After Han Yu had tested so of the pills Li i had given him, he was full of energy. The tests had gone much better than before, much to the shock of both individuals.
Even so of the more troubleso pills seed as problematic as soured milk to Han Yu.
’Is this due to my new body or due to the fact that my cultivation is now at the Qi refinent realm?’ He couldn’t help but wonder.
"Just what happened to you? Your body is enduring the effects with ease. There is no bleeding, no sneezing, no itching and not even farting." Li i was stunned. "This won’t do. Your body is too resilient now, I won’t get the data i need." the girl was in a dilemma.
One one hand Han Yu had grown even more durable which ant that she could give him more potent and crazy pills, but on the other hand it ant that she wouldn’t get more data. After all, not everyone was like Han Yu and there were bound to be effects on others.
With the tests as how they went today, the data would be lacking.
But Li i couldn’t do anything for now and would have to figure out how to tackle this later. After all, she now had another task to do right now, a plan to make.
A sche to hatch that even Li i was feeling quite excited about. After all, the one thing she liked more than making pills was causing trouble and chaos.
Later that evening, under the glow of paper lanterns and the hum of cicadas, Han Yu leaned over the stone table in his courtyard, grinning like a cat who’d just found the fish pond unlocked.
"So... let’s recap," he said, sketching crude diagrams with a stick in the dirt. "This is where Murong Xie’s lackey, Luo Heng, trains every morning. Right here, at the Plum Blossom Terrace."
Li i squinted at the drawing. "Why does the terrace look like a squashed frog?"
"It’s symbolic," Han Yu said, proudly. "Frogs are noble creatures."
She sighed. "Alright, genius, and what exactly is your brilliant plan this ti?"
Han Yu clapped his hands. "Glad you asked. First, we prepare a batch of those spirit repellent herbs—you know, the ones that sll like fernted turtle shell and ruin your aura flow."
"...I have a small pouch," Li i muttered reluctantly.
"Perfect. We’ll scatter them around the terrace before dawn. When Luo Heng begins cultivating, his Spirit Qi circulation will go completely haywire. He’ll think he’s sick—or cursed."
Li i raised an eyebrow. "That’s petty."
"Exactly. Petty is the foundation of revenge," Han Yu declared. "Petty is how we sow doubt. Doubt leads to fear. Fear leads to anger. And anger..."
"...leads to more conflict?" Li i finished dryly.
Han Yu gave her a wide, proud grin.
"See? You get it now."
That night, under cover of darkness, they sneaked out like two delinquent raccoons. Li i, disguised in a modest brown cloak, tossed the herbs around with surgical precision, grumbling the entire ti about wasting good alchemical ingredients.
anwhile, Han Yu added his personal touch—a few hidden slips of paper around the terrace with cryptic ssages like:
"The frogs are watching."
"Your Qi slls funny today."
"A great misfortune approaches. Especially on Tuesdays."
By the ti the sun rose, the deed was done.
And sure enough, later that morning, Luo Heng could be seen stumbling out of the terrace like a madman. His robes were soaked in sweat, his hair was in disarray, and he was muttering about evil frogs and cursed Qi lines.
Han Yu, watching discreetly from a rooftop, held his breath.
SHUA
Three thick wisps of grey Surprise energy.
SHUA
One spike of blazing red Anger energy.
SHUA
Even a ripple of faint blue Sadness.
Han Yu nearly burst out laughing.
"Three colors! That’s a triple harvest!" he whispered to himself.
Back in his courtyard, Han Yu sat cross-legged, eyes closed, cycling the Eight Emotions energy into Soul Qi. It wasn’t much—yet—but each wisp brought clarity. A soft hum filled his body as the Soul Qi slowly grew.
Li i, sitting nearby and chewing on roasted lotus seeds, tossed one at his forehead. "You look way too happy for soone who’s technically ditating."
"That’s because I’m winning," he said smugly.
"I’m starting to worry about you."
Han Yu chuckled. "You’re just mad you didn’t think of it first."
She didn’t deny it.
That night, Han Yu scribbled a few more plans into his notebook. He was targeting more than just Luo Heng. There were at least four or five Outer Court disciples who had either mocked him in the past or owed him "emotional debts"—as he now called them.
"Ti to collect," he murmured, rubbing his hands together like a scheming tax collector.
And collect he did.
Over the next few days, incidents began to pile up.
One disciple’s prized training spear mysteriously turned limp like a noodle during sparring practice.
Another’s robe suddenly turned neon pink after a "rare dye accident."
A third found their spirit beast—normally very docile—suddenly convinced its owner was an evil cabbage demon.
Han Yu observed it all with the smug detachnt of a master tactician. Each incident brought him small doses of emotional energy—anger, confusion, embarrassnt, even fleeting fear. It was like watching a chaotic garden of emotions bloom all around him.
"Why fight your way to power," he said one afternoon, lounging in his robe, "when you can irritate your way there?"
Li i groaned. "You’re going to start a sect-wide riot."
"That just ans more energy," Han Yu said cheerfully.
SHUA
A ripple of Joy wafted from Li i.
She smiled before quickly turned her head. "That wasn’t for you."
Han Yu chuckled. "Sure it wasn’t." but he knew the energy didn’t lie.
For once, he felt like he was truly walking a path that was his own—half mischief, half cultivation, all heart.
And sowhere deep inside, the Undying Life Charm pulsed slowly, steadily... as if pleased with the chaos.
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