The white clouds drifted leisurely outside the window.
Morning light streamed through the window lattice. Jiang Huai opened his eyes and sat up.
Luo Yueguan was lying beside him, her porcelain white body half covered by the quilt and the other half illuminated by the sunlight outside the window, as if dusted with gold powder. He was still a bit hazy from the hangover and took a moment to recall what they had done the night before.
They had hugged and kissed for a while last night, but in the end, he had been well-behaved, and Luo Yueguan had also been well-behaved. They had avoided any further mention of sensual topics. When they grew tired of kissing, Luo Yueguan had snuggled into his arms, occasionally leaning in to lick his lips with her tongue like a kitten drinking water.
Luo Yueguan slowly opened her eyes. Jiang Huai reached out to shield her from the glaring light.
She adjusted for a moment before sitting up. The quilt slipped from her shoulders. Her dress was already disheveled from her restless sleep. Jiang Huai suddenly remembered something and said, “Last night, besides tossing and turning, you also fought for the quilt.”
“So what if I fought for it?” Luo Yueguan snorted softly. She took out a gorgeous and complicated dress and looked up at Jiang Huai, saying, “Help me put it on.”
Fortunately, Jiang Huai had helped Luo Qingyu and Wen Wanwan put on similar complicated outfits before. He helped Luo Yueguan dress, piece by piece. During this process, he couldn’t help but touch her smooth, white skin. Luo Yueguan’s eyes, however, were fixed on Jiang Huai, as if expecting something. But Jiang Huai did nothing more than touch her skin with his fingertips.
Her dress was a blend of white and light purple, giving her an ethereal and refined aura, diminishing her usual charming demeanor. However, Luo Yueguan’s naturally foxy eyes always held a hint of unspoken desire. As Jiang Huai finished dressing her, Luo Yueguan gestured towards the cabinet, indicating a pair of silver high heels. Jiang Huai knelt down, carefully holding her ankle as Luo Yueguan slightly raised her calf.
She tried to capture even the slightest trace of desire in Jiang Huai’s eyes, but found none. A sense of inexplicable disappointment surged in her heart, followed by a sudden, undefined flutter of anxiety and annoyance.
Unfortunately, Jiang Huai did not notice.
Luo Yueguan sat down in front of the dressing table mirror. Jiang Huai picked up a sandalwood comb and began to comb her hair. After smoothing her hair, he picked up a hairpin and hair ornaments to style it.
Everyone has two faces: one shown when alone or to extremely close friends, and another presented to outsiders. The Luo Yueguan in front of outsiders was always languid and composed, yet at the same time, she seemed to exude a hint of coldness that kept others at a distance.
“All done.”
Jiang Huai looked at Luo Yueguan in the mirror with satisfaction. Luo Yueguan examined herself from various angles before finally standing up.
***
The Ziyun Grand Pavilion was located within the entirety of Ziyun City.
This was a city of cultivators. From the spirit boat, Jiang Huai had already witnessed its bustling prosperity. Besides the Ziyun Pavilion, many rogue cultivators also used the Ziyun Pavilion’s grounds to sell spirit treasures, or to find like-minded Dao companions to explore secret realms together, seek opportunities, or even find Dao companions. Others simply came to join the excitement, while some cultivators resided here permanently. However, it was said that land was extremely valuable here, and not everyone could afford a place to live.
Jiang Huai and Luo Yueguan disembarked from the spirit boat and approached the ninety-nine-story building. Before entering the city, Luo Yueguan and Jiang Huai each presented their jade tokens, which represented their identities. Upon entering the city, they were met with a scene of prosperity and a lively atmosphere.
Luo Yueguan’s appearance drew many admiring glances. Her beauty was already well-known throughout the Eastern Region. Seeing her in person, many were astonished that the circulating paintings could not capture even a third of her beauty.
Jiang Huai stood beside Luo Yueguan, not too close nor too far. Jiang Huai stood slightly behind her, giving the impression of an elder with a junior. He quietly glanced at Luo Yueguan’s profile. Her eyes were languid and composed, lacking any hint of the spoiled and playful demeanor she had shown earlier.
The thought that only he had witnessed Luo Yueguan’s private moments of acting spoiled and demanding kisses suddenly filled Jiang Huai with a peculiar sense of joy. As soon as he realized this feeling, he suppressed it fiercely.
The two people walked through a long street and soon arrived at the foot of the Ziyun Grand Pavilion, the tallest building in the city, its top floor reaching into the clouds. It was magnificent and imposing. As Jiang Huai approached it with her, he noticed that even the paving stones were made of Zisui jade. He couldn’t help but sigh at the extravagance of the Ziyun Pavilion Master who had appeared a thousand years ago.
The identity of the Ziyun Pavilion Master was particularly mysterious. It was only known that she was a woman who always wore a veil. A thousand years ago, her cultivation had already reached the Eighth Realm, but she had not appeared in public for a millennium, and there had been no news of her since. All matters of the Ziyun Pavilion were handled by the elders. As the most mysterious force, to this day, no one knew if the Ziyun Pavilion Master was still in the Ziyun Pavilion.
Jiang Huai’s purpose for this trip was to sell his pill-refining skills. If he had come alone, it might have been troublesome to meet someone influential within the Ziyun Pavilion. However, because Luo Yueguan accompanied him, after entering and browsing for a short while, a waitress in a purple dress came to greet them.
