Under One Person: The Forbidden Files of the Magician

Chapter 33: Alchemy and Transformation!

Inside the reception room of the Lu family compound.

Under the soft light, Lu Jin held his breath, his gaze fixed on Lu Xiaobai.

That weathered face held undisguised anticipation.

Lu Xiaobai calmly spread his hands out.

Above his palm, a string of ancient Buddhist beads was now floating quietly, radiating a warm and restrained halo.

This is the object of possession provided by Lu Jin.

Over the past ten hours, Lu Xiaobai has been conducting an extremely demanding alchemy experiment.

Guided by his own spiritual power, and using only the magical carving knife in his hand that shimmered with a cold, eerie blue light, he forcibly fused two special "things" into the Buddhist beads:

Crystallized from the spring water, representing the "Retrograde Spring Power" magic that moves in the opposite direction.

And the faint, almost vanished, "Qi" breath that was captured from Wugensheng.

Together, they form the core of tracking.

At this moment, these two forces have reached a delicate balance within the prayer beads.

Even more strikingly,

The surface of the bead is covered with fine, delicate, and strange patterns that shimmer with a deep blue light.

That was a simplified version of the Rune incantation "Song of Nirquan" miniature array, personally inscribed by Lu Xiaobai.

This formation has been simplified.

Its core function is to strengthen and stabilize the rootless "qi" within the prayer beads, and to attempt to mark or resist the unknown traces of interference, making it a special alchemical tracker.

"Hmm, the initial refining is complete."

Lu Xiaobai's ethereal and calm voice rang out.

But beneath this calm, a closer listener can detect a hint of weariness that is hard to conceal.

This fatigue is perfectly normal.

For nearly ten hours, without the assistance of sophisticated instruments in the basement.

Lu Xiaobai used only his mental power and a magical carving knife that required extreme concentration to refining the Buddhist beads floating in mid-air.

The difficulty of this experiment is self-evident.

Each cut is like carving a nanochip, requiring immense mental effort and leaving no room for error.

This kind of sustained high-intensity, high-precision mental exertion,

Even for a top-tier alchemy and magic master like Lu Xiaobai, it would still be a considerable burden.

"Next, just gently nurture it with Qi," Lu Xiaobai added.

Exhale softly.

He removed the magical glasses used for precise operations from the bridge of his nose.

With a light touch of his fingertip on a fully mechanical storage ring on his right hand, the glasses and the dark blue carving knife vanished silently.

Then, he twitched his fingers slightly.

A glass bottle filled with a clear blue liquid appeared out of thin air in my hand.

The liquid shimmered with tiny halos and exuded a cool scent.

This is a potion that restores mental strength.

He uncorked the bottle, took small sips, and the cool potion slid down his throat, relieving some of the heaviness and fatigue caused by the depletion of his energy.

"Old Lu..."

Lu Xiaobai's voice sounded slightly more alert under the influence of the medicine.

"Next, you just need to use your own 'Qi' to continuously nourish and supply energy every once in a while."

He looked at Lu Jin's hand tightly gripping the prayer beads and explained in detail:

"The process of nurturing it allows it to become more familiar with the Qi within."

"If the other party is still alive and has used a certain amount of Qi."

"This thing has been nurtured by you and is connected to your aura. It should be able to generate a faint sense and point you in the general direction of its location."

Lu Jin clutched the warm bead tightly.

Feeling the wondrous power contained within and the effort Lu Xiaobai had put in.

He looked up at the slightly tired face of the boy in front of him, his eyes, weathered by time, filled with deep gratitude and a touch of heartache.

"Child...you've worked so hard! Thank you so much!"

Lu Jin's voice was deep and solemn, each word sounding as if squeezed out from the bottom of his heart, carrying great weight.

Lu Xiaobai simply shook his head slightly.

After drinking a sip of the potion, he put the remaining income into the ring.

He looked at Lu Jin's weathered face, remained silent for a moment, and then spoke:

"If the other party is still alive, according to the predictions made by the spring, if you go alone..."

Without being told what happened next, Lu Jin knew what it meant.

"More bad than good...heh."

Lu Jin repeated in a low voice, a complex smile tugging at the corners of his lips.

He didn't avoid Lu Xiaobai's gaze; instead, he gripped the bead even tighter, as if he had grasped his only hope and held onto his lifelong obsession.

"I understand, child. Really... thank you!"

