Chapter Thirteen: Refining the Power of the Medicine

Returning to the private room, he found his sister-in-law staring at him in confusion. He had left with Qiao Yifeng, but now came back alone, inevitably arousing her suspicions.

Under the glow of the room's lights, Fang Yujia's fair skin, large eyes, and long lashes made her delicate face—still slightly rounded with baby fat—look like an exquisite porcelain doll. Her incomparable legs pressed together, the gentle curve of her hips sculpting the sofa with an alluring arc.

Xiao Cheng gazed at the lovely Fang Yujia, momentarily stunned; at this moment she seemed even more beautiful than before. She was shyly smiling at him, her clear eyes blinking rapidly, her whole being exuding a seductive charm, like a ripe, juicy peach.

He knew his own mind was resolute, recognizing this as an illusion brought on by the effects of CML2—the drug was beginning to work. He had delayed a bit, and the effects were kicking in early. The drug’s potency lay in its ability to conjure vivid hallucinations, so real that one could hardly distinguish truth from fiction, and in those visions, the other person would appear impossibly beautiful.

Xiao Cheng shook his head to break the illusion and found his sister-in-law was, as always, cold and distant despite her beauty.

“Where’s Young Master Qiao?” Fang Yujia asked. She had no inkling that, if not for Xiao Cheng’s presence, she would have already been reduced to prey for someone else.

“He’s foraging in the restroom,” Xiao Cheng replied, not caring how she would react. In her eyes, he was nothing but an unmatched scoundrel. He sat on the sofa, closed his eyes, and pressed his hands together in a gesture, beginning to refine the drug’s power. He appeared simply to be resting, his hands tucked into his sleeves, but in truth he was cultivating.

Hearing his words, Fang Yujia’s expression darkened, and seeing Xiao Cheng sitting there as if nothing mattered, she was furious. She was his sister-in-law, half a senior in the family, and had always treated him well, yet he dismissed her with a single sentence.

She didn’t know that Xiao Cheng was no longer the boy he used to be. Though he appeared eighteen, in truth, his lived years would make him three years older than her.

After about five minutes, Xiao Cheng finished refining the drug’s power, though he couldn’t fully eliminate it—some residue lingered. He had delayed too long, and his cultivation was only at the fourth stage of Foundation Establishment; his true energy wasn’t strong enough.

He exhaled deeply, his back soaked in sweat. He had been reckless; most would barely survive one dose, he had taken two. Though he had the method to refine it, his cultivation was still weak. If not for his mastery of the refining technique, disaster would have struck.

Just as he finished, a commotion rose outside the door—the voice unmistakably Qiao Yifeng’s. He extended his spiritual sense and “saw” the scene: Qiao Yifeng, wild as a mad dog, was coming for him, but the men of the Lotus Society held him back.

“Xiao Cheng, I’ll kill you!”

…

Fang Yujia heard the uproar outside and hurried out, surprised to find Qiao Yifeng raging like a lunatic.

Qiao Yifeng was unrecognizable: his hair clumped and filthy, reeking pungently, his once-handsome face now pale and blotchy, his dignity ruined. Held back by two burly men, his bloodshot eyes glared savagely, as if he might bite someone.

---

Qiao Yifeng had utterly lost his sanity. From childhood, his life had been smooth; never had he suffered such humiliation—not only beaten, but thrown into a urinal.

Fang Yujia glanced at Xiao Cheng, suspecting that Qiao Yifeng’s state had everything to do with him.

Xiao Cheng exited the private room, his brows furrowed, displeased with the Lotus Society—they couldn’t handle such a simple matter, letting Qiao Yifeng cause a scene.

“What did you do to Young Master Qiao?” Fang Yujia demanded.

She had pinned her hopes on Qiao Yifeng; whether Hu Xiao Pharmaceuticals could be revived depended on cooperation with the Qiao family. If the partnership succeeded, the company could reach new heights. Yet her brother-in-law kept antagonizing him—slapping him in the afternoon, and now surely beating him again. The partnership seemed doomed.

Fang Yujia was bitter. Managing a company was arduous—she not only had to deal with family schemes, but also constantly strategize for its future, all while being a woman. Her brother-in-law was useless, not only neglecting the family’s interests, but actively sabotaging them.

Faced with her reproach, Xiao Cheng shrugged. “I just threw him into the urinal, that’s all.”

Thrown into the urinal—‘that’s all’? Fang Yujia was beside herself with rage.

To Xiao Cheng, such punishment was trivial. If not for the other’s family, he would have killed Qiao Yifeng without hesitation. Compared to death, the urinal was a minor inconvenience.

“Young Master Qiao, are you alright? What about our cooperation?” Though she doubted any agreement was possible, she still hoped.

“I’m just fine. Cooperation?” Qiao Yifeng’s smile was twisted. “We can cooperate—break Xiao Cheng’s legs first, then I’ll consider it!”

Fang Yujia frowned, scrutinizing Qiao Yifeng as if seeing him for the first time. She had always regarded him highly; his conduct and family were impeccable. But now, that impression was gone. He was using the partnership as leverage, demanding her brother-in-law’s legs.

Yes, she disliked her brother-in-law, but that didn’t mean she didn’t care. Precisely because she cared, she hoped for better, and when disappointed, felt resentment. Her cold nature made her stingy with emotion—even dislike—toward others.

“Who do you think you are?”

For the first time, Fang Yujia was truly angry. So composed, she uttered a vulgar phrase—something she had never done before.

Xiao Cheng was startled, a warm current stirring in his heart. At this moment, his sister-in-law overlapped with the woman who sacrificed herself for him in his previous life—this was the Yuer he remembered.

Her words were like a bucket of cold water, dousing Qiao Yifeng’s fury and snapping him out of his rage.

---

“Yujia, I lost control…”

Fang Yujia gave Qiao Yifeng no chance to explain. She cast him a glance, as if he were a stranger, then looked at Xiao Cheng and quietly closed the private room door behind her.

Her cool detachment was what Xiao Cheng admired most: no matter how strong others were, she remained unruffled, as if nothing could disturb her peace.

Only someone as resilient as Fang Yujia could coexist with Xiao Cheng for so long; with any of his other three sisters-in-law, the situation would have been much more chaotic.

Xiao Cheng understood the meaning of her final glance—it was a silent message: ‘This one is yours.’

He glanced at Qiao Yifeng, then delivered two swift kicks to his knees; Qiao Yifeng’s stature instantly diminished.

“Knock him out and send him home,” Xiao Cheng ordered the two burly men, not bothering to look at Qiao Yifeng. The drug was about to take effect—if he drove himself home, trouble would surely follow, and blame would fall on Xiao Cheng. He had to consider the family, if not himself.

The two men nodded, amusement barely concealed in their eyes. They secretly laughed—let’s see how long you can remain so aloof; when Sister Lotus arrives, will you still be so calm?

Once Qiao Yifeng was dealt with, Fang Yujia soon left the Qingfeng Club as well. Since her brother-in-law had ruined the partnership, there was no need to waste time.

Xiao Cheng had intended to leave with her, but the Lotus Society seemed keen to keep him, claiming they owed him an apology. Xiao Cheng guessed they had called reinforcements, hoping to regain face. He decided to stay, curious to see how they would confront him.

After all, he possessed the spiritual sense of a peak innate cultivator, extending nearly a hundred meters; if anything went wrong, he had no fear for his safety.

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Note 1: Though Xiao Cheng appears eighteen now, he actually reincarnated from eight years in the future. By lived experience, he is already twenty-six, three years older than the twenty-three-year-old Fang Yujia.

[Old refrain: rolling all over the floor begging for recommendations, favorites, anything!]