……

“Husband, in my eyes, you are the best.” A woman of outstanding beauty and temperament nestled beside Wang Shouye, her posture as delicate as a bird relying on a person, her tone filled with pride and encouragement, “You will definitely win the competition and become a disciple of the Dan Ding elder. I believe, in the future, you will become a grandmaster of alchemy.”

This woman was none other than the legitimate daughter of the Lei Clan, Lei Lingyun.

Since her girlhood, she had set her heart on Wang Shouye, overcoming all obstacles and defeating numerous rivals, finally achieving a fruitful relationship with him.

Just before leaving Changning Guard, Wang Shouye and Lei Lingyun were married, becoming the talk of the town among all the families in Changning Guard.

“My wife, I am after all just an alchemist from a small place.” Wang Shouye was not very confident, “Looking at the entire Longzuo Commandery, how strong can I really be?”

“Well said, brother. These days, there are not many people with such self-awareness as you.”

Hearing Wang Shouye’s words, a round-bodied, ordinary-looking man in brocade clothes suddenly interjected.

His eyes swept over Wang Shouye and Lei Lingyun, his tone dripping with sarcasm: “At your age, you should be diligently studying the art of alchemy, yet now you are indulging in the beauty of a woman. It will be difficult to achieve anything in the future, I’m afraid~”

“Fatso! Mind your own business about me and Shouye!” Lei Lingyun, who had emerged victorious from many suitors, was naturally not a pushover and retorted immediately, “Look at you, so plump and prosperous, I’m afraid it’s not that you don’t want to indulge in beauty, but that you can’t find any, right?”

“This…” The fat man’s expression froze as if struck where it hurt, but he still stubbornly retorted, “I, Qian Xuefu, am devoted to the path of alchemy in this life, how could I be delayed by beauty? Women, huh, they only slow down my alchemy.”

Qian Xuefu?

Wang Shouye’s heart tightened: “Could this young master be a descendant of the Qian Clan’s ‘Xue’ generation?”

He knew one from the Qian Clan’s ‘Xue’ generation, the one who now managed the business of the Qian Clan’s southern six guards, the chief steward Qian Xue’an.

“You have some insight, young man.” Qian Xuefu slightly raised his head, proudly saying, “I am a direct descendant of the Qian Clan, and one of my ancestors is an elder of the Celestial Realm in the Qian Clan.”

The Qian Clan of the Purple Mansion was famous throughout Longzuo for its widespread Qian Clan Commerce. Not only was it an old Purple Mansion family, but it was also a wealthy one, with very good relations with the Purple Mansion Academy.

However, the Qian Clan was extremely large, and its members were countless.

Most of the Qian Clan’s members could only manage to get decent jobs within the various branches of the commerce, and only those like Qian Xuefu, who had Celestial Realm elders in the same lineage, had a higher status.

With such a status, he was not inferior to the legitimate sons of ordinary Celestial Realm families.

“So it’s Master Qian in person, my apologies for any disrespect.” Wang Shouye gracefully raised his hand in greeting, “I am Wang Shouye, a direct descendant of the Changning Wang Clan.”

“Changning Wang Clan? Never heard of it…” Qian Xuefu frowned slightly in thought, “But no matter, since you seem to be on the right path, you’ll be my little brother from now on. Once I become a disciple of the Dan Ding elder, my family will hand over the management of the commandery’s Dan Pharmacy to me, and you can come to my Dan Pharmacy to mix in. I’ll save a good position for you.”

“Ah, this…” Wang Shouye was full of admiration, “Master Qian must be exceptionally talented in the path of alchemy to be so certain of passing the examination. I admire and admire. I must learn from Master Qian when I have the chance.”

Wang Shouye was always good-natured and did not like to argue with others.

Moreover, he was considerate of his older brothers’ hard work in managing the family and naturally did not want to cause trouble for the clan. Now that he had the opportunity to make connections, he took the chance to build relationships, which would also help accumulate more connections for the Changning Wang Clan.

“Good to hear, good to hear.”

Qian Xuefu quite enjoyed the flattery and his goodwill towards Wang Shouye increased. He began to ramble on, showing off his “extensive knowledge.”

“Little brother, do you know about the ‘three must-visit places for men’ in Longzuo Commandery City?” Qian Xuefu excitedly chattered, “The first one is the famous ‘Liu Xian Que’. Let me tell you, the ladies in Liu Xian Que are all graceful and enchanting, skilled in all eighteen arts of music and dance. Especially the top courtesan ‘Luo Hongyin’, who is particularly good at playing the flute. Her piece ‘Fairy’s Cave Heaven’ is truly dreamlike, making one feel as if they are in a fairyland. The most amazing thing is, Luo Hongyin is a late-stage cultivator of the Lingtai Realm…”

The more he talked, the more spirited Qian Xuefu became, his face shining with grease.

Wang Shouye listened with his mouth agape.

This Liu Xian Que… it didn’t sound like a proper place. What kind of person was this new friend he had made?

Lei Lingyun, although quite displeased with Qian Xuefu, glared at him but ultimately held her tongue.

The Qian Clan was too big and powerful to offend, and she couldn’t bring trouble to the Lei and Wang Clans for no reason.

