Eternal Life Starts from Tai Chi

Chapter 194: Not-So-Simple Identities, a Reassuring Thought

The Jade Capital Twelve Beauties were renowned throughout the Great Zhou Imperial Dynasty, but Yang Chan had no intention of getting involved with them. To him, women like that meant trouble. If he wanted a woman, people like Han Bingyu were excellent choices. With his current status, it wouldn’t cause him any trouble.

Even if Han Bingyu had ties to the Han Family, it was of little consequence to him. He didn’t want to get entangled with too many Noble Families, but just the Han Family alone wouldn’t affect him much.

A rise in status meant that things he once had to be wary of were no longer problems or sources of trouble. He had previously established a partnership of equals with the Han Family, and now that he could refine the First Revolution Nourishing Viscera Pill and showed even greater potential, their relationship held less and less sway over him.

Besides, his Cultivation had already reached the stage of Inner Refining of the Lungs and Spleens, and his actual Pharmacist abilities were at the level of an Intermediate Pharmacist. As long as he passed the Medicine Hall’s promotion assessment, he would become a true Intermediate Pharmacist. To him, it was just a formality.

At the same time, Yang Chan was very rational when it came to women.

"Pharmacist Yang, you might not understand. The Jade Capital Twelve Beauties are different. These are women who have risen above the rest from countless brothels. None of them have simple backgrounds."

"Some are female Jianghu martial artists whose families were annihilated, some are daughters from fallen Noble Families, and others are courtesans who were meticulously groomed from a young age. There are also descendants of disgraced officials, daughters of high nobility, and even princesses from small, conquered kingdoms—it’s all possible."

"These women all have extraordinary backgrounds and have been trained through various means. Only the most outstanding in music, chess, calligraphy, painting, song, and dance have a chance of earning the title of one of the Jade Capital Twelve Beauties."

Zhao Yi immediately retorted when he heard Yang Chan’s words.

He had been anticipating the Jade Capital Twelve Beauties for a long time. If a Pharmacist mission to White Jade City ever came up, he would definitely be the first to snatch it. Then he would go see the Jade Capital Twelve Beauties. Yup, just to see them.

At most, he’d also "listen to some music" at the pleasure houses. He couldn’t say any more than that.

After all, experiencing a brothel’s unique "rod-based education" was not cheap, and for the current Zhao Yi, it was truly a bit difficult to afford.

Alchemy was simply too costly. Success meant massive profits, but failure meant a total loss. Even an Intermediate Pharmacist, let alone him, would feel the sting after a few consecutive failures. It was all a pile of Cultivation Resources down the drain.

When Alchemy failed, those Cultivation Resources became useless scrap. Using them could introduce Elixir Poison into the body, providing no benefits whatsoever.

The failed Lantian Jade Refining Pills that Zhao Yi had refined were all disposed of. After all, he didn’t have some cheat ability to turn trash into treasure, nor did he have a method to absorb the Elixir Poison from a Wasted Pill.

Giving someone a Wasted Pill like that was tantamount to murder. Take the Wasted Pill Yang Chan had experimented with last time—the official story was that he was just bedridden for a few days. But that was only because he had made extensive preparations before taking it and had a certain understanding of its medicinal effects.

If Zhao Yi gave a Wasted Pill he had refined to someone else, his reputation would be utterly ruined.

As a result, Zhao Yi was a bit strapped for cash at the moment. Of course, this was only relative to other Pharmacists. He didn’t lack for daily necessities, and his monthly stipend as a Pharmacist was more than enough to live on and even pay back the Sect Contribution Points he had borrowed from the Sect.

Zhao Yi had taken out an advance on some Sect Contribution Points to refine the Lantian Jade Refining Pill. Success would have meant not only paying everything back but also having enough Cultivation Resources to break through to the External Refining Steel stage. Failure meant life would be a little tougher for a while.

But it would only be for a few months, which wasn’t too long.

After the start of the next year, the Cultivation Resources allocated to Basic Level Pharmacists would be distributed, and he could try refining Elixirs again.

"So, you see, Pharmacist Yang, if you go to White Jade City and don’t visit the Twelfth Floor to see the Jade Capital Twelve Beauties, it’s like you never went at all."

"I personally recommend you go take a look, or even... try them out for yourself."

Zhao Yi had said all this because he wanted Yang Chan to go see the Jade Capital Twelve Beauties in White Jade City. He didn’t have much spare cash right now, but Yang Chan certainly did—probably enough to even hire the top courtesan.

If Yang Chan went, Zhao Yi could hear his review of the Jade Capital Twelve Beauties when he returned. He might even get some juicy details. In a way, he would have participated, and that would be a small comfort.

Just because he wasn’t qualified to go to White Jade City now didn’t mean he wouldn’t be in the future. He was a man with lofty goals. As for the Jade Capital Twelve Beauties, he wanted to ’get a taste’ of them all.

"Let’s talk about that when the time comes. This mission to White Jade City is important. I plan to exchange Alchemy insights with other Pharmacists, and I also want to observe how Advanced Pharmacists refine Elixirs and listen to them share their experiences."

"As for any remaining time, we’ll see. I’ll have to check what arrangements Elder Yan and the others have made."

Seeing how insistent Zhao Yi was, Yang Chan didn’t press the issue. He’d decide whether to go when the time came; there was no point in making an absolute statement now.

’For example, if Yan Jinfeng and Xu Gaocen were to take me, could I really refuse? Sometimes, being too aloof or arrogant isn’t a good thing.’

’The best way to keep a low profile is to blend in with the group so you don’t stand out.’ Yang Chan understood this well.

He didn’t want to be a saint, nor did he want to be a target. Yang Chan knew that the ones who ran into the most trouble were the loners, because they were isolated and easy to pick on.

If someone were targeting the Cyan Yuan Sect and he was off on his own, wouldn’t that just be handing them an opportunity? Even if he managed to deal with the threat, his true Cultivation level would be exposed. Therefore, Yang Chan decided he would wait until he was in White Jade City and assess the situation before making any plans.

"I’m relieved to hear you say that, Pharmacist Yang."

Zhao Yi nodded with a smile after hearing his words.

It seemed he was already convinced that Yang Chan would go to the Jade City Twelve Floors.

Seeing this, Yang Chan just smiled and said no more.

The Pharmacist’s Assistants nearby listened to their conversation for a while, but when it seemed there was nothing new or interesting, they returned their attention to the books in their hands, continuing to study texts related to being a Pharmacist to improve their Pharmacist Abilities.

There were many ways to improve one’s Pharmacist Abilities, and reading was one of the simplest and most effective, though it didn’t help much with the practical skill of Alchemy.

"Pharmacist Yang, an injured disciple has been brought over!"

Han Bingyu’s urgent voice called out as she entered the Medicine Hall and Pharmacy.

"Let’s go take a look."

Seeing the situation, Yang Chan didn’t delay and walked over immediately.

He also had no desire to continue chatting with Zhao Yi. He was getting tired of hearing him go on and on about the Jade Capital Twelve Beauties.

The two of them walked over to the injured disciple’s bedside. This disciple’s condition was severe—his lower body was gone, and he had lost an immense amount of blood. He had only made it back to the Cyan Yuan Sect through sheer, tenacious willpower. A disciple in this state could not be left to wait.

Yang Chan methodically gave instructions to his four Pharmacist’s Assistants—Han Bingyu, Gu Shitong, Liu Qing, and Fang Yun—and then began treatment.