Chapter 552: A Welcoming Feast
As soon as Feng Xiao heard that this entire area would belong to her from now on, a radiant smile bloomed on her face, and the excitement she had suppressed erupted with redoubled fervor.
Pharmacist Feng's death had been a significant blow to her; thus, from the time Yang Haoran first met her until now, a smile rarely appeared on her face. Even when one occasionally surfaced, that smile was always strained.
Yet, at this moment, the smile on her face was genuinely happy. She gazed around the area, looking here and there, appearing visibly agitated. From this, it was also evident that she was truly, deeply interested in alchemy; otherwise, her reaction wouldn't have been so strong.
This area lacked any equipment, as the villa had only just been completed, and Yang Haoran didn't understand this aspect either. Thus, he hadn't prepared any equipment in advance, and it looked quite empty.
Nevertheless, to be able to possess such a large space to serve as her place for refining medicine and researching drugs, Feng Xiao felt an inexpressible excitement.
Watching Feng Xiao's excited expression, even without asking, Yang Haoran knew that Feng Xiao was extremely satisfied with the place. The smile on his face also deepened somewhat due to Feng Xiao's reaction.
"You can speak freely about any equipment you need for your alchemy. I will procure them at the earliest opportunity," Yang Haoran said.
"Aside from the alchemy furnace, everything else I need for alchemy is already in my room," Feng Xiao said with a smile.
"I almost forgot about it. My apologies."
As his words fell, Yang Haoran waved his hand and retrieved Feng Xiao's alchemy furnace from his independent space.
Although this alchemy furnace once belonged to Pharmacist Feng, now, it belonged to Feng Xiao.
Yang Haoran placed the alchemy furnace in the center of the area. As for where Feng Xiao preferred to place it, she could move it later according to her own needs.
The underground space beneath the villa had many other areas besides the drug research zone. However, these other areas involved various secrets: there was a ghost cultivation area, an area for detaining prisoners, and some other special zones. The fewer people who knew about these areas, the better, so he had set up restrictive formations using his Spirit Power over all of them. He temporarily didn't want anyone else to know about them, and Feng Xiao was no exception.
Seeing Yang Haoran retrieve the alchemy furnace, Feng Xiao smiled and said it was fine, while simultaneously searching this area for the optimal spot to place the alchemy furnace.
With Feng Xiao so satisfied, Yang Haoran's heart also felt pleased. However, there were some things that needed to be said, and he felt it was best to clarify them with Feng Xiao beforehand to avoid unnecessary trouble later.
"This underground area is very large, and besides this spot, there are many other different areas. Some of these areas are very dangerous, which is why I have set up restrictive formations over them. Under no circumstances should you approach any of these areas," Yang Haoran said, a faint smile on his face, reminding Feng Xiao.
Hearing this, Feng Xiao didn't think much of it and immediately replied, "Brother Yang, don't worry, I absolutely won't trespass."
Yang Haoran smiled and nodded, then said, "I'm merely giving you a simple reminder; I don't mean to imply I don't trust you. I hope you can understand."
In the time that followed, Feng Xiao moved all the bottles, jars, and other items she needed for her alchemy into the underground drug research laboratory.
Since the drug research laboratory was merely her work area for refining various medicines, her residence remained in another villa. Thus, she left all her daily necessities in her room. Everything usable for alchemy, whether it belonged to her or had once belonged to her master, was moved into the drug research laboratory.
During this time, Yang Haoran called Bai Xue, Old Master Wu, and Ye Zhiqiu, who was out on a mission, asking them to return to the villa early in the evening.
Bai Xue was handling some mission-related matters with the Spirit Police, while Old Master Wu was taking care of some trivial affairs at the Death God Temple. Neither of them had any major tasks at hand, and both would be able to return in the evening.
As for Ye Zhiqiu, Yang Haoran couldn't get through to his phone. Just as he was worrying in his heart whether Ye Zhiqiu had encountered some accident, Ye Zhiqiu unexpectedly returned to the villa.
Yang Haoran, who had originally been somewhat worried about Ye Zhiqiu's safety, seeing Ye Zhiqiu return safely, felt his worries vanish like smoke.
As for why he couldn't reach Ye Zhiqiu's phone, in his opinion, it was likely because Ye Zhiqiu's phone couldn't receive a signal when he was passing through a spatial rift during his teleportation.
Inside the study, Ye Zhiqiu handed Yang Haoran an Evil Spirit (evil Spirit) and an Evil Spirit (Evil Spirit). This time, Ye Zhiqiu had two missions during his outing, and these two missions weren't in the same location, which was why Ye Zhiqiu had spent some time.