“Hmph~” Lei Lingyun huffed and turned away, “Husband, I’ll go and gather some intelligence on the other competitors.”

With that, she left.

She really couldn’t stay any longer. If she listened any further, she feared she might commit murder in a fit of rage.

Glancing at Lei Lingyun’s retreating figure, Qian Xuefu also showed a hint of envy: “Speaking of which, little brother, you are quite lucky. The wife your family arranged for you has both the temperament and looks of the highest order.”

He was already in his thirties and still unmarried. Excellent women of equal status looked down on him, and ordinary women of equal status… well, they also looked down on him. Helplessly, his marriage had been delayed until now.

“It wasn’t arranged by the family.” Wang Shouye honestly shook his head, “Lingyun has been devoted to me for over a decade. I was moved by her sincerity and earnestness, and that’s why I married her.”

“What?” Qian Xuefu’s eyes bulged, “You and your sister-in-law are in a love marriage? And she pursued you?”

“Yes, Lingyun has had a hard time.” Wang Shouye continued to answer honestly, “She defeated many rivals. Actually, I also admire her persistence and seriousness.”

This this this…

Qian Xuefu took a couple of steps back, his face full of disbelief.

What kind of life was this Wang fellow living? Not only was his wife the one who pursued him, but she also stood out from a host of competitors after more than a decade.

“Brother, please tell me your secret?” Qian Xuefu’s attitude changed completely, and he began to flatter with a smile on his face, “No no no, as long as you’re willing to teach me, you’ll be my big brother from now on.”

“There is a secret.” Wang Shouye pondered for a moment before speaking.

“Big Brother Wang, from now on, you are my big brother. Whoever dares to provoke you is provoking me, Qian Xuefu.” Qian Xuefu’s face was full of excitement, “Quick, quick, quick, pass on your secret to me, let me also enjoy the taste of life at its peak.”

“Just study alchemy seriously.” Wang Shouye said earnestly, “Those girls all say, ‘Shouye looks so serious and handsome when he’s alchemizing, I really like it.’ There are also girls who say, ‘I want to quietly watch Shouye alchemize for a lifetime, it’s really charming.’ But it’s quite troublesome, too many girls come to watch you every day, it’s annoying.”

“Ah, that’s it?”

“Yep, that’s it.” Wang Shouye nodded seriously.

Qian Xuefu was stunned.

It sounded so reasonable. But it seemed like something was off. He, Qian Xuefu, was also very serious when alchemizing, right? Why didn’t any girls say such things to him?

Forget about girls, he couldn’t even see a female fly.

“Is this young master also an alchemist, here to participate in the Dan Ding elder’s disciple selection?”

At that moment, a lively voice suddenly sounded from the side.

Both men turned their heads to see a charmingly dressed lady from a noble family, her face slightly flushed as she looked at Wang Shouye and asked, “Excuse me, sir, do you know the insider topics for the preliminary selection later?”

“This… I’m sorry, miss, I don’t know.” Wang Shouye said helplessly, “The selection of disciples by the Dan Ding elder is a very serious matter, how could there be…”

“I do have some insider topics.” The lady blushed, her eyes hopeful, “If the gentleman doesn’t mind, I can share them with you.”

“This…”

Wang Shouye was shocked. The selection of disciples by such a respected elder had insider topics leaked?

“Yuwen Nianjing, it’s you?” Qian Xuefu reacted at this time, angrily saying, “Relying on your family’s status to get a few topics and then showing off to please men, do you have no shame?”

“So it’s you, Qian Xuefu.” Yuwen Nianjing took a few glances and recognized Qian Xuefu, her expression turning sour, “What business is it of yours who I please? I heard that you’ve been rejected several times in matchmaking recently. Could it be that you’re burning with jealousy and have twisted your nature?”

Although the Yuwen family was only a sixth-rank family, it had only recently fallen from the Purple Mansion and had a profound heritage, so they naturally did not fear offending Qian Xuefu.

Moreover, both of them were representative figures of the younger generation in the alchemy circles of the commandery city, so they naturally had some interactions.

“Heh, that’s because I didn’t like them. But I warn you, my brother is already married, don’t set your sights on him.” Qian Xuefu said indignantly.

Ah? Married?

Yuwen Nianjing couldn’t hide her disappointment.

After all, she was a lady from a noble family and couldn’t do something as disgraceful as stealing someone else’s husband. Seeing Wang Shouye nod in acknowledgment, she could only leave dejectedly and reluctantly.

Watching Yuwen Nianjing’s retreating figure, Qian Xuefu spat out, “I heard she rejected many young men during a spring outing, claiming to be devoted to alchemy. I thought she was serious. Turns out… huh, she’s just a sly fox at heart.”

“Ah, women are just trouble.” Wang Shouye shook his head helplessly, “No matter where you go, they always revolve around you, never giving you a moment’s peace.”

“Yes, women are trouble.”

Qian Xuefu gritted his teeth, trying hard to control his expression.

Heaven knows, as he said these words, he was so jealous that he was almost in tears.

He couldn’t help but cry out in his heart: Oh heavens, save me~ I really want to try the taste of being surrounded and not having a moment’s peace!!!

……