Page 24

From the ten bottles of pills, Qin Shu pulled out two, then carefully extracted a single pill from another bottle and placed it into one of the two bottles. She handed them over together.

"Here! For you! I keep my word!"

Just as Cheng Yan accepted the bottles, a hearty laugh rang out.

"So that's why Senior Brother was making low-grade pills. Turns out, it was for Junior Sister," said a familiar voice.

Following the sound, Qin Shu looked up to see Wen Chi dressed in light blue robes, holding a jade-bone folding fan, floating lightly in the air.

Qin Shu frowned. She had just finalized her agreement with Cheng Yan to meet again next month, but now Wen Chi had shown up to ruin the moment.

What lousy timing!

Her expression didn't escape Wen Chi's notice. He chuckled and said, "What's that look for, little Taoist? When I make pills for you, you don't seem this grateful. Aren't we all your Senior Brothers? Don't play favorites."

Qin Shu raised her head, astonished, and replied with a sarcastic smile, "Senior Brother, perhaps you've mixed me up with someone else. When did I ever trouble you to make pills for me?"

Wen Chi tapped his forehead lightly with his slender fingers, creating an almost mesmerizing sight. She couldn't decide if the beauty was in the fan, his hand, or his face.

The charming man before her smiled and said, "Seems I've made a mistake, after all. Let me remind you, Junior Sister. Do you recall the bottle of fasting pills in your storage bag when you first joined the Dan Sect?"

Qin Shu blinked in surprise as her eyes widened in realization. He watched her expression with satisfaction and asked, "Well, do you remember now?"

Back then, he had only thought the little Junior Sister was amusing and casually tossed her a bottle of fasting pills.

Now that she knew, Qin Shu felt obliged to acknowledge the favor.

"So it was you, Senior Brother! Thank you for your generosity. I'll remember this, and once I've advanced in my cultivation, I'll surely return the favor with a bottle of pills."

Her words made Wen Chi laugh heartily. His smile softened as he remarked, "You're quite clever for a little Taoist, aren't you?"

Her simple words had cleverly limited the weight of the favor to a mere bottle of pills. At her age, having such wits was no small feat.

"Senior Brother, my name is Qin Shu, not 'little Taoist,'" she said with a frown, clearly unhappy with the nickname.

Wen Chi raised an eyebrow, looking at her warmly. "With a hairstyle like that, what else should I call you if not 'little Taoist'?"

Qin Shu almost drooled at his gentle gaze but quickly snapped herself out of it. She straightened her face and replied, "This isn't a Taoist hairstyle. It's called a bun."

Cheng Yan, who had been silently watching the exchange, noticed Wen Chi using illusion techniques on the little girl. Yet, to his surprise, she wasn't swayed in the slightest.

He snorted softly and said, "I've got what I came for. I'll leave you two to your conversation."

Not wanting to lose her opportunity, Qin Shu quickly called out before he disappeared. "Senior Brother, same time next month?"

Wen Chi observed the interaction with a smile that didn't quite reach his eyes.

Cheng Yan didn't seem fazed. He calmly nodded and replied, "Alright."

Wen Chi watched him leave and muttered to himself, "Why would Senior Brother use such valuable jade bottles—normally reserved for high-grade pills—for this little girl?"

It baffled him. She wasn't even old enough to stir romantic interest.

"Senior Brother, isn't Fairy Hao Miao supposed to visit in a few days?" Wen Chi said casually, but Cheng Yan's expression immediately darkened. Without a word, he vanished.

Qin Shu's ears perked up at the juicy gossip. She grinned and asked, "Senior Brother, who is Fairy Hao Miao?"

The next moment, Wen Chi's fan landed gently on her head, squashing her bun.

"Kids shouldn't meddle in grown-up affairs," he said.

Qin Shu: "..."

What's so shameful about romance anyway?

She had read more than half of the sect's records but couldn't recall any mention of this Fairy Hao Miao. She figured the person must be an insignificant side character.

Unfortunately, this time, she was wrong.

Fairy Hao Miao was Cheng Yan's biggest creditor. A late-stage Golden Core cultivator, she had spent a fortune purchasing a spirit vein to aid her breakthrough to the Nascent Soul stage.

However, on the very day Cheng Yan broke through to the late Golden Core stage, he had used a third of that spirit vein's energy for his cultivation.

Fairy Hao Miao was livid. But as Cheng Yan was the Dan Sect's Senior Brother, there was no escaping her debt collection. Over the past thirty years, Wen Chi had seen her visit every three years, without fail, to demand repayment.

Qin Shu, despite her low cultivation, had an uncanny intuition. While there might be some tension between her two Senior Brothers, neither seemed to harbor ill intentions toward her. At least, for now.

"I told you to stay away from Senior Brother Cheng, didn't I?" Wen Chi suddenly said.

Qin Shu froze, recalling that he had indeed warned her.

At the time, she didn't need much convincing; she'd instinctively avoided Cheng Yan. Yet, her initial fear seemed to have disappeared, perhaps because he had helped her with pill-making.

Sigh, she thought, I'm too easily swayed by small favors.

"Senior Brother, can I ask you something?" she asked innocently.

Wen Chi waved his fan. "No."

Her smile immediately vanished. Without another word, she turned and walked toward her small cabin. "Fine. I won't ask. Goodbye."

Wen Chi: "..."

Don't listen to good advice, and you'll suffer for it later.

Qin Shu left without looking back.

As she walked, a thought popped into her head. The pills Cheng Yan made were far superior to those issued by the sect.

If she exchanged them for lower-grade pills and submitted those as her sect tasks...

She could make a fortune!

The idea consumed her thoughts. She completed her ten-day task at the medicine hall, then took a day off to visit Red Gold City.

At the Dan League's shop, she asked about the pills Cheng Yan had made for her. To her shock, they were all top-grade Spiritual Replenishment Pills.

One top-grade pill could be exchanged for one mid-grade spirit stone. And one mid-grade spirit stone could be exchanged for 200 low-grade pills.

Qin Shu's eyes became vacant as her thoughts swirled in disbelief.

She kept repeating three words in her mind:

I'm rich!