After settling down at the Luan family's residence, Luan Jiping first took Long Xiao to buy a few new sets of clothes. Then, she brought him to visit relatives and friends, introducing him to her acquaintances.
In the evening, Luan Jiping provided Long Xiao and Luo Tianshui with a detailed account of the Luan family's situation.
The capital city was home to numerous aristocratic families, but the strongest among them were the Long, Xue, Gongsun, and Pei clans.
Although the Luan family's strength surpassed that of other minor families, they had consistently been unable to attain the same status as the four major clans, thus failing to become the fifth prominent family in the capital.
Despite the Luan family having established themselves in the capital for several generations, their foundation was still too shallow compared to the four deeply entrenched, long-standing families.
Luan Jiping did not elaborate on why her immediate family was ostracized by the Luan clan, nor did Long Xiao inquire.
After listening to Luan Jiping's introduction, Long Xiao pondered for a moment and then said, "Sister, tell me about your grandfather. What are his hobbies and aspirations? To convince him to allow your family to return to the Luan clan, we must understand what he desires and what his weaknesses are."
Luan Jiping informed Long Xiao that her grandfather had a fondness for tea and wine. His cultivation was exceptionally high, at least at the peak of the Xuan realm, and he might have already entered the Di realm.
Given the Luan family's influence, they were undoubtedly well-supplied with ordinary items like tea and wine.
The "Dragon Scripture" was profound and vast. Although Long Xiao could only access its introductory sections, the knowledge contained within was sufficient for his needs.
The "Dragon Scripture" included information on tea and tea cultivation techniques. However, it was too late to cultivate tea saplings now. Thinking about winemaking, Long Xiao suggested, "How about we find a winery, and I'll personally brew a jar of fine wine for your grandfather?"
"You understand winemaking?" Luan Jiping asked, surprised.
Long Xiao nodded and replied, "I possess a complete set of introductory winemaking techniques. Brewing a jar of good wine is definitely not a problem."
Luan Jiping shook her head and said, "We don't have enough time for winemaking. Even the finest wine must undergo aging in a cellar to become truly exceptional."
"If not winemaking, what else can we do? Your grandfather must be over eighty, right? How about we refine a few longevity pills for him?"
"What kind of pills are longevity pills, and can they truly extend lifespan?"
Long Xiao nodded and said, "They can certainly extend lifespan. As for how many years a beginner longevity pill can add, I'm not sure. We'll only know after the pills are refined."
In ancient times, alchemy was a mandatory discipline for Daoists. However, due to the passage of time, the art of alchemy had largely been lost. Luo Tianshui found it peculiar when Long Xiao mentioned his ability to refine pills.
Seeing Luo Tianshui's bewildered expression, Long Xiao chuckled and said, "What's so strange about that? Refining pills is essentially making medicinal pills, which you've seen before, haven't you?"
"That's not right, Brother Long. Isn't alchemy about burning medicinal herbs in an alchemy furnace for days before forming a golden elixir?"
Long Xiao burst into laughter and exclaimed, "Tianshui, that's ordinary Daoist alchemy. My alchemy is different from theirs."
Luo Tianshui was somewhat confused to hear about alchemy beyond the Daoist tradition. Long Xiao explained that before the advent of Daoist alchemy, China had various sophisticated alchemy techniques.
For certain reasons, other alchemy techniques had been lost, and only Daoist alchemy had been passed down.
Although Long Xiao's alchemy techniques were not overly difficult, capable of being performed even with a pressure cooker instead of an alchemy furnace, the essential ingredient for refining longevity pills were medicinal herbs brimming with life essence.
"What kind of medicinal herbs are full of life essence?" Luan Jiping inquired.
Long Xiao told Luan Jiping that as long as they were sufficiently aged, even ordinary medicinal herbs could possess life essence.
Luan Jiping considered this and said, "It's really difficult to find aged medicinal herbs. How about we seek out Sun Sizhu, the Medicine King, and ask him for help?"
Sun Sizhu hailed from Donghai. In recent years, he had relocated to the capital with his disciples and grandchildren. He had some acquaintance with Luan Jiping when he was in Donghai years ago.
After agreeing on a plan, Luan Jiping rose early the next morning, and together with Long Xiao and Luo Tianshui, they set out. They first visited a shopping mall to purchase some gifts and then took a taxi to Sun Sizhu's residence.
The building had three floors of commercial space. The bottom floor housed Sun Sizhu's Medicine King Clinic, while the second and third floors were used for residential purposes.
Even before the clinic's opening hours, people were already queuing outside.
Long Xiao and the other two directly knocked on the door. A young man peered out through the glass door and said, "It's not opening time yet. Please wait."
Luan Jiping tapped on the glass and said, "We are acquaintances of Medicine King Sun from Donghai. We have something important to discuss with him."
The young man glanced at Luan Jiping and replied, "There are many people from Donghai, all claiming to know my grandfather and wanting him to see them."
"Young man, tell your master that my name is Luan Jiping, and he will surely see me."
The young man did not open the door and ignored Luan Jiping, turning away.
Luo Tianshui stepped back a few paces and looked up at a second-floor window. "Brother Long, should I go up and see if Medicine King Sun is in?"
Long Xiao shook his head and said, "Let's wait a while longer."
The three of them waited until eight o'clock, when the Medicine King Clinic opened its doors. They entered, but no matter what they said, the clinic staff refused to let them go upstairs to see Sun Sizhu.
Luan Jiping grew anxious and shouted, "Medicine King Sun, I am Luan Jiping! Are you upstairs?"
Immediately after she shouted, a middle-aged man hurried down from upstairs.
Upon seeing Luan Jiping, the middle-aged man quickly smiled and said, "Madam Luan, you've arrived! Please, come upstairs."
Luan Jiping looked at the middle-aged man and asked, "Is your master here? I have something urgent to discuss with him."
The middle-aged man shook his head and replied, "I apologize, Madam Luan, but my master went out early this morning to see a patient. He should be at the Lu family's villa right now."
"Can you help me contact your master? I have an urgent matter."
The middle-aged man nodded and said, "Please wait a moment. I'll contact him right away."
The middle-aged man made a phone call and then hung up. "Madam Luan, my master is waiting for you at the Lu family villa. You can meet him there."
After clarifying the location of the Lu family villa, Long Xiao and the other two left the Medicine King Clinic, hailed a taxi, and arrived at the gates of the Lu family villa in less than an hour.
As Sun Sizhu had made prior arrangements with the Lu family, they were immediately welcomed into the villa by a butler-like figure upon arrival.
In the villa's living room, Long Xiao and his companions met Sun Sizhu.
Sun Sizhu was dressed in a cotton jacket with a Mandarin collar and wore cloth shoes. His face was ruddy, and his well-maintained skin was as soft and delicate as a child's.
After their introductions, Luan Jiping first introduced Long Xiao to Sun Sizhu, and then directly stated their purpose for visiting.
The moment Sun Sizhu saw Long Xiao, he was greatly astonished. Seeing Long Xiao immediately reminded him of an acquaintance; they bore a striking resemblance.
"Long Xiao, is your hometown in the capital?" Sun Sizhu asked.
Long Xiao shook his head and replied, "I don't know. Since I can remember, I've been wandering with an old man. My adoptive father took me in when I was five, and I've lived in Donghai ever since."
Sun Sizhu regarded Long Xiao thoughtfully for a moment before turning to Luan Jiping and saying, "Madam Luan, your arrival is most opportune. There is a small auction this afternoon, and among the items is a thousand-year-old wild ginseng."
"Really? That's wonderful!" Luan Jiping exclaimed with delight.