I Became the Alchemy Master by Picking Up Trash-Chapter 60 - 59: Mirror

In the dead of night, when everyone was asleep and all was silent, the grey-haired girl suddenly sat up from her bed as if sleepwalking, walking to the mirror as if her soul had left her.

The room wasn’t lit, but there was lighting in the courtyard, making the room not completely dark thanks to the dim reflections.

The room wasn’t decorated with anything special, just a full-height mirror. At this moment, the girl had already come to face the mirror, where her reflection should have appeared, but bizarrely, there was nothing there.

The mirror’s surface rippled like water, and as the ripples spread, an image of a person wearing a hood appeared, their face invisible.

A hoarse and chilling voice came from the mirror:

"Wei Chen——!"

The grey-haired girl suddenly opened her eyes, realizing she was standing in front of the mirror, showing a look of terror on her face.

The girl fell to the ground and bowed: "Wei Chen greets the master!"

"Report the current situation."

The girl, lowering her head, spoke with evident nervousness: "Replying to the master, in the battle at the Southern Fortress, Chu Yunyi was severely injured. He was barely holding on in front of others and fell unconscious after returning to the Chu Family."

"Hmm. Using such a large-scale Killing Array, it’s a miracle he didn’t die."

The girl continued: "Chu Baili and Shen Tuwei, the two Great Elders, came to the Chu Family late at night and stayed in Chu Yunyi’s room all night. I don’t know what methods they used, but the next day Chu Yunyi was back to normal."

The mysterious figure snorted and said:

"The Shentu Family’s first Family Head once served Wang Yao Immortal Monarch. In the hands of the old woman Shen Tuwei, there must still be life-saving Immortal Pills. Chu Baili must have paid a high price to invite her. However, the Chu and Ye Families have recently been secretly acquiring Spirit Fruit, indicating that even Wang Yao’s pills didn’t fully restore Chu Yunyi, and his Spirit Sea was indeed injured. Do you know how much his spiritual power has recovered?"

The girl lowered her head, ashamed, and said: "I do not know, my lord."

"Smack——" a loud slap landed on the girl’s face, but she gritted her teeth and stayed silent.

"Useless waste——!"

"Master, calm your anger! Chu Yunyi hasn’t left his room much recently, and his meals and lodgings are personally attended to by the butler. I am merely responsible for attending to Lady Ye, and truly haven’t had many opportunities to get close."

"Can’t you create an opportunity? Chu Yunyi isn’t a saint. I don’t believe he truly has no interest in women!"

The girl’s face suddenly turned pale, and she bowed down in plea: "Master, I was only able to successfully enter the Chu Family and become Lady Ye’s personal maid because of my plain looks and honest demeanor."

"Before me, there were already maids who caught Chu Yunyi’s attention, and all who had such thoughts were dismissed. Even if I tried using my feminine charm, setting aside whether Chu Yunyi would even be interested, I wouldn’t be able to continue serving in the Chu Family, and at that point, I wouldn’t be able to gather any intelligence."

A smoky arm extended from the mirror, fiercely gripping the girl’s chin, forcing her to look up and meet the crimson eyes within the hood.

"Since you’re thinking so much of me, why did you repeatedly refuse to make eye contact with Chu Yunyi today, rendering my Spying Technique useless? Wei Chen, don’t forget that if it weren’t for me saving you, you’d still be suffering in the slave factories. Everything you have now was given by me, so don’t forget your identity and think you can go against my orders once your wings have grown strong!"

The girl was shocked and hurriedly explained: "Master, Wei Chen is devoted to you till death, absolutely without any second thoughts. It’s just that Chu Yunyi is as alert as a crane and as cunning as a fox. I have a feeling that he already suspects me, which is why I dared not meet his gaze rashly.

Today, after returning Lady Ye, he deliberately exposed a flaw in his back, perhaps intending to test me. If you had really used the Spying Technique, nine times out of ten, it would have fallen into his trap. My death is a minor issue, but alerting the enemy and ruining your plans is significant, and I dare not take the risk."

The mysterious figure thought carefully and felt that Wei Chen’s words made sense. Chu Yunyi was Qianyuan Continent’s top talisman master, and despite being ill, he was still formidable. If he indeed detected anything, the meticulous plans of a hundred years would all be in vain.

"Hmm, continue with the surveillance."

The arm slowly released, returning to the mirror. The ripples swayed, and the mysterious figure disappeared, leaving the mirror as an ordinary mirror reflecting a girl’s pale and swollen face.

Wei Chen quickly pulled the bed sheet over the mirror, then crawled under the bed, curled up, and buried her head in her arms, quietly sobbing.

Li Xing had originally planned to save some low-grade Crystal Stones before the enrollment of the reserve forces, but the plan couldn’t keep up with the changes, and she was delayed by Yang Zhou’s tea business, spending most of her days rushing work.

Li Xing considered that instead of squeezing time to go to the forest, she might as well finish her current tasks in one go and head to Harssas early.

Running the money-making establishment, where she was a major shareholder, diligently was also a viable shortcut to earn Crystal Stones.

After a busy day, with the scent of tea leaves clinging to her, Li Xing received a group chat message from Ye Qingting and Cui Tianxiao.

//Hey you: Xing! Your brother misses you, do you miss your brother?//

//Frailty Flower: Who might you be?//

//Hey you: Whoa, no emotion!//

//Dragonfly: Ah Xiao, stop fooling around, let’s talk business. Ah Xing, my cousin drank the coffee you made and liked it a lot. He hopes you can make some more, name your price.//

//Frailty Flower: Sure, I’ll make it tomorrow. This time I’ll concentrate the ingredients, and the effects will be better, but the price will remain the same.//

The price Ye Qingting offered was already high, so there was no need for Li Xing to raise it. After all, making "coffee powder" from Spirit Fruit to her involved no more technical skill than frying tea, and asking for more wouldn’t sit well with her conscience.

//Dragonfly: Thanks. I’ve prepared the low-grade Crystal Stones. When you’re available, let me know, and I’ll bring them over and get the coffee.//

//Frailty Flower: No need for the trouble; I’m heading to Harssas next month, let’s catch up then.//

//Dragonfly: Aren’t you worried about the expense?//

Through this time of interaction, Ye Qingting could see Li Xing’s fervent obsession with money. The ticket price from the Teleportation Port was ten thousand Star Coins per person per trip, and it would require several transfers from Datang to Harssas, so Ye Qingting didn’t want her to spend so much.

//Frailty Flower: No, I’m going to Harssas for school anyway.//

Messages from both Ye Qingting and Cui Tianxiao arrived almost simultaneously and had the same content.

//You’ve decided to come to Harssas Academy?//

Li Xing replied with a smiling face, which was taken as confirmation.

//Dragonfly: Great! Tell us when you’re coming, and we’ll pick you up at the Teleportation Port!//

//Hey you: Yes, yes, yes! If you need anything, just tell your brother, I’ll prepare everything! See, I said our fate isn’t over yet, hehe!//

//Frailty Flower: If I need your help, I certainly won’t be shy. See you in Harssas.//