Chapter Thirty-Five: The Temporary Boyfriend

After helping Lu Lu resolve her matters, Lin Yi asked Angel to drive him to Yang Junqi’s traditional medicine clinic.

He had to ask her directly about the Spirit Marrow Liquid. At the time, he’d been in a rush to refine the spiritual elixir and hadn’t had a chance to inquire further. Now that his tenth golden core had fully formed, he needed to get to the bottom of things. After all, he would need to refine more elixirs in the future—the more Spirit Marrow Liquid, the better.

Upon arriving at the clinic, the receptionist nurse greeted him with enthusiasm. Lin Yi nodded in response and went straight up to the second floor.

Knock, knock, knock.

Lin Yi rapped on Yang Junqi’s office door.

A stern voice replied from within, “Come in.”

He entered, his brow furrowing slightly. His gaze landed on the wall behind Yang Junqi, where a small black metal bow was mounted, its arrow aimed directly at her heart.

Lin Yi glanced at the bow, then greeted her, “Sister Yang.”

“Lin Yi, you’re back,” Yang Junqi said, a note of delight in her voice.

He nodded. “Sister Yang, who gave you that little bow behind you?” he asked with curiosity.

“That was a gift from my eldest sister—the woman who visited my home last time,” Yang Junqi replied, rubbing her temples. Though she and her elder sister often clashed, family was family; since her sister had brought her something, she couldn’t very well refuse.

Lin Yi pressed further, “Did she tell you to display it like that?”

“Yes, she said it’s a feng shui talisman and must be placed precisely in that spot,” Yang Junqi answered with a nod.

A chill flickered across Lin Yi’s eyes. “Sister Yang, if you trust me, get rid of that bow,” he said.

Yang Junqi looked at him in confusion. “Do you mean there’s something wrong with it?”

Something very wrong, in fact. There are all sorts of feng shui talismans—some suppress misfortune, some bring fortune to others, while others gather malignant energy to harm. That little bow belonged to the latter category. If Yang Junqi stayed in such an environment for long, she’d eventually die of heart disease. The purpose behind the gift was clear: her sister wanted her to die quietly and without fanfare.

But feng shui was often dismissed as superstition; Lin Yi wasn’t sure if he should explain it outright.

After a moment’s thought, he said, “Just know it’s no good, Sister Yang.”

Yang Junqi studied him deeply, finding him even more mysterious. In fact, she’d felt something was off since her sister gifted her the bow. No one gives without reason; kindness without cause always hides an agenda. Now, Lin Yi’s warning confirmed her suspicions.

“Alright, I’ll listen to you,” she said with a smile, turning and taking the metal bow off the wall. Perhaps it was her imagination, but as she removed it, a gentle warmth spread through her chest.

“How odd,” she murmured, then turned to the sofa by the wall. “Have a seat. What brings you here today?”

Lin Yi nodded. “There’s something I’d like to ask you.” He pulled a small jade vial from his pocket. “Sister Yang, could you ask your friend if there’s any more of the liquid in this bottle? I’d like to buy it if possible.”

Spirit Marrow Liquid was useless for ordinary people, but in alchemy, it dramatically increased both the success rate and quality of elixirs. For example, the last time Lin Yi refined his spiritual pills, without the liquid, he’d have produced at most three; with it, he ended up with five.

“Lin Yi, there’s no need to talk about money—these are my friends,” Yang Junqi said, rolling her eyes at him. She pulled out her phone to make a call, but Lin Yi interrupted, “Also, could you ask about the location?”

He felt a faint sense of anticipation as he spoke.

“Alright,” she agreed.

Soon after, Yang Junqi ended her call. “You’re in luck, Lin Yi—my friend still has some left. The place is at Stone Cave Forest in Mountain Province. Apparently there are many caves there, but my friend can’t recall exactly which cave he found it in.” She paused, curiosity piqued. “But what do you want it for? It’s just ordinary water dripping from stalactites.”

Lin Yi didn’t hide the truth. “Alchemy.”

“Don’t be ridiculous—it’s not ancient times, no one does alchemy anymore,” Yang Junqi said, shaking her head.

Lin Yi only smiled, offering no further explanation.

Since he didn’t elaborate, Yang Junqi let the matter drop. After a moment’s hesitation, she ventured, “Are you free the day after tomorrow?”

“Yes,” Lin Yi replied easily. If there was one thing he had plenty of, it was time. He didn’t plan on refining elixirs for now, so aside from teaching Yujia in the afternoons, he was quite idle.

