Fivefold Rebate

Lin Ying looked at Lu Yang's smile and was dazed for a moment.

Somehow, after just a few days apart, her junior brother seemed to have grown a little more handsome.

The young man stood in the morning light. His features were clearly the same as before, yet every detail was impossibly perfect.

She suppressed the strange feeling in her heart, her expression as gentle as ever, and nodded with a smile. "Mm, junior brother, what pills would you like today?"

"Qi Nourishing Pills," Lu Yang answered without hesitation. "I'll take more this time. Give me ten bottles."

He planned to use the Rebate Card on this purchase.

The more he spent, the more he would get back.

Besides, Qi Nourishing Pills were an absolute necessity in the Qi Refining Realm. Ten bottles looked like a lot, but at his current cultivation speed, he would use them up before long.

Lin Ying, however, froze for a moment. Then she said softly, a little embarrassed, "But I only have five bottles right now..."

Refining Qi Nourishing Pills took considerable effort.

Although her pill-refining skills were quite good, she still had to make time for her own cultivation after completing the sect's monthly pill-refining tasks. The number of finished pills she could stockpile was truly limited.

She had brought only five bottles to her stall today and couldn't produce a single bottle more.

Lu Yang waved a hand and said casually, "That's all right. I'll take the five bottles for now. Just give me the rest when you've finished refining them, senior sister. We'll count the transaction as ten bottles."

"How could I do that?" Lin Ying shook her head repeatedly, her expression earnest. "Let's just settle for five bottles. You can buy more next time you need them, junior brother."

"Making transaction after transaction is too much trouble." Lu Yang smiled and met her eyes openly. "I'll give you the Spirit Stones first, senior sister. Once you've refined them, just deliver them to the residence for new disciples. I trust you won't pocket them."

What a joke. He was using this transaction to trigger the Rebate Card. How could he possibly pay for only five bottles?

Lin Ying's ears grew slightly warm at his words, "I trust you, senior sister."

She fell silent for a moment, then finally nodded gently. Her voice was soft and warm. "Since you trust me so much, Junior Brother Lu, I'll continue refining Qi Nourishing Pills when I get back. I'll bring them to you as soon as they're ready."

"Then sorry for the trouble, senior sister."

Qin Nanyue stood to one side without speaking, quietly listening to their exchange.

When she heard Lu Yang ask for ten bottles of Qi Nourishing Pills at once, a flicker of surprise rose in her heart.

Ten bottles of Qi Nourishing Pills cost over a thousand Low-Grade Spirit Stones.

That was naturally nothing to her.

But among ordinary Qi Refining Realm cultivators, only a small number could afford to produce that many Spirit Stones in one go.

And this junior brother was actually willing to pay the full amount upfront while taking only some of the pills.

That showed two things: first, paying that amount wasn't much of a strain for him; second, he truly trusted Yingying.

Interesting.

She had never heard of a disciple like him before.

Thoughts raced through Qin Nanyue's mind, and she finally couldn't resist speaking. There was a teasing note in her voice. "Yingying, who's this junior brother? Aren't you going to introduce us?"

Lin Ying came back to her senses and hurriedly made the introductions. "This is Junior Brother Lu Yang. He's still in the assessment period. Junior Brother Lu, this is my best friend, Qin Nanyue. She's a direct descendant of the Golden Core Qin Household and ranks among the top ten in the outer sect."

Qin Nanyue looked at Lu Yang, undisguised curiosity in her eyes and the corners of her lips slightly raised. "Hello, Junior Brother Lu."

His surname is Lu...

She quickly searched her memory.

Which Golden Core Aristocratic Clan under the Golden Rainbow Sword Sect's rule had the surname Lu?

She thought for a long time but couldn't match him to any of them.

Lu Yang was surprised by Lin Ying's introduction.

The Golden Rainbow Sword Sect had hundreds of thousands of outer sect disciples. Those who could enter the sect were already geniuses to begin with, and the minimum requirement was a mid-grade Spirit Root.

On top of that, they had to pass the entrance assessment to enter the outer sect.

The significance of ranking in the top ten of the outer sect was easy to imagine.

He immediately turned serious and cupped his hands. "Greetings, Senior Sister Qin. You really are impressive."

