C32 Auxiliary Skill Pill Refining

"Do you really need to go to such lengths?" Qian Jiajia asked dismissively. "Anyone who dares to lay a hand on me will simply meet their end by my hand."

"But what if they're the underdogs?" Zhou Jibo countered. "They're innocent right now. It wouldn't be right for me to slaughter them without cause. Yet, on the other hand, the Zheng family wouldn't find it hard to target a not-so-clever girl."

"What if Zheng Fanshuang were to die because of this? Should we then kill those Zheng family members who didn't deserve death?"

Qian Jiajia was left speechless by the question, and it also scared Zheng Fanshuang.

In that moment, Zheng Fanshuang came to a sobering realization amidst her sorrow. She recognized that Zhou Jibo's intentions weren't driven by lust, but rather because she had given him the books, he was doing everything in his power to prevent her from meeting a tragic end.

He truly was a man who clearly understood the difference between debts of gratitude and vengeance.

The brutal events Xunqin had described didn't actually occur within the Zheng family. Only those who opposed Zhou Jibo were executed.

Why did Xunqin and the Patriarch seek to harm Zhou Jibo in the first place? Weren't the Zheng and Zhou families supposed to be on good terms for generations?

Zheng Fanshuang never got the chance to voice this question, as Zhou Jibo had already entrusted her to Qian Jiajia before heading back to the courtyard alone.

After another round of questioning from Qian Jiajia, Zheng Fanshuang was left in the care of an elderly maid. Eventually, she settled in with Ninghe, the young maid in Zhou Jibo's courtyard.

By evening, the rest of the Zhou family members had returned from the Zheng estate, led by their Patriarch, Zhou Kaile. They brought back with them the majority of the Zheng family's wealth.

Only four warriors in the Zheng family had reached beyond the sixth layer of the Acquired Realm. Among them was the new Zheng family Patriarch, Zheng Linghan, who had sided with the Zhou family. The remaining Zheng family members, predominantly the elderly, the weak, women, and children, had gone from being one of the prominent families in Icefair City to teetering on the brink of ruin.

News rippled through Icefair City, sending tremors of shock through numerous families and powers.

The Zhou family's recent annulment of a marriage alliance had already stirred up quite the commotion. Now, with the Zhou family nearly obliterating the Zheng family, many wondered how such deep-seated enmity could erupt between two clans that had been allies for generations.

The circumstances surrounding Zheng Linghan's account slowly became common knowledge among the Icefair families. Word also got out that Castellan Lang Shen and Yu family patriarch had intended to intervene but were dissuaded by Zhou Jibo.

Icefair City was outwardly calm, yet beneath the surface, it seethed with unrest and speculation.

The revelations were startling: The Zheng family had aligned with the Shrine of Astral Radiance? They had resorted to such measures against Zhou Jibo of the Zhou family? And Zhou Jibo himself had a contingency in place, managing to intimidate two warriors of the Innate Stage?

Both the Zheng and Zhou families had significant support and were not to be underestimated. With these two powerhouses at odds, the other families and forces were left to wonder what their place was. Would they even dare to get involved?

In a discreet move, Glorious House quietly removed restrictions on the Zheng family's remaining members. The Myriad Treasure Auction House, despite its formidable presence across several nations, chose not to provoke the Holy Land.

Days passed, and the Zheng family clung to their pride without invoking the Holy Land for retribution; the Zhou family refrained from further aggression. To the casual observer, Icefair City seemed unchanged.

Yet, those with a keen sense of the undercurrents could sense a storm brewing. In response, many families discreetly dispatched their younger members and offshoots to leave Icefair City, preparing for any unforeseen events.

The Zhou family, meanwhile, basked in their recent triumph. Despite the lingering concerns of Zhou Kaile and others, they ultimately pinned their hopes on Zhou Jibo.

Within Zhou Jibo's courtyard, Zheng Fanshuang, now acclimating to her role as a competent maid, gingerly carried a basin of hot water.

Her hands, unaccustomed to menial labor, were tinged pink from the heat. It was a stark revelation of the life she had once known, where she was the one attended to, not the attendant.

Zheng Fanshuang carried the steaming water into the room and glanced up to see Zhou Jibo engrossed in a book. She nearly called out to him with the familiar "Jibo," but caught herself, opting for a more formal address. "Young Master, would you like to freshen up now?"

Zhou Jibo set aside the "Explanation on Alchemy" and proceeded to wash his hands and face before returning to his reading.

"Zheng Fanshuang, do you find medical and alchemy texts to be of much use?" Zhou Jibo inquired.

Startled by the question, Zheng Fanshuang wondered if he was truly speaking to her. Hadn't he previously shown little interest in her thoughts? Why the sudden engagement?

"I believe they hold significant value. Though physicians may not be highly esteemed, their skills are essential for healing and saving lives. Alchemists, on the other hand, enjoy a lofty status as warriors seek them out for their pill-making abilities. Technomancers are also held in high regard," Zheng Fanshuang replied thoughtfully, unsure of Zhou Jibo's intent.

"You have a point. Since it doesn't require much effort on my part, I might as well build a foundation in both areas," he mused.

Zheng Fanshuang couldn't quite grasp the meaning behind Zhou Jibo's words. Seeing that he had no further requests, she took her leave.

Her emotions were a tangled web. The feud between the Zhou and Zheng families originated with her own kin, yet the Zhou family had taken many lives from the Zhengs. Zhou Jibo had brought her to his family's home, effectively saving her life. Whether to harbor resentment towards Zhou Jibo and his family was a decision Zheng Fanshuang had yet to make.

As Zhou Jibo had pointed out, she did sometimes feel like a not-so-clever young girl; otherwise, she would have reached a conclusion long ago.

After Zheng Fanshuang departed, Zhou Jibo arranged three books before him: "Xu's Medical Book," "Explanation on Alchemy," and "Experience on the Crafting."

"Xu's Medical Book" was considered a fringe text in the medical world, accessible for 300 attribute points. "Explanation on Alchemy" was categorized as a low-grade Yellow Rank tome, detailing fundamental alchemical knowledge and formulas for the Acquired Essence Gathering Pill and the Bleeding Control Pill, requiring 1,000 attribute points to master.

The "Art of Forging" is a compendium of insights from Forgemaster Wang Sibo, chronicling his journey from a blacksmith who couldn't craft weapons of any notable rank to becoming a skilled Technomancer. He, too, was of the lower Yellow Rank, requiring a thousand attribute points to master the technique.

At this moment, Zhou Jibo had more than 8,000 attribute points at his disposal, insufficient for enhancing his other attributes. However, this amount was more than enough to learn these new skills.

"Learn them all," Zhou Jibo commanded inwardly. The system promptly deducted 2,300 attribute points. There was no change to his mental cultivation method, martial skill, or bone root, but three new abilities now appeared among his auxiliary skills: the first layer of Xu's Medical Book, the first layer of alchemy, and the first layer of forging.

As these vast memories flooded Zhou Jibo's mind, he felt overwhelmed, almost to the point of dizziness. It took some time before he could sift through the influx of information and make sense of it all.

The knowledge from Xu's Medical Book encompassed the body's meridians and acupoints, the preparation of herbal medicine and medicinal soups, and the diagnostic techniques of observation, scent, and palpation.

The secrets of alchemy included the art of harvesting and preserving spiritual herbs, mastering the pill furnace's flames, and the mental techniques for controlling fire.

The wisdom of forging revealed the essence of heaven and earth's precious metals, the various types of spirit ores, and the superior qualities of spirit steel and spirit iron, as well as the methods for refining and tempering them.