Nonsense! How could my adopted son be a villain?

Lan Jian hadn't expected that Liu Zhu would have such a backup plan.

He straightened up from his lazy, sprawling position: "Let me see that token."

Xu Lingguang took out the token and placed it in front of him.

Lan Jian examined it for a moment, then slowly said, "This should be a key."

“Liuzhu has never mentioned wanting to take on disciples before, nor does she care about those whose lineage has been cut off. Judging from what you said, it was probably a spur-of-the-moment decision when she gave you the Sumeru Ring. This suggests that she may have initially planned to use the spirit stones and medicinal herbs she left behind as bargaining chips to get someone to complete some unfinished business for her.”

"She says she wants to take you as her disciple now, probably because she thinks you are compatible. She is not a cunning person, and even if she needs you to do something, the legacy she left behind will not let you suffer any losses."

"It all depends on whether you are willing to become her disciple."

Hearing Lan Jian say this, Xu Lingguang felt relieved.

That's what he said.

If Liuzhu had given him such a large inheritance without asking for anything in return, he would have felt completely bewildered and wouldn't have been able to sleep at night.

Now that Lan Jian says Liu Zhu might need him to do something, he feels at ease.

Xu Lingguang thought about it carefully and said, "When I was in Fengling City, I was forced to follow Liuzhu and saw her refine pills. I greatly admired her alchemy skills."

This statement already implies a desire to become an apprentice.

Lan Jian said, "Since that's the case, then you can become an apprentice if you want."

Perhaps fearing that Xu Lingguang still had reservations, he added calmly, "Your Majesty Liu Zhu is no longer here. If her requests are too difficult, you can simply refuse. With me here, I won't let her make things difficult for you."

His words were utterly shameless.

Xu Lingguang couldn't help but chuckle, her eyes sparkling as she looked at him: "So I'll agree?"

He didn't really intend to be a scoundrel, but Lan Jian's words gave him a lot of confidence, making him feel safe that he had someone to rely on. His initial apprehension and hesitation turned into eagerness to try.

Lan Jian nodded.

Xu Lingguang took out the image-recording bead, infused it with spiritual power, and Liuzhu indeed reappeared.

Her expression was initially stiff and rigid, but after Xu Lingguang spoke, her expression gradually became more vivid, as if he were standing right in front of her.

She glanced at Lan Jian beside her before asking Xu Lingguang, "Do you have an answer?"

Xu Lingguang nodded and said, "I am willing to become your disciple."

Liu Zhu received a satisfactory answer, and a smile appeared in his eyes: "I don't like formalities, so the apprenticeship ceremony is unnecessary. I built a cenotaph in Mangya, and the inheritance is all left inside. Mangya is hidden with countless formations, and it is not easy to enter normally. The token I gave you can guide you to Mangya and open the inheritance."

Xu Lingguang didn't continue after hearing her finish speaking. After thinking for a moment, he took the initiative to ask, "Then, senior... is there anything I can do for you?"

Liuzhu glanced at him, her eyes showing some dissatisfaction, but she did not respond immediately.

Xu Lingguang paused for a moment, realizing something, and tentatively changed his form of address: "Master?"

Liu Zhu nodded and conjured a pill formula, handing it to him: "This is a pill formula to treat your hidden injuries. I suppose you've already finished the pills I made before. As a pill master yourself, you should have some understanding of their effects. If the medicinal properties are insufficient, you can make your own pills according to the formula and take them to consolidate the effect. Although it won't fully restore you, at least it won't affect your cultivation anymore. It will at least improve your cultivation level and prevent you from being helpless in the future when you encounter danger."

Although her tone was flat, for some reason, Xu Lingguang sensed a hint of sarcasm in her voice.

He scratched his face a little embarrassedly, but also touched.

When Ryusoo concocted the elixir and forced him to eat it, he was quite worried about it.

After that, one thing after another happened, and in the midst of the chaos, he didn't have time to take the medicine as Liuzhu had instructed.

Only after everything had calmed down did he belatedly realize that his old injury, which had relapsed, seemed to have healed. His internal organs, which had taken a long time to recover from the excessive use of spiritual energy, were once again shattered by the out-of-control spiritual energy. Although the pain was not as unbearable as it had been at the beginning, it was still quite uncomfortable.

