan Yanran and the Nalan Family, after more than a year of training and growth, his mindset had changed. There was far less hatred now — only unwillingness remained.
"Xiao Yan Zi, you've really grown up," Xiao Tian said with a gentle smile. "Then I'll give you something."
With a wave of his hand, an exquisite wooden box appeared on the table beside Xiao Yan.
"Open it and take a look."
Xiao Yan picked up the box and slowly opened it. Inside lay a thin, human-skin-like mask as delicate as a cicada's wing. It felt cool to the touch.
Xiao Tian smiled. "This is an Ice Silkworm Mask, made from the silk of the Ice Mountain Snow Silkworm. It has already been shaped into a human face. Once you put it on, it will completely conceal your original appearance."
This item was something Xiao Tian had bought from Ya Fei earlier, originally intending to save it for when he would deal with the Hall of Souls.
He hadn't expected that Yao Lao would still be injured, that they would still need the Seven Illusory Azure Spirit Saliva, and that this clichéd plotline would appear again — the classic "I fall in love with my disguised ex-fiancé after the engagement was broken off."
Xiao Tian gestured to Ya Fei. She walked over to the table and quickly wrote a letter.
"This is a letter of recommendation I wrote. With this, you can avoid many unnecessary inspections and reduce the chance of your identity being exposed."
"However, I don't really need this mask. I have my own methods," Xiao Yan said as he pushed the box back toward Xiao Tian. He had a disguise method given by Yao Lao that had worked well before.
Xiao Tian shook his head and pushed the box back. "Since it's already been given, there's no reason to take it back. Just keep it. You might need it someday. This is also a token of goodwill from me and your sister-in-law Ya Fei."
Xiao Yan didn't insist further and silently accepted the gift.
"We're family. There's no need for such formalities. You're my own brother — if I don't help you, who will? Saying such things is being too polite," Xiao Tian said warmly as he gently patted Xiao Yan's shoulder.
Xiao Yan nodded heavily, his eyes slightly red with emotion.