Qin Nanyue waved a hand and said lightly, "You flatter me. I'm merely relying on my family's modest strength."

Then she changed the subject, her gaze returning to Lu Yang. "May I ask which Lineage you come from, Junior Brother Lu?"

Lu Yang smiled. "My Lineage's strength is very ordinary. It can't compare to your family, Senior Sister Qin."

Qin Nanyue pursed her lips slightly, clearly not believing a word. "If you don't want to say, junior brother, never mind."

His Lineage's strength is ordinary?

Could a child of an ordinary Lineage buy pills like this?

She guessed to herself that Lu Yang probably didn't want to reveal his origins.

Perhaps he wasn't from a local power under the Golden Rainbow Sword Sect at all, but from the territory of another major sect in Qin Province.

That would explain it.

Seeing that Qin Nanyue plainly didn't believe him, Lu Yang was full of question marks and felt terribly wronged.

He had told the plain truth. Why wouldn't Senior Sister Qin believe him?

But it really wasn't easy to explain, so he stopped dwelling on it and turned to Lin Ying. "Senior sister, besides the Qi Nourishing Pills, give me two bottles of Qi Recovery Pills as well."

After buying detoxification pills last time, he had only remembered upon returning that he hadn't prepared any pills to restore Spiritual Qi.

He might as well buy them today.

Lin Ying nodded, took five bottles of Qi Nourishing Pills and two bottles of Qi Recovery Pills from her Storage Bag, and arranged them neatly on the stall. "Let's call it one thousand six hundred Low-Grade Spirit Stones in total."

Lu Yang knew what that meant.

She had surely rounded down the price and given him a discount on top of that.

He didn't stand on ceremony. He nodded slightly and took a large pile of Spirit Stones from his Storage Bag, heaping them onto the stall with a clatter.

The Low-Grade Spirit Stones formed a small mountain, their spiritual light flickering. Passing cultivators along the street turned to look, their gazes full of envy and curiosity.

Lin Ying calmly put the Spirit Stones away one by one, her movements brisk and unhurried.

Once the transaction was complete, Lu Yang looked up at Lin Ying and suggested with a smile, "Senior sister, you've sold quite a few pills today. Why not close up the stall for now? We could go for a stroll together."

Lin Ying looked up and met Lu Yang's expectant gaze. Her ears reddened again despite herself.

She nodded gently. "All right. You treated me to Spirit Cuisine last time, so it's my turn to treat you."

Standing nearby, Qin Nanyue's expression gradually grew peculiar. "????"

She looked at Lin Ying, then at Lu Yang.

Lin Ying usually scrimped and saved, spending ages deliberating over a few extra Spirit Stone fragments, let alone eating Spirit Cuisine outside.

Spirit Cuisine in the market cost considerably more than it did in the dining hall. This girl had actually offered to treat someone?

There's definitely something going on between these two!

Qin Nanyue suddenly felt a little sour. She folded her arms and drew out her voice, long and soft. "Yingying—what about me? Didn't you say you'd treat me too?"

Lin Ying shot her an exasperated glance, unable to hold back a smile. "Of course we're going together. I'll treat you while I'm at it, all right?"

Only then did Qin Nanyue lift her chin in satisfaction. "That's more like it!"

Lu Yang naturally had no reason to refuse. He smiled and said, "Then I won't stand on ceremony either."

Lin Ying quickly packed up the bottles and jars on the stall and rolled up the stall cloth. The three then walked along the flagstone street toward the depths of the market.

As they walked, Lu Yang stirred a thought.

Use the Low-Level Rebate Card.

[Purchase designated successfully. Random reward multiplier: 5. Congratulations, host, you have received 8,000 Low-Grade Spirit Stones!]

Five times!

He looked at the dazzling string of numbers on the light screen, drew a deep breath, and slowly let it out. Only then did he forcibly suppress the wild joy that had nearly burst out of him.

One thousand six hundred Low-Grade Spirit Stones had directly become a full eight thousand!

That was five times, the highest multiplier!

If he saved up a little more, he would even have the confidence to try his luck at an auction house and bid on a top-grade Law Artifact.

