Chapter 51: Refining the Beauty Enhancement Pill

Zhao Yang walked out of the medicinal herb storeroom and called for Zhao Ling'Er.

Zhao Ling'Er came skipping over. "Grandpa, the Alchemy Room is ready. I even set up a bed and bedding."

Her words completely cut off whatever Zhao Yang was about to say.

For a moment, Zhao Yang was overcome by a sense of utter absurdity.

"Ling'Er, my dear granddaughter, you haven't been waiting for this day for a while, have you?"

Zhao Ling'Er shot her grandfather a sideways glance. "Divine Doctor Zhao, shouldn't you take your brain out for a wash, let it sun-dry, and give it a good tidying up?"

"Why is it so dirty?"

"Who's dirty?!" Zhao Yang was so agitated he nearly jumped. "You're the one who needs her brain washed!"

"You told me to prepare a bed for Mu Lin. Weren't you just planning for us to seal the deal?!"

Zhao Yang ducked his head, suddenly finding the situation very awkward.

Zhao Ling'Er huffed, victorious, and walked away smugly.

But a moment later, a triumphant smile appeared on her face.

'Grandpa was right, that's exactly what I was thinking. I even crammed on who-knows-how-much relevant knowledge for this.'

'I'm confident I can completely capture a man's heart in a single night now.'

She ran to the dispensary: "Brother Mu, I've already arranged your Alchemy Room! I even set up bedding inside, so you can sleep right there!"

Mu Lin thought to himself, 'I probably won't have any time to sleep tonight. The pill refinement process is complex and convoluted, involving who-knows-how-many special techniques.'

'One small mistake and I might have to start all over.'

That's why he had prepared several sets of medicinal herbs, so he could start again if he failed.

Mu Lin picked up his bag and walked into the Alchemy Room. Inside, he saw several large earthenware jars. He opened one and saw it was empty—they were for boiling the medicinal herbs.

In the center of the Alchemy Room, seven or eight medicinal furnaces were arranged, their chambers already lit with charcoal.

Without delay, Mu Lin sprang into action, filling the earthenware jars with water, adding the herbs, and setting them on the fire to cook.

His movements were nimble, like a pair of white doves dancing in the air.

CLINK. Mu Lin easily placed the lid on one of the jars.

He immediately went to open another one.

Zhao Ling'Er stood right by Mu Lin's side, watching him do all of this.

'Amazing. He's truly amazing.'

'He's perfect from every angle.'

She became completely engrossed, forgetting all about the other part of her plan.

A little while later, she collapsed onto the bed and fell fast asleep.

Mu Lin stepped out to ask Zhao Yang to come get Zhao Ling'Er. When Zhao Yang saw her like that, he knew exactly what his granddaughter had been plotting. He claimed to have a slipped disc and said he couldn't do any heavy lifting, hoping Mu Lin would do it for him.

During that time, the old man personally watched the fire for Mu Lin.

"Mu Xiaoyou, Ling'Er only sees you as a big brother. You don't need to worry about that old-fashioned 'men and women should not touch' nonsense. Just take her to her room."

His words were a classic case of protesting too much, but Mu Lin didn't catch the deeper meaning. He simply reached out, gently lifted Zhao Ling'Er into his arms, and walked toward her bedroom.

Mu Lin pushed open the door to Zhao Ling'Er's room and laid her on the bed. 'She'll catch a cold if she just lies here like this,' he thought, so he took off her cloth shoes for her.

Her feet were very small and dainty. She wasn't wearing any socks, and her skin was fair and soft.

For some reason, Mu Lin felt a momentary daze, but he didn't dwell on it and proceeded to cover Zhao Ling'Er with a small blanket.

Only after he left the room did Mu Lin recall that when Zhao Ling'Er was outside, she had been wearing a pair of 361 sneakers and was clearly wearing socks.

'How did she end up in cloth shoes?'

'And where did her socks go?'

Recalling the ancient symbolism of a woman's small feet, Mu Lin thought, 'This might be a giant setup!'

'That Old Zhao still hasn't given up on his dream of making me his grandson-in-law!'

'Too bad for them. Despite their meticulous planning, they overlooked one thing: Zhao Ling'Er actually fell asleep.'

'Otherwise, who knows what kind of Asura-level battlefield I would have had to face tonight.'

Mu Lin pushed the door open and went back. Zhao Yang was startled. "Mu Xiaoyou, that was fast, wasn't it?"

'What was fast?' Mu Lin frowned.

"Are you surprised that I came back so quickly?"

Old Zhao looked like he'd been zapped by electricity and hurriedly said, "Not at all, not at all!"

Mu Lin understood everything from his reaction and didn't press the issue.