Yang Junqi looked a little helpless. “Would you come with me to my hometown for my father’s birthday celebration? The Yang family is full of internal strife, and both Yujia and I are women—I’m worried we’ll be at a disadvantage.”

Lin Yi considered for a moment, then agreed. “Alright.”

Yang Junqi was pleased. The main reason she’d made this decision was that Lin Yi struck her as remarkably steady—far more mature than his age suggested. And with his skills in traditional medicine, she wanted to show her whole family the power of Chinese medicine.

“You can attend the banquet as Yujia’s boyfriend,” she added, a smile in her eyes.

A shadow passed across Lin Yi’s brow—wasn’t Yang Yujia just about to enter her senior year of high school after the summer?

“If you don’t object, I’ll take that as consent,” Yang Junqi said.

…

That afternoon, Yang Junqi brought him another bottle of Spirit Marrow Liquid.

Lin Yi eagerly opened the small jade vial. This time, it contained even more than before—around a fifth of a vial, by his estimate.

“Not bad. If I had another golden core, my tenth would be fully stabilized.”

He put the Spirit Marrow Liquid away and headed to Yang Yujia’s house.

He knocked on the door, and it was Li Zhihan who answered.

“Lin Yi, you’re here! Come in, quickly,” she greeted him warmly.

He nodded, saying nothing more.

Yang Yujia was sitting on the sofa watching TV. As Lin Yi entered, she suddenly said, “My mom wants you to pretend to be my boyfriend for a while.”

“I know,” Lin Yi replied.

Li Zhihan started, glancing between the two of them.

“What’s with that look?” Yang Yujia pinched her friend’s cheek and then, with a stern face, turned to Lin Yi. “Why didn’t you refuse? Do you have any idea what a behemoth the Yang family is? With your temperament, you’re bound to suffer.”

Rigid things break easily.

Having spent so much time with Lin Yi, Yang Yujia had come to understand his character. People like him had backbone, but once out in society, they would find themselves isolated and targeted at every turn.

“I know. But I owe Sister Yang a favor,” Lin Yi replied with a gentle smile.

As for the so-called behemoth, it was only daunting from her perspective. Even the top ten families in Jiang Province had all been brought to heel by him; what was a second-rate clan, no matter how many connections they claimed?

Li Zhihan didn’t want to see tension between her best friend and Lin Yi—one was her confidante, the other someone she was beginning to like.

“Alright, enough of that. I’m sure Lin Yi can handle it. By the way, Lin Yi, Aunt Yang told me you know medicine?”

Her voice was soft and sweet, almost as if she were coquettishly pleading.

“A little,” Lin Yi answered with a smile.

“You’re amazing, Lin Yi. You play piano, compose music, and now you know medicine, too,” Li Zhihan said, a note of admiration in her voice.

Lin Yi smiled without responding. This girl certainly had a way with words.

Yang Yujia pursed her lips. “I bet he just got lucky.”

“Yujia!” Li Zhihan glared at her.

“Fine, fine,” Yang Yujia said, waving her hand dismissively.

Li Zhihan huffed, then turned to Lin Yi. “Lin Yi, about the piece you gave me, ‘Seeking the Dao,’ there are still a lot of parts I don’t understand.”

“Which parts?” Lin Yi asked.

She explained her confusion, and Lin Yi patiently clarified each point. The piece was indeed a challenge for someone her age, but he didn’t push her—so long as she didn’t butcher it, he was content.

“I’m bored. I’m going back to my room,” Yang Yujia yawned. As she stood, her ankle twisted, and she fell forward.

Ahead of her was a coffee table—if she fell face-first, she’d be badly hurt.

Lin Yi stepped forward and caught her by the arm just in time.

“Are you alright, Yujia?” Li Zhihan asked with concern.

Yang Yujia steadied herself, about to say she was fine, when a sharp pain shot through her ankle, draining the color from her face.

“Hiss… I twisted my ankle,” she said.

Li Zhihan helped her to the couch.

Lin Yi hadn’t intended to meddle, but if Yujia couldn’t attend the banquet, he’d have no reason to go as her boyfriend—and he didn’t feel right letting Yang Junqi face the Yang family alone.

“Sit still, let me take a look,” he said.

“I don’t want—” she began, but Lin Yi had already taken hold of her foot, removed her over-the-knee black stockings, and saw that her fair ankle was now mottled with bruises.