Invincible Soul Emperor

Chapter 172: Chapter 172: The Situation Isn’t Very Optimistic

Although Ye Qingchen recognized the wisdom in Qin Yue’s suggestion, he still harbored some hesitation.

Auctioning the Soul-Enhancing Pills would indeed fetch a handsome price, but if it delayed his purchase of the Thousand-Year Peony Heart Grass, the gain wouldn’t be worth the loss.

Qin Yue noticed Ye Qingchen’s reluctance and asked, puzzled, ”Ye Qingchen, is there a problem?”

Ye Qingchen shook his head. ”Miss Qin, I won’t hide it from you. The Thousand-Year Peony Heart Grass is very important to me, which is why I’m so eager to exchange these ten Soul-Enhancing Pills for Spirit Stones...”

Qin Yue chuckled, interrupting him. ”And here I thought it was something serious. While I can’t directly arrange an internal sale of the Thousand-Year Peony Heart Grass for you, I do have the authority to place your ten Soul-Enhancing Pills as the first lot in the auction. Rest assured, I will stagger the two items so it won’t delay you from bidding on the grass.”

Hearing this, Ye Qingchen felt a great weight lift from his shoulders. This way, not only could he obtain more Spirit Stones, but it also wouldn’t affect his bid for the Thousand-Year Peony Heart Grass—a perfect case of killing two birds with one stone.

With this in mind, Ye Qingchen once again handed the Soul-Enhancing Pills to Qin Yue.

After accepting them, Qin Yue asked curiously, ”Ye Qingchen, these ten Soul-Enhancing Pills are all of exceptional quality. May I ask which Alchemy Master’s hand they came from?”

Qin Yue speculated that an Alchemist capable of crafting such high-grade Soul-Enhancing Pills might be able to treat her grandfather’s injuries, and a flicker of hope ignited within her.

Hearing Qin Yue praise the pills he had crafted, Ye Qingchen scratched his head sheepishly. ”I wouldn’t dare call myself an Alchemy Master. I refined these Soul-Enhancing Pills myself.”

”What? You refined them?” Qin Yue stared at him, her beautiful eyes wide with astonishment.

It wasn’t that she didn’t believe him, but it hadn’t been long since they last parted ways. Back then, Ye Qingchen hadn’t even crossed the threshold of becoming an Alchemist. Yet now, he could refine such high-grade Spirit Pills, which meant he had to be at least a Third-Rank Alchemist.

If it were only that, Qin Yue might have attributed it to Ye Qingchen possessing an incredible talent for the Alchemy Dao. But she couldn’t forget how rapidly his cultivation had advanced as well. Either of his feats—reaching the Ninth Layer of the Martial Master realm or becoming a Third-Rank Alchemist so quickly—was astounding enough on its own. For both to happen to him simultaneously was almost unbelievable.

Qin Yue couldn’t help but shake her head to calm herself. She then looked at Ye Qingchen and said earnestly, ”Ye Qingchen, since you are now a Third-Rank Alchemist, could you do me a favor?”

Seeing how serious she was, Ye Qingchen nodded. ”Miss Qin, please speak freely. As long as it’s within my power, I certainly won’t refuse.”

Considering Qin Yue had saved his life on several occasions, Ye Qingchen couldn’t think of any reason to say no.

Qin Yue sighed and began to explain her grandfather’s Fire Poison. ”My grandfather practices a Fire-Attribute Technique and has been suffering from the corrosion of Fire Poison for a long time. His life can only be sustained by having an Alchemist help him expel it. However, older Alchemists are ineffective against this Fire Poison; we can only rely on younger Alchemists to absorb it.”

After she finished speaking, she looked at Ye Qingchen with eyes full of anticipation.

Ye Qingchen nodded. ”I’m naturally willing to help. However, my skills in the Alchemy Dao are insufficient, so I can’t guarantee that I can cure your grandfather.”

Ye Qingchen didn’t dare overstate his abilities. Although he possessed the Fen Tian Earth Fire, which gave him a unique advantage in treating this kind of Fire Poison, he had yet to meet Qin Yue’s grandfather and assess the specific situation. Making grand promises now would be deeply embarrassing if he failed. It wasn’t that Ye Qingchen feared Qin Yue’s blame. Rather, he could see how much this mattered to her and didn’t want to raise her hopes, only for her to face a greater disappointment later.

Hearing Ye Qingchen agree, Qin Yue broke into a radiant smile. ”Let’s just do our best and leave the rest to fate. My grandfather is in the Rising Sun Pavilion right now. If you’re free, shall we go see him?”

Ye Qingchen was simply waiting for the auction to begin and had nothing else to do, so he agreed.

Led by Qin Yue, Ye Qingchen passed through the Rising Sun Pavilion unimpeded and arrived at Qin Zhantian’s room in the rear courtyard.

To his surprise, besides Qin Yue’s grandfather, Qin Zhantian, there was another man and woman already in the room. The man was dashing and suave, while the woman was as beautiful as a painting.

When Qin Yue saw the pair, she couldn’t help but frown. She said nothing to them, however, and walked straight to Qin Zhantian’s bedside. ”Grandfather, I just ran into a friend of mine. He’s young, yet he’s already a Third-Rank Alchemist. I would like him to try; he might be able to cure your Fire Poison.”

”Hmph, a mere Third-Rank Alchemist, and he dares to be so boastful?” the woman in the room spoke caustically, shooting Ye Qingchen a disdainful glance.

Qin Yue whirled around, her almond-shaped eyes wide as she stared the woman down. ”Qin Xi, what is more important right now? Grandfather’s Fire Poison, or you standing here making sarcastic remarks?”

Hearing the name, Ye Qingchen recalled something. Qin Yue had once told him that Elder Lu, the man who had suddenly attacked them on Qingyun Mountain, had been bribed by someone from within the Qin Family—and the one who bribed him was this very Qin Xi. Ye Qingchen had heard from Qin Yue that Qin Xi was her cousin and had always wanted her dead. He never expected to run into her here.

Qin Xi met Qin Yue’s angry glare with one of her own. ”What’s that supposed to mean, Qin Yue? I made a special trip to invite Master Cheng Zhibin, the youngest Alchemist from the Heavenly Profound Sect, to treat Grandfather. And Master Cheng is a Fourth-Rank Alchemist, unlike you, who brought a Third-Rank Alchemist just to put on a show for Grandfather!”

At this, Ye Qingchen’s attention fell on Cheng Zhibin. He was surprised to learn this man was a Fourth-Rank Alchemist.

Hearing Qin Xi’s words, Qin Yue was left speechless. Since her grandfather’s treatment was the most important thing right now, she could only rise, walk over to Ye Qingchen, and offer him an apologetic smile.

Ye Qingchen shook his head to signal that he was fine. His gaze then shifted to the elderly man, Qin Zhantian, lying on the bed. The next moment, his brows furrowed tightly.

The situation with Qin Yue’s grandfather doesn’t look optimistic at all!