There were several restaurants in the market that specialized in Spirit Cuisine.

The grandest among them was the Golden Rainbow Restaurant, operated directly by the sect.

The restaurant's facade alone was far more imposing than those of the others.

The three-story building was built along the slope of the mountain, with upturned eaves, vermilion pillars, and carved railings. A huge black plaque with gold lettering hung above the main entrance. The four characters for "Golden Rainbow Restaurant" were written in bold, vigorous strokes, with Sword Qi faintly circulating around them.

Even the waiter greeting guests at the entrance was a Golden Rainbow Sword Sect menial disciple.

Lu Yang had known about the restaurant for a long time.

Golden Rainbow Sword Sect disciples received a discount when dining here, so most of his fellow disciples chose it when eating out.

He had been short of money before, so naturally he had only heard of it and had never set foot inside.

He stepped through the restaurant's doors and was greeted by a very faint scent of sandalwood mingled with the savory aroma of Spirit Cuisine, refreshing his heart and lungs.

Lu Yang swept his gaze across the main hall and found the restaurant's furnishings quite refined.

The Golden Rainbow Sword Sect's sword-pattern emblem was carved into the beams and pillars, and ink-wash landscapes with a distant, profound mood hung on all four walls.

The tables and chairs were all made of century-old spirit wood, their grain delicate and faintly translucent.

The main hall was enormous, with dozens of dining tables set out.

Most were already occupied. As cups were raised and exchanged, Spiritual Qi and aromas mingled and wafted through the air. It was lively without being noisy.

The waiters were also menial disciples, all keenly observant.

As soon as they saw the sect attire worn by the three, one hurried over with a beaming smile. "Senior brothers and senior sisters, would you like a private room or a table in the first-floor hall?"

Without thinking, Lin Ying smiled and said, "A private room."

"Certainly! Please follow me!"

The three followed the waiter upstairs, passed through a corridor, and entered a private room called "Autumn Waters."

As soon as the door was pushed open, the refined scent of sandalwood greeted them.

The room was neither large nor small. A round spirit-wood table stood in the center, pale cyan gauze curtains hung on all four walls, and the window faced a sea of clouds between the mountains, offering a sweeping view.

From the surroundings alone, Lu Yang knew that dining here definitely wasn't cheap.

Qin Nanyue was clearly a regular. With practiced ease, she chose a seat by the window and sat down.

She rested one arm on the table, propping up her chin, and lazily flipped through the menu with her other hand. Her gaze, however, kept darting back and forth between Lin Ying and Lu Yang.

"Tsk, tsk, tsk..." She drew out her words, her eyes full of mischievous amusement. "Our Yingying is actually willing to bleed money today. How rare, how very rare~"

Lin Ying's heart skipped at the blatant teasing, and she instinctively stole a glance at Lu Yang.

Seeing that his expression was unchanged and that he seemed not to have heard any implied meaning, she quietly breathed a sigh of relief.

She glared at Qin Nanyue in exasperation and gritted her teeth. "Nanyue! Eat more later, so it'll plug that mouth of yours!"

Then she turned to Lu Yang, her voice soft and warm again. "Junior Brother Lu, you order."

Qin Nanyue propped her cheek on one hand and watched Lu Yang with interest, but said nothing to stop them.

She had eaten at the Golden Rainbow Restaurant more times than she could count, so naturally she didn't care whether she ordered.

But she didn't intend to let Lin Ying spend too much today either. It wasn't easy for the girl to save up Spirit Stones.

She just didn't know what Junior Brother Lu would order.

If he orders dishes that are too expensive and makes Yingying pour all her hard-earned Spirit Stones into this...

Then I'll have to have a proper talk with Yingying in private.

Perhaps the two weren't that compatible when it came to spending, and this junior brother didn't know how to think of Yingying. It would be better for them to spend less time together in the future.

But if this junior brother knows his limits and thinks of Yingying...

Qin Nanyue's gaze wandered over Lu Yang's flawless face as she muttered to herself, Then I wouldn't mind if my good sister really did fall in love.

After all, there was truly no fault to be found with Junior Brother Lu's looks, and his background was quite good too.

If his character could be trusted as well, then, all things considered, Yingying would be marrying up.