Mission: Seduce the Master!

Xie Qing was not even surprised when he heard that his proposal to test the pill on his own body was rejected by Liu Yang.

Whether it was a good side of her or not, the renowned Sect Master of the Nine Pills had a kind heart and at least did not want to harm the disciple of her friend.

"What is this about?" Xu Mei, who suddenly appeared next to Xie Qing, was puzzled: "What kind of proposal?"

"It's about the pill that Miss Liu Yang created. Since the process has stalled, I proposed to be the test subject," the young man replied, averting his gaze.

Immediately after that, he felt a slight chill and a strong squeeze on his left shoulder. He sighed.

"Don't be angry, Master. What can I do? I was the initiator of all this, so how can I stand aside and wait for blessings from the heavens for my Dao?" Xie Qing said, gently stroking Xu Mei's arm, which was squeezing his shoulder: "If I don't step forward, we can still use other people. My option is just much more efficient."

"Hmph!"

Xu Mei snorted, clearly displeased, but nevertheless did not make a scene and chose to remain silent.

Xie Qing sighed with relief. The last thing he wanted was to upset his Master.

Yu Longfeng watched this scene and shook her head.

"That's what I'm talking about, young man.

Although I am confident in Liu Yang's abilities, the recipe you provided has its roots in ancient times, and back then, pills often had miraculous effects but dangerous consequences," Yu Longfeng said, turning her gaze towards Lu Yin: "And I am sure that your Master herself would be happy to use the pill on herself, but it is likely that this thing will have no effect on her due to her extremely high level of cultivation."

"Your Majesty is correct," Lu Yin nodded, explaining the situation: "The recipe provided by Xie Qing is extremely interesting and diverse, so even a genius like my Master needed a considerable amount of time to prepare the pill. But since the ingredients, although of high quality, have no effect on the Master's body."

Xie Qing was already getting confused, but in short, he understood - this crazy woman was so strong that the pill simply wouldn't work on her.

"And that's why I am sure that I am the best choice!" the young man said, insisting on his position, looking determined: "With all due respect, but among all the available test subjects, only I have a satisfactory level of cultivation. If you are concerned, we can still test it on prisoners."

Yu Longfeng and Lu Yin had no objections to this. Although Xu Mei was displeased, what could she do? If Xie Qing had set his mind on something, he would see it through to the end.

***

"No."

The sharp refusal from Liu Yang was quite painful for Xie Qing. Despite his persuasion, the woman stubbornly refused.

"I will not give you the pill, don't even ask," she said with a frown and a clear expression of displeasure, poking the young man in the nose: "Lu Yin should have explained to you. The pills in ancient times always had unpleasant side effects. Although the effect is significantly stronger. The truth is that without initial tests on people, I can't even think about letting you try it."

"But again, you refuse to conduct experiments on people," Xie Qing was puzzled and frowned, crossing his arms over his chest: "With all due respect, Miss Liu Yang, but your actions have stalled the counterattack against the devilish cultivator. I am sure that the Empress will agree to provide us with criminals sentenced to death. I am sure that among them there will be several cultivators."

Yu Longfeng, who was sitting in the corner drinking tea, nodded, confirming Xie Qing's words.

"Ugh..."

Liu Yang grimaced but could not find any justification. If she felt sorry for ordinary people, then criminals sentenced to death could not be considered virtuous.

"Alright, I understand!" Liu Yang said with a sigh, surrendering, and this was accompanied by a symbolic raising of both hands.

"Excellent. Your Majesty, please!"

"Alright."

Yu Longfeng and Xie Qing exchanged glances, and then the Empress waved her hand. Liu Yang felt a bad premonition and suddenly...

"Aaaaagh!"

From the air, about five meters high, an old man fell, who had gray hair and red eyes.

He was dressed in tattered clothes with numerous patches and was barefoot.

"Liu Yang, this man committed a massacre in a mortal village and worships the devil. I wanted to give him a cruel death, but before that, I will allow this trash to do a good deed," Yu Longfeng said, pinching her nose, as if unable to bear the stench of the old man.

Xie Qing frowned, as did the others. As cultivators, they could see karma, and this man definitely had bad karma.

Therefore, even the eternally kind Liu Yang had no doubts.

A few minutes later, she returned with a small bottle in her hand, containing a single pill.

The pill was round in shape, and its main color was burgundy with gray patterns.

Although the patterns looked like some scribbles left by a three-year-old child, upon closer inspection, one could discover something more in them.

Xie Qing was impressed by the sight of this pill and wondered what it would look like if the original ingredients were used.

"By the way..." Xie Qing began, addressing Liu Yang: "What are the chances of creating the next pill?"

"If we follow the same steps, then 59% with the support of more than twenty alchemists," the woman calmly replied, and then clenched the jaw of the old man who was struggling and trying to escape.

Unfortunately for him, his mind was easily taken under control, and Liu Yang successfully fed him the pill.

After two minutes, the effect occurred. The negative karma around the old man disappeared, and he himself turned into a young blond with a charming appearance.

Moreover, the old man's cultivation level before this was at Core Formation, and now it was only at Foundation Building.

And the most amazing thing was that even Xu Mei, Liu Yang, and Yu Longfeng - at their level of cultivation, could not see through the illusion!

"Amazing!" Xu Mei exclaimed: "For the first time, I see such an incredible pill! Not only did the appearance change, but the aura and cultivation level also changed."

"Indeed. Sect Master Liu Yang, congratulations. You have done an excellent job with the task. Rest assured, I will continue to finance your research!" Yu Longfeng said with satisfaction.

Lu Yin's eyes sparkled when she saw Liu Yang surrounded by two women who kept praising her.

The young man smiled and then began to carefully observe the old man. And he noticed something.

"Hmm? So that's it..." Xie Qing grimaced and shuddered: "How terrible. This pill absorbs Yang energy. I'm afraid if you don't cultivate the Yang attribute, you will soon resemble a mummy."

I don't need to remind you what Yang Qi is in men, right, guys? So, the pill absorbed it, but also the life energy of the victim.

For example, the old man's life was shortened by ten years, which for a cultivator was a small period, but still harmed cultivation.

After thirty minutes, the old man returned to his usual form, but obvious changes were that his left arm had withered and resembled a branch of a dead tree.

Also, his life energy was weakening with each second.

"Hmm. Interesting. The effect lasted only half an hour, which is not bad since the pill is still imperfect. The only thing that concerns me is the obvious problems with side effects, which need to be eliminated," Liu Yang concluded, taking out a notebook and looking focused.

She kicked the old man's left arm, and it turned to dust: "The life energy of the arm dried up by 100%, and the life force in the test subject reached low levels. Most likely, he will die closer to the evening."

Yu Longfeng nodded and added: "Don't worry about the test subjects, I will provide them to you. Just in my dungeon, there are plenty of sinners."

"T-thank you?" Liu Yang didn't know what to say.

***

"I never thought I would be sold for a bottle of spiritual wine," Xie Qing lamented, sighing.

"'Sold' is a strong word. Strengthen your fire, please."

"Understood..."

Xie Qing shook his head. An hour ago, Liu Yang 'bought' Xie Qing from Xu Mei for a while.

Since the young man's alchemical flame was special and had good qualities, Liu Yang asked him to help with the preparation of pills.

Therefore, he was here as a walking gas stove... Indeed, it sounds terrible.

Thanks to a special technique, Xie Qing's alchemical flame was easily controlled by him.

And considering the recent breakthrough, the efficiency had noticeably increased.

"Wow, this is so hot!"

"..."