I Just Wanted To Live but I Somehow Became Better Than the Protagonist

This won’t do

“You often stay by Ye Yong’s side; do you know what his hobbies are?” After wrapping up the discussion on cultivation, Liang Xiaorou inquired about Ye Yong.

She always felt that Ye Yong understood her well, yet she knew very little about him, not even his preferences, which left her feeling quite unsatisfied. Every time they spent time together, it was Ye Yong who initiated the conversation, catering to her interests. Naturally, Liang Xiaorou hoped to learn more about Ye Yong in return.

Qin Shimeng shared the same thought but was unsure how to ask. She was more of a reserved type, unlike Liang Xiaorou, who spoke her mind freely.

Upon hearing the mention of their young master, Wu Xue immediately perked up, fully alert, afraid of missing any details.

“The master’s hobbies?” Everyone assumed that Hua Ningyan, who often stayed by Ye Yong’s side, would know him better, but in reality, Hua Ningyan knew no more than they did. Reflecting on her time with the master, it had been enjoyable, but it seemed he was always the one making her happy. If Liang Xiaorou hadn’t brought it up, Hua Ningyan would have never realized that she didn’t know her master at all.

Faced with the expectant gazes of everyone, the little fox stammered, “I’m sorry, I don’t know.”

Then it turned to Qin Shimeng and Liang Xiaorou, looking at Wu Xue, the maid, who quickly shook her head.

“Then what are his habits?” Liang Xiaorou asked again.

Hua Ningyan and Wu Xue pondered for a moment but did not respond. The silence spoke volumes, and the three women and one fox in the living room fell into a hush.

Having known him for quite some time, they surprisingly didn’t even know his daily habits. Was it that their observational skills were too weak, or was Ye Yong simply too laid-back, lacking any particular habits or hobbies?

They had thought their relationship with Ye Yong was quite good, that they were close, only to realize that the so-called closeness was entirely maintained by Ye Yong himself. If one day he were to ignore them, how would they even converse with him?

Just the thought of this made even the emotionally reserved Qin Shimeng feel a bit anxious, let alone the more expressive Wu Xue and Liang Xiaorou. Hua Ningyan, on the other hand, was fine; after all, it wasn’t even human and hadn’t considered such matters too deeply. Right now, it was simply a spirit pet wanting to repay a debt of gratitude, without any thoughts of disrespect or impropriety. Lacking romantic feelings, it naturally wouldn’t feel so tense or anxious.

“This won’t do,” Liang Xiaorou decided that something had to be done.

Qin Shimeng and Wu Xue agreed, and so the three women and one fox gathered together to discuss.

—Dan Fire Hall;

At this moment, Ye Yong was engaged in alchemical operations, with Xie Ming attentively explaining beside him. He increasingly felt that Ye Yong was a genius; many mistakes he hadn’t pointed out, Ye Yong had already avoided on his own, as if he were an experienced practitioner. Yet his techniques were still clumsy, suggesting he hadn’t practiced alchemy before. Thus, Xie Ming could find no other word to describe Ye Yong but “genius.”

Ye Gou knew nothing about alchemy but could sense that Ye Yong was methodical and composed, mixing the extracted herbs together and placing them into the alchemical furnace. Next came the crucial fire control stage, as the heat was vital to the alchemical process. Too high, and the furnace would explode; too low, and the medicinal properties would not be released. Ye Gou held its breath, afraid to disturb Ye Yong.

However, for Ye Yong, controlling the heat was simpler than purification, as he had previously learned the cooking methods for spiritual vegetables through the system. The heat was one of the key points for successful cooking, so Ye Yong observed the movements of the alchemy furnace, constantly adjusting the heat, making it seem effortless.

Half an hour later, the commotion from the furnace gradually calmed down, and a faint fragrance of elixir wafted out. Undoubtedly, the elixir was complete.

