Five years later, it was still the same pharmacy. The environment had hardly changed, with the intense aroma of medicine, and the herbs on the shelves were still neatly categorized.
However, the people within had clearly changed, seated at a not too big, not too small table.
On the ebony Go board spread out, the youthful innocence of the boy and girl from back then had faded.
Chen Sheng was twenty years old. Dressed in a green robe, making him appear poised and upright, holding a black piece in his hand, his eyebrows exuding a gentle and composed demeanor.
Across the board, Huang Wangyou was dressed in flowing white, with her hair tied with a golden ring, her eyebrows bright and lively, still possessing the spirit from back then.
"Pop!"
A soft sound. Huang Wangyou placed a white piece on the board, tilting her head, she looked at Chen Sheng with a light smile, dimples adding a sweet naivety to her face, her hair ornament swaying gently with her movements.
"Brother Yun, your move seems loose, but you're hiding a strategy, I can see through it."
Chen Sheng smiled lightly, and said warmly:
"Then look at this move."
...
Not far away at the green stone platform, Li Huayao had matured a lot. At this moment, she was slicing Poria with a copper knife, her eyes quietly glancing over at the Go board.
She saw Huang Wangyou lean in to watch Chen Sheng place a piece, her hair almost brushing his hand, Li Huayao couldn't help but curl her lips into an 'auntie smile', secretly enjoying the sweetness:
"Tsk tsk, I really can't watch this."
She thought this to herself, yet her gaze never looked away, her lips gradually curving into a crescent, even the force of slicing the Poria became a bit lighter.
"Junior sister is slacking again!"
Huang Wangyou suddenly turned her head, staring straight at her, with a scrutinizing look.
Li Huayao quickly bowed her head to cut the medicine, muttering softly:
"No way…"
But her fingertips accidentally cut the Poria slice crooked, she silently complained in her heart:
"Just knows how to bully me, so gentle with your Brother Yun, really showing favoritism."
On the Go board, Chen Sheng placed a black piece with a smile, pulling the topic back:
"Did you mention a new apprentice is coming?"
"Yes, indeed."
Huang Wangyou straightened her posture, holding the chess piece.
"Papa said they'll arrive next month."
"I say, you've been at the pharmacy for so long, you should really start learning the fire technique in the Fire Room!"
She puffed her cheeks, like an annoyed little squirrel.
Chen Sheng smiled gently: "Master has his arrangements, learning about medicine for six years, it's not yet time."
Huang Wangyou pouted:
"Isn't it him who set the rules, saying 'without solid medicine knowledge, mastering the fire technique is difficult'!"
"Wangyou."
Chen Sheng tapped the Go board gently, his gaze warm yet slightly earnest.
"Master means well, medicine recognition is the foundation of alchemy, it can't be rushed."
Huang Wangyou tilted her lips, suddenly leaned closer, lowering her voice:
"Brother Yun, have you amassed enough mana at the Qi Cultivation Third Layer?"
Chen Sheng, holding a black piece between his fingers, spoke softly:
"Almost, in two months at the latest, it'll be full."
Huang Wangyou also sighed:
"That long? Cultivation is just too challenging."
Chen Sheng looked at her indulgently, using his finger to gently tap the girl's forehead:
"You cultivate like with feast-or-famine, and you talk about how hard cultivation is."
The girl shared the same aptitude as him, both having a Lower Grade Spiritual Root, with their current cultivation levels being similar, yet she was two years younger than him.
Seemingly, their progress wasn't bad.
However, their growing environments were worlds apart. Chen Sheng rarely received extra Spirit Pills or Spirit Rice, relying only on the basic Spirit Vein Dojo of the market.
Whereas, the girl's provision of Spirit Rice and Spirit Pills was never lacking, yet she only made such progress, showing she didn't put much effort in!
Huang Wangyou giggled:
"Sitting in meditation and Qi Refining is too boring, I'm not aiming for Foundation Establishment in my lifetime, why work so hard?"
Chen Sheng nodded lightly, without saying more, Foundation Establishment Upper Realm was too difficult!
For cultivators with Lower Grade Spiritual Roots, if relying only on basic Spirit Vein Dojo, cultivation was slow.
For the first three layers, each layer needed an average of four to five years, middle three layers needed seven to eight years each, the last three layers needed eleven to twelve years for each layer.
