62- Shen Yin's Story

Xu Fang lifted the lid of the pill furnace, retrieved the Fire Breath Pill, and stood up. He approached the elders and extended the pill towards them, inviting them to inspect the results.

The fifth elder took the pill from Xu Fang and waved his hand, summoning a pill-testing artifact. Unlike a needle tester, this device was about 5 cm tall and had a square base of approximately 3 cm on each side. On the top, there was a small tube where the pill could be placed.

Carefully, the fifth elder positioned the pill on the tester. Three seconds later, a three-digit number appeared on the display, leaving both elders even more stunned than before.

"How… How is this possible?"

"100%? It's a flawless quality."

"Elders, do you now understand why I instructed you earlier to keep the results confidential?" Shen Yin asked, smiling at the stunned elders.

"We understand Your Highness," the fifth elder responded, his tone filled with respect.

"Very well. Now both of you may leave. I will hold onto his alchemist badge until the appropriate time comes to award it. And the fifth elder, you will safeguard this pill until I instruct you to submit it to the association," Shen Yin instructed the fifth elder with a serious tone. With a nod of understanding, they both left the alchemy chamber after bowing respectfully.

Xu Fang and Shen Yin exited the chamber and returned to the main chamber of Shen Yin. Once inside, Shen Yin locked the door with a wave of her hand before Xu Fang took a seat in the leader's chair, which rightfully belonged to Shen Yin.

Without saying a word, Shen Yin walked over to Xu Fang and settled onto his lap with a joyful smile, and Xu Fang wrapped his arms around her waist.

"Now that I've earned the alchemist badge, are you happy?" Xu Fang asked, grinning at Shen Yin.

"Of course," Shen Yin replied, returning his smile.

With a wave of her hand, an alchemist badge materialized in her palm. On the badge, a red star was prominently displayed, which she then handed to Xu Fang.

"Take it. And I have another surprise for you," Shen Yin said to Xu Fang, her smile now tinged with mystery.

"What's the surprise?" Xu Fang asked, curiosity evident in his tone.

"Husband, if I tell you now, where's the fun in the surprise?" Shen Yin responded with a playful smile. She continued.

"Come to my room tomorrow after lunch, and I'll reveal it to you then."

"Alright, I'll come to your room tomorrow," Xu Fang agreed, then added with a teasing tone.

"Yin Er, you better practice your alchemy diligently from now on. Don't complain if I surpass you."

With their playful banter, the atmosphere between the two remained light and affectionate.

"Husband, I appreciate your confidence in me, but I still worry if I'll ever be as skilled as you in alchemy," Shen Yin replied, her tone tinged with a hint of sadness.

"Don't lose hope, my sexy wife. I'll be there to support you every step of the way. Tonight, come with me to the library within the LOG treasure, and I'll provide you with alchemy-related books to broaden your knowledge and enhance your skills," Xu Fang reassured Shen Yin with a warm smile.

"Husband, you're amazing. Thank you," Shen Yin expressed her gratitude with excitement in her voice.

"So, the fifth and sixth elders are from your family?" Xu Fang asked Shen Yin with a smile.

"Yes, that's why I called upon them. I trust they won't disclose this matter," Shen Yin replied, returning his smile.

"Yin Er, would you like to talk about your family with me? I've heard that you haven't visited them since your mother passed away, and even declined to meet your father when he came to see you," Xu Fang asked Shen Yin, his tone serious.

Xu Fang had heard about Shen Yin's family from Long Xiu, but he didn't know all the details. That's why he decided to ask Shen Yin directly.

"Of course, why not? Even though I've been hesitant to talk about them, I accept you as my husband wholeheartedly. So, you have every right to know about my family, and today I'll share everything with you from the beginning," Shen Yin replied to Xu Fang, her tone serious.

"From the start, my father, Shen Delan, wanted a son to carry on the family lineage. I was the firstborn, and everything seemed fine. However, when I was four years old, my brother, Shen Yimu, was born, and everything changed. My father began to neglect me, and from then on, my mother was my only family and friend.

As I grew older, my second brother, Shen Tian, was born, and my father's neglect towards me only increased.

Over the years, my relationship with my brothers has remained distant and strained, much like my relationship with my father. Even as Shen Yimu and Shen Tian grew into adulthood, the strained family ties continued.

My life took an unexpected turn when, driven by political considerations, my father arranged my marriage to your father, Xu Wang, despite my strong objections. In the years that followed our union, tragedy struck with the sudden and devastating loss of my mother.

