"Three grams of Beauty Grass every day, mixed with two ounces of Rice Blood, four milligrams of God-Stiff Silkworm, and five li worth of Shrinking Dragon Fruit…"
Tang San muttered quietly to himself as he wrote, his brush strokes quick and steady.
Then he shook his head. "No, that won't do. Rice Blood is used to replenish qi and blood for women. For men, it should instead be paired with Two Yin Vines to alter appearance."
Inside the grand, crystal-lined room, Tang San sat with one hand holding Hong Yu's notes while the other flipped through an ancient pharmacopoeia. Cross-referencing everything with the hidden knowledge buried in his mind, he carefully pieced together a yin-yang prescription capable of reshaping his temperament, even his appearance—medicine strong enough to overturn the world.
But just as concentration filled the room, another sound intruded.
"Oi, oi, what's he doing here? Doesn't make money, only guzzles wine, and now he's scaring away my customers! Get lost, don't hover around my stall!"
Flender's voice burst out sharply, his face wearing the expression of a merchant who couldn't tolerate disruptions to his business.
A hiccup followed. "Heh, Dean, you're so stingy. Everybody knows you, selling a broken stone for five thousand gold soul coins… you even cheat kids! Fine, fine, I'll buy it! Everyone can buy it! With all this money, Shrek can build a brand-new house tomorrow—burp!"
Dai Mubai staggered forward, drunk beyond sense. The heavy smell of alcohol wafted around him, forcing even his fellow disciples to wrinkle their noses and instinctively keep their distance.
Flender sighed and turned to Tang San, managing an apologetic smile. "Ignore him, little San. Just a drunk raving, nothing worth your attention."
Tang San, ever perceptive, had already understood from the conversation that this so-called "Dean" had been inflating his prices. But he didn't particularly care. To him, the stone truly was worth its value.
At that moment, the sound of wheels rolling over stone echoed from afar. A luxurious carriage approached, embroidered curtains swaying. From within, a beautiful woman peeked out, and her eyes immediately found Tang San, Flender, and the others.
She froze in surprise, then quickly ordered the carriage to stop. Stepping down gracefully, her voice brightened:
"Xiao San! Out here shopping today?"
Her sudden appearance drew everyone's attention. Tang San blinked slightly, then bowed his head respectfully. "Teacher Liu Erlong."
The woman turned her gaze, suddenly noticing Flender. "Boss Fu? You're here too? And you know Xiao San?"
Flender, usually so carefree, stiffened as though struck by lightning. His lazy posture vanished in an instant; emotion surged across his face, his lips trembling uncontrollably.
"E-Erlong… Sister Erlong!"
His gaze locked onto her, filled with complicated feelings. Every curve of her figure, every detail of her expression—though they had been separated for many years, he had never once let her image fade from his memory.
This woman… the one he had admired endlessly, yet never won. To Flender, he had always been the tool, the loyal dog waiting silently in the background. And even now, the flame still burned.
He swallowed hard, tears welling in his eyes. "Erlong… you… you're even more beautiful than before. You finally let your hair down… after all these years—you let it go?"
Indeed, her hairstyle had changed. She no longer wore the tightly wrapped bun of her younger days, the bun she had tied with her own hands after Yu Xiaogang abandoned her in humiliation. Those years, though unmarried, she had lived as though she were his widow—bound by a promise no one had asked her to keep.
Now, however, she stood with confidence, her hair flowing freely like a declaration to the world.
Flender's heart thundered. Could it be? Had she finally put Xiaogang behind her?
Dai Mubai and Oscar nearly rubbed their eyes raw in disbelief. The always-stingy, sharp-tongued Dean was standing here, openly trembling with emotion?
Dai Mubai even felt the alcohol burn away from his system as chills ran down his spine. Damn it… Dean's actually playing the devoted lover card today!
Meanwhile, Liu Erlong smiled faintly, her voice calm yet resolute. "Don't bring him up, Boss Fu. Yu Xiaogang and I… are finished. From this day forward, his path is his, and mine is mine. The Golden Iron Triangle no longer exists."
Her words cut like steel, but unlike the bitterness of the past, there was no longer grief in her tone. Instead, there was relief—lightness, as if a great weight had finally fallen away.
"You…" Flender faltered.
But Liu Erlong shook her head, her smile steady. "Boss Fu, you'll always be my big brother. That doesn't change. As for everything else—don't ask again. I have nothing to do with him anymore."
Hearing this, Flender's chest tightened painfully. He had waited so many years, silently bearing his feelings, hoping one day she might look away from Yu Xiaogang. And today… that day had finally come.
"Erlong…" His voice cracked as he exhaled a deep sigh. "I only worry you'll drown in old memories and never find your way free."
But she only laughed softly, touching her loose hair. "Don't worry, Boss Fu. I've already begun walking my own path."
Her eyes shone, filled with vitality. She had been preparing for a breakthrough, even longing for a future child to call her own. Now, seeing an old friend again, her heart felt lighter than ever.
At the edges, Dai Mubai tried to slap sense back into a drunken Zhang Yi, while Ma Hongjun clung to a wooden post, ogling every passing beauty without a shred of shame.
Finally, Liu Erlong turned to Tang San again. "Xiao San, you know Boss Fu?"
Tang San nodded slightly. "I came here to purchase—"
But Flender quickly cut him off, desperation flashing across his face. He was terrified the boy might expose his little mercantile tricks in front of Erlong. Moving swiftly, he stuffed a sparkling half-jade directly into Tang San's hand. "Here, take it! Since you're sister Erlong's student, I gift it to you."
Tang San raised an eyebrow in mild surprise, but accepted.
Erlong smiled approvingly. "Tang San really is extraordinary. A child like him is half my family already. After all, I too have a godson… I believe you all know him. His name is Su Bei."
At the mention of that name, her calm mask cracked with pure joy. Her entire expression glowed.
The others froze.
"Su Bei?!" Oscar gasped. "The same Su Bei who founded the Divine Flame Domain?"
Flender's eyes nearly popped from his skull. "Erlong Mei… you actually acknowledged that terrifying genius as your godson?!"
Shock rippled through the group. Only then did they realize the deeper tides connecting Tang San, Liu Erlong, and the legendary figure of Su Bei.
And just like that, the air grew heavier, filled not only with old pasts but with looming futures waiting to unfold.
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