“Sect Master Luo, what brings you here today? My name is Yuzhu. Please tell me what you need, and I will help you select it.” The purple-clothed attendant stood calmly beside Luo Yueguan, her tone gentle and respectful.
At this moment, Jiang Huai spoke up, “I wish to sell a pill-refining method to the Ziyun Pavilion. It can guarantee Perfect Quality for all pills below the Heaven tier.” Jiang Huai lowered his voice. The attendant named Yuzhu was stunned at first, then looked up and replied softly, “This matter is not something I can decide. Please wait while I transmit a message to the Alchemy Elder for his judgment.”
“Alright.”
“Please follow me to a private room on the sixty-sixth floor to wait. I will summon the Alchemy Elder.”
***
Within the private room on the sixty-sixth floor of the Ziyun Grand Pavilion.
The room was brightly lit. Jiang Huai and Luo Yueguan sat on chairs. Yuzhu quietly brewed tea before them, while opposite Jiang Huai sat an old man with white hair and beard.
Jiang Huai took out a pill formation diagram he had drawn earlier and said softly, “This is a formation diagram for refining the Qingxin Pill. As long as medicinal materials are placed within it, Perfect Quality Qingxin Pills can be refined.”
The Alchemy Elder took the formation diagram from Jiang Huai’s hand. A hint of suspicion flickered in his eyes, but he did not speak directly. Instead, he retrieved the medicinal materials for the Qingxin Pill. After placing them inside, without even needing to add spiritual fire, the formation diagram began to burn, extract, and fuse. A Qingxin Pill instantly appeared on the round table.
“It is indeed an interesting method. Are you looking to sell the refining method for this Perfect Quality Qingxin Pill to the Ziyun Pavilion?”
“If it’s just this one, what price can the Ziyun Pavilion offer?”
“I will need to discuss this further with the other Alchemy Elders, but I estimate we could offer you between eighty thousand and one hundred thousand Spirit Stones.”
The Alchemy Elder took a sip of tea, speaking unhurriedly, “The Ziyun Pavilion itself possesses the most advanced pill-refining technology in the Eastern Region. The probability of refining Perfect Quality Qingxin Pills is sixty percent. Therefore, we can only offer this price. Are you implying that you also possess methods for refining other pills to Perfect Quality?”
“Yes.”
“Which others? We are interested in such interesting items, and only we in the entire Eastern Region can afford what you ask.” The Alchemy Elder seemed particularly confident, smiling at Jiang Huai.
“There are currently two hundred and thirty-seven commonly used pills below the Heaven tier,” Jiang Huai suddenly stated.
The Alchemy Elder opposite him froze.
“I have the refining methods for all of these two hundred and thirty-seven pills, but I need a satisfactory price from you.”
Upon hearing this, the entire tea room fell into silence. The Alchemy Elder’s previously smiling expression froze. It took several breaths before he regained his composure and asked again, half-believing, “All of them?”
“All of them.”
Another silence followed. Afterward, the Alchemy Elder smiled bitterly, “The Ziyun Pavilion can indeed afford the price, but we will need to discuss the necessity of purchasing them. If possible… please allow us a few hours. I need to gather the other elders responsible for selling pills, along with a Purple Clothed Elder, to discuss this matter.”
“Alright, no rush.”
“You can stay in Ziyun City for now. Please take this card. Once we have deliberated, we will invite you back to the tea room to discuss further.”
“You are too kind.”
Jiang Huai accepted the card, feeling flattered by the Alchemy Elder’s respectful address. After some thought, Jiang Huai took out dozens more single-use formation diagrams and placed them on the table. “You can study these while you deliberate.”
“Aren’t you worried that we’ll crack these formation diagrams and your method will become less valuable?”
Jiang Huai scratched his head. “This is not to be dismissive, but I have a strange intuition… that cracking this formation method might not be that easy.”
“Then thank you for your kind intentions, Daoist friend.”
The Alchemy Elder collected the formation diagrams and then got up to contact the other Alchemy Elders. Jiang Huai and Luo Yueguan also left the tea room together, and he accompanied Luo Yueguan on a stroll.
Besides being a commercial entity, the Ziyun Pavilion also served as a bank. Most of Luo Yueguan’s savings were stored in the Ziyun Pavilion. The blue card in her hand was a high-level membership card for the Ziyun Pavilion, holding four million Spirit Stones. She also received a thirty percent discount on most of her purchases at the Ziyun Pavilion.
On the other hand, Jiang Huai’s own small card only had over ten thousand Spirit Stones. He didn’t have anything particular he wanted to buy, so he simply accompanied Luo Yueguan while she shopped for dresses. Seeing that each dress cost hundreds of Spirit Stones, Jiang Huai felt an inexplicable pang of heartache.
With a few hundred Spirit Stones, he could make over a dozen outfits from the same materials. Luo Yueguan, however, held his hand and bought him several pieces of clothing. Jiang Huai felt as if he were being taken shopping by an elder during the New Year holidays, looking quite reluctant. Luo Yueguan, on the other hand, was happily selecting items and even forced him to try them on.
At this moment, Luo Yueguan stood before him, gently tidying his collar with a tender expression.