However, the conditions were so harsh that he had no choice but to endure it.

However, after Liuzhu took the pill, not only did the occasional dull pain in her abdomen disappear, but even her out-of-control spiritual power gradually stabilized.

He then realized that Liuzhu had not lied to him, and obediently finished the remaining eight pills.

After eating, he clearly felt that his internal organs, which had been damaged by the spiritual energy, were gradually healing. He seemed to be able to use more spiritual energy during cultivation, and he was more adept at it, without the vague feeling of stagnation he had before.

It's a pity that Liuzhu only gave us nine pills in total; once we finish them, they're all gone.

He was a little regretful at the time. How could he have been so foolish as to doubt the Pill Emperor's alchemy skills? He should have been shameless enough to ask Liu Zhu to refine a few more bottles!

Unexpectedly, Liuzhu has even prepared a prescription for him.

Originally, he only wanted to become Liuzhu's apprentice because he admired Liuzhu's alchemy skills, but now he truly felt the other party's concern, so he became more attentive to Liuzhu's affairs.

"Thank you, Master."

"Is there anything else Master wants to tell me?"

Liu Zhu fell silent upon hearing this. She frowned and pondered for a long time before slowly saying, "There is indeed something..."

"There is actually a secret chamber inside the cenotaph, containing a mass of chaotic energy and a Qilin egg."

"The Chaos Qi is the primordial Qi of my adoptive father, Chaos. The Qilin Egg was made by me using a secret method, and it contains the last cub of the Qilin clan."

"Over the years, I've tried everything to keep their last vestiges of consciousness from fading away, but I've never been able to bring them back to life. This cenotaph was originally meant to be their final resting place, but I'm still unwilling to accept it..."

Over the years, she searched far and wide for rare and precious materials, exhausting all that she and Si Yuan had, but in the end, she was helpless and could only send them to their graves with her own hands before she died.

"If you go to Mangya, please look after them for me when you have some free time... You don't need to do anything else, just keep the formation intact. Perhaps one day the heavens will take pity on them and restore their vitality."

Chaos Qi and Qilin Egg?

Xu Lingguang subconsciously turned around and glanced at Lan Jian, only to see that Lan Jian's expression was also very surprised.

He agreed without hesitation: "Don't worry, Master, I will take good care of them."

Ryusoo glanced at the two of them one last time, nodded, and then vanished into thin air.

The memory bead in Xu Lingguang's palm shattered, but a miniature map slowly appeared on the token in his palm. A small dot of light flickered in the center of the map, which should be the location of Mangya.

Xu Lingguang had previously studied the map of Shangyang Continent and carefully examined it, discovering that Mangya was actually close to Fufeng City.

He said to Lan Jian, "It seems I need to make a trip to Fufeng."

Upon hearing this, Lan Jian slowly said, "I'll go with you."

Xu Lingguang was a little surprised, but also a little delighted: "You're coming with me?"

Lan Jian nodded.

Xu Lingguang may not know the importance of the Chaos Qi and the Qilin Egg, but he does.

Liuzhu never entrusted them to him before he died, perhaps because he felt there was no hope and that entrusting them to him would be futile.

But he still wanted to go and see.

The Qilin egg should contain the Qilin cub that Si Yuan brought out.

The cub was smaller than Yu Rong and the others. It was unlucky when it hatched, as the Heavenly Pillar collapsed and the Mountain and Sea Realm was in turmoil. As a result, it was not as strong as the other Qilins from birth.

Later, when Si Yuan led it through the barrier between the two realms, it could not withstand the shock and died not long after arriving in the human realm.

Si Yuan felt extremely guilty at the time. Despite his own serious injuries, he still sought medical help everywhere and tried every possible way to save the cub. He even sought help from the human race in desperation, which is when he met Xu Lingguang, an ancestor.

However, neither he, Si Yuan, nor the human race could save the young Qilin.

He thought Si Yuan had buried the Qilin cub in the clan's territory, but he never expected that Si Yuan would go to such lengths to seal it inside the Qilin egg, waiting for a sliver of hope that seemed impossible.