This was only the time needed to accumulate Qi Refining and mana within the body, the process was slow, but it was like piling up dirt into a mountain, refining a wisp of mana showed progress.
If faced with a bottleneck, seeing no progress day after day, that was truly torturous, many people were trapped in one realm for decades, completely losing hope of reaching the Upper Realm.
Chen Sheng silently said to himself:
"Cultivating is a race against time, if you don't reach Foundation Establishment before the age of sixty when your vitality declines, there's no hope in this lifetime."
"Wealth, technique, place, companions, wealth comes first, it's not without reason."
"Especially for cultivators with mediocre aptitude, without taking elixirs, there's not even a chance to attempt Foundation Establishment."
Huang Wangyou saw him lost in thought, waving her hand in front of his eyes, smiling with a touch of spirit:
"What are you thinking about? Wait for me in the bamboo forest to the east later, I have something to say to you."
She blinked, eyes carrying a hint of mystery, her brows and eyes opening up, adding a bit of coquettishness.
Chen Sheng nodded lightly, over the years, with their master's tacit approval, the two had basically confirmed their relationship, occasionally going out on dates, which was quite normal.
By dusk, the apprentices of the Pill Workshop left one after another, and Chen Sheng headed towards the agreed location.
...
Bridge East, in the bamboo forest.
The bamboo forest was now dyed a warm golden color, the river wind brushing against his clothes with a hint of moisture.
Chen Sheng waited for a while, when he saw Huang Wangyou lifting the hem of her skirt, running over, the edges of her dress flying, bringing a sequence of light footsteps.
"Did you wait long?"
She looked up at him with a smile.
Chen Sheng gazed at her gently:
"Not at all."
The two sat by the riverbank, listening to the babbling water, chatting for a bit, when Huang Wangyou suddenly took out a jade small bottle from her sleeve, handing it to him:
"Guess what's inside?"
Chen Sheng removed the cork, a rich aromatic fragrance wafted out, inside lay a purple elixir pill the size of a longan, its surface glowing with a faint spirit light.
"Purple Cloud Pill?"
Chen Sheng's heart trembled, instantly recognizing it as the Realm-Breaking Elixir needed when hitting a bottleneck for progressing to mid-stage Qi Cultivation.
With their Lower Grade Spiritual Root aptitude, this bottleneck surely couldn't be avoided!
"I don't want it."
Chen Sheng hurriedly pushed the bottle back, Huang Wangyou had been secretly giving him basic cultivation elixirs over the years, he never accepted them once.
This precious elixir, he couldn't possibly take it.
Afraid this little girl would refuse to relent, Chen Sheng quickly added:
"Don't worry, I've got it covered."
He wasn't lying, all these years, he also worked as a Spirit Farmer.
He managed to accumulate quite a sum of Spirit Stone each year, initially planned to repay his uncle, but his uncle got angry and almost gave him a beating.
Afterwards, Chen Sheng saved up these Spirit Stones, intending to use them to purchase Realm-Breaking Elixirs when faced with a bottleneck.
Unexpectedly, Huang Wangyou pressed his hand, puffed her cheeks, emphasizing:
"This isn't from my father!"
As she spoke, she took out another small bottle from her bosom, containing another Purple Cloud Pill.
"Two Purple Cloud Pills?"
Chen Sheng was stunned, this Mirror-Breaking Elixir shouldn't be taken consecutively.
The girl looked up at him, her eyes swirling, carrying a touch of grievance:
"This is the one my father gave me."
"The one I gave you, I used my savings to buy, specifically for you, if you don't take it, I'll throw it into the river."
She suddenly raised the bottle as if she was about to throw it.
Chen Sheng, upon hearing that, couldn't bring himself to refuse any longer, gently holding her close, he softly said:
"Thank you, Wangyou."
"I don't want your thanks."
Huang Wangyou nestled in his embrace, seeking a comfortable spot, buried her little head.
Under the dusk, the river wind swept past.
A pair of lovers leaned against the riverbank, their shadows elongated by the setting sun.
In the depths of the distant bamboo forest.
A figure in a green robe stood silently.
Huang Yueyang watched the couple embracing by the riverbank, the corners of his mouth slowly curving into a warm smile, then quietly he disappeared into the twilight.