Yao Bao'er carefully packaged the pills. Then, she handed one of the porcelain bottles to Xue Qi.
Looking at the small porcelain bottle in her hand, Xue Qi's eyes immediately welled up with tears.
If she had known the price to pay, she would have rather given up on the treatment.
"Take it, I want to see what you looked like when you were young too."
Seeing Xue Qi in a daze, Yao Bao'er weakly urged her.
Upon hearing this, Xue Qi nodded. Ye Cangtian and Yao Bao'er had risked their lives to refine the pills, all for her recovery. She absolutely could not let them down.
So, she bowed deeply to Yao Bao'er and Ye Cangtian before taking the pill.
The next moment, a miracle happened.
Xue Qi's gray hair instantly turned jet black and lustrous, and her wrinkled skin regained its plumpness and elasticity.
Witnessing this, Yao Bao'er covered her mouth. She hadn't expected the medicinal effect to be so potent.
After all, Xue Qi had only just swallowed the pill, and the majority of its medicinal properties had yet to be absorbed.
"No wonder it could trigger a pill tribulation. This pill is indeed extraordinary!"
Just then, Han Xiang's voice reached them, and Yao Bao'er also came to her senses.
She glanced at Han Xiang and sighed, saying, "Sometimes, an overly potent effect isn't always a good thing..."
Yao Bao'er's voice trailed off as she spoke.
This time, if ordinary heavenly treasures had been used to refine the Tianji Pill, it should have resolved Xue Qi's issues.
However, because she had strived for perfection in every aspect, she had used ten-thousand-year-old blood ginseng, over a thousand-year-old ice mountain snow lotus, and various other high-grade heavenly treasures.
These heavenly treasures were already the cream of the crop, and when refined further, the resulting Tianji Pill reached the 'heaven-defying' level, thus attracting the pill tribulation.
Therefore, in her opinion, Ye Cangtian bore at least half of the responsibility for his injuries.
On the other side, seeing the look of regret on Yao Bao'er's face, Han Xiang walked up and patted her shoulder.
"Child, this is not your fault!"
As she spoke, Han Xiang changed the subject and continued, "Child, your physical condition is also very dangerous. I suggest you take a Tianji Pill as well!"
Yao Bao'er shook her head upon hearing this.
As a physician, Yao Bao'er naturally knew her own condition. Her injuries were severe, but a single Jiutian Xuming Pill would be enough for recovery.
With that thought, she said, "No need. Such a costly pill should not be wasted on me."
"How can it be called a waste?"
Han Xiang glanced at her and said, "After you take the pill, your injuries will heal rapidly, and your cultivation and spiritual power will significantly increase. This will be very beneficial for your future pill refining!"
"Don't you want to avoid having him shield you from lightning tribulations again when you refine heaven-defying pills in the future?"
This...
Hearing Han Xiang's persuasion, Yao Bao'er hesitated. She glanced at the scorched Ye Cangtian beside her, her gaze flickering.
Ye Cangtian shielding her from the pill tribulation was something she regretted most in her life. Such a thing must never happen again!
With that thought, Yao Bao'er gritted her teeth, took out a pill, and swallowed it.
...
Days turned into weeks, and half a month passed in the blink of an eye.
Yao Bao'er and Xue Qi had both finished absorbing the medicinal effects.
Xue Qi's vitality had been completely restored, and furthermore, her spiritual power and cultivation had also improved.
She had advanced from a four-layered cultivation to a six-layered cultivation in one go, which was quite a significant effect.
As for Yao Bao'er, her progress was even more surprising. She had average aptitude and a very slow cultivation speed.
However, after taking the Tianji Pill, her cultivation leaped from the mid-stage of the Earthly Tier to the second-layer of the quasi-Heavenly Tier. Now, she was considered a formidable expert within the Hidden Group.
Of course, this was only in terms of cultivation.
On the other side, Ye Cangtian had absorbed the lightning tribulation over these days. What remained was only the medicinal effects within his body.
However, these past two days, Yao Bao'er and the others noticed that the divine light produced by the medicine on Ye Cangtian's body was gradually fading. He was expected to wake up any day now.
Because of this, Yao Bao'er was somewhat anxious. She couldn't rest easy until Ye Cangtian woke up.
Whoosh!
Just then, everyone's bodies jolted as a sky-shattering roar echoed.
Joy instantly lit up everyone's eyes. They knew Ye Cangtian had awakened.