"Elder Zhao, I see Ling'Er as a little sister. There are no other feelings involved. Sometimes, it's best not to overcomplicate things."

Mu Lin said this seemingly out of nowhere, his back turned as he resumed his frantic work.

Zhao Yang couldn't help but twitch. 'I have to find a chance to explain this to Zhao Ling'Er...' he thought.

Mu Lin worked through the night, meditating to rest while waiting for the concoctions to process.

As dawn broke, several small, amber-colored glass vials stood before him.

Through the glass, one could see many tiny pills, pure black in color, giving them a mysterious and unfathomable appearance.

When Zhao Yang woke up, he saw Mu Lin in the courtyard practicing martial arts and breathing exercises. He didn't dare to disturb him.

Only after Mu Lin finished did Zhao Yang approach. "Mu Xiaoyou, is the Beauty Enhancement Pill complete?"

Mu Lin replied, "Mission accomplished. All five courses of the Beauty Enhancement Pill have been successfully refined. It's enough to restore Madam Qiao's beauty."

"Oh, you have no idea! Back in the day, Madam Qiao was Nanjiang's number one beauty, pursued by countless men. They all chased her desperately, but in the end, she fell in love with Boss Qiao, who had nothing to his name back then... It became a legendary love story. Of course, you weren't even born yet, my young friend, so you wouldn't know."

"If you can restore Madam Qiao's looks to their peak, you'll be Boss Qiao's greatest benefactor. In the future, if you ever need anything, he'd probably risk his life to help you!"

Mu Lin took out one of the glass vials and held it up to look. "It's not just about looks, but life itself. The Beauty Enhancement Pill's effects aren't limited to one's appearance; it also has the ability to restore the body's functions to a youthful state. If a man takes it, it can prolong his life."

Zhao Yang was stunned. "With such a divine pill, Mu Xiaoyou, why not open a factory and make a fortune? I imagine everyone in the world would want a medicine like this, wouldn't they?"

But Mu Lin said, "It's not that easy. To make five courses of this medicine, I had to perform nearly two thousand steps, and it took me the entire night. If you make a single wrong move in the process, you have to start all over from the beginning."

"Opening a factory would mean every step has to be identical. That goes against the fundamental principles of herbal refinement. So, what's impossible is impossible. Elder Zhao, you've studied medicine for far longer than I have; surely you understand this principle."

Zhao Yang slapped his own head. Of course he understood the principle; it was just that with such a maddeningly incredible medicine right in front of him, he had temporarily lost his reason.

Mu Lin looked in the direction of Qiao Canhua's courtyard. "Where is Boss Qiao?"

Zhao Yang replied, "Boss Qiao left first thing in the morning. Madam Qiao is still resting in the courtyard."

Mu Lin turned and walked toward the small courtyard, with Zhao Yang following close behind.

He pushed open the door to Madam Qiao's room and saw her holding a photo frame, gazing at it with deep affection.

From Mu Lin's angle, he could see the contents of the frame.

It was a young man and woman. The woman was fair-skinned and beautiful, like a goddess descended to the mortal world, and standing beside her was a younger Qiao Canhua.

The background was a crude, dilapidated brick wall, creating a stark contrast with Madam Qiao's stunning beauty.

That such a simple black-and-white photograph had been preserved for so long was a testament to the deep love the couple shared.

"Oh, it's Divine Doctor Mu and Divine Doctor Zhao," Madam Qiao greeted them, then started to struggle to get out of bed to receive them.

Mu Lin quickly stopped her. "Madam Qiao, there's no need! Your body is still weak, you need to rest and recover!"

With that, he took out a total of ten small vials and placed them on the table.

"This is the Beauty Enhancement Pill. Take one pill in the morning and one in the evening. In less than three months, your appearance will be restored to how it once was."

"Also, Mr. Qiao can take this medicine as well. It can prolong life and condition the body."

Madam Qiao's expression grew solemn. "Oh, this must have been so much trouble for Divine Doctor Mu!"

Mu Lin said, "Mr. Qiao has helped me a great deal, so it's only natural that I repay his kindness generously! Besides, Mr. Qiao won't short me a single cent of what he owes me! I definitely won't be on the losing end of this deal."

After bidding farewell to Madam Qiao, Mu Lin checked the time. He had to get to work!

So he asked Zhao Ling'Er to drive him to his company, dropping him off at the street corner diagonally opposite the building.

Zhao Ling'Er looked a bit haggard, and the way she gazed at Mu Lin was tinged with a little complexity.

Mu Lin waved to her, then crossed the street and jogged into the office building.

He was a little early; none of his colleagues had arrived yet.

A little while later, Chen Xi arrived. The moment he saw Mu Lin, he tensed up. His eyes darted about shiftily, and he looked like a sneaky rat—the very picture of someone hiding something.