He thanked him again, this time with a more determined, all-or-nothing resolve in his voice.

He lowered his head, his gaze fixed on the bead, and stopped speaking. He simply used his rough thumb to repeatedly rub the smooth surface of the bead and the cool runes.

The living room fell silent for a moment.

Only the deep darkness outside the window reminded me of the passage of time.

After a long while, Lu Jin finally looked up at the dark sky outside the window. "It's completely dark." He raised his voice towards the door, "Linglong, Lin'er!"

As soon as he finished speaking, Lu Linglong and Lu Lin appeared at the door.

Clearly, they had been waiting in the next room.

"Xiaobai, are you done with your work?"

Lu Linglong strode in, her gaze immediately falling on Lu Xiaobai's face.

That face, which always seemed serene or somewhat aloof, now revealed a slight weariness, and there was a hint of fatigue in its eyes.

This made her heart tighten slightly, and a complex emotion welled up inside her.

There was admiration and curiosity for his abilities, a touch of inexplicable heartache, and a sense of guilt for not being able to help his grandfather.

If only I could master such extraordinary abilities.

The thought flashed through her mind.

"Mmm," Lu Xiaobai responded softly.

"Linglong, take Xiaobai out for some late-night snacks and get some rest."

Lu Jin instructed, her tone returning to its usual gentleness, "After a day of running around, you must be starving."

"Okay, Great-Grandpa!"

Lu Linglong immediately agreed, forcing a relaxed smile on her face.

Lu Lin quickly added, "Then I'll go tidy up the guest rooms in the east wing. Xiao Bai, don't leave tonight, it's too late, just stay here."

He was shrewd and knew that his grandfather needed some peace and quiet, so he was happy to give his sister some space and planned to stay and keep his grandfather company.

"Great-Grandpa, we're off now!" Lu Linglong said obediently to Lu Jin.

Lu Jin nodded.

His gaze lingered on Lu Linglong and Lu Xiaobai for a moment.

Finally, he simply waved his hand gently: "Go on, go on, take good care of Xiaobai."

Lu Lin also gave Lu Linglong an encouraging and reassuring look.

"As for the kind of medicinal herbs that Xu San asked me to find that can nourish the soul," Lu Jin added to Lu Xiaobai as if he had just remembered.

"I'll arrange for someone to inquire about it tomorrow. I'll contact you immediately if I get any definite news or encounter any difficulties."

"This kind of thing... I remember there seem to be some related rumors about it among the Quanzhen Sect..."

Speaking of which,

Lu Jin looked at Lu Xiaobai with concern and a hint of inquiry.

"Little one, tell me honestly, has your soul... suffered some kind of damage?"

"If the foundation is damaged, that's no small matter; the consequences could be very serious."

In response to Lu Jin's concern, Lu Xiaobai simply shook his head slightly.

There weren't many changes in his facial expression.

The matter of his damaged soul was of great importance, and he did not intend to easily reveal it to outsiders.

"Let's go, Xiaobai!" Lu Linglong turned around, her voice regaining its usual crispness, carrying a lightheartedness that wanted to dispel the dull atmosphere.

She walked briskly towards the door, her pink hair swaying gently with her movements.

Lu Xiaobai didn't say anything more, but just quietly followed behind her.

Stepping out of the brightly lit living room, the corridor was bathed in warm light from the moonlight and the courtyard lights.

A cool night breeze swept by.

Looking ahead at that pink figure, still full of energy and moving lightly in the night,

A very subtle look of disorientation suddenly flashed across Lu Xiaobai's calm eyes.

The swaying hair, the light and quick steps.

In a fleeting moment, it seemed as if I were reunited with a vague, gentle, and pure green figure from the depths of my memory, who had pulled me along as we ran on the school lawn.

It was only for a moment.

……

The night breeze brushed against my cheeks, bringing a slight coolness.

Lu Xiaobai's eyes instantly regained their clarity, as if that momentary daze had never occurred.

He looked away, his steps still steady, silently following behind Lu Linglong, blending into the tranquil and profound night of the Lu family compound.

Meanwhile, the girl in front was excitedly making plans:

"Little White, what would you like to eat?"

"I know a really authentic braised pork and wheat cake place nearby, and they also have fried liver! How about... we go get some grilled skewers?"

Her voice sounded exceptionally clear in the quiet night.

With naive enthusiasm, they tried to melt the silent iceberg behind them.