Yang Kai had heard of people who could identify a woman by her scent, but he'd never heard of anyone who could sniff out the fragrance of herbs and pills on another person's body. Moreover, everything Dai Yuan had just said was entirely accurate. More than half a year ago, he had indeed refined Void Condensing Pills and Blood Lily Pills—and, of course, various other medicines as well. Perhaps it had been too long and the pill fragrance had dissipated entirely, which was why Dai Yuan either hadn't detected them or simply hadn't mentioned them.
This unusual ability truly astonished Yang Kai.
"Of course, if this alone were all, I wouldn't have been able to determine that Junior Brother Yang is a Void-grade Alchemist. It's also possible that a master of that caliber exists here, and that you've simply absorbed the pill fragrance from being around him. However..." Dai Yuan flashed a mysterious smile. "Since arriving here a month ago, I've found that no such master seems to exist in this place. Furthermore, the healing pills you gave to several disciples of the Flowing Flame Sand's Shadow Moon Hall, as well as those you gave me last time, were clearly refined very recently. So I took a bold guess—Junior Brother Yang is the one who refined those pills. And every single one of them was of exceptional quality, which suggests the person who made them is of no low level."
This time, Yang Kai didn't bother denying it.
With Dai Yuan possessing such a peculiar ability, denying it would have been useless anyway. At the same time, he quietly breathed a sigh of relief—after all, this ability was probably unique to Dai Yuan. No one else could infer from this information that Yang Kai was a Void-grade Alchemist.
And Dai Yuan appeared to be a trustworthy person, so Yang Kai wasn't worried about her betraying him.
Thinking this through, Yang Kai felt somewhat reassured and offered a warm smile. "Miss Dai Yuan first wanted to confirm my identity as an alchemist—could it be that you want me to refine pills for you?"
That was the only guess he could make, and if it were true, everything would fall neatly into place.
But to his surprise, Dai Yuan slowly shook her head. "It's not about refining pills, but it is related to pill refinement. Otherwise, I wouldn't have come all the way here."
Yang Kai smiled faintly. "I don't know what you want me to do, but on the Dark Star, there should be more than one person who could help you. To be honest, Miss Dai Yuan, I'm merely a Void-grade Low-tier Alchemist. Your position in Liuli Gate seems rather elevated—surely Liuli Gate has its own Void-grade Alchemist? And even if it doesn't, couldn't you request help from those grand masters at the Medicine Pill Gate? Their expertise in alchemy far surpasses mine."
He had learned during his last visit that the Medicine Pill Gate had no fewer than five Void-grade Alchemists, each one highly respected. Besides, a sect as large as Liuli Gate couldn't possibly lack an alchemist of that caliber—they would have at least one.
Yet she had bypassed what was near to seek what was far, coming all the way to Dragon Cave Mountain to find him. Yang Kai found this rather strange.
"If it were that simple, would I have troubled you, Junior Brother Yang?" A bitter smile appeared on Dai Yuan's face. "Our sect does have Master Xiao, who is indeed a Void-grade Alchemist. However, I have certain unavoidable difficulties that prevent me from asking Master Xiao for help."
"Master Xiao..." Yang Kai raised an eyebrow. A kind, amiable face surfaced in his mind—Xiao Fusheng from Medicine King Valley, whom he recalled from the past. He hadn't expected that the alchemist in Liuli Gate also bore the surname Xiao.
"As for the elders at the Medicine Pill Gate..." Dai Yuan's delicate brows knitted together tightly. "Four of them are in the same situation as Master Xiao—I cannot approach them. And the last one would actually be a suitable candidate, but the price is far too steep. I simply don't have the means."
Yang Kai stared at her in surprise.
This woman's strength was considerable, and her abilities were far from ordinary. He had assumed she must be highly valued and nurtured within Liuli Gate. But from her words, Yang Kai caught a whiff of something abnormal.
It seemed she wasn't, as he had imagined, someone who could command anything she wanted within Liuli Gate.
He recalled the incident in the valley on the third layer of the Flowing Flame Sand, where he had been waiting for the Red Candle Fruit to ripen. Several Liuli Gate disciples nearby had clearly seen Dai Yuan, yet none of them had greeted her—a peculiar circumstance. Throughout the entire time, she had acted alone, with no other Liuli Gate disciples accompanying her—a far cry from Yin Sudie's treatment. Yang Kai suddenly felt he understood something.
"So the only person I can turn to is you, Junior Brother Yang." Dai Yuan suddenly looked up, gazing at him with earnest intensity. Her star-like eyes shimmered with a pleading light.
Yang Kai's heart stirred. After a moment's thought, he spoke. "Could you tell me exactly what you need me to do?"
Dai Yuan bit her red lip and said awkwardly, "Before Junior Brother Yang agrees, I really can't say."
Yang Kai's expression darkened, and a hint of displeasure crept onto his face. This woman came to ask for his help yet remained evasive. Even though he had a favorable impression of her, he wasn't foolish enough to agree blindly.
Just as he was about to refuse, Dai Yuan hurriedly said, "But I can promise—it will absolutely be something within Junior Brother Yang's ability, and it won't require too much of your time or effort. If everything goes well, three days will suffice. Once it's done, I will repay you generously."
Yang Kai naturally cared nothing for whatever generous reward she had in mind. If Dai Yuan couldn't even afford to hire the elders of the Medicine Pill Gate, what fine treasures could she possibly offer? But if it truly only required three days and wouldn't demand much effort, it might be worth considering.
"But..." Dai Yuan glanced at Yang Kai cautiously, as though she lacked even the confidence to persuade him. Her voice grew soft. "If Junior Brother Yang agrees, you'll have to return to Liuli Gate with me."
Yang Kai lifted his gaze to look at her. Dai Yuan said nothing, merely biting her slender lip as she waited for his answer.