After Dai Yuan returned, she first went to discuss things with Yang Yan. Once she obtained a token, her mood immediately brightened considerably.
Not only had Yang Yan broken through the natural formation outside her cave dwelling, but she had also modified it, making the formation far more complete and functional. Its power had increased by thirty percent, and several new variations had been added. Dai Yuan was both delighted and secretly astonished by Yang Yan's mastery of formations. After this incident, the relationship between the two seemed to warm up overnight—they even began calling each other sisters.
This left Yang Kai utterly baffled. He could only feel that a woman's heart was like a needle at the bottom of the ocean—utterly unpredictable. Before, during their journey, both of them had been tight-lipped clams, not exchanging a single word for an entire month. Now, over nothing more than a formation, they had become as intimate as could be.
Men simply weren't like that.
After she returned, Yang Kai naturally began asking about the favor she wanted his help with. But Dai Yuan still seemed hesitant and evasive, merely telling Yang Kai to wait a few more days—she still needed to make some preparations, and then she would tell him everything truthfully.
Hearing this, Yang Kai didn't press her further and quietly settled in to wait.
Several more hurried days passed. On this particular day, Yang Kai was meditating in his stone chamber, cultivating the Demonic Blood Threads while channeling his Saint Yuan into an artifact-refining furnace before him. Inside the furnace, a crimson firebird tumbled ceaselessly, continuously breathing out pure, dense fire spiritual energy to scorch and refine the dragon bone and dragon pearl within.
Although the process of refining the dragon bone and dragon pearl required a great deal of time, whenever Yang Kai had a moment to spare, he would actively stimulate the furnace's power to accelerate the refining process.
He was very eager to see what the dragon bone and dragon pearl would become once they were fully fused together.
Just as he was channeling his Saint Yuan, a knock suddenly came from outside. Yang Kai raised his eyelids, sent one more pulse of Saint Yuan into the furnace, then took a deep breath to still the turbulent energy within his body. A moment later, he reached out and recalled the artifact-refining furnace, storing it inside his body. Only then did he stand, walk to the door, and open the stone entrance.
Dai Yuan stood there, looking lovely as always. For some reason, though, she seemed agitated, as if caught between hope and worry.
When she felt the wave of heat wash over her from inside the room, she glanced at Yang Kai in surprise. Her first instinct was that he had been refining pills, but there was no pill fragrance or medicinal scent in the air. That left her somewhat puzzled.
She didn't dwell on it. Dai Yuan asked softly, "May I come in?"
Yang Kai nodded and stepped aside. After Dai Yuan walked in, he closed the stone door behind her, then sat down on a stone block in the room. He spoke up first. "I take it everything is ready?"
"Mm." Dai Yuan bit her red lip lightly and gave a small nod.
"Then let's begin." Yang Kai smiled faintly. "But before we do, Miss Dai Yuan, shouldn't you tell me exactly what you need my help with and what I'm supposed to do?"
"That's precisely what I've come to tell you." Dai Yuan glanced at him, and her eyes actually took on a faint shimmer of moisture. Two barely perceptible blushes appeared on her cheeks.
This greatly surprised Yang Kai. He had no idea what sort of embarrassing secret Dai Yuan was about to share that could produce such a reaction.
Dai Yuan sat there as if she couldn't quite settle into her seat. Her small hands fidgeted together unconsciously, and she remained silent for a good while. Then, as if steeling herself, she finally spoke. "The truth is, I asked Junior Brother Yang to come here... to help me detoxify a poison."
"Detoxify?" Yang Kai raised an eyebrow, looking thoroughly surprised. "Miss Dai Yuan has been poisoned? I really couldn't tell. What kind of poison is it? If you don't mind sharing, perhaps I actually know the method for refining the antidote."
"The poison I've been afflicted with has no antidote." Dai Yuan let out a bitter laugh and shook her head.
"Oh?" Yang Kai's interest was instantly piqued. When Dai Yuan had invited him from Dragon Cave Mountain, she had indeed said the favor she needed help with was related to alchemy. Now that it turned out to be about detoxification, that checked out—she hadn't lied. But the fact that she said there was no antidote for her poison meant it must be something truly extraordinary. Naturally, that caught Yang Kai's attention.
Perhaps it was because he was an alchemist—anything related to herbs and pills was something he wanted to learn more about.
"I've been poisoned by the Thousand Illusion Liuli!" Dai Yuan's words were startling, her expression grave, without a trace of humor.
"Thousand Illusion Liuli..." Yang Kai was stunned. "Isn't that your sect's supreme treasure? And I've heard it's a peculiar artifact-refining material—it doesn't possess any toxic properties. How could you possibly be poisoned by it? And how did you even come into contact with it?"
Yang Kai was incredibly curious, because what Dai Yuan had said was simply too inconceivable.
Even though he didn't know much about the Thousand Illusion Liuli, he was aware that this particular artifact-refining material was inherently non-toxic.