With these two missions completed, Yang Haoran intended to let Ye Zhiqiu rest for a period. Firstly, because the foursome and Tang Shi's group of three hadn't made any new discoveries for the time being.
Furthermore, Ye Zhiqiu had already undertaken two consecutive missions, and it was indeed time for him to rest.
In the evening, Xiao Kang returned to the villa after school. Although he wasn't old, he didn't need anyone to pick him up or drop him off. After all, he wasn't like ordinary children; thus, he didn't require escort.
Not long after, Bai Xue and Old Master Wu also returned to the villa one after another. Although Yang Haoran hadn't said much on the phone, both of them knew very well in their hearts that something significant was surely about to be announced.
Xiujuan prepared a large table full of dishes, while Old Master Wu procured a case of fine wine. Under Yang Haoran's arrangements, they were holding a welcoming dinner for Feng Xiao tonight.
Why a welcoming dinner and not a celebration? Because Feng Xiao had just lost her master, and celebrating, for any reason, would be inappropriate. Thus, tonight was merely a welcoming dinner for Feng Xiao to allow everyone to get to know each other. As for celebrating Feng Xiao's inclusion, Yang Haoran planned to properly hold a celebratory banquet once Feng Xiao had emerged from her grief, at a later date.
At the dinner table, Xiao Kang looked at Feng Xiao with a face full of curiosity. Feng Xiao was only a few years older than Xiao Kang. Seeing such an "older sister" suddenly appear in the family, Xiao Kang, who had never had a playmate, felt a surge of excitement in his heart.
However, he had gradually learned to control his emotions, so he didn't outwardly show the excitement in his heart, merely revealing a look of curiosity.
Compared to Xiao Kang's curiosity, Old Master Wu and Bai Xue, besides feeling curious about Feng Xiao, also harbored some doubts in their hearts.
In their view, Yang Haoran specifically called them to return early today, which was very likely related to the somewhat shy-looking girl before them. Thus, both were very curious about the girl's identity.
Xiujuan was different from the other three. She had already interacted with Feng Xiao today and had a rough understanding of Feng Xiao's identity, so she appeared very calm, without curiosity or doubt.
Xiujuan was able to roughly guess Feng Xiao's identity not because Feng Xiao told her herself, but because Xiujuan had figured it out on her own.
Yang Haoran's study contained many books. Even now, Old Master Wu would occasionally add more books he had collected through various means to the study. Yang Haoran's study was open-plan, and everyone in the villa could read there, and Xiujuan, when she had nothing to do, would also immerse herself in Yang Haoran's study to read books and broaden her knowledge.
After Feng Xiao arrived at the villa, the most numerous items among her belongings were bottles and jars, as well as some dried medicinal herbs and some pill recipes for refining Dānyào. She saw all of this with her own eyes and thus discerned Feng Xiao's identity as a Pharmacist.
As for Ye Zhiqiu, he wasn't interested in who Feng Xiao was or what her identity might be, not in the slightest. If it weren't for the extraordinary relationship he now shared with Yang Haoran, he wouldn't even have had the interest to sit at the table. After all, he was by nature a solitary wolf who didn't fit in with others.
Thus, at this moment, he didn't even spare Feng Xiao a glance. He simply drank his wine and ate his food, minding his own business, as if everything tonight had nothing to do with him.
Feng Xiao, on the other hand, appeared quite reserved, because among everyone at the table, she knew no one except Yang Haoran; she didn't know anyone else.
Ordinarily, she had rarely encountered outsiders in the mountain valley. Now, having moved into an unfamiliar environment and being surrounded by unfamiliar faces, indeed made her feel quite uncomfortable for a while.
Furthermore, her personality was not inherently lively, which was why she felt completely ill at ease at this moment.
Yang Haoran noticed Feng Xiao's discomfort, and since everyone who was supposed to be there had arrived, he didn't let Feng Xiao remain awkward any longer and began introducing Feng Xiao to those present.
Regarding Feng Xiao's identity, Yang Haoran didn't conceal anything, because Feng Xiao would be living with those present from now on, and if any of them were injured in the future, they would still need Feng Xiao's help. Thus, there was no point in hiding it; therefore, Yang Haoran had no intention of concealing Feng Xiao's identity.
After learning that Feng Xiao was a Pharmacist, everyone present, except Yang Haoran and Xiujuan, was startled in their hearts, their expressions becoming quite vivid.
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