Evil Spirit Pill

“Whew… That was really something. In just one single day, I managed to produce sixteen explosive pills. I truly am a genius!” Yu Daoyi let out a rueful sigh, his face covered in grime, thoroughly satisfied and lost in his own world.

“Yu! Dao! Yi!” The voice was seething with barely contained fury.

“Hm? Who’s calling me?” Yu Daoyi was just about to turn his head.

Wait, why did the sky spin around again? And why did I say ‘again’?

“Aaah!”

A graceful spin in midair.

“Hey! What’s gotten into you?” Yu Daoyi scrambled to his feet from the ground.

“Open your eyes wide and take a good look! You’re about to demolish my house!” Song Qiuling’s cheeks puffed up with anger, her fists clenched as if she were struggling to restrain herself.

“Hiss… um… er…”

Where the hell is this? I was just making pills—how did the surroundings end up like this? Where’s the Song family’s back garden? Did aliens invade? Wait, this world doesn’t have aliens…

“Song Cheng, how could you let this place turn into such a mess! If Uncle Song sees this, he’ll be furious. This time, I’m not helping you.”

Obviously, how could this mess be caused by Qiuling and me?

Song Cheng: “Brother Dao, honestly, I really want to hit you right now. Don’t you know who did this? Don’t try to pin it on me!”

“Come on, it can’t be me. Haha, Qiuling, your brother has quite the sense of humor.” Yu Daoyi gave an awkward laugh.

Neither of them replied, but both glared at him with piercing eyes.

“Uh-oh! My house is on fire! Gotta go—see you!” Yu Daoyi put on a look of panic and bolted as if the nonsense he’d just spouted was true, one step short of rushing off to fight the blaze himself.

Wait, why does the sky keep spinning today? Is it supposed to be fun?

“Aaah!”

Another graceful aerial twist, ending in a heavy landing that shattered the blue stone tiles into fragments.

“Come on! Are you really trying to murder your own husband?”

And yet another spin.

“Don’t push me!”

And yet another.

A quarter of an hour later—

Yu Daoyi sat quietly and obediently on the ground, a forced smile on his face, looking as honest as could be.

A breeze swept by, carrying the powdered remains of the blue stone tiles into the air.

Song Qiuling shook her slightly sore jade-like hand. Had this guy’s cultivation improved? He didn’t seem hurt at all after all those throws, while her own hands ached and were slightly swollen.

“Are you ready to behave now? Tell me—how are you going to make up for this?”

“Make up for it? Would you accept my body as compensation?”

“Fine. Song Cheng, fetch me my Azure Frost Sword. Today, I’ll chop this guy up for dinner!”

Fights between masters like this are best not to get involved in or comment on, Song Cheng thought.

“Do you have to be so ruthless? In any case, I did manage to refine the pills. And these explosive pills aren’t even that hard to make.” Yu Daoyi muttered shamelessly to himself.

This guy! It’s incomprehensible! The furnace blew up like this, yet he still managed to produce them so quickly! His talent for cultivation is lacking, but how is his pill-making talent so much greater?

Song Qiuling ground her teeth in frustration. Even she had to admit that Yu Daoyi’s talent for alchemy far surpassed her own.

The only pill furnace that hadn’t exploded was the one she herself used to try making these pills, and she’d never succeeded.

“Don’t be so upset. Why not test the power of these explosive pills now? Whatever’s wrong can wait.” Yu Daoyi was all eagerness.

“Hand them over,” Song Qiuling said curtly.

“Here, all sixteen are right here.” Yu Daoyi spread his hands.

Song Qiuling took one, poured her spiritual energy into it, and hurled it to the far end of the back garden.

A thunderous boom shook the ground, the rear courtyard seemed to tremble, and thick smoke billowed upward while the sudden flare of fire forced them to shield their eyes.

All three sucked in a sharp breath, speechless for a long while.

Good heavens, is this thing really that powerful?

Suddenly, a figure appeared before them—a man in a blue robe, with thick brows and large eyes, exuding an imposing air despite his plain, rather homely looks.