Not only had his injuries healed, but his cultivation had also improved.
The next moment, everyone swiftly moved to the entrance of the Heavenly Gate Fortress, awaiting Ye Cangtian's return.
As expected, a short while later, Ye Cangtian's figure appeared in their sight.
Seeing Ye Cangtian, Yao Bao'er was the first to rush forward, her long-held worries turning into tears.
"Boss, I'm sorry. I was too proud and didn't know it would trigger a pill tribulation, which caused you to get injured..."
Yao Bao'er's voice choked with emotion.
Ye Cangtian saw this, patted Yao Bao'er's shoulder, and said, "It's not your fault. Besides, look, I've also benefited from this misfortune."
Ye Cangtian's face was filled with a smile. If it weren't for Yao Bao'er triggering the pill tribulation, he didn't know how much longer he would have to wait to break through.
He had now advanced from the mid-to-late stage of the Heavenly Tier to the late stage of the Heavenly Tier, not far from the peak of the Heavenly Tier. This was a significant improvement.
In addition, he had gained other benefits.
His body, tempered by the lightning tribulation, had seen a great increase in its strength and a significant improvement in its recovery ability.
What surprised him the most was that even his absorption ability had noticeably improved.
It could be said that enduring this lightning strike was well worth it. He even wished for a couple more lightning strikes, which might allow him to break through the limits of the Heavenly Tier.
Hearing Ye Cangtian's words, the heavy weight in Yao Bao'er's heart finally lifted.
Xue Qi, standing beside them, quickly stepped forward and bowed respectfully to Ye Cangtian, expressing her gratitude. "Brother Ye, Xue Qi doesn't know what to say. You did all this for Xue Qi..."
As she spoke, Xue Qi's voice also became choked. She truly didn't know how to express her gratitude.
Ye Cangtian quickly helped Xue Qi up and said with a smile, "We shouldn't be so formal with each other. It's good that everything is alright..."
Xue Qi nodded heavily. What Ye Cangtian said was right. Expressing thanks would be too distant. She would simply keep it all in her heart.
Xue Qi stepped back, and Ye Zhengxiao quietly walked forward.
The bond between men was not expressed in words. He directly stepped forward, gave Ye Cangtian a big hug, and then retreated.
Ye Cangtian smiled and turned his gaze to Han Xiang, then spoke, "Han Xiang, now that Xue Qi is well, it's time for me to take my leave."
Han Xiang nodded. She knew that with Ye Cangtian's cultivation, there were likely many matters outside that required his attention, so she did not stop him.
She simply said calmly, "I have passed on my cultivation techniques to Xue Qi and Bing Yao. I ask for your continued care for them in the future!"
"That is natural."
Ye Cangtian looked at her and said solemnly, "Rest assured, as long as I am here, no one will be able to harm them."
Mm.
Han Xiang responded with a hum and then took out a Qiankun bag, tossing it directly to him.
"I said I would reward you handsomely for healing Xue Qi, so don't refuse this. After all, I am Xue Qi's master, and it is only right for me to contribute something for her."
Hearing this, Ye Cangtian said no more and directly handed the Qiankun bag to Yao Bao'er.
He believed that the Qiankun bag must contain some top-grade heavenly treasures, so he didn't need to look and simply gave it to Yao Bao'er.
"Ah!"
However, when Yao Bao'er received the Qiankun bag and glanced inside, she immediately shrieked.
The Qiankun bag contained a dazzling array of heavenly treasures, and these treasures were all very ancient, undoubtedly the finest of the finest.
Yao Bao'er looked at Han Xiang blankly, too moved to speak.
Seeing this, Han Xiang snorted and chuckled, "Child, this is half of my fortune. Use it sparingly. If you want more next time, it won't be so easy..."
Yao Bao'er, still stunned by the shock, nodded blankly in response.
On the other side, Ye Cangtian approached Yao Bao'er and extended his hand, saying, "Bao'er, give me one of the pills you refined."
Only when Ye Cangtian spoke did Yao Bao'er react. Without a word, she took out a Tianji Pill and gave it to Ye Cangtian.
Ye Cangtian immediately handed it over to Han Xiang. Before she could speak, he preempted her, saying, "Keep the pill. After all, you will be going to the Celestial Realm in the future, which will surely be perilous. Perhaps one day, a Heavenly Tier pill will save your life!"
Hearing this, Han Xiang nodded and said, "Thank you very much. You must also be careful on your journey. I will wait here for your safe return..."