“Young Master Ye is truly a remarkable person! I, Xie, have been refining elixirs for many years and have guided countless apprentices. In my lifetime, I have never seen someone like Young Master Ye succeed in alchemy on their first attempt!”

“Master Xie, you flatter me. It’s just a first-grade elixir, nothing difficult,” Ye Yong replied modestly. As someone who had studied chemistry and conducted small experiments in class, he didn’t feel particularly proud.

“If it were that easy, there wouldn’t be so many people unable to become alchemists, spending their lives as mere apprentices,” Xie Ming couldn’t help but lament the disparity between people.

“That’s right, Young Master Yong, you shouldn’t be so humble. As for me, I still can’t comprehend it,” Ye Gou’s words were a classic example of a sycophant, elevating Ye Yong while belittling himself.

Ye Yong said nothing in response. His success was merely a result of the advantages of being a transmigrator, coupled with a certain foundation of scientific knowledge.

Opening the alchemy furnace, he found several Gathering Qi Pills inside, and judging by their quality, they were of intermediate grade.

Ye Yong wasn’t sure if this success was just beginner’s luck, so he refined a few more batches. None exploded, and all produced intermediate-grade pills, with one batch even yielding two advanced-grade pills.

Xie Ming was immensely impressed, stating that an ordinary first-grade alchemist could not reach Ye Yong’s level. He wanted to report this to Elder Gongsun, but Ye Yong quickly stopped him.

He was already burdened with enough expectations and didn’t want to carry more.

Ye Yong repeatedly warned the talkative Ye Gou not to speak of it. He had approached this with the mindset of conducting a scientific experiment; the method for first-grade elixirs was relatively close to science, while second-grade and above began to delve into metaphysics, with the involvement of spiritual energy and elixir formulas greatly increasing. Ye Yong couldn’t guarantee that he would still perform normally once he stepped outside the realm of science.

Ye Gou didn’t understand why Ye Yong wanted to keep it a secret. It was clearly a good thing for everyone to celebrate, but Ye Yong insisted, and he naturally complied, nodding earnestly and promising not to reveal a word.

Seeing that Ye Yong’s serious expression didn’t seem like a joke, Xie Ming could only say, “I won’t mention it to outsiders, but if Elder Gongsun asks, please forgive me for not being able to lie to him.”

“That’s fine. Just don’t tell anyone else besides him,” Ye Yong simply feared that if the news spread, everyone would call him a genius in alchemy. Setting aside the potential for over-praise, if someone challenged him to a duel in alchemy, he would have to purchase alchemical abilities to compete, and that joy of gradually exploring and mastering knowledge would be lost.

After a long-awaited encounter with something new, time passed quickly. Ye Yong realized it was already evening, and the female leads were still waiting for him at home, so he hurriedly bid farewell to Xie Ming.

“Is the Son of Heaven truly real?” Xie Ming murmured to himself as he watched Ye Yong’s hurried figure depart.

——

After Long Tian returned to the Sword Pavilion, he had been waiting for news. However, it seemed no one mentioned his victory over several second-grade alchemists in the Alchemy Hall; the discussions were almost entirely about Ye Yong. Some said Ye Yong had stayed in the alchemy room for several hours, and the supervising Xie Ming refused to reveal what had happened inside. Ye Yong’s follower, Ye Gou, was equally tight-lipped.

Sometimes, the more something is kept secret, the more curious those around become, and the bolder their speculations. Even the news that Ye Yong had refined advanced-grade elixirs and defeated the Alchemy Hall’s young genius, Dian Hua, completely overshadowed Long Tian’s achievements.

—

Fortunately, there were quite a few spectators at the time, who promptly corrected the rumors; otherwise, Long Tian might have worked hard for nothing.

Until the evening, vague whispers began circulating that Elder Bai wanted to take Long Tian as his disciple, while others said that Elder He and Elder Liu had similar intentions. Only then did Long Tian’s anxious heart finally settle, realizing that his efforts had not been in vain.

However, he was also very curious about what had happened in the alchemy room where Ye Yong was.