The next morning, Xu Mu woke up early. He had a lot to do today and needed to prepare in advance.
Ye Tong and Ye Yu soon got up as well, and when they came downstairs, they saw Xu Mu standing by the living room's floor-to-ceiling window, with several sheets of newspaper spread out on the floor.
On top of the papers was a small mountain of herbs.
"Brother-in-law, what are you doing?" Ye Yu asked curiously as she approached.
But before she could get close, Ye Tong held her by the shoulder and whispered, "Don't disturb your brother-in-law."
She figured Xu Mu must be researching a new medicine again.
Lately, the Xu Group had begun purchasing the ingredients for refining Yang Qi Pills in batches.
They didn't buy too much at once—doing so would attract attention from competitors.
This new product was planned to debut at the Yang City branch.
Ye Yu stuck out her tongue and went to sit on the sofa.
After Ye Tong finished preparing breakfast, she came over and saw Xu Mu carefully arranging the herbs.
"Breakfast is ready," she said softly.
"Alright."
Xu Mu smiled back at her and stood up.
He had already sorted the herbs according to his current alchemy skill level.
With his technique, he could refine around a dozen Marrow-Cleansing Pills and more than twenty Qi-Gathering Pills.
The Marrow-Cleansing Pill could transform the body and purge impurities—something most hidden clans couldn't afford.
As for the Qi-Gathering Pill, it was essentially a junior version of the Qi Sea Pill, allowing the user to directly raise their cultivation.
However, according to the novel's lore, Qi-Gathering Pills were mainly effective in early cultivation stages.
For instance, they could help a practitioner at the Internal Force stage advance to Hidden Force, but beyond that, the effect diminished rapidly.
Once reaching the Gangqi Realm, the pills were almost useless.
Still, reaching the peak of Hidden Force was impressive enough.
For example, if Ye Tong reached that level, she'd be able to handle any ordinary threat that came her way with ease.
After a simple breakfast, Ye Tong and Ye Yu left together, while Xu Mu stayed home to refine pills.
Though only a Junior Alchemist, Xu Mu mastered things quickly—once he learned, he perfected.
Now, he was already at the peak of the junior level.
He didn't have a pill furnace at home, so he improvised—using an oven and a microwave instead.
Refining high-grade pills required specialized furnaces, but for these low-level ones, his setup was enough.
Some herbs needed roasting; others had to be steamed.
Once everything was prepared, he began the most important step—extracting the essence using his Qi.
That was the hardest part of alchemy, but Xu Mu relied on instinct and muscle memory to get it right.
Every ingredient had a unique extraction method; Xu Mu adjusted his Qi output carefully to bring out its properties.
After two to three hours of intense focus, the pills were finally complete.
Unlike his previous batches, which were full of impurities, these pills were perfectly smooth and lustrous.
He had refined 12 Marrow-Cleansing Pills and 26 Qi-Gathering Pills—enough to empower several people.
Just then, Xu Mu's phone buzzed. It was Meng Wanyue.
He answered, "Wanyue, what's up?"
"Mr. Xu, you're not coming to the office today?" she asked.
Only then did Xu Mu remember—he hadn't told her he'd be late.
"I'll be there soon," he said with a smile.
She was the perfect person to test the pills—after all, she'd never be able to afford one otherwise.
…
At the company, Xu Mu called Meng Wanyue into his office.
As soon as she saw him, black text appeared above her head.
[Favorability +5]
She didn't even understand why—after only a day apart, she had already started missing him.
Now that she saw him again, her mood instantly brightened.
Xu Mu sat on the sofa and motioned for her to come over. Taking out a small pill, he said, "Wanyue, this is for you."
"What's this?" she asked, sitting beside him and taking the pill.
"Marrow-Cleansing Pill," he said casually.
"What!?"
Her whole body jolted. She hurriedly handed it back. "Mr. Xu, this is priceless! I remember the Dragon King went through a lot of trouble just to get a few of these!"
"He did?" Xu Mu was surprised. As expected of the protagonist. Then he asked, "So you've taken one before?"
"Of course not. The Dragon King only gave them to his top lieutenants. Someone like me wouldn't qualify."
She lowered her head, embarrassed.
"Then take it," Xu Mu said, smiling and patting her shoulder. "Go ahead and use it now—there's a shower in my office bathroom."
[Favorability +10]
Meng Wanyue hesitated, blushing slightly. "Mr. Xu… maybe I should take it at home?"
"What's wrong? Afraid I'll peek?" Xu Mu teased. "Relax, I'm heading out soon anyway."
"N-no…" she murmured, then stood up. "Alright, I'll use it here then."
Xu Mu nodded gently and stepped out of the office.
Meng Wanyue hurried into the bathroom, locked the door, and carefully undressed.
Sitting on the toilet, she swallowed the pill in one go.
She trusted Xu Mu completely now. Even if it weren't a Marrow-Cleansing Pill, she would've taken it without hesitation.
The pill melted instantly, turning into a wave of heat that spread through her stomach.
Moments later, her body grew feverish.
She looked down at her pale arms—they'd turned red and were sweating.
"It's just like when Sister Xiao Ran took hers… no, the effect's even stronger," she murmured.
She remembered Xiao Ran saying her pill had taken more than ten minutes to work.
This one took less than a minute.
Soon, dark gray impurities began seeping from her pores.
Meng Wanyue panicked, glancing at the door—she didn't want Xu Mu seeing her in this filthy state.
Quickly, she turned on the shower and began rinsing herself clean.
Outside, Xu Mu stood calmly, withdrawing his spiritual sense.
As a righteous gentleman, he was only monitoring the pill's effects—definitely not entertaining any impure thoughts.
Once he confirmed its success, he walked toward the corner office on the same floor.
"Brother Xu!"
A buzz-cut young man, who had been playing on his phone, scrambled to stand up.
It was Wang Biao, Xu Mu's former driver and bodyguard.
He used to accompany Xu Mu everywhere, but ever since Xu Mu replaced the "original villain Xu Mu," he rarely brought him along.
"Sit," Xu Mu said, gesturing for him to relax. "What's got you grinning so wide just now?"
"Ah, well…" Wang Biao scratched his head. "A relative back home set me up with a girl for a blind date. She's in Jiang City too—we were just chatting."
"Oh-ho! Not bad. Mind if I take a look? I've met plenty of women in my time," Xu Mu said with a smirk.
"Sure thing!"
Wang Biao handed over his phone.
Xu Mu glanced at the chat—and was instantly speechless.
Good grief… this girl's treating Old Wang like an ATM!