It was none other than Song Tianhan, head of the Song family, drawn by the resounding blast.

Every time Yu Daoyi saw Song Tianhan, he couldn’t help but sigh—Song Qiuling had definitely inherited her looks from her mother.

“Father,” Song Qiuling and Song Cheng said in unison.

“Hello, Uncle Song. Wait, weren’t you supposed to be out today?”

“The servants said you were visiting, so I hurried home early.” Song Tianhan forced a slightly awkward smile.

He could cry—nowadays, only Uncle Song was so tolerant of him, Yu Daoyi thought, his face full of emotion.

“Ahem. What happened here? Why does it look like this?” Song Tianhan’s lips twitched as he surveyed the backyard—black smoke everywhere, pill furnace fragments scattered about, the ground pitted and scarred, and a deep smoking crater in the distance.

Had his home been invaded? He’d rushed over at the sound of the explosion, thinking his beloved daughter was in danger.

Ah, I need to have a word with my son. In this kind of situation, he should be the first to step up and protect his sister. Really now… What’s my son’s name again? Oh well, not important—as long as my precious daughter is unharmed.

“It’s nothing, just a minor incident. We can handle it.” Yu Daoyi waved it off nonchalantly, as if he were at home.

Song Qiuling: “…”

Song Cheng: “…”

This guy never learns.

“This is a minor incident? And what was that explosion just now?” Song Tianhan took a deep breath, flexing his hands—he needed to get to the bottom of this before deciding whom to punish.

“Oh, just a bit of pill refining. Sorry for the fuss, Uncle Song. That crater was made by this.” Yu Daoyi presented an explosive pill as if offering a rare treasure—there was no hiding it now.

“What’s this? A pill?” Song Tianhan asked, puzzled.

“Mm, the Calamity Spirit Pill! I just named it. I found the method on a scrap of iron—during pill forging, the energy produced is condensed into a pill with certain materials, and when spiritual energy is infused, it explodes.” Yu Daoyi explained, quite excited.

“Judging by that explosion and the devastation here, this thing could threaten even someone at the seventh stage of Qi Refinement. With enough of these, even a ninth-stage practitioner would have to steer clear.” Song Tianhan said thoughtfully.

“Exactly! It took me a lot of effort to gather the materials, and then a whole day to make them!” Yu Daoyi said, full of pride.

“So, I suppose this backyard is your doing.” Song Tianhan played with one of the Calamity Spirit Pills, his tone bland.

Uh…

“Er, Uncle Song, this is just a humble token of my respect.” Yu Daoyi quickly offered three Calamity Spirit Pills with both hands.

“My, you really shouldn’t have! There’s no need for gifts when you visit. Well then, I won’t disturb you youngsters—make yourselves at home.” Song Tianhan’s expression shifted instantly to a beaming smile.

Though not an elixir, the Calamity Spirit Pill could be valuable for the Song family’s cultivators. If each got a few, their strength would be greatly enhanced. These pills were well worth studying.

Song Tianhan mused to himself, nodding in satisfaction. The Yu family’s boy was a troublemaker, but he knew how to behave. As an elder, he couldn’t ask for a junior’s things outright—this was just right. In a blink, he vanished, along with the three Calamity Spirit Pills and the one he’d taken earlier.

Oof—four pills gone in a flash, five if you count the one that exploded. That stings.

“See? I told you it wasn’t a big deal. Uncle Song even said to treat it like my own home.” Despite the pain, Yu Daoyi was a little smug.

Song Qiuling glanced at him, exasperated—even her father had been ‘bought off’ this easily.

“Here, don’t say I’m not fair. This is for the use of your grounds.” Yu Daoyi rummaged in his pocket for a while before producing a tiny black booklet and handing it to Song Qiuling.

“Ugh, what’s this trash? I dislike it as much as I do you,” Song Qiuling wrinkled her nose.

Yu Daoyi: “…”

So annoying—why does that sound so familiar? Next time, when I’m strong enough to beat her, I’ll just pin her to the bed.