This profound loss led me to distance myself from my family and Grimdenn City. My reluctance to return became even more evident when my family visited Ledal City during a difficult period marked by the injury and subsequent death of your father. Despite their attempts to reconcile, I remained firm in maintaining my emotional distance, reflecting the deep pain and isolation I felt within myself."

"Thank you for sharing that with me. I promise to stand by you in every situation, until my last breath. I also promise you that one day, you'll become stronger than your father and anyone else in this world," Xu Fang said to Shen Yin, his tone serious.

"I don't need anything else. I'm happy just knowing that I'll spend the rest of my life with you. That's all that matters to me," Shen Yin replied, smiling at Xu Fang.

In response, Xu Fang gently cupped Shen Yin's face in his hands and kissed her lips passionately for two minutes.

"Alright, it's time for me to head back to the castle. I believe Mother Ning is waiting for me in class," Xu Fang said to Shen Yin, smiling.

"Oh, by the way, Husband, when are you planning to make a move on Sister Ning?" Shen Yin asked, standing up from Xu Fang's lap with a playful smile.

"I think she's up next, so I can start making plans. I hope to win her over in a month or two. But why do you ask?" Xu Fang responded, smiling as he stood up from the chair.

"Nothing; once she becomes your wife, there won't be a need for that fake lightning element class anymore," Shen Yin said to Xu Fang, smiling.

"In that case, I'll have to expedite my plans and change the timeline from months to a few weeks." Xu Fang nodded thoughtfully.

After their conversation, Xu Fang left the Ledal Alchemy Association and returned to the castle. He headed straight to Lie Ning's training area to attend the lightning element class.

During today's class with Lie Ning, Xu Fang subtly employed his charm technique with low sensitivity to pave the way for his plans.

After the class, Xu Fang returned to his room and waited for dinner. 

After finishing his meal, Xu Fang proudly showed his Tier-1 High-Level Alchemist badge to his family during dinner.

Shen Yin then shared with everyone about the flawless quality of the pill, which had achieved a 100% rating.

The family was initially surprised by Xu Fang's exceptional talent, but they soon offered their heartfelt congratulations. Long Xiu privately communicated with Xu Fang, asking why he had claimed the Tier-1 High-Level Alchemist badge instead of the Tier-3.

After Xu Fang explained his reasoning, Long Xiu understood and agreed with his decision. Shen Yin reminded everyone to keep the achievement a secret.

Following dinner, Xu Fang left the dining hall and returned to his room. From there, he entered the LOG treasure.

When Shen Yin entered the LOG treasure, Xu Fang led her to the library, as he had promised earlier to assist her in improving her alchemy skills.

After reading, Xu Fang returned all the books to their respective places in the library. But now he began gathering advanced-level alchemy-related books from different sections of the library for Shen Yin again.

Within a few minutes, Xu Fang had collected a selection of advanced alchemy books for Shen Yin to study and enhance her skills.

After handing over the books to Shen Yin, Xu Fang left the library. Shen Yin headed to the mansion to begin studying, while Xu Fang went to the Alchemy Tower to practice his own alchemy skills.

Long Xiu was occupied in the herb garden, tending to the various plants and herbs. Shen Yin settled in the family room of the mansion, engrossed in her alchemy-related books. Meanwhile, Xu Fang dedicated himself to alchemy practice for the next four hours in the Alchemy Tower.

After completing his practice session, Xu Fang returned to the mansion to get some rest before continuing with his training.

Joining him in the much-needed rest were Long Xiu and Shen Yin. The three of them slept peacefully in Long Xiu's bedroom, wrapped in each other's embrace, for a refreshing seven hours.

Long Xiu slept on Xu Fang's right side, while Shen Yin cuddled up to Xu Fang, resting her head on his chest as they slept.

Upon waking up, they all took a bath, had their breakfast, and then left the dining room. Long Xiu and Xu Fang headed to the practice area to work on array mastery. Meanwhile, Shen Yin chose to remain in the mansion to continue her studies.

After completing the array mastery session, Xu Fang continued his training. He practiced artifact creation, honed his martial arts secret moves, and improved his combat skills by battling artificial magical beasts in the forest.

As the time came to return to the real world, Xu Fang, Long Xiu, and Shen Yin transitioned back and found themselves in their respective rooms.

The morning had gone smoothly for Xu Fang, and after lunch, he was on his way back to his room. Halfway there, he remembered that Shen Yin had asked him to visit her room after lunch.

Realizing this, Xu Fang changed direction and headed to Shen Yin's room to discover the surprise she had mentioned the day before.