Eternal Cultivation of Alchemy
chapter-1987

Pang Mihua gave a slight smile in response to Wang Yanwei's but didn't answer her immediately. Instead, he replied with a question of her own.

"When this was happening to you, why didn't you come to me?" she asked. "I could've helped you then too, cousin."

An awkward look appeared on Wang Yanwei's face and she gave an apologetic smile. "I had too much of an ego back then. I didn't want any help from the family that gave up on my mother, so I never thought of coming here."

"Oh? How have things changed now?" Mihua asked.

"I've failed now, disastrously so. Lost everything I worked all my life to build, so I've learned to get some humility and ask others for help. Honestly, I should have come here the moment I saw any sign of issues. I thought I could fix it myself, but… well, I failed."

Pang Mihua nodded as she listened. "I'm happy to see you've decided to ask me for help. Makes me feel special," she said. "So, I will help you. You want ingredients right? Our store will deliver it to you."

Wang Yanwei smiled brightly. "Thank you! Thank you so much," she said.

"Anything for my cousin," the woman said.

"I must thank you as well, senior Mihua. This will help us a lot," Alex said.

Mihua smiled at Alex as well. "I see no problem forging a connection with such a young alchemist. I'm absolutely sure I can't go wrong with this."

Alex gave a small bow in thanks. "I'll make sure you do not regret this."

"I accept that threat," Mihua said as a small joke.

Alex and Wang Yanwei turned to leave, but before they could go a few steps away from the bench, Mihua spoke again.

"I must warn you right now though," she said. "While I am helping you right now when they come —and they will— I won't be able to help you much."

Wang Yanwei turned around. "You can say no to their threat?" she asked.

"If it was up to me, I would," Mihua said. "But I do not have the authority to do so. At the end of the day, while I am considered the owner, the store still belongs to the family, and I can't go against their wishes."

Yanwei frowned. "I thought you didn't care about the old foggies," she asked.

Mihua shook her head. "That is different. If they find out that an entire guild stopped business with us because of a decision I made, it will be far more severe than if I help you right now. I will be absolved of all my responsibilities, and will have to work my way to gain the family's faith again."

"I wish I could do what your mother did, but I fear I'm not that strong. She knew what she wanted and went against the family to get it. I am not so brave."

Alex thought for a moment and asked, "So if they come after you, you will stop supplying us right away?"

"If that is what the family decides we should do, yes," the woman said.

"Oh, so you will report before making the decision to immediately cut us off?" Alex asked.

"Yes," the woman said. "But it's pretty much immediate. It will take a day at best to get back the answer from them."

"A day is enough for me," Alex said. "I would like to request that when you get that ultimatum, please let me know before you message your elders."

Mihua's eyebrows perked up in wonder. "May I ask why?"

"When the day comes, which I hope it does not, you will understand why. As I said before, you will not regret it."

Alex gave a deep bow. "Thank you for everything. We will leave now."

Alex and Wang Yanwei left the store not longer after, leaving with their ingredients for the week.

Yanwei took her share of the ingredients for the night and was about to leave when she looked back at Alex. "Why did you want her to talk to you when they came for this shop too?" she asked.

"Just a thing I can do to persuade the elders. You don't have to worry much about it."

Yanwei was absolutely curious about what he meant by that, but seeing as Alex wasn't intending to answer, she didn't continue questioning.

The two separated after that and went to their place for the night.

Pang Mihua came through with her side of the deal and delivered ingredients to Alex's shop every 3 days for what they would need. There was also no problem from the other stores and guilds so they continued their job with no more problems.

Dawn Apothecary store gained a decent reputation in their side of the city as one of the more dependable stores. They also realized that their store was capable of dealing with almost all issues that one could come up with, so the number of customers increased as well.

The influx of customers gave Alex and Wang Yanwei a lot more work to do, but thankfully, by that time, Fang Yuxie had also managed to become a decent Saint Alchemist and began helping them with pills that were Saint rank or below.

Whisker was finally free and could go back to watching after the various plants and animals inside Alex's Soul Space as he always did.

Alex didn't get much free time, but what time he did get, he spent cultivating or training in the training center. He was steadily improving and getting very close to breakthrough as well.

Because his body, blood, and spiritual energy were so far above his own cultivation realm, there wasn't much that was needed for him to improve before reaching the next cultivation stage.

The only other thing Alex could improve was his body cultivation, thanks to the Mountain Crushing artifact he had brought along with him. Simple as it may be, the Mountain Crushing artifact was still an artifact created by the Godkiller, so it was something Alex made good use of.

The Playground was something made by Godkiller too, but given how it was just something made to be a training ground for Saints, Alex couldn't find a way to put it to good use at all. Although, being the source of the day and night cycle in his Soul Space by blocking light from the Nine Yang Divine tree was a pretty good use for it at the moment. Still, he wanted to do something more with it, but he couldn't think of anything just yet.

Alex also couldn't improve his Blood aura just yet since the Blood God's Manual refused to open the next page or drink more blood. He simply had no idea what he was supposed to do next.

Should he go and try to learn more about the Blood God? He was sure finding that information would wring him dry of any Spirit stones he had managed to accumulate in his time here.

As for anything else, there was nothing more for Alex to do.

Alex stood at the door of his store, looking inside at the two women who waved him goodbye and gave him good wishes.

"I'll do my best!" Alex said and left the store. Then, he headed toward the place in the city where the Blue Silk sect's preliminary entrance tests were being conducted.