The scent of crushed herbs wafted through the air as Lin Chen and Qin Yuyan made their way deeper into the valley. Now free of chains and slowly recovering, Madam Qin had insisted they stop at a secluded glade surrounded by spirit flower bushes and medicinal grass.
She had quickly scouted the area and found a patch rich with fire-attributed spiritual herbs — ideal for a recovery pill. With Lin Chen's help, they set up a basic alchemy formation.
"I could attempt a pill now," she said, examining the ingredients. "It won't be perfect — not without my cauldron or proper tools — but it'll stabilize my meridians."
Lin Chen sat cross-legged nearby, eyes half-closed but alert. "Take your time. I'll watch your back."
Her fingers moved with practiced elegance as she placed the herbs on a smooth slab of stone. Without a cauldron, she used her own flame — a soft crimson fire that danced around her fingertips with natural grace. Even without tools, her command over flame and ingredient balance mesmerized Lin Chen.
"You're staring," she said without looking up.
"I'm admiring," he replied. "There's something beautiful about watching a master at work. Especially when that master's as elegant as you."
Qin Yuyan's lips curled slightly, but she said nothing.
As she worked, Lin Chen checked his Dual Sovereign System. The interface had begun registering her spiritual frequency.
Potential Dual Companion Detected
Name: Qin Yuyan
Compatibility Rating: 82%
Affinity: Yin-Fire/Alchemical Path
Status: Indebted
Suggested Integration Level: Emotional Bond or Favor Exchange
Lin Chen's eyes twitched.
This thing really does keep records like a matchmaking bureau.
Still, 82% wasn't something to scoff at. That was far higher than most ordinary pairings, and he hadn't even flirted seriously yet.
"Your qi seems... strange," she said abruptly. "There's a duality to it. Yin and yang… but not in conflict."
He shrugged. "Let's say I practice a very unorthodox method."
Her gaze narrowed. "Unorthodox? Or dangerous?"
"Both," he said with a smirk. "But aren't the best things in life a little dangerous?"
She looked away, but her ears flushed faintly.
When the pill was finally refined, she inhaled it in one breath. Her qi surged briefly, and the color returned to her cheeks. She looked five years younger.
"I feel almost human again," she murmured. "Thank you."
"You owe me two favors now," Lin Chen said, stretching lazily. "Saving you. Then helping you make that pill."
"Two?" she asked archly. "You're inflating the debt now?"
"I'm a businessman of romantic debts. I keep good records."
She raised a brow. "And what are you going to demand for the second favor? A kiss?"
Lin Chen leaned closer, eyes glinting. "I'm patient. Let's say I'm saving it for when the mood's better."
She met his gaze. Then, to his surprise, she didn't pull away.
"Then make sure you survive this place," she said softly. "And perhaps I'll consider giving you what you want."
Before he could reply, a violent tremor shook the ground.
Lin Chen stood up instantly, sword unsheathed. His system flared in warning.
Alert: Beast Qi Detected
Species: Tier 9 Spirit Beast → In Mutation Phase
Category: Evolution into Tier 1 Demonic Beast
Strength: Borderline Foundation Establishment
Qin Yuyan hissed. "They're using pills again… I thought they were gone!"
A massive shadow emerged from the treeline — a mutated spirit tiger, its fur matted with black alchemical residue, one eye glowing red, the other burned shut.
Lin Chen stepped forward. "Get behind me. I've got this."
He dashed forward just as the beast pounced.
Its claws came down like axes, cleaving a massive trench into the ground. Lin Chen slid beneath the strike, kicking off a tree and slashing upward. His blade met bone — but the beast barely flinched.
It roared, opening its jaws to release a pulse of corrupted qi.
Lin Chen's eyes flashed. He activated the Heavenly Merging Cauldron, circulating yang energy into his legs and arms. Flames burst along his blade as he executed a rising slash infused with Yin-Devouring Flow.
The sword cleaved through the beast's shoulder, but not cleanly.
The mutated tiger spun, tail like a whip, and slammed him into a tree.
Coughing blood, Lin Chen grinned. "Now this is a real fight."
His Dual Sovereign System pulsed.
Auto-Adaptation Engaged
Suggestion: Cycle internal yin with nearby fire-aligned partner for temporary boost
Sync Source: Qin Yuyan (Yin-Fire type)
Estimated Boost: +20% power, +10% reaction speed
He turned his head. "Madam Qin! I need a favor now!"
Understanding flashed in her eyes. She threw him a glowing red pill — one she'd saved from earlier — and channeled a sliver of her own yin-fire qi into it.
Lin Chen caught it and consumed it mid-air.
Heat exploded in his core. His meridians surged, muscles tightening like drawn bows. The world slowed.
He moved.
The mutated beast barely saw the final strike.
One moment it lunged — the next, Lin Chen's sword pierced through its gaping mouth and out the back of its skull, its eyes rolling up as black blood sprayed.
The corpse thudded to the earth.
Lin Chen exhaled, sheathing his sword.
Qin Yuyan walked up to him, brushing hair from her face. "That… was reckless."
"Reckless works when you've got beauty throwing you buffs from the sidelines," Lin Chen said, swaying slightly.
"You're hurt."
"I'm alive," he countered, leaning on his sword. "And I killed it. That's what matters."
She looked at him with a complex expression. "You're strange."
"You'll find I grow on you," he replied, offering a grin. "Like a rogue pill you didn't mean to swallow."
She laughed despite herself, and for a brief moment, something passed between them — not flirtation, not obligation… but something warmer. Mutual respect.
"We should move," she said. "There will be more. This area's growing unstable."
"Then let's go," Lin Chen said. "And next time I save your life, we're evening that favor count."
She smirked. "We'll see."
Together, they stepped deeper into the mists — one an alchemist in search of freedom, the other a Sovereign chasing pieces of his forgotten past.
[End of Chapter 31]