Chapter 74: Soul-Summoning Incense

"Lü'er! Lü'er!" Ye Yuan returned to his residence, calling out loudly for Lü'er, but there was no answer.

Ye Yuan was puzzled. Lü'er should have been waiting here for him to emerge from seclusion. Where had she gone?

Lü'er was very well-behaved. If something had come up, she would have left him a message. But Ye Yuan searched the entire residence and found no clue.

He asked the neighbors, but no one knew anything.

Zhang Heng was cunning; he had chosen a time when classes were in session, so most students were in class.

Since entering the academy, Lü'er had always stayed by Ye Yuan's side, only attending classes when he did.

When Ye Yuan went into seclusion, she had no heart for classes, which gave Zhang Heng an opportunity.

"Strange, where could Lü'er have gone? Could someone in the Danwu Academy dare to kidnap her?" Ye Yuan sat down at the table, deep in thought.

Could Lü'er have gone to find Tang Yu?

Here, Lü'er only had Tang Yu as a friend.

Thinking of Tang Yu, Ye Yuan felt a slight relief. Just as he was about to go find Tang Yu, there came a knock at the door.

He opened the door and saw none other than Tang Yu.

Tang Yu was overjoyed to see Ye Yuan. "I figured Brother Ye should be coming out of seclusion, so I came to check. Didn't expect to run into you. Eh? You... you're already at the sixth level of Yuan Qi?!"

Tang Yu was dumbfounded. Ye Yuan's progress was too astonishing!

He himself, with the help of the pill Ye Yuan had given him, had only barely broken through to the sixth level of Yuan Qi not long ago.

A month ago, when Tang Yu first met Ye Yuan, he was at the first level of Yuan Qi.

A month later, Ye Yuan had already reached the same realm as him!

Recalling the finger strike with which Ye Yuan had killed Qiu Ying, Tang Yu believed that if he were to fight Ye Yuan, Ye Yuan could definitely kill him instantly!

Tang Yu now felt that the Ye Yuan before him was like a hidden dragon emerging from the abyss, soaring into the sky, no longer able to be stopped by anyone!

Tang Yu was so immersed in shock that he didn't notice Ye Yuan's grim expression.

Ye Yuan looked behind Tang Yu and, sure that he had come alone, his face turned very dark.

He waved his hand, ignoring Tang Yu's astonishment, and asked, "Why did you come alone?"

Tang Yu was taken aback. "If not alone, how many people would I come with?"

Ye Yuan frowned. "During my seclusion these past few days, did Lü'er go to find you?"

Tang Yu's heart skipped a beat, but he shook his head. "No. I've been busy these days too, and I haven't seen Lü'er. She didn't come to find me either. What, has something happened to Lü'er?"

Ye Yuan was now somewhat unsettled. "I've been looking for her for a long time since I got back, but I can't find her. I have a bad feeling, as if something has happened to her."

"Maybe Lü'er got bored waiting and went out to play. This is the Danwu Academy; nothing serious should happen. Brother Ye need not worry," Tang Yu consoled.

Ye Yuan sighed. "I hope so."

The room fell into silence, but Ye Yuan's inner unease grew stronger.

He suddenly stood up and said to Tang Yu, "Brother Tang, please go back. I'm still worried about Lü'er. I'm going to look for her."

"I'll go with you. Two people have a better chance of finding her," Tang Yu said.

Ye Yuan shook his head. "No need. I'll go alone."

With that, Ye Yuan picked up one of Lü'er's garments and left.

……

Ye Yuan did not search aimlessly; he went directly to Feng Ruoqing's alchemy room.

After returning from the imperial city, Feng Ruoqing had not only broken through in her cultivation realm but also gained a much deeper understanding of the Yin-Yang Separation Technique.

In the past few days, while Ye Yuan was in seclusion, she naturally hid in the alchemy room to practice the Yin-Yang Separation Technique.

Feng Ruoqing was quite surprised to see Ye Yuan, but Ye Yuan did not give her a chance to speak.

"I need to borrow your alchemy room. Prepare some materials for me!"

Tossing a note to Feng Ruoqing casually, Ye Yuan walked straight into the alchemy room as if it were his own.

Ye Yuan's words were like giving orders. Feng Ruoqing was very annoyed by his attitude, but strangely, she did not lose her temper, because she had never seen such a terrifying expression on Ye Yuan's face.

Feng Ruoqing was sharp-witted and knew that something must have happened.

"Oh well, oh well, who says I owe him."

Feng Ruoqing sighed softly and, like a maidservant, went to prepare the materials Ye Yuan needed.

If anyone else saw the esteemed princess of the Qin Kingdom doing such a thing, wouldn't their jaw drop in shock?

Before long, Feng Ruoqing returned. The materials Ye Yuan needed were all common and not hard to find; with her status, it was naturally a simple task.

However, Feng Ruoqing was very curious about what exactly Ye Yuan intended to refine.

The materials Ye Yuan needed were not all medicinal herbs; there were also some other materials, which could not be used to refine pills.

Handing the materials to Ye Yuan, Feng Ruoqing could not help asking, "Several of these are not medicinal herbs. What are you going to refine with these materials?"

Ye Yuan took the materials and said indifferently, "You don't need to worry. Just watch. Light the fire!"

“You! You really take me for a servant?” Feng Ruoqing was momentarily speechless with anger. This guy was too arrogant!

“If you're not going to help, then step aside. Don't waste my time!” Ye Yuan's tone grew colder.

Somehow, Feng Ruoqing found herself beside the Red Lotus Cauldron, helping Ye Yuan open the earth fire.

Ye Yuan didn't react to this. He was burning with anxiety, but he knew that the more anxious he was, the more he needed to stay calm and not lose his composure.

The fire rose, and Ye Yuan began his refining.

This refining was not earth-shattering; it consisted of seemingly simple techniques, but Feng Ruoqing had never seen such methods before.

There was no process of compounding medicine or extracting medicinal embryos. Ye Yuan guided the fire to temper the materials, appearing quite relaxed.

Half an hour later, Ye Yuan's refining yielded a result—a chalk-like object, gray-black in appearance.

“What is this?” Feng Ruoqing asked curiously again.

“Soul- Summoning Incense!”

This time, Ye Yuan didn't refuse to answer, but as he spoke, he let out a long breath, and his heaving chest revealed his current anxiety.

“Soul-Summoning Incense? What's it for?” Feng Ruoqing had never heard of such a thing and asked curiously.

Ye Yuan didn't answer. Instead, he threw the Soul-Summoning Incense onto the garment he had brought, then with a single hand gesture, summoned a wisp of flame. The earth fire was extremely hot, instantly burning Lü'er's clothes into a wisp of green smoke.

But miraculously, that wisp of green smoke hung in the air without dispersing!

The next moment, the smoke moved, and Ye Yuan moved as well.

“Where are you going?” Feng Ruoqing, not understanding, spoke up.

Ye Yuan ignored her and dashed out following that wisp of smoke.

Feng Ruoqing bit her lip lightly, hesitated for